Ko Phetra: Gnarly cliffs, brilliant beaches and zero tourism development

The namesake island of Mu Ko Phetra Marine Park draws few travelers despite jaw-dropping natural beauty in the lower Thai Andaman Sea. (Island Nerd #9)

Hundreds of steep karst massifs dot Thailand’s Andaman Sea all the way from Phang Nga Bay down to Ko Tarutao near Malaysia. Many of these rocky isles consist of little more than cliffs rimmed by sea. Others are joined by brilliant beaches, mangrove forests and old-growth jungles. One of the most impressive of them all is Ko Phetra, an island of limeston…