Koh Yao Noi and Ko Yao Yai Island are located only a few kilometres away from Phuket and Krabi Province and are by far the biggest islands in the famous Phang Nga Bay, covering 137 square kilometres.
Koh Yao Noi boosts some of the most beautiful sea scenery in South East Asia. Sea Gypsies where inhabiting the Bay before anybody else, todays 3500 or so inhabitants of Kho Yao Noi are thought to be recent migrants from the more southern provinces of the Malay Peninsula. Largely unaffected by decade long tourism boom on neighbouring Phuket, Koh Yao Yai Island retained its traditional Muslim culture almost unchanged.
Numerous cave paintings hidden in the many islands of the bay, extending from 2000 years ago to last century, show the influence of distinct communities in the emergence of a mixed origin population, living now in the provinces of Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi and Satun. The most recent migrations (17th-18th century) from Satun and Trang to Koh Yao Yai and Ko Yao Noi are attested by the fact that the particular dialect spoken on the island still bear obvious Malaysian lexical traces.
The main industries on Ko Yao Islands are fishing and rubber planting. A little rice farming and some fruit, palm and coconut plantations are evident. Boat building and farming techniques here have been passed from father to son and, while some of the youngsters leave Koh Yao to seek the bright lights of Phuket, most return to their tight knit community later.
Koh Yao Noi covers about 50 square kilometres and has approximately 18 kilometres of concrete and dirt road, which are great for bicycling and walking. It is mountainous in the centre and has beaches to either side. The beaches on the East side are suitable for swimming and snorkelling and some of them, like Pasai and Khlong Jaak Beach, have been discovered and developed already. Accommodation is limited to simple bungalows and some boutique-style resorts on Ko Yao Noi, the choice is even less on Koh Yao Yai Island.
The West coast of Kho Yao Noi is a picturesque blend of rice flats and mangrove trees. Ko Yao Noi is home to a hospital, several schools and a post office. 24 hour electricity supply, internet access, mobile telephone connection and ATM are available, while transportation is limited to a few taxis and pick up's, as most inhabitants prefer to have their cars parked on Bang Rong Pier on Phuket and use their cars there.