Koh Phangan

Koh Phangan is Thailand’s fifth biggest island which covers an area of nearly 125 km2. The Island is truly favoured by the hands of Mother Nature with a vast array of splendid natural landscapes from sparkling white sandy beaches, lush tropical jungles combined with an adventurous hilly hinterland. To maintain such a pristine beauty of nature, most of Koh Phangan’s popular attractions and activities are managed to be environmentally-friendly as much as possible.

A beautiful corner of Koh Phangan with a white sandy beach nearby blue seawater

Ways to get to Koh Phangan

Koh Phangan is located 70 km2 away from the mainland and 12 km2 away from the famous island Koh Samui. Koh Phangan is also known as “Samui’s Little Sister’’ for getting a close relationship with Koh Samui in terms of both geographical aspects and natural ones. There is no airport here so it forces visitors to heavily rely on ferries from the mainland and Koh Samui to get to Koh Phangan. If you travel to the Island from Koh Samui, it will take you nearly 20 minutes, whereas you have to spend about 17 hours to get to Koh Phangan from the starting point at Bangkok City.

If you are travelling on a budget, it is recommended for you to take an overnight bus at 6:00 pm every day to move to Surat Thani. Another option for you is to take the overnight train from Bangkok to Surat Thani instead of taking an overnight bus. It may cost you a bit more than the bus, but you will be happy with a more relaxed trip to bring tranquil natural sceneries alongside the roads directly to your eyes. When you are in Surat Thani the next morning, you will get to Koh Phangan simply by taking a 3-hour exciting ferry trip, which provides large spaces with high safety!

Having a journey on the train to Koh Phangan is amazing but time-consuming

The other way to travel to Koh Phangan is to move to Koh Samui first by airway. Booking a 1-hour flight has a striking disadvantage that it won’t be as budget-friendly as travelling by bus or by train. However, it will surely save your time much and don’t make you feel too bored and exhausted. From Koh Samui, you can take a traditional ferry by Maenam Pier or modern speedboat by Bohput Pier to Haad Rin beach. While your vehicle choice is to your preference and schedule, you should bear in mind that speedboat is believed to be always overcrowded and not as safe as ferry despite being more rapid and flexible than a ferry.

Activities in Koh Phangan

- Feel the beat with On-beach Moon Parties: The first thing about Koh Phangan catching most Thailand travellers’ attention should be exciting on-beach Moon Parties. The series of party varies from Full Moon Party, Half Moon Party to Black Moon Party, which provide revellers participating in the energetic crowd with unlimited joy and release every month. Especially, Full Moon Party gains more popularity than the two others since it attracts nearly 30,000 partygoers every New Year’s Eve, but all of three parties definitely play an indispensable part to make the Island’s fame widespread over the world. Get prepared to let your hair down under a lively atmosphere with Moon Parties on Koh Phangan!

Full Moon Party promises to make revellers dance till drop

- Chill out with amazing activities in Haad Rin beach: Haad Rin is now considered one of the busiest spots on Koh Phangan Island for not only the location of Full Moon Parties but also other amazing activities. Tourists once coming here will feel excited with a wide range of options for outside activities available in Haad Rin, which ranges from beach football, beach volleyball, jet skiing, sea kayaking to bikini contests. Besides, don’t forget to give snorkelling and scuba diving a try to explore the unspoilt underwater world when coming here!

- Hike to spectacular Waterfalls: Standing on Koh Phangan are many spectacular waterfalls waiting for hike lovers to discover the natural glamour on the Island. You may freely choose one waterfall among these recommendations: the most popular Than Sadet Waterfall and Than Peawet Waterfall, both on the road to Thong Nai Pan beaches; Paradise Waterfall, near Chaloklum Bay and Than Praphet, off the road to Waterfall Beaches. Taking an excursion to a waterfall should be a must-do activity as it shows you hidden charms inside the wonderful Koh Phangan. It is necessary for all visitors to avoid visiting waterfalls at high season not to suffer bad weathers.

The spectacular natural glamour of Than Sadet Waterfall is waiting for you to come and explore

- Free your soul and body at a Yoga Center: There is no doubt that yoga can directly provide you with a positive impact on both your physical and mental health. Having a course practising yoga with experts while taking a vacation on Koh Phangan will truly do wonder for your body better than you can imagine. The Island now keeps pace with the rising need of improving health and well-being of travellers, so available yoga centers and retreats here including Orion Healing Center, Agama Yoga Retreat and Blooming Lotus Yoga are always willing to bring you great service to get away from the pressure of life.

- Learn traditional Thai Cooking: Have you ever thought about making mouth-watering Thai foods by your own after coming home from a Thailand trip? Here Koh Phangan can provide you with a host of choices for cooking schools that you can take part in to learn and practise your Thailand culinary skills such as C&M Culture Center in Sri Thanu or The Phangan Cooking Class and My Wok and My in Thong Sala. All of them will give you secrets of tips and tricks to help you get familiar with intriguing Thai recipes to make popular homemade dishes like Pad Thai or Tom Kha Gai. Surely all your family members and friends will feel amazed with your tasty Thai dishes you enthusiastically prepare for them!

Becoming a Thai chef is now within your reach after participating in Thai cooking sessions

Other useful information

- Weather: Koh Phangan has 2 main seasons - hot season and rainy season. The hot season starts from January to April. The rainy season runs from May to January of the following year. Occasional rain and sunshine often come between May and September, while the time from October to December can easily see heavy monsoonal rain. The temperature on the Island is pretty enjoyable for outside activities as it fluctuates between 24 Celsius degrees and 32 Celsius degrees.

- Tips for travellers:

• Arrive at least 2 to 3 days in advance if you are heading to a full-moon party. Accommodation is usually fully booked out on the day the party takes place.
• Remember to wear shoes at beach parties to avoid broken glass.
• Lifejacket is a must-wear accessory in a speedboat for enhancing the safety on board. Electronic devices should be put in waterproof bags.
• Please be patient as much as possible during your stay for the laidback lifestyle in Koh Phangan.
• Pickpockets are common in Koh Phangan. Leave your valuable things at hotel rooms before participating in any crowd activities.

Koh Phangan is certainly a must-see spot for Thailand tourism lovers. There are so many other fascinating ways of entertainment waiting for you to explore! Come here and turn your expectation into wonderful reality as you may never forget to the rest of your life!

Cuong Ngo

Image source: Internet