THAIest

Koh Phangan is one of the most popular destinations in Thailand for sun seeking. The surroundings of the island also offer natural treasures and are worth visiting during your journey to the Full Moon Party Island. You can take a number of great day trips from Koh Phangan by joining some of the best Koh Phangan tours offered on the island.

Best Day Trips from Koh Phangan

Best Day Trips from Koh Phangan

Below you will find tips for the best day trips from Koh Phangan and the Top 5 most popular Koh Phangan tours around the island to get the most out of your visit to the island.

1. Koh Tao Day Trips from Koh Phangan

The island of Koh Tao, the "Turtle Island", is another destination that can be easily reached on a day trip from Koh Phangan. Koh Tao is one of the Samui Archipelago islands, located 35 km from Koh Phangan. Koh Tao is a very small island (only 7.6 km long and 3.4 km wide) which lives mainly from tourism. Often considered a paradise for divers, Koh Tao is a real gem of nature. The most famous beach on Koh Tao is Sairee Beach, which is especially popular with backpackers as parties are held here regularly. You can take a dip in spectacular beaches, such as Freedom Beach or Tanote Bay. In fact, it is possible to snorkel and see the fish in almost all the bays on the island.

Koh Tao

If you do not have a diving certificate, you can get your diving training and certificate at affordable price by training for 3-4 days. There are dive centers on every street corner that can get you to the famous spots of Southwest Pinnacle and Sail Rock. The ideal time for divers, in particular, is between April and October, because then the underwater world shows its most beautiful side.

We strongly advise you to spend at least 1 night there in order to be able to visit Koh Tao as it should be. To get there, you can travel between Koh Tao and Koh Phangan on a great value ferry transfer by booking it here: Ferry Ticket between Koh Tao and Koh Phangan by Lomprayah

You can enjoy daily departures from Koh Tao to Koh Phangan with several departure times - perfect for those looking for a more flexible travel schedule. 

If you are not willing to stay overnight in Koh Tao, you can visit the island on a day trip from Koh Phangan by choosing this popular Koh Tao & Nang Yuan Boat Tour with Lunch.

2. Koh Nang Yuan Day Trips from Koh Phangan

Koh Nang Yuan (Nang Yuan Island), located northwest of Koh Tao, is probably one of the most famous offshore islands. It is also a popular day trip from Koh Phangan as Koh Nang Yuan is normally visited on the same Koh Phangan tours as Koh Tao. However, during the day it can get very crowded due to the many visitors who come by speedboats from Koh Samui and Koh Phangnan. You may know pictures of the island from countless Thailand travel advertisements and magazines. Koh Nang Yuan is actually a small island of its own, which is only connected to another small island by small sandbank. The island is a great diving destination. It will be interesting for both professional and novice divers. The depth of the bay in this area ranges from five to eighteen meters. This island also offers a beautiful beach with a magnificent viewpoint.

Koh Nang Yuan

Koh Nang Yuan is privately owned so the entrance fee of 250 THB per person is required. The most favorable time to visit the island starts in April and lasts until October as there are practically no tropical rains. There is a single cozy accommodation on the island, the Nangyuan Island Dive Resort, but a short boat trip makes a trip to Koh Nang Yuan a perfect day trip.

By choosing a day trip from Koh Phangan called Unveiling the Magic of Koh Nang Yuan & Koh Tao you can explore the best snorkeling sites in Thailand as you visit in between Ko Tao and Nang Yuan. You will witness the vibrant colors of unique underwater creatures and tropical coral reefs as you go snorkeling in several different locations and visit Koh Nang Yuan, one of the world's most beautiful islands and ready yourself for an exciting island expedition.

3. Ang Thong National Marine Park Day Trips from Koh Phangan

One of the highlights of day trips from Koh Phangan is a visit to the Ang Thong National Marine Park. A trip to Ang Thong National Marine Park is popular in the region for day trippers and one of the most popular attractions in the Koh Phangan area.

Ang Thong National Marine Park (Mu Koh Ang Thong)

The "Golden Bowl" - as the name of the park is translated, founded in 1980, is located about 30 kilometers west of Koh Phangan and Koh Samui and covers an area of around 102 km² with a group of 42 islands. The national park consists of beautiful beaches, dense jungle and limestone rocks. This national park has become known as the setting for the novel The Beach.

The organized tours to the Ang Thong Marine National Park usually include stops for snorkeling and kayaking, also lunch in one of the villages. In addition to fantastic beaches and a colorful underwater world, you have a wonderful view from the viewpoint on Koh Wua Talap, the second largest island in the national park, and visit the beautiful Taleh Nai lagoon on Koh Mae Ko.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to visit it independently. You will therefore have to rely on one of the numerous tour operators or your hotel on the island who organize day trips from Koh Phangan to Ang Thong Marine National Park. The tour is not cheap, usually the price starts from 2,000-3,000 THB per person. The package, however, includes pick-up from the hotel, entrance to the park, snorkeling equipment, meals and drinks throughout the day. If you are going to Koh Phangan in high season, you need to book similar activities at least a few days in advance.

While there are more options for visiting the park from Koh Samui, you can still join one of day trips from Koh Phangan, such as this Ang Thong National Park Day Tour by Speedboat, to spend a day around the beautiful Ang Thong National Park, a protected area home to exotic marine life and snorkel deep into the sea and witness the stunning ocean life all around you.

4. Koh Samui Day Trips from Koh Phangan

Koh Samui is one of Thailand's most visited islands and is ideal for those who are traveling to Thailand for the first time. Koh Samui is the most developed island in the region, where you will find the best resorts. There is a wide range of accommodation from hostels to a large number of 5-star resorts. You cannot miss its beaches, its temples and Big Buddha, Laem So Pagoda and Na Muang Waterfall. The eastern part of the island, especially the beaches of Chaweng and Lamai, are the most popular. If you are adventurous, it is the perfect island to rent a motorcycle and explore it.

Koh Samui Day Trip from Koh Phangan

You can get to the neighboring island of Koh Samui for a day trip from Koh Phangan by ferry. The trip between the islands can take only 30 minutes on a high-speed catamaran from Lomprayah that can be booked here: Ferry Ticket between Koh Samui and Koh Phangan.

Lomprayah is a local operator in Thailand that's known for their dependable ferry transfer services and you can choose from several departure times, as well as your pick up/drop off point in Koh Samui (either Mae Nam Pier or Na Thon Pier) depending on your travel needs.

Otherwise, if the ferry schedule better suites your travel plans, you can choose High-Speed Ferry Transfer to Koh Samui by Seatran Discovery for getting from Koh Phangan to Koh Samui and back

Once there, you can explore Koh Samui's main attractions on a guided half-day tour around the island and admire temples, island views, and the Grandfather and Grandmother Rocks.

5. Koh Phangan One Day Road Trip

You can also choose one of Koh Phangan tours around the island. On such a trip you visit the most beautiful beaches on the island, do snorkeling, enjoy amazing views from the island's best viewpoints and much more.

Koh Phangan One Day Road Trip

On tour like this Koh Phangan One Day Road Trip, you can visit the most beautiful beaches on the island, such as Thong Nai Pan Yai Beach, Haad Yao or Haad Rin, and get sunbathing there. Time at Than Sadet waterfall, where you can enjoy swimming in the natural pool, is also included. Another stop is an adjacent island Koh Ma, where you can do snorkeling to see underwater life and walk through the island. Moreover, you can choose to go to one of the popular viewpoints to see sunset.

Where to stay in Koh Phangan

Koh Phangan has accommodations of all types and price ranges, from simple hostels and budget hotels, mid-range resorts to luxury resorts and villas on the hill overlooking the sea. 

You can find the cheapest hotels in Koh Phangan that will allow you to enjoy a pleasant stay at the best price. If you want the real comfort on your vacation, take a look at the best luxury hotels in Koh Phangan.

To help you find the perfect accommodation on this island, we have prepared a guide to the best areas to stay in Koh Phangan. Here you will find best areas to stay on the island and our hotel recommendations for individual beaches and bays area, so you could choose a perfect base for your day trips from Koh Phangan.

To get the best deal on accommodation, make sure to compare hotel deals on Booking.com with often better special offers on Agoda.

How to get to Koh Phangan

Due to the lack of airport and mainland connection, Koh Phangan can only be reached by boat. To make your journey easier, we have prepared several tips on how to get to Koh Phangan easily and safely from different parts of Thailand.

How to get to Koh Phangan

If you want to get an overview of all travel options, we recommend using this search form.

Powered by 12Go system

For more information on travel options check here:

How to get from Bangkok to Koh Phangan

How to get from Koh Samui to Koh Phangan

Tips

Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao are located next to each other, which is why it makes very good sense to combine the three islands into one trip - it is quite easy to get from island to island by boat.

If you visit Koh Phangan for party, you should check detailed information about Full Moon Party beforehand. Be noted that at this time, ferries and accommodations are often fully booked, especially in the high season.

Koh Phangan is an ideal alternative for holidaymakers who are looking for peace on the beach. We have summarized the best beaches on the island in this detailed article: Best Beaches in Koh Phangan.

Find tips & inspiration
Follow us
Join our community
Join the THAIest community of travelers by becoming a member of our Facebook group
We use cookies

We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential for the operation of the site, while others help us to improve this site and the user experience (tracking cookies). You can decide for yourself whether you want to allow cookies or not. Please note that if you reject them, you may not be able to use all the functionalities of the site.