Koh Samui is an island located in the Gulf of Thailand, on the east coast of Southern Thailand. It is the third biggest island in Thailand and the largest in an archipelago of more than 80 islands. Planning a trip to Koh Samui in Thailand? This detailed Koh Samui travel guide with travel tips will help you discover the island and its best things to do.
Things to Do in Koh Samui
Koh Samui is one of the most popular destinations to visit in Thailand. There are plenty of things to do in Koh Samui as the island has wonderful nature, beautiful white sand beaches, crystal clear seas, stunning viewpoints, beautiful temples, and various tourist activities like scuba diving, cooking courses and others.
Enjoying Koh Samui Beaches
There are many beautiful beaches in Koh Samui. There are busy and lively beaches offering various activities and quieter beaches that are ideal for relaxation.
Chaweng, 5 km long beach in the northeast corner of the island, is the largest and most lively beach on Samui Island, with a wide range of accommodation, activities, restaurants and busy nightlife. Chaweng is by far the most popular beach on the island and a bustling beach town which is the place to go for shopping, dining and partying. This fine white sand beach leads into a beautifully clear sea and is lined with numerous resorts surrounded by palm trees.
Lamai is the second in popularity beach and resort town south of Chaweng. This beach is a bit more laidback but offers a similar feel, as there are plenty of good dining, entertainment and accommodation options as well as active nightlife on Lamai Beach.
Mae Nam is a chilled out and beautiful beach on the northern coast of the island. Facing Koh Phangan, Mae Nam Beach is a great place for relaxing and taking it easy on a nice beach. A long stretch of impressive white sandy beach, calm waters and terrific views of surroundings make Mae Nam a perfect place for people who want to get away from everything.
Bophut is a laid-back palm-fringed beach on the northern coast of the island known for its Fisherman's Village which boasts well-preserved old Thai-Chinese shop-houses. This stunning 2 km long beach is a good choice if you want to stay on the beach which isn’t too busy or too quiet.
Bang Rak is a north-eastern beach, also known as Big Buddha Beach. There’s a huge golden Buddha at the end of the beach, giving the name to it. The beach is quiet but close to everything – nightlife of Chaweng, shopping of Fisherman’s Village, airport and the ferry to Haad Rin on Koh Phangan.
Bang Po is a rarely visited beach in the north-western corner of Koh Samui. The beach stretches for about 4 km, offering nice views of Koh Phangan.
Lipa Noi is a great and underrated beach south of Nathon, the administrative centre of the island. The beach offers spectacular sunsets.
Nathon is the main port and administrative centre of Koh Samui. Even if it’s not that attractive for tourists, Nathon still can be a great place to visit, especially for shopping. The main ferry pier, connecting the island with Donsak pier on the mainland as well as Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, is located here.
Exploring Islands near Koh Samui
Koh Samui can be used as a base for exploring the Ang Thong National Marine Park and the neighbouring islands of Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. The marine park and the islands are just a speedboat or ferry trip away from Koh Samui.
Ang Thong National Marine Park
Taking a boat to Ang Thong National Marine Park is a perfect day trip. This fascinating archipelago of 42 islands is located northwest of Koh Samui. When kayaking or sailing around the Ang Thong National Marine Park you can enjoy a breath-taking panorama of the surrounding limestone islands covered with jungle and their white sandy beaches.
The natural wonders of Ang Thong National Marine Park can be visited by joining a boat tour from Koh Samui.
As there are many boat tours visiting Ang Thong National Marine Park with different boats and inclusions, make sure to compare several offers to choose the day trip that suites your preferences the best.
Koh Madsum (Pig Island)
Koh Madsum, also known as Pig Island, is a small island with a quiet atmosphere, suitable for a relaxing day trip during the holidays. Nowadays, the main highlight of visiting Koh Madsum is taking photos, feeding and playing with the big and small pigs that live on the beach.
Koh Taen (Coral Island)
Koh Taen, also known as Coral Island, is a tiny island close to the southern tip of Koh Samui. The island is usually visited together with Pig Island and is an excellent place for those who like nature, snorkeling, and deserted white-sand beaches. You can see schools of fish, big and small, under the sea in the surrounding area of Koh Tan.
Koh Phangan
Koh Phangan is an island off the northern coast of Koh Samui. The island is known for its world famous full moon parties, white sand beaches and coconut trees. If you like crazy beach parties, you should join the crowd of 20,000 partygoers on the white sand of Haad Rin's Sunrise Beach under the full moon. Otherwise you can visit some of many nice and secluded beaches of Koh Phangan.
If you want to visit Koh Phangan only for Full Moon Party, you can stay in Koh Samui and just go there for the party with this convenient Koh Phangan Full Moon Roundtrip Transfer.
To explore the island, you can get there independently by booking a ferry to Koh Phangan.
The most outstanding way to discover the iconic Phangan Island is aboard a traditional sailboat on a scenic cruise from Koh Samui, which brings you to relax on the beach, and end the day by admiring a stunning sunset.
Koh Tao
Koh Tao is located further north from Koh Phangan. The island’s natural underwater beauty, its kaleidoscopic coral reefs and abundant marine life in clear waters makes Koh Tao an unforgettable destination for divers. The island is one of the best places in the world to learn diving.
Koh Tao and another beautiful island Koh Nang Yuan are an excellent snorkeling day trip location that can be visited by joining a full day tour from Koh Samui.
Meeting Elephants in Koh Samui
There are 3 ethical sanctuaries, where you can meet elephants in Koh Samui.
Koh Samui Elephant Kingdom Sanctuary lets you enjoy seeing free-roaming elephants in a lush environment. Here you can walk along the raised skywalk and feed the friendly rescued elephants.
Koh Samui Elephant Home is the place, where you can see rescued Thai elephants in a safe and ethical environment and help to contribute to the program's conservation efforts as well as walk, feed, and play with the elephants.
Elephant Jungle Sanctuary invites you to make memories of a lifetime with elephants and support their conservation by feeding, walking, and bathing with elephants in their natural habitat.
Visiting Temples of Koh Samui
The most important temple in the island is Wat Phra Yai, home of Big Buddha - 12 meter tall seated golden Buddha image.
Wat Plai Laem is another Buddhist temple, located close to the Big Buddha on Samui's northeast coast. The temple features a striking white, 18-armed image of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion.
Another remarkable temple on the island is Wat Khunaram - temple famous for the 20-year-old mummified monk in meditation position kept on display here.
All 3 main temples in Koh Samui are visited on this Half-Day Island Highlights Tour, which also takes you to visit Grandfather's Grandmother's Rocks, viewpoint, and Na Muang Waterfalls.
Watching Muay Thai Fights
Koh Samui is one of the places where you can find boxing stadiums to watch real fights of Muay Thai, which is Thai national sport. Explore the best places to watch Muay Thai in Koh Samui.
Samui International Muay Thai Stadium is located in the heart of the island, Chaweng Beach area. Samui Thai Boxing Fight Nights are held twice a week and feature the best local and international fighters who come to the island to showcase their talents.
Phetchbuncha Boxing Stadium is another place where you can watch authentic Muay Thai boxing fights on the island. See fighters from all over the world fight against each other every Wednesday and Saturday night.
On the island you can also learn a variety of Muay Thai techniques suitable for every newbie or experienced alike by joining Muay Thai session at Jackie Muay Thai Gym.
Diving at Sail Rock
From Koh Samui, you can join a Day Trip Diving at Sail Rock, which takes to one of the most famous dive sites in Thailand called Sail Rock or Hin Bai. Sail Rock is an underwater pinnacle located in the Gulf of Thailand between Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. The unique rock formation attracts a diverse array of marine life, including some pretty big pelagics. Here you can encounter schools of barracudas, batfish, and even whale sharks, as well as many tiny creatures hiding in the wall.
Fishing in the Gulf of Thailand
You can join Mr. Tu’s fishing day trip that takes you off the tropical coast of Koh Samui and into the prime fishing territory of the Gulf of Thailand. The vessel with the friendly and experienced crew will have all the equipment you will need to fish for local species, from rods and lines down to baits and lures.
For a more special fishing experience, climb aboard a traditional wooden fishing boat and learn to fish in the Gulf of Thailand on this Private Fishing and Snorkeling Boat Trip. Snorkel with the magnificent marine life at a special location and enjoy an amazing barbecue out at sea.
Seeing Pink Dolphins
Thailand pink dolphins are also known as humpback dolphins. The color of these humpback dolphins varies across its range from white or grey to beautiful unique pink color. The pink dolphins can be seen by visiting Khanom area, which is the only place in Thailand for such an experience.
To see the pink dolphins, you can join this Pink Dolphin Spotting & Pig Island Speedboat Tour for an unforgettable day trip by speedboat to discover the nature and wildlife off the coast of Koh Samui. The tour includes seeing the unique pink dolphins, snorkeling at Tan Island, meeting the boars of Pig Island, seafood buffet lunch, and convenient roundtrip hotel transfers.
Stand Up Paddleboarding in Koh Samui
You can discover the quieter side of Thailand while you spend time trying out stand up paddleboarding in the calm waters on this Sunrise & Sunset Stand Up Paddleboarding experience, where you can choose between two different schedules: in the morning to witness the glorious sunrise, or in the afternoon to observe how the setting sun gives way to a night sky full of stars.
For even more special experience you can try Sunrise Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga.
Enjoying Nightlife in Koh Samui
The most active nightlife and biggest beach parties are taking place at Chaweng.
Soi Green Mango is the centre of Koh Samui’s nightlife with a few nightclubs, beer bars and couple of go-go bars.
You will find a number of cabarets on the island, near the Centara Grand Beach Resort on Chaweng Beach. Most of them are ladyboy cabarets that can be a fun form of entertainment.
Most probably you will notice 'girls' handing out flyers on the main street of Chaweng and trying to drag you to come and enjoy their show.
Where to Stay in Koh Samui
Koh Samui is one of the most popular destinations to visit in Thailand and a wide variety of places to stay on the island is one of the reasons for that.
If you like activities and entertainment, you should stay at Chaweng Beach or Lamai Beach. If you want to stay on the beach which isn’t too busy or too quiet, you should opt for Bophut Beach or Bang Rak Beach. If you want the atmosphere to be quiet and relaxing you should stay at Mae Nam Beach, Bang Po Beach or Lipa Noi Beach.
For an exceptional stay on the island, choose one of the best Koh Samui resorts with private pool villas.
The best rated hotels on the island can be found in the list of the best hotels in Koh Samui, which also includes recommended hotels in each beach area of the island.
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 Samui?
You can get to Koh Samui by ferry or by plane.
Flights to Koh Samui
The island has its own airport - Koh Samui Airport (USM). But this airport is private and low-cost airlines don't fly there, making direct flights to the island quite pricey. However, it is the most convenient way for reaching the island.
If you're interested, check for flight tickets here:
Flight from Bangkok to Koh Samui
The most convenient way for reaching your accommodation from the airport is booking a stress-free Samui Airport private transfer, which lets you relax and travel comfortably in a private air-conditioned vehicle with a professional driver.
There are two other airports that can be used for travelling to Koh Samui - Surat Thani Airport (URT) and Chumphon Airport (CJM). There are plenty of domestic flights serving these airports so you will never be short of options when combining your flight with a ferry trip to the island.
Flights to these airports can be booked here:
Flight from Bangkok to Surat Thani
Flight from Bangkok to Chumphon
Airlines offer combined flight-bus-ferry ticket but buying a bus-ferry ticket at the airport usually is the cheapest option.
Ferry to Koh Samui
There are several ferries going to Samui Island from Koh Phangan, Koh Tao and Surat Thani.
Ferry schedule can be found and tickets can be booked here:
Bus to Koh Samui
For reaching Koh Samui by bus from Bangkok, you need to take a bus to Chumphon or Surat Thani. There are regular bus departures from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal to both these cities.
For bus schedule and tickets check:
Bus from Bangkok to Surat Thani
Buying a combined bus and ferry ticket usually is a more convenient option as all connections are already planned and you just need to book one Combined ticket from Bangkok to Koh Samui.
Train to Koh Samui
Chumphon and Surat Thani can also be reached by train. Southern Line trains departing from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal in Bangkok stop at Chumphon and later Surat Thani.
For train schedule and tickets check:
Train from Bangkok to Surat Thani
Train from Bangkok to Chumphon
It is also possible to buy a combined train-bus-ferry ticket.
Other Transportation Options
Various transportation options for a trip to Samui Island can be found and transport tickets can be booked by using this search form.
For a detailed guide on traveling to Koh Samui from the nearby islands, check:
Weather in Koh Samui
From January to March you can expect good weather in Koh Samui, with little if any rain, and refreshing winds helping to keep temperatures more moderate. From March, temperature starts to rise, usually reaching peak levels in April and May.
In May and June a little rain is expected, usually in the form of an hour-long afternoon shower, clearing the way for more blue skies and bright sunshine. In September the monsoon is expected, bringing plenty of rainfall and a rise in humidity. Rainfall usually peaks between October and November.
For the best time to visit the island check detailed information about Koh Samui weather.
Next Destination after Koh Samui?
Most people travelling to Koh Samui continue their journey by visiting the neighboring islands of Koh Tao and Koh Phangan. There are several boats operating daily between the islands. The three islands are all very different from each other and together they are a fantastic island-hopping destination in Thailand.
For getting to your next destination, book your ferry tickets here: Ferry Ticket to Koh Tao / Koh Phangan.
If you want to travel further, you can go to the beautiful Khao Sok National Park. There you will sleep in a bungalow above the water and discover the jungle.
Of course, you can also fly from Koh Samui or Surat Thani to the northern part of Thailand, destinations such as Chiang Mai, or back to Bangkok.
