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Koh Samui
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Koh Samui

Palm-Fringed Resort Island of the Gulf

Plan this trip
4 daysIdeal stay₹3,370From / night₹1,410Food / day₹840Entry

The most developed Gulf island: Chaweng and Lamai beaches, villa resorts popular with Indian honeymooners and weddings, the Big Buddha, and boat days to the 42 islands of Ang Thong Marine Park. It has its own airport (Bangkok Airways, so flights cost more), or comes by bus and car ferry through Surat Thani. Rain peaks October to December; January to August is the dry stretch. Several Indian restaurants in Chaweng.

Highlights

  • Ang Thong Marine Park kayak & viewpoint
  • Chaweng Beach
  • Big Buddha & Wat Plai Laem
  • Fisherman's Village Friday night market
  • Lamai's Hin Ta Hin Yai rocks
  • Na Muang waterfall
  • Pool-villa resorts for honeymooners
  • Snorkelling trip to Koh Tao & Koh Nang Yuan
  • Sunset at Lipa Noi
  • Indian restaurants along Chaweng Beach Road

Things to do

  • Ang Thong Marine Park kayak & viewpoint boat dayMorning · 8h
  • Big Buddha & Wat Plai LaemMorning · 1h 30m
  • Chaweng Beach afternoonAfternoon · 3h
  • Fisherman's Village walking street (Fri)Evening · 2h 30m
  • Na Muang waterfall & island viewpointsAfternoon · 3h
  • Koh Tao & Koh Nang Yuan snorkel tripMorning · 9h
  • Spa afternoon at a hillside resortAfternoon · 2h

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Koh Samuivia GetYourGuideTours & tickets in Koh Samuivia Klook

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When to go

Best time: January – August

Worth knowing

Gulf Islands Rainy Season

The Gulf islands are on the opposite cycle to Phuket: dry from January to August, wettest from October to December, peaking in November with heavy downpours. Ferries to Koh Tao are the first to be cancelled when the north-east monsoon blows; keep a day spare.

  • Songkran (Thai New Year water festival) — Three days of nationwide water fights, biggest around Chiang Mai's old-city moat, Bangkok's Silom and Khao San Road, and Pattaya, where it runs on to about 19 April. Expect to be soaked anywhere outdoors: carry phones and passports in a dry bag. Buses, trains and flights sell out as Thais travel home; book two months ahead.
  • Loy Krathong · 24 Nov — On the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, people float candle-lit krathong baskets on rivers and ponds. Sukhothai's historical park holds the oldest celebration, with light shows over the ruins; Bangkok's riverside piers get very crowded. Hotels in Sukhothai and Chiang Mai fill weeks ahead.
  • Buddhist holy days (Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asahna Bucha) · Visakha Bucha 31 May; Asahna Bucha and Buddhist Lent 29–30 Jul — Candle-lit processions round the temples at dusk, worth seeing in Chiang Mai and Ayutthaya. Alcohol may not be sold anywhere, bars included, for 24-48 hours (hotels and airport duty free excepted); the Full Moon Party moves a night.
  • Christmas and New Year peak — The most expensive fortnight of the year on the islands: resorts set 5-7 night minimums and compulsory gala-dinner charges on 24 and 31 December, and Phi Phi, Samui and Phuket ferries and flights fill a month ahead. Indian school holidays add to it. Book by October.