Things to do in Koh Samui

Koh Samui sits in the Gulf of Thailand, off Surat Thani, and one ring road goes round it. The middle is coconut plantation and steep jungle. Almost everything happens on the edge.

Around the ring road

• Chaweng — the long east-coast beach, and the busy one.
• Lamai — south of it, cheaper, with the Hin Ta and Hin Yai rocks at its end.
• Bophut — Fisherman's Village on the north shore, old teak shophouses and a Friday night market.
• Maenam and Lipa Noi — north and west, where the island goes quiet.
• Wat Phra Yai — the Big Buddha on its causeway islet, with Wat Plai Laem and its many-armed Guanyin nearby.
• Na Muang — two waterfalls inland, the upper one a walk and worth it.

Off the island

Samui is a base as much as a beach. Several island days leave from here, and the boats go early.

• Ang Thong National Marine Park — forty-two islands about thirty kilometres northwest, with a salt lake inside one of them and a ridge to climb above it.
• Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan — north, the diving, and three islets tied together by a sandbar.
• Koh Phangan — half an hour by ferry, quiet beaches most of the month and the full-moon crowd once.
• The interior — 4x4 safaris on the dirt tracks, quad bikes, elephant camps and viewpoints over the plantations.

Practical

• The season is not Phuket's. Samui runs on the Gulf's calendar. The wet months are October to December, November much the worst, and the driest, calmest stretch is February to April.
• What that means. July here is usually fine while the Andaman coast is washed out. November here is bad while Phuket is at its best.
• Ang Thong closes. The park shuts every year from the first of November until the middle of December, and the reopening date moves with the weather.
• Flights. The island airport is small and privately run, and fares into it are high. Flying to Surat Thani and taking the bus and ferry costs far less and about half a day.
• Ferries. Crossings to Koh Tao are cancelled in rough water, mostly in November and December.
• Jellyfish. The Gulf gets box jellyfish. Stinger nets are set at Chaweng and Lamai, and the vinegar posts on the sand are first aid, not decoration.
• Scooters. The ring road carries fast traffic and blind bends, and rental insurance rarely covers a rider without the right licence.