How to get the most from holiday-favourite Koh Samui

Richard Franks

Richard Franks

With palm-fringed beaches, gin-clear seas and more tropical fish than you can shake a stick at, Koh Samui* has all the makings of your archetypal island in the sun. But there's plenty more to experience than meets the eye.

Find out what to do in much-loved Koh Samui
Find out what to do in much-loved Koh Samui © Sergii Figurnyi - Adobe Stock Image

From partying the night away in the island's capital town Chaweng and sampling street food at a thronging night market to snorkelling around a protected marine park and hiking to hidden waterfalls, here's what not to miss on Koh Samui.

Getting to Koh Samui: browse the latest great value offers on holidays for all budgets to Koh Samui* with TUI.

Explore Ang Thong Marine Park

Spanning 102 square kilometres, and with 42 islands in the Gulf of Thailand's glorious waters, Ang Thong Marine Park is an explorers' treasure trove. Its name, translating to 'golden basin,' or 'golden pool,' rings true.

Indeed, this archipelago inspired author Alex Garland to pen The Beach; the famed novel would later be made even more famous by the movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, though it was mostly filmed elsewhere in Thailand*.

The archipelago of Ang Thong
The archipelago of Ang Thong © Lkunl - Adobe Stock Image

Ang Thong's authenticity is retained through its protected national park status. Tours, which depart from Koh Samui, include a small entrance fee of 200 baht (£4.55) to enter this network of largely uninhabited islands whose untouched evergreen forests, hidden caves and inland lakes are loved by curious travellers.

By sea, snorkellers and divers can swim above soft coral and anemones, and beside yellow-tailed barracuda, blue-spotted stingrays and blacktip reef sharks.

Don't miss a visit to Ko Mae Ko Island where the gorgeous emerald lake is connected to the open sea by a swimmable, underground cave tunnel.

Sample tasty street food

No trip to Thailand would be complete without experiencing a night market. There are hundreds of these mazy, electric thoroughfares of clothes, souvenirs and local delicacies to be found all over the country, and Koh Samui has its fair share.

For street food, you'll want to start at Chaweng Night Market in the island's popular capital where the sweet, often spicy, smell of Southeast Asian street food lingers in the air. Try the sticky rice and mango to begin, before moving on to tempura seafood and crocodile skewers, and ice cream rolls for dessert.

Then there's Fisherman's Village, Koh Samui's favourite night market: along its aptly named Walking Street, you'll find souvenirs ranging from t-shirts and jewellery to musical instruments and hand-made crafts, plus the usual roadside food vendors, cocktail bars and street performers.

Admire iconic religious landmarks

With roughly 92.5% of the country practising Buddhism, Thailand has the world's second-largest Buddhist population behind China. Across the country, you'll find sacred sites and temples where both locals and tourists gather to honour and learn about Buddha; more than 40,000, in fact.

Koh Samui's most famous is Wat Phra Yai, or the Big Buddha Temple as it's colloquially known. This famous temple features a 12-metre, golden seated Buddha statue and is Koh Samui's most sacred site.

The 18-arms of Guan Yin at Wat Plai Laem
The 18-arms of Guan Yin at Wat Plai Laem © Pwmotion - Adobe Stock Image

Another temple with a striking statue is Wat Plai Leim, or the Lady Monk Temple, whose 18-arm statue of Guan Yin reflects mercy and compassion.

As ever, when visiting Thailand's sacred sites do remember to wear appropriate attire that covers the knees and shoulders, and to remove shoes when entering temples.

Party the night away in Chaweng

Despite its natural beauty, Koh Samui is growing in popularity as a party island for the younger crowd, and the island's nightlife capital Chaweng is the place to be.

Here, the crescent-shaped beach is backed by a dazzling array of bars, restaurants and nightclubs: from the lively clubs like Soi Green Mango and familiar bars like Hooters to the north of the beach, to the quieter, and more upmarket Thai cocktail bars and beachfront resorts in the south.

With all of this plus exclusive beach clubs, the odd Irish pub, of course, and even a Muay Thai boxing stadium hosting fight nights almost every day, there really is something for even the pickiest of revellers.

Relax on one of the many beaches

After a heady night of partying there's no better feeling than the sand between your toes, and the gentle sound of the waves lapping on the shore.

Silver Beach, said to be the island's most beautiful
Silver Beach, said to be the island's most beautiful © Sergii Figurnyi - Adobe Stock Image

Conveniently, Koh Samui's beaches are up there with Thailand's best: take Coral Cove, for example, one of the best spots for snorkelling, while Lamai Beach, the island's second-largest, is surprisingly quiet for its size.

In the north of the island you'll find Bang Por Beach, a favourite with backpackers due to its laid-back vibe, beach yoga classes and close proximity to hostels, while on the west the white sandy bay of Lipa Noi has plenty of shady tree-side spots perfect for reading a book.

All of these are worth visiting, but the accolade of Koh Samui's most beautiful beach must go to Silver Beach: this small bay backed by palm trees, dense forest and lush foothills offers unrivalled swimming, snorkelling and diving opportunities, and with nothing else in sight but the crystal clear sea, you could be mistaken for thinking this was at the edge of the world. Bliss.

Hike to hidden waterfalls

Some of Thailand's beauty spots have become overrun with tourists in recent years, but with few venturing beyond those gorgeous beaches, there's plenty of tranquillity to be found in its forests. This includes hiking to hidden waterfalls, which does require some effort but is absolutely worth the mini trek.

The most popular waterfall on Koh Samui is Na Muang, where a natural rock pool provides a tempting place for a quick dip. Few tourists know about its secondary waterfall of the same name; 30 minutes further down the trail, and far less frequented.

Hike to one of Koh Samui's many waterfalls
Hike to one of Koh Samui's many waterfalls © Joshua Resnick - Adobe Stock Image

For an even more off-the-beaten-track waterfall expedition, consider Tang Rua, also known as The Secret Falls.

This one requires a little more effort as you'll need to drive up a very steep access road and hike deep into the forest from there, where you'll be rewarded with the falls and a natural pool while being shaded by a dense canopy of trees. There's also a café and a zip line.

Visit a Samui Elephant Sanctuary

Koh Samui's first elephant sanctuaries were inspired and supported by renowned elephant conservationist and founder of the Save Elephant Foundation, Lek Chailert.

Elephants taken in at Samui Elephant Sanctuary's Bophut and Chaweng Noi sites are cared for as though they were still in the wild, looked after in forested land. These ethical 'retirement homes' for these majestic animals who have often been poorly treated through exhaustion for tourist entertainment, or in the logging industry.

See elephants in their natural habitat
See elephants in their natural habitat © Lesley Fischer - photo courtesy of Samui Elephant Sanctuary

By touring one of the award-winning sanctuaries you'll learn of the conservation efforts to protect elephants, be invited to feed them fruit and walk alongside them as they exhibit natural behaviours such as foraging and playing in mud pits. Most importantly, you'll see the elephants in as natural an environment as possible and free from harm.

Please note: Weather2Travel.com stands against any activities that include riding elephants.

Climate in Koh Samui

  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Maximum daytime temperature °C
Hours of sunshine (daily)
Days with some rainfall
Sea temperature °C

The above guide shows the climate in Koh Samui. Find out more about conditions across the country in our complete guide to the climate in Thailand.

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More about Koh Samui

Koh Samui by month

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Richard Franks

Richard Franks

Richard Franks is a freelance travel writer and journalist based in Birmingham, UK. Richard specialises in adventure travel, the great outdoors and music-based tourism across Scotland, the West Midlands and beyond. He writes for the likes of National Geographic Traveller, The Telegraph and The Times and he's also authored a guidebook.

Article updated on Tuesday 30th April 2024 in: Asia Beach Culture Winter sun

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