Getting to Koh Phangan

There is no airport on Koh Phangan.  There are many travelers whose only time spent in Koh Samui is to wait for a Koh Phangan bound ferry at Big Buddha pier which is very close to the airport.  There are other points of embarkation to Koh Phangan including points along mainland Thailand but the easiest for most people is to fly into Samui Airport and book the ferry.

There are a couple different companies offering a trip from Koh Samui to Koh Phangan so it is important you know their schedules according to your itineraries.  I took a standard boat with what seemed to be a hundred or so fellow travelers on it.  It was the standard island transport boat which had indoor and outdoor seating, a small snack bar and bathroom facilities.  The trip from Samui to Phangan takes around 30 minutes unless you book a private speedboat which costs a ridiculous 7000+ baht.

Arriving in Koh Phangan

Koh Phangan Map (Click to Enlarge)

There are a few different piers on each island in which you can get from Samui to Phangan and vice versa.  I took the ferry from Big Buddha pier to Thong Sala pier which is in the center of Phangan.

Upon arrival you will no doubt see non-stop reminders of what Koh Phangan is famous for.  There are signs advertising the full moon and associated parties everywhere.  It is nothing like Koh Samui’s over development induced signage overload but you will notice them even in Thong Sala which is about an hour drive away from Haad Rin Nok beach on Southeastern Phangan which is the home of the infamous Full Moon Party.

After arriving on Thong Sala pier there are beautiful deserted beaches and fishing boats to the right and the town is directly in front.  There is nowhere to get lost as if you walk straight you will see numerous stores.

You have several transportation options after your arrival.  I saw many young travelers who I assume were on their way to Haad Rin the town/beach of the Full Moon Party getting in the back of ‘sawng teeo’ which are pick-up trucks converted to taxis with 2 benches lining their bed.

I had planned to rent a scooter/motorcycle and I rented one from the first vendor I saw.  She charged me 200 baht ($6USD per day) all I had to do is hand over my passport, pay her the 200 baht and I was off.  I initially planned to head back to Koh Samui because I still had all my stuff except for camera at my bungalow there.  I knew Koh Phangan had only a handful of main roads so I set off looking to explore the island but had no idea how long it would take or what was in store for me.

Exploring Koh Phangan

I really didn’t have an itinerary on Koh Phangan.  I knew the island was small and I could just ride around on my scooter and explore various towns, mountains and of course beaches.  My exploration of Koh Phangan got off to a good start as I took a road to the northeast which lead me to the Chinese mountain temple on my way to one of the northern beaches.  The road seemed brand new and I was able to zip across the island.

Once I got to the north end of the island to the small fishing village there were a few small dirt roads which I decided not to take on my Honda scooter.  To this day I’m not sure whether the roads lead somewhere or just to someone’s house.  According to the maps there are non-paved roads that lead to the northern beaches but I figured there was a lot more to explore so I left and headed back south.

Once I drove back South I came to a familiar intersection.  Rather than going back to Thong Sala I decided to head northeast as I was pretty much just randomly driving.  The northeast road suddenly changed from paved highway to one of the worst dirt roads I’ve ever driven on.  The road was flat on probably 10% of it as it had grooves in it from a likely mixture of motorcycle traffic and rain water.

Beach on Northeast end of Koh Phangan

I almost crashed my scooter half a dozen times even though I was driving cautiously.  I consider myself lucky for not crashing, that’s how bad the roads were.  The dry loose dirt along with the multiple grooves in the road were a major problem going down the steep hills. Through the mountains on the way to the coast the roads would become paved for short stretches then back to the horrible dirt roads.

A great thing about traveling on Thailand’s islands is the small villages which often have restaurants.  I would usually stop and get food at these villages.  I stopped at one with a kid practicing Muay Thai in a full ring next to a dining area overlooking cliffs as well as one with a massage setup overlooking the beautiful beaches and landscapes of Koh Phangan (pictured below).   Like most of Thailand the people were extremely friendly but it seemed the people on Phangan were even friendlier!  I usually ordered fried rice as it’s pretty much impossible to get sick from eating it.

I finally got to the beach I had traveled the dangerous roads to get to.  The area I reached was an amazing looking crescent beach which was enveloped with dense forest.  There was another beach to the Northeast.   The area was very quiet and family/couple oriented so I decided I wanted to go to Haad Rin to spend the night.  I still had some light so I decided to brave the horrific roads in the darkening skies to get to an area with more options.

I ended up getting to to Haad Rin just after sunset.  I drove around and found the town remarkably similar to the infamous backpacker’s ghetto Khaosan Road in Bangkok.  It was like a whole town of Khaosan road with tons of backpackers, tourists along with shops and of course 7-elevens.  I thought it was pretty cool but instead of going out and partying I ended up getting exhausted so I had to find a hotel where I ended up crashing without getting to sample Haad Rin’s infamous night life.

Places to Stay in Haad Rin Koh Phangan, Thailand:  DROP IN CLUB RESORT & SPA - Coming Soon

Things to Do on Koh Phangan

Full Moon Party

If you are interested in the Full Moon party or any of its offshoots such as the Half Moon Party or Black Moon party you should check out their official website:  FullMoonParty-Thailand.com There are numerous websites online completely devoted to killing your brain cells in mass quantities, enjoy!

Beach & Water Activities

Anyone headed to a tropical island should not be surprised to find beach and water activities and Koh Phangan is no exception.  There are many beaches and all the water anyone could want and more.  Most beaches I saw on Phangan were not very crowded with the exception of Haad Rin Beach the scene of the full moon party.  All water activities from snorkeling to jet skiing to fishing are available as well and are best booked ahead.

Exploring

Riding a motorcycle or scooter on Koh Phangan is an adventure in itself.  While some roads are in perfect condition, calling others “roads” to begin with is doing them too much justice.  If you want to explore every inch of Phangan I would recommend recommend renting a dirt bike rather than a normal scooter.  I saw numerous couples having difficult climbing up hills in their low powered scooters.  I had enough trouble navigating the pot holed roads on a scooter by myself during dry season I couldn’t imagine trying to get around on a scooter when the mud/clay roads are wet, in addition to impossible it is likely extremely dangerous.

Elephant Trekking

Since most of Kho Phangan is covered with dense mountainous jungle, on the back of an elephant is the best way to explore some of it.  I saw a few elephant stables one which was near Kuan Yin Shrine almost caused me to get in a wreck because there was a stray horse in the middle of the road.

Hiking

Like Samui, there are numerous “waterfalls” on Kho Phangan.  If you arrive in the dry season expect those waterfalls to be less than a trickle if there is any water at all.  There are plenty of places to hike on Phangan which are best accessed with a group.  There are numerous beaches which have few if any roads which are only accessible by hiking or boat.  If you like hiking, plan ahead, get a tour guide and you can find it on Phangan.

Chinese Temple

The Kuan Yin Shrine is a Chinese mountain temple.  It is located rather close to Thong Sala town and pier and is easily accessible and impossible to miss on one of the main, high quality roads of Koh Phangan.  View more Photos of Thailand’s Island Temples on tourismPICS.com

Leaving Koh Phangan

The options for leaving Koh Phangan involve taking a boat to the coast of Thailand’s mainland or to another island.  Since I had all my belongings at Koh Samui I had fewer choices.  I hastily returned my scooter to the vendor which was literally 50 meters across from the ticket booths only to find the boat back to Big Buddha Pier on Samui didn’t leave for another 5 hours!

The bad news wasn’t so bad at all because it gave me another 5 hours on the island which allowed me to explore the main roads I missed the day before and a waterfall which included a hike to a viewpoint which I was able to get some of the following Koh Phangan photos.

View more Photos from Koh Phangan at tourismPICS.com

Overall Impression

I had no intention of going to Koh Phangan’s Full Moon, Half Moon or Black Moon Parties.  The reason I traveled to the Thai islands in the first place was to relax and while it was relatively difficult to relax on Koh Samui, Koh Phangan had a lot more quiet and peaceful places to relax and most importantly didn’t have the buzzing circular traffic 24 hours a day.

I loved Koh Phangan.  On Koh Phangan there were dozens of kilometers of beautiful white sand beaches with less than a dozen people on them.  That is my idea of a tropical paradise and that is exactly what I consider Koh Phangan.  It really has just enough of everything without going overboard.  Yes the infamous Full Moon parties are crazy but that is such a small percentage of the island.

I was only on Koh Phangan for around 24 hours which in no way does it justice.  There is so much to do, so much to explore on Koh Phangan the next time I go back I will definitely spend at least a week there.  I would recommend any travelers who want to relax on a tropical island, go hiking, elephant trekking, swimming, snorkeling, beach bumming to their heart’s content to spend at least a week on Phangan.

Even if your soul goal is to party like a rock star and have a wild night on Haad Rin beach’s Full Moon Party you can still explore the entire island in a week or simply relax on a secluded beach with your friends during the day and that includes nursing your hangover.  I just can’t say enough positive things about Koh Phangan a great relaxing place which is definitely on the list of places I will return to in the near future.

View more Photos from Koh Phangan at tourismPICS.com

Last 5 posts by Mike Behnken

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