How to Spend the Best Vacation in Koh Phangan

Image Credit: Anantara Rasananda Koh Phangan Villas

Located south in the Gulf of Thailand, alongside well-known islands like Koh Samui and Koh Tao, Koh Phangan is an island that is considered home to some of the best tropical resorts in Thailand. Many tourists usually stay elsewhere on the more popular islands in Thailand and only come to Phangan for the Full Moon Party. But did you know that there's so much more to the island? Here's how you can spend the best vacation in Koh Phangan.

How to Get to Koh Phangan

The island does not have its airport, so you will have to take a boat trip to reach the island. A flight from the mainland will take you to Koh Samui or Surat Thani from where take a ferry from one of the local ferry companies such as Raja Ferry, Seatran and Lomprayah. Be sure to check the connection times online before you plan your trip to Koh Phangan.

Discover the Beaches

A hotel in Koh Phangan is very easy to find and gives you immediate access to the island's spectacular beaches. One of these hotels is Anantara Rasananda Koh Phangan Villas. Koh Phangan is home to over 30 beaches. Some of them are very popular among tourists like Haad Rin Nok, Full Moon Beach and Bottle Beach. There are others, mostly located in the north of the island like Malibu Beach on Chaloklum Beach which isn't known to the tourists but has fine powdery sand and turquoise waters topped with beautiful green mountains. There are also beaches hardly anyone visits so if secluded beaches are your thing, definitely check out Haad Chao Pao.

Hike the Khao Ra

Khao Ra is the highest point on Koh Phangan at 637m. The mountain makes for a very easy climb and you don't have to be an experienced climber or need any professional climbing gear to make the ascent. The path will, however, lead you through the jungle, so make sure that you are comfortably attired especially in the footwear. There will be markers to show you the way, so you don't have to worry about getting lost. The humidity within the jungle can be quite high so be sure to take lots of liquids with you and stay properly hydrated. The whole hike to the top will take you about 2 to 3 hours. Once you get to the top you will be blessed with some breath-taking views of the bay of Chaloklum and the island in general.

Waterfall Hopping

There are also waterfalls that you can visit while staying in Koh Phangan. You can choose to either incorporate these to your Khao Ma hike, or you can section out another day where you go waterfall hopping from Phaeng Waterfall to the north and Than Sadet Waterfall to the east. The waterfalls both fall under the jurisdiction of the Than Sadet National Park that spans across the centre of Koh Phangan. You can even go swimming in the pools that were formed by Phaeng Waterfall and it is especially lovely to visit them right after the rainy season when the rivers are full, and the waterfalls are large and spectacular.

Visit the Temples

Koh Phangan is home to about twenty different temples. You can visit them all across the island if you have an interest in architecture and religion. Like all Buddhist temples in Thailand, the temples of Koh Phangan are large and colourful with massive chedis, pagodas that reach to the skies and carefully sculptured statues of nagas and Buddhas. Some of the temples offer spectacular views of the countryside as well as plenty of opportunities to take some lovely photographs. Make a day trip out of it.