Travel With Me // 10 Things To Do Whilst Visiting Koh Samui Island
17:43
Currently sitting in the hotel reception waiting to leave for the airport (we have 3 hours to go) I thought not what better time to finish and send to live my last Koh Samui post. I cannot help but feel emotional that our time here in Thailand is over and we are in fact heading home TONIGHT! Tonight, this doesn't feel real. I feel so lucky that I was able to live in such a beautiful place for so long, I gained so many lovely memories and experiences that I will treasure for a lifetime. But as much that I am sad the adventure has come to an end I am also super excited to see all my friends and family back home next week. Oh and get a huge mug of English tea, mmm yes please! See you on the other side peeps (inserts hand emoji*), but for now enjoy my last Samui post...
James and I have fully explored and probably done everything possible there is to do on this island and below are just some of my favourite experiencing and adventures that we would recommend, from day trips to evenings out.. enjoy!
Angthong National Marine park
Angthong National Marine Park is an archipelago (small cluster of islands) in the Gulf of Siam, situated North - West of Koh Samui consisting of 42 islands. It is such a beautiful sight to see and spend the day exploring, with activities such as kayaking through caves, snorkelling the corals, and hiking to 500m views points.
This was one of our most recent adventures, as we did this whilst my sister was visiting for 3 weeks, it is an all day trip setting out at 7:30 am and returning around 5 pm travelling via boat or speed boat whichever you prefer. We went with the big boat as we thought this would be a more relaxing experience (and perfect for tanning to). Supplied with breakfast, lunch and snacks it is a really relaxing and enjoying trip to do, although still packed with enough activities to have you feeling exhausted at the end of the day.
My favourite part was hiking up the rocky mountain through the jungle to reach the viewpoint, unfortunately, 500m was no accessible the day we as it had been raining and was far too slippery to hike up to. Therefore 300m was the highest we were allowed to go, but to be fair I did not think I could go on any further anyways as 300m was not easy and the thought of having to go back the way I started was making the thought of going any higher unbearable haha. But 300 metres did not disappoint with the most beautiful view I have ever seen, and an added bonus we saw the cutest little family of monkeys sitting amongst the trees. It is such as amazing thing to see them in their natural habitat and there was a teeny tiny baby monkey to which was amazing too.
After trekking the viewpoint is was back to the boat for kayaking around rocks and through caves, then to the Green Lagoon for a pit stop and relax on the beach, with the option of a mini snorkeling session too. So it is definitely an activity filled day, the only thing that I would say is that the snorkeling is not very good, so if you are looking to do more snorkeling then I suggest the Koh Tao trip. But I'll talk more about that later down the list.
Chaweng Thai Boxing Stadium
Chaweng Muay Thai Stadium were James competed a few times (and won!! Whoop) so I have been there enough to realise it is actually a really good night out. The stadium itself is quite modern with a Dj between intervals and a bar serving drinks, it is a great place to start off your night out it. The fights start around 9 pm so you have enough time to grab some dinner beforehand, finishing around midnight (although you can choose to leave whenever you wish). Costing 1500thb which is about £30 it is not the cheapest of things to do however it is definitely a good experience and you get to see some traditional Thai Boxing with both Thai fighters and foreign fighters competing.
I mentioned in my previous island guide post that Lamai also had a free Thai boxing event every Saturday which is held outside. However, I personally enjoy Chaweng Stadium a lot more and also the level of fighters is a lot higher competing at Chaweng than in Lamai. So if you are looking to watch a good, hard fight Chaweng Stadium is your place to be.
One of my top favourite things to do on the island is visit the Waterfalls, Nuang
Koh Phangan Full Moon Party
The full moon party reoccurs once a month and during this time Koh Samui gets very busy with travellers and party-goers awaiting the full moon to commence. A lot of people choose to camp base on Koh Samui as Koh Phangan gets very expensive around the full moon time, and all hotels and hostels require you stay a minimum of 5 nights which can be inconvenient for travellers wanting to move on. The two islands are half an hour apart via speed boat, which leave every hour from Samui and then from midnight they run every hour back to Samui from Koh Phangan till about 7 in the morning. So it is perfect really you get dropped off and you get picked up, costing only £20 or so.
Do not let the horror stories you may have seen or heard about on TV programmes because the full moon party was one of the best nights out whilst here in Thailand to date. It was such a good night, with the best atmosphere ever, everyone was so happy and friendly. I 100% recommend you go experience it, it will be a one you never forget. One thing I will say do not put down your shoes because you will lose them (or they will be stolen), James and our friend both lost theirs having put them down for about 2 seconds. Whether they got buried in the sand whilst dancing or someone lots theirs too and nabbed another pair, we do not know haha we just couldn't find them.
Visit the Chinese Temples
So I mentioned the Chinese Temples also in my Island Guide, so I won't go into much detail. But if you are looking to do some sight seeing on the island I would suggest you visit the temples, there are four to explore and they are huge. With such beautiful designs and detail, they are so fascinating to go a see.
Koh Tao and Koh Nangyuan Snorkelling Trip
If your looking to do a snorkelling trip then the Koh Nangyuan and Koh Tao is the one you're after, James and I did this trip whilst staying on Koh Tao however it is available from Koh Samui too. The day is filled with lots of jumping on and off the boat whilst snorkelling beautiful coral reefs where you can see thousands of different kinds of fish.
After a morning and afternoon of snorkelling you finish off on the beautiful island that is Koh Nangyuan. Koh Nangyuan is considered to be one of the most beautiful islands in the world, situated in-between Koh Tao and Koh Samui, this stunning island is a secluded cove of heaven. With a viewpoint you can climb and more snorkelling to be done, it is the perfect end to an amazing day.
Bo Phut Fisherman's Market
Again I have mentioned Bo Phut Fisherman's Village before, but I will briefly mention it again as it is definitely the best markets on the island. If you're looking for an evening of shopping, eating and cocktails then Bo Phut is where you need to go. Fisherman's market is my favourite market and by far the biggest on the island held every Friday from 5:30 to 10:30 pm. It is a lovely evening to enjoy on the island.
Muay Thai Training
Ok so this one might not be everyone cup of tea, or thing 'to do' whilst on holiday, but when here a year and your boyfriend training almost everyday you kind of feel like you must at least try out the sport. That I did, my sister and I in fact - we pulled ourselves together and opted to take a private lesson in Muay Thai, surprising we thoroughly enjoyed it and both want to continue learning whilst back at home (whether we stick by our words, we shall see haha).
But if fitness is your thing, or you just want to try something a little different whilst holidaying then Thai boxing is your answer. It is such a fun activity and the trainers are all so lovely and extremely friendly to train with. I recommend James' gym Yodyut Muay Thai, as they are all so welcoming and the lessons are a lot of fun. Also, if you do visit don't forget to go next door and try out my favourite restaurant too, Fareeda's.
Elephant Bathing
The title for this one surely said it all really? Hands down the most amazing thing I have experienced yet and I feel even happier that I was able to share with my little sister, who's favourite animal is elephants. Just seeing the huge grin on her face the whole day she was with elephants just makes my heart well up with joy, haha I'm a soppy sod I know but it was so lovely.
We took apart on an Eco Tour excursion which included a trip to the waterfall, cooking class, elephant bathing and trekking and a crocodile show. To be honest we didn't feel that great about the show it is not very natural or human performing tricks such as sticking your hand down a crocodile's throat and also the elephant trekking is a little of a touchy subject to. But if it makes anyone feel any better each elephant has their own career whom they belong too and they get feed and treated so very well. The elephant bathing was the loveliest thing I have ever seen, the elephant was having the time of his life splashing and being brushed clean.
Ark Bar & Nightlife
So my very last thing I would say definitely go to is a night out in Chaweng town, it's nightlife is buzzing with bars, clubs and one in particular I love is Ark Bar. With fire shows, cocktails, pool tables, DJ and dancing all up on Chaweng Beach it is definitely a great place to enjoy some holiday spirit.
So there you have it the last of my trio of Koh Samui Island posts, I really hope you enjoyed reading them and I hope I maybe inspired you to go visit this amazing island. Next up England... speak soon xo
3 comments
I'm definitely saving this post to revisit over the coming weeks! Thank you for sharing!
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