Koh Pha Ngan shelters Baan Bophut from the full onslaught of tropical storms from the north. It calms our sea. Except on very cloudy days, it’s the view we first see when we look out of our windows in the morning. Koh Pha Ngan is our friend, and parts of it, the closest place to paradise we’ve found in Thailand.
The largest of Samui’s neighbouring islands with an area of 168km². Even with considerable commercial development and construction in recent years, 70 per cent of the island still consists of mountain and jungle. Except for the beaches and their attendant resort construction, which are modest by Samui standards, agriculture – mainly coconut cultivation – occupies the lowland areas.
The two main entry points from Koh Samui are Thong Sala on the west coast and Had Rin – home to the infamous Full Moon Party, located at the south eastern tip of the island, at the end of a strung-out, hilly peninsular. The single road to Had Rin being a series of steep, bendy, hump-backs that presents a seriously perilous challenge to novice bikers.
As the party capital of a party island, Had Rin has the greatest concentration of clubs and music venues of probably any island in the Gulf, including Samui. The town is blessed with two glorious beaches which flank the town: Had Rin Nok, also known as Sunrise Beach to the north, is a sweeping curve of white sand on which is held the FMP. Clubs and restaurants populate the southern half of the beach closest to the town while bungalow resorts line the northern half. Had Rin Nai or Sunset Beach to the south of Had Rin’s centre provides a calmer, quieter alternative and a wealth of beachside accommodation. The beach itself stretches north west in an almost unbroken continuum to Thong Sala. Sheltered by a reef around 300m offshore, much of the coastline is not swimmable during the summer, months when very low tides are experienced.
Thong Sala is the island’s capital, principal ferry port, transport, distribution, services and local government hub, from which the island’s road system radiates. The town can boast two boxing stadia, two markets – one for fish and a Tesco Lotus supermarket, together with an increasing number of bars, restaurants and accommodation options.
A concrete road network now serves most of the coastal resort villages of the west and north west. A concrete road also bisects the centre of the island to reach the chilled out fishing town of Chaloklum – famed for its dried squid – where it meets up with a new road which cuts through the hilly terrain of the island’s inland north west.
The east and south east of Koh Pha Ngan is less well served by permanent roads, although the network has seen substantial improvement in recent years. Throughout the island, a network of dirt roads connect the more isolated beaches, that often become impassable during and after the monsoon. Frequently, a far better option is to use a boat taxi to reach some of the most stunning beaches on the island.
Our own favourite beaches, are in the northwest of the island. A convenient 20 minute drive from Thong Sala brings you to the magnificent white sand beach of Had Yao, which has all we want in terms of a place to chill for a couple of days.
Koh Pha Ngan
Koh Pha Ngan shelters Baan Bophut from the full onslaught of tropical storms from the north. It calms our sea. Except on very cloudy days, it’s the view we first see when we look out of our windows in the morning. Koh Pha Ngan is our friend, and parts of it, the closest place to paradise we’ve found in Thailand.
The largest of Samui’s neighbouring islands with an area of 168km². Even with considerable commercial development and construction in recent years, 70 per cent of the island still consists of mountain and jungle. Except for the beaches and their attendant resort construction, which are modest by Samui standards, agriculture – mainly coconut cultivation – occupies the lowland areas.
The two main entry points from Koh Samui are Thong Sala on the west coast and Had Rin – home to the infamous Full Moon Party, located at the south eastern tip of the island, at the end of a strung-out, hilly peninsular. The single road to Had Rin being a series of steep, bendy, hump-backs that presents a seriously perilous challenge to novice bikers.
As the party capital of a party island, Had Rin has the greatest concentration of clubs and music venues of probably any island in the Gulf, including Samui. The town is blessed with two glorious beaches which flank the town: Had Rin Nok, also known as Sunrise Beach to the north, is a sweeping curve of white sand on which is held the FMP. Clubs and restaurants populate the southern half of the beach closest to the town while bungalow resorts line the northern half. Had Rin Nai or Sunset Beach to the south of Had Rin’s centre provides a calmer, quieter alternative and a wealth of beachside accommodation. The beach itself stretches north west in an almost unbroken continuum to Thong Sala. Sheltered by a reef around 300m offshore, much of the coastline is not swimmable during the summer, months when very low tides are experienced.
Thong Sala is the island’s capital, principal ferry port, transport, distribution, services and local government hub, from which the island’s road system radiates. The town can boast two boxing stadia, two markets – one for fish and a Tesco Lotus supermarket, together with an increasing number of bars, restaurants and accommodation options.
A concrete road network now serves most of the coastal resort villages of the west and north west. A concrete road also bisects the centre of the island to reach the chilled out fishing town of Chaloklum – famed for its dried squid – where it meets up with a new road which cuts through the hilly terrain of the island’s inland north west.
The east and south east of Koh Pha Ngan is less well served by permanent roads, although the network has seen substantial improvement in recent years. Throughout the island, a network of dirt roads connect the more isolated beaches, that often become impassable during and after the monsoon. Frequently, a far better option is to use a boat taxi to reach some of the most stunning beaches on the island.
Our own favourite beaches, are in the northwest of the island. A convenient 20 minute drive from Thong Sala brings you to the magnificent white sand beach of Had Yao, which has all we want in terms of a place to chill for a couple of days.
Photo source: Kinumi Yoshida コサムイ現地ガイド