See Other Attractions in South: [
Phuket ¦
Krabi ¦
Phangnga ]
Other Regions: Central,
Northeast,
East,
North
Surat Thani (Kho Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao)
There are three famous islands in Surat Thani; Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao.
Samui
The island of Koh Samui lies 84km (52miles) off the east coast in the Gulf of Thailand, near the mainland commercial town of Surat Thani, the largest province of the south, It is about 685 Km from Bangkok.
Koh Samui is still in some places an idyllic tropical retreat with fine sand beaches and simple living- in fact, many Western visitors are settling in for their retirement on the island, and talk of good real estate deals and vacation time-shares is all the buzz. Comparisons with Phuket, on the west coast, are apt.
From mid-December to mid-January is The high season on Koh Samui. The best weather is January to April, before its gets hot. November bringing extreme rain and winds that make the east side of the island rough for swimming. The temperature range is between 23C – 37C.
More than 2 million coconuts are shipped to Bangkok each month. Most of the fruit is made into coconut oil, a process that involves scraping the meat out of the shell, drying it, and pressing it to produce sweet oil. Some of them are drunk when they are still young, juice has unique test and the meat is sweet and tasty. To assist farmers with Koh Samui’s indigenous breed of tall palm trees, monkeys are trained to climb them, twist loose the ripe coconut, and gather them for their master. Don’t forget to try fresh young coconut!!!!
What to do?
- Samui has all kinds of activities, scuba diving, bungee jumping, jungle trekking and also cooking schools. Most people come here for fun and relax. You will find all kinds of activities, sailing, jet skis, and banana boat parallel at beachside.
What to see?
- Wat Phrayai( Big Buddha Temple), mote than 24m(80ft) tall, sits atop Koh Faan (Barking Deer Island), a small island connected to the shore by a causeway almost 305m(1000ft) long.
- Hin Ta and Hin Yai( beautiful Rocks ) which are the Grandfather and Grand mother stones, shape like male and female anatomy, are located at the end of Lamai beach.
- Samui Monkey Theater is the place to show off monkey skills involved in the local coconut industry. Monkeys are trained to climb the trees, spin the coconuts to break them off their stems and collect after finished.
- Haad Na Thon is a waiting beach for Samui visitor to relax spending times during waiting for the next ferry
- Haad Bo Phut: The attractive Bo Phut, or fisherman’s village, offers a pleasant combination of white sand beautiful beach and quiet atmosphere, because of seafood restaurant and shopping place, the beach is smaller others, but many overlook this imperfection because of the friendly local and traditional architecture, which create an ambience that reminds you that you are still in Thailand.
Koh Phangan
Koh Phangan, a celebrated island that hosts the biggest beach full moon party, is a backpacker’s heaven and hell. Sandwiched between Koh Tao to the north and Koh Samui to the south, the island’s beaches range from unspoiled, landback beauties like Bottle Beach to the insanely overdeveloped, self-contained backpacker universes like Hat Rin Nok. With pirated films playing daily in restaurant and unbeatable drink specials at beachside bars, don’s come to Koh Phangan to get away-come here to be in the middle of it all.
Koh Tao
As one of southeast Asia’s most renowned dive sites, tiny Koh Tao attract an international crowd of underwater enthusiasts, ranging from scuba neophytes drawn to cheap certification course to veterans who relish its clear gulf waters and outstanding reefs. For non-divers, The Island offer superb sub-baked coves for non divers, many of which are so secluded they can be reached only by boat or long hiking. Koh Tao is certainly underdeveloped, so it is still wonderful destination for scuba fans and backpackers.
See Other Attractions in South: [
Phuket ¦
Krabi ¦
Phangnga ]
Other Regions: Central,
Northeast,
East,
North