Hello! If you are looking for practical information
on Koh Phangan, the best beaches on the island, and where to stay, this video is for you!
So, what I’d like to do is take you on a tour of this map and show you what the
landscape looks like. Then we can talk about the island itself, where to stay and what to expect.
#Disclaimer: one thing you need to know is that I am here during COVID lockdown,
the beaches are empty. No tourists on the island. So I don’t know how
popular and crowded the beaches get during the normal tourist season.
We are starting our tour of the island here on Malibu Beach.
I read online that Malibu’s little beach is one of the most beautiful
places on the island. So I booked my room nearby.
I do find the beach to be very photogenic. But you need to know that there are many sand flies.
Being bit by a sand fly is way worst then being bit by a mosquito. [go away, shoo…]
Also, the beach is very shallow at both high and low tide.
There are stones, a few sea urchins and sea cucumbers on the west side of the beach.
Malibu’s trademark are these rounded shaped trees.
By the way, every single beach you are going to see has bungalows or a hotel property right
on the sand. If you see a beach you like, you can look at staying right on the water.
The sun rises on this side of the island. And the best sunsets
happen on this side of the island. Just letting you know in case you
want to find a hotel room or bungalow that faces sunrise or romantic sunsets.
Next on our map is Chaloklum. Chalokum is a small fishing village.
There are only a couple of streets, a pier and a few restaurants on the water.
There’s a Sunday market every Sunday afternoon.
Chaloklum’s beach is slightly better for swimming than Malibu beach, especially
if you go down the right side of the pier. The water is deeper and the sand is white and soft.
A tip if you decide to stay around Chaloklum. My favorite restaurant is Indy Kitchen. It’s
a family owned place. The kids run around while the parents cook. I love their food and flavors.
The advantage of staying around Chaloklum is that it’s quiet here. There’s enough street food
and little restaurants. It’s also cheaper than other places around the island. The disadvantage,
the beach gets very shallow at low tide and is not the best for swimming.
There are lots of boats parked on the beach. But you swim between them. At the pier here, you can
catch a speedboat taxi and get dropped at some of the beaches that are not so easily accessible.
Continuing on, the road gets hilly. There’s not much of a beach down here,
up until you get to Coral bay.
Coral Beach is a tucked away little beach. It has a bohemian vibe. You feel cut off the rest of the
world. So if you are coming to Koh Phangan on a honeymoon this may be a great place to
relax and unwind. The beach is very pretty and has soft sand. On the negative side, I saw a
few sand flies and there are also mosquitoes in the bushes. The bay is shallow and quiet.
It’s not ideal for swimming at low tide. You can snorkel here on the far left side of the beach.
Coming up next on our map is a very short hike to a viewpoint. The hike starts at the entrance
of the Than Sadet National park. Follow the rope up in the forest. It will take
you 10-15min to climb the hill. There’s an opening here and you can see the bay
below. It’s not an amazing viewpoint, but if you are in the neighborhood,
stop by. If you are looking to shoot drone footage, this is a great spot to fly from.
At the entrance of the Than Sadet National park is also where the trek to Bottle Beach starts.
Trekking to bottle beach will take you anywhere between 1 to 2 hours.
The walk is 4 kilometers or about 2 and a half miles. If you don’t want to walk
there and back, you can jump on a speedboat taxi.
Bottle beach is said to be one of the most beautiful beaches on the island.
Being also very isolated, not many people hang out there. If you are looking for a romantic holiday,
you can consider renting a bungalow on Bottle Beach and enjoy the remoteness.
There are no other roads up here. So to reach the beaches on the east side of the island,
we are going to take the main road to town- Thongsala.
It’s a beautiful paved drive with tall coconut trees. The road here is good and mostly flat.
It’s not the case in other parts of the island. I’ll point out when we get there. To be fair,
80% of the roads on Kho Phangan are paved and easy to drive on.
Thongsala is the biggest village on the island. This is where you will arrive by ferry and
the only place with a supermarket. There are lots of restaurants, hotels and bars in town.
The best part about Thongsala is the Saturday night market. I’ve been to so many markets around
Thailand, but for some reason I really really enjoyed the atmosphere of the Thongasa Saturday
night market. Lots of food is being prepared in front of you. Lots of fresh fruits and veggies
are on sale directly from someone’s garden. And you can find a few clothes and souvenirs.
Thongsala has several small beaches around the pier.
As soon as you get out of town you hit long stretches of beach
along Bang Charu and Baan Thai Bays. The water is very shallow and perfect for kite surfing,
especially if you are a beginner. You will find a few kite surfing schools around this area.
If you follow the road up to Baan Tai village, you will find Wat Pho and it’s herbal sauna.
And the oldest yang na tree in all of Thailand.
It’s a gorgeous tree, you cannot miss it. It is said to be 400 Years old.
If you keep going past the old tree, the road becomes a bit more hilly, but it’s still an easy,
paved drive. You will eventually come to this turnoff point toward Baan Fai Mai.
Be aware that it will quickly turn into a dirt road. But keep going and after 10 min or so,
you’ll come to the trailhead for a hike up to the most beautiful viewpoint on the entire island.
There are several trails through the forest you can follow. The path is groomed well enough
and there are blue arrows here and there to show you the way, but it’s not always
completely obvious. I know other people have gone lost around here. The most tricky part is
climbing the big boulders at the end of the trail. You need to remember that the way up
is between the stones, not around them. There’s a rope here, it will help you find you way up.
The view is amazing from up here. So wild and beautiful.
The bay you see below is the famous Bottle Beach.
We spend a good hour taking photos and looking at the bay.
What you can do next is scooter down to Ao Thong Nai Pan Noi. It’s a long stretch of a beach that
is absolutely fabulous. While the bay is shallow at low tide, it’s still really good for swimming.
The sand is soft. The atmosphere is nice here. You are definitively far away from
the rest of the island, but there are many restaurants, little shops and small bars around.
I love this beach. It’s definitively one of my favorites!
Next, you can take the road down to Ao Thong Nai Pan Yai.
I am probably killing all these names in Thai. Sorry people.
Although the two beaches are so close to each other, the atmosphere is different. The sand here
is composed of small gravel. The bay is way more shallow and not good for swimming at low tide.
There are also lots of boats parked here and what looks like cheaper accommodation options.
You can continue down the hill- this is a really good road – all the way to Haad Than
Sadet. The beach is part of a National Park and there is a small entrance fee.
This little beach is a bit more bohemian. It’s very small, surrounded by bungalows
built on the cliffs. This beach has the deepest waters we found on the water.
And the water is slightly cooler than other places. Swimming here is super refreshing.
Ok, if you come down the road towards the Baan Kai village to Baan Kai beach- you
will find a long stretch of beach that is very shallow. It’s a very photogenic spot,
especially if you walk down to the far east of the beach. You will see fishing
boats standing in the sand at low tide. This is another great spot to learn kite surfing.
Then the fun behinds on the steep mountainous road to Full Moon Beach.
It’s not an easy road, it goes up and down, so hold on!
You can see monkeys on the electric wires as you drive along. At the end of this mountain road you
will find the most perfect beach on the island- Haad Rin Beach, also known as “Full Moon Beach”.
Koh Phangan is famous for its full moon and half moon parties.
Hundreds of backpackers come here to mingle, dance, get drunk.
Parties aside, this is - hands down -one the best beaches on the island! The sand
is so soft. The water is crystal clear. It’s a great place for swimming at both high tide and
low tide. The beach is very long. There are lots of bars and restaurants around. It’s fantastic!
Again, I am on Koh Pha-ngan during covid lockdown and full moon beach is empty. Maybe this is why I
love it so much. I cannot image what the beach looks like with thousands of tourists around.
It would still be a fabulous place to swim and enjoy the soft white sand!
From full moon beach you can grab a taxi boat ride to Haad Yuan. It’s a hidden away beach best
reachable by boat. Although there is also a hiking path that can get you there, but we heard it’s two
hours through the forest, heat and mosquitoes. There’s also a road the goes to Haad Yuan,
but it’s NOT recommended to drive or scooter here. It’s a beat up dirt road with some really
steep parts at the end. So take a boat ride. Haad Yuan is as beautiful as Full Moon Beach.
White soft sand and crystal clear water. I absolutely loved spending some time here.
From Haad Yuan there’s a short 15-20min hike through big boulders and a forest
to reach the hidden away Haad Tien. At the end of Haad Yuan, there are stairs built on the rocks,
a bohemian art store and a beach bar. You can follow the steps to the other side of the point,
then go up a little forest and go down the hill over the boulders to arrive at Haad Tien.
Haad Tien has a whole new bohemian, hippie-chic vibe. There are bungalows
in the trees. I felt completely cut off the rest of the world. This is a hidden jewel of
a beach. There’s a floating platform in the middle of the beach with a hammock.
The sand is soft and the water level is great for swimming. The restaurant
right on the beach is super cute. The food is excellent! Try the peanut curry it’s delicious!
There’s one more hike here you can do to Haad Wai Nam.
Back at Full Moon beach, you can get on your motorbike to the other side of the hill
and Haad Seekantang (or Leela beach). It’s a very shallow beach, not great for swimming. There’s
a really nice hotel right on the beach. This could be a cool place to stay at if
you want to be away from the full moon party crowd, but still be near to full moon beach.
There’s also a hike you can do here to a viewpoint. Google thinks there’s a
road to bike all the way up there, but don’t believe google maps. You will have to walk.
It’s not a long hike, maybe 20min uphill. You get to giant rocks and an opening in the forest.
You can see Kho Samui from here.
Just be aware that the path is filled with mosquitoes.
And there are monkeys. Lots of them. Two male got in a fight in front of us. Both
were bleeding. One was trying to hide behind us. Monkeys from the surrounding trees were
also making their way around us to take part in the fight. What a crazy scene.
Maybe don’t do this hike. The view is not worth getting bit by a monkey or the
swarming mosquitoes! Just watch this video and call it done. Or go to the nearby SkyMoon Bar
at the SkyMoon Resort. They have a beautiful terrace overlooking Full Moon Beach.
OK, last stretch of the island. Past town, all this section of beach is very shallow.
We are now making our way to Ao Hin Kong. It’s a long beach with cool houses right on it.
The water seems too shallow to swim here too. It’s supposed to be a great place for sunset!
Coming up next is Srithanu Beach, a very long beach with beautiful soft sand.
Dark clouds were gathering at the horizon when I got there. It made the beach even
more beautiful and dramatic. There seem to be cheaper accommodation options on this beach.
Up above is Haad Chao Phao Beach. It’s is a nice little beach. What’s interesting here, you
can climb over the rocks following these wooden stairs and end up on the very artsy Zen Beach.
It’s a tiny beach where people meet to play instruments and dance.
Going further up the map we have Secret Beach (Haad Son). It’s a very small beach. You have
to go through the resort that is right on the water to access it. The sand here is soft and
the water is very clear. It gets shallow at low tide, but it’s ok for swimming.
From here we have the bigger Haad Yao. Yao means big. So it’s a big beach with
beautiful little restaurants right on the water. Seems very shallow at low tide.
Next is Salad beach. Another beautiful beach. Looks a little shallow at low tide. Watching
the sunset from here is like watching an aurora borealis.
Salad beach is located down a hill. The road to get there and get out is not that great.
Mostly paved, but very steep in some parts, so beware.
And last but not least Koh Ma—and Haad Mae Haad. This is one of my favorite beaches.
The sand here is composed of small gravel, so not as soft as other
places. But it’s a beautiful, very photogenic spot. Let me show you.
What a fantastic place, right? And what a cool spot to watch the sunset.
It’s also a great snorkeling location, as long as it’s not low tide because the water can be super
shallow. You can jump in the water right off the beach. I saw colorful fishes of all sizes,
anemone and other corals. You swim very close to some of the corals here, so please be careful not
to touch them. Swim in the direction of the floating platform and Koh Ma and you
will find a beautiful, colorful life below you. You have now seen pretty much the entire island!!!
Are you guys tired?? I have a few more tips for you.
How to get around? The best way to get around the island is to
hire a scooter. You will be asked for your passport as a security measure.
I don’t like someone holding on to my passport at all, but it’s common practice on the island.
Very few places agree to hold a money deposit until you return the bike.
Where to stay? If you are looking for budget accommodation, your best bet is to stay in
Thongsala Village. There are lots of cheap hotel option and street food. You will be close to
everything as all the roads lead to Thongsala. You could also opt for staying near Chaloklum.
You can find budget accommodation here too and cheaper street food.
If you are looking for a “bohemian experience”, then you should stay at Haad Yuan and Haad Tian.
Lots of beautiful, sexy, young people are staying here and you have a great yoga studio nearby.
If you are looking for a beautiful, isolated, romantic beach,
you should stay at Haad Than Sadet , Ao Thong Nai Pan Noi,
Bottle Beach, Coral beach, or Haad Mae Haad. If you are looking for snorkeling nearby,
you should stay at Haad Mae Haad, Coral Beach or Haad Yao West.
If you are on your honeymoon, I would recommend Bottle Beach, Ao Thong Nai Pan Noi, Haad Mae Haad.
If you would like to party, Full Moon Beach is your best bet. Biggest parties on the island
happen here. You will also be on the BEST beach of the entire island. This is probably my favorite
#1 beach! The downside is that this must be a very crowded place usually. And also the access
here is not easy- the roads are very steep. It’s not ideal to travel to and from Full Moon Beach.
If my parents wanted to visit the island, I would book the hotel right on Haad Mae Haad for them.
It’s probably not a cheap place, but it’s right on the beach. They would
have a great place to swim with everything they need around, plus gorgeous sunsets.
Is Koh Phangan an island you should visit? The entire island is very bohemian. Lots of young,
beautiful people around. Lots of vegan food places and yoga studios. I dare you not to
catch the bohemian vibe! Is this Bohemian? :D
The island is gorgeous and I would definitively recommend it.
This is all the information I have for you. If I have forgotten something or you have additional
tips, please list them in the comments below so others can read and benefit from your experience.
Thanks for watching!