Phangan, Thailand

Phangan, Thailand

Asia

A worthy successor to the Spanish Ibiza and the Crimean Kazantip is the Thai Phangan (Ko Pha Ngan). This island in the South China Sea has become popular around the world thanks to the Full Moon Party, which takes place every month on the full moon on the five-kilometer Haad Rin beach. A few days before the full moon, progressive youth from all over Europe, the USA, Australia and Canada come here. Alcohol lovers will appreciate the sale of cocktails in a bucket sold at many parties (200-300 ml of strong alcohol mixed with cola, energy drink, etc.) Check TOPSCHOOLSINTHEUSA to learn more about Thailand.

The rest of the time, lovers of wild beauty, deserted beaches and leisurely island life come to Koh Phangan, which is becoming increasingly difficult to experience in the more “promoted” Thai resorts. Some of the best beaches, especially in the north of the island, are best reached by taxi boat, due to bad roads, or lack of them. Traveling for the first time, it makes sense to plan a visit to Ko Tao, or “Turtle Island” – a small island next to Koh Phangan and, like Koh Phangan, has its own unique charm.

How to get to Phangan

The nearest airport is on Koh Samui, which receives flights from Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Singapore, Chiang Mai and Kuala Lumpur. From there, the island can be reached in 15-50 minutes, depending on the carrier company.

In addition, guests and residents of Koh Phangan can use the airport, which is located on the mainland – Surat Thani. It receives surprisingly cheap flights from Bangkok with AirAsia and Nok Air. The only inconvenience: the way from the airport to the island includes transportation by bus and boat.

The fastest and most expensive way to get from Koh Samui to Koh Phangan is by individual speed boats (the easiest way to find them is at the Big Buddha). They depart at least 3 times a day and moor directly on Haad Rin Beach. In addition, several times a day, ferries depart from the Samui beaches of Maenam and Nathon, and land at the town of Thong Sala.

The most economical one is buying a bus ticket back in Bangkok, at the Sai Tai Taling Chan bus station, which already includes ferry transportation (about 2000 THB one way). In this case, the boat will sail from Chumporn through the island of Tao. The prices on the page are for September 2022.

The best beaches in Koh Phangan

The most famous and longest sandy beach is the famous and crowded Haad Rin in the southeastern part of the island, where the full moon is celebrated. Silence lovers can take a boat on it and go to neighboring Haad Yuan, Haad Tian and higher to the east – there secluded small sandy coves interspersed with a rocky coast.

The best sandy beaches of the east – Ton Nai Pan and, of course, the amazing Than Sadet with the waterfall of the same name – the favorite resting place of King Rama 5, one of the most revered in Thailand. Time seems to have no power over this place – in the photographs of twenty years ago you will see a sunny “today”, looking back at the river at lunch you will notice a huge monitor lizard, and the bungalows still do not have air conditioning, hot showers and even round-the-clock electricity (due to savings on diesel electricity). In Ton Nai Pan, on the contrary, there are the most luxurious hotels of the island with large swimming pools, modern SPA centers, and other attributes of La Bella Vita.

Half Moon & Black Moon, Full Moon, Shiva Moon family, Jungle expreience, Pool party – this is not a complete list of parties that take place on the island.

In the north, sandy Chaloklam and Bottle Beach are especially popular (you can get there by boat from Chaloklam, or walk 5 km on foot).

Well, in the west you can’t miss the coral Mae Haad and the mini island of Ma – the best place in Koh Phangan for snorkeling. We also recommend seeing Haad Yao, Haad Chao Pao and Woktum – the sunset here is especially beautiful.

The beaches in the south, although not the best option for swimming, also have a special “lazy” atmosphere and charm. Lovers of joyful beach dogs will be especially pleased with these places – there are a lot of them here!

Shopping: Koh Phangan shops

There are many shops on the island where you can buy a bright outfit for a party or an acid-colored T-shirt with a disco logo. The best souvenir from Koh Phangan is handmade hammocks (for example, to the Hammock Home store in Thong Sala).

Transport rental and moving around the island

There are motobike and car rental points on every corner and in most hotels, the average prices for a motorbike are 200-400 THB, a car is from 1000 THB per day. Be careful when driving – there are mountain roads with serpentine on the island, and drunk drivers are also found (especially at night on a full moon). Please also note that many rental companies earn more from compensation for a broken bike than from the rental itself. The average taxi price is 200 THB per person, it is easier to get to the best beaches in the north by boat taxi – the price varies.

Koh Phangan Hotels

Unitary advice for choosing a hotel on Phangan: the farther from the beaches of Haad Rin you move inland or to the north of the island, the cheaper and calmer you can find a hotel.

You can find a suitable hotel immediately upon arrival, at the pier of Haad Rin or Thongsala: many hotels offer a free transfer of guests directly from the pier. However, for the duration of the Full Moon Party on the island, the hotel should be booked in advance, otherwise it is likely to spend the night on the beach or in a very expensive lodge.

Cheap accommodation can be found to the left of Thong Sala: Haad Yao, Haad Son, Ban Tai or Haad Salad. For those who plan to stay for a long time (from a month), it may be preferable to rent a house (from 22,000 THB per month for a simple house with a fan). But there are almost no houses on the shore – everything is occupied by resorts.

Entertainment and attractions

Tired of the explosive parties on the beach, you can go to the Than Sadet-Ko Pha-Ngan National Park, which takes its name from the Than Sadet (“Royal River”). It is here that the largest (and picturesque) waterfall on the island is located, which Thai kings loved to visit (for example, Rama 5 has been here as many as 14 times).

On the northwestern tip of the island, Ko Ma is a great spot for snorkelling. On the road between Thongsala and Chaloklum is a beautiful Chinese temple, with a beautiful view of Chaloklum Bay.

In addition, it is worth taking a walk to the elephant camp, which is located on the road from Baan Tai to Ton Nai Pan.

Yoga classes, sandbar kiteboarding, jungle trekking, boat trips along the wild beaches of Koh Phangan. As well as snorkeling at the neighboring island of Ma, which can be reached from Koh Phangan along a sandbar. For lovers of diving and snorkeling, I recommend Sail Rock and Anthong National Park – many small beautiful islands.

Phangan is known for many tattoo parlors – you can get a tattoo not only of high quality, but also inexpensively (not to be confused with the so-called “Phangan tattoo” – this is how bruises and scratches received from many road incidents on motorbikes are called here).

Half Moon & Black Moon, Full Moon, Shiva Moon family, Jungle expreience, Pool party – this is not a complete list of parties that take place on the island. Ko Phangan is a paradise for rastas – Rastahome in Haad Salat, Amsterdam Bar and Mountain Bar. As a reminder, while hallucinogenic mushroom necks and “weed” joints are often sold openly and are even on the menu, the country has strict penalties for drug use.

Diving in Phangan

There are many nice places around the island where you can spend an hour or two with your face in the water. Sailrock is one of the best places for diving, located between Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. The local reef goes to a depth of 40 meters and allows divers of all levels to dive.

There are several PADI dive schools on the island, such as Scuba Fun Thailand, which is located in Woktum Bay. Other dive centers: Haad Yao Divers (located on Haad Yao, Mae Haad and Haad Chao Phao beaches), Reefers Dive Resort (on Haad Yao beach), Sail Rock Divers and Lotus Dive Resort (both located in Chaloklum), Phangang Divers (on Haad Rin Beach).

Ko-Tao

This islet north of Koh Phangan is even smaller than its neighbor. The main reason why tourists come here is amazingly clear water and a rich underwater world. Visibility off the coast of Koh Tao is much better than that of neighboring Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, and the bays in which the beaches of the island are located are bordered by rocks with caves and grottoes.

You can get to this wonderful island in the same ways as to Koh Phangan. The only difference is that it is more convenient to get to it through Chumpon, since the vast majority of ferries going from there to Koh Phangan stop at Koh Tao. But ferries from Koh Samui are just the opposite: first they stop at Koh Phangan, and only then go to Tao.

Ko-Nang-Yuan

Half a kilometer from Koh Tao is another small island – Koh Nang Yuan. This is not even quite an island, but three atolls connected by sandbars. In addition to silence and beauty, the island attracts divers and especially beginner divers, since there are practically no currents near the island.

There is only one hotel here, and the island, in fact, is its territory: at night, only guests of this hotel can be on Koh Nang Yuan. During the day, tourists come to the island as part of excursion groups, therefore, in order to visit Ko Nang Yuan, you either need to buy an excursion or come first to Ko Tao: here you can take a shuttle boat that goes to Nang Yuan twice per day, or by boat-taxi, the fare on which costs twice as much. However, if a room in the only hotel in Nang Yuan is not booked, you will have to leave the island at 17:00.

Phangan, Thailand