Ko Pha Ngan Place guide

Although Ko Pha Ngan is best known for the crazy full moon parties, it also grows coconuts and lies halfway between the islands of Ko Samui and Koh Taoh. There’s a national park, herbal sauna for maximum relaxation, snorkeling, temples to visit and even an elephant camp! Trip Guru highly recommends Ko Pha Ngan if you’re the kind of traveler that’s looking for an escape and a one-of-a-kind getaway.

Ko Pha Ngan has a lot of beaches with a variety of sandy textures—some are soft and powdery, while others are grainy. Each beach is easy to reach and this means that it’s easy to rest and stay in one beach while having day trips to visit the others. In the south coast, facing towards Ko Samui, the beaches have an offshore reef and shallow waters, perfect for travelers with children. To the east, north from Haad Rin to the bays of Thong Nai Pan Noi and Yai, there are some of the most isolated beaches on the island where swimming here is ideal.

To the north is Bottle Beach, a backpacker’s dream, and Chaloklam Bay, which is the island’s main fishing port and the center of Ko Pha Ngan’s diving industry. The west coast is littered with tiny bays and hidden beaches, perfect for those travelers who like to avoid too many tourists. Travel to Wat Pho, a temple which features an herbal sauna with separate rooms for men and women. It’s a perfect way to relax after a hard night of partying. Always wear a scarf, towel or sarong over your bikini, as the locals find female nudity offensive inside the temple. The sauna is open from 1:00pm to 7:00pm.

The best time to visit Ko Pha Ngan is during December to March, which is also their peak season as it isn’t too rainy, temperatures are comfortable and the water is high, clean and perfect for swimming. If you’d like to swim but don’t want to meet too many tourists, try visiting during July or August just after the dry season. To get to Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Samui is the closest airport with frequent flights from Bangkok, Phuket and even Singapore. Once at Ko Samui airport, transportation to the ferry leading to Koh Pha Ngan is easy to find.