Koh Phangan: a complete guide to the island's beaches, areas and tips

On 24 February 2024 I crossed the Gulf of Thailand on an old car ferry, its hull flaking with rust, sailing past jungle-covered limestone peaks. The sun was setting behind an islet as the ferry docked on the west coast of Koh Phangan. I stayed until 27 February, between Srithanu, Mae Haad and Haad Yao.

Those four days showed me an island quite unlike its reputation. Koh Phangan is often reduced to the Full Moon Party at Haad Rin, on the far south-east tip. But the west and north-west move at a different pace: tropical gardens, yoga classes, beaches where low tide reveals channels of sand, and a sandbar you can walk along to the islet of Koh Ma.

This guide covers the whole island, including the areas I did not photograph (Haad Rin, Bottle Beach, Thong Nai Pan, the waterfalls), to help you choose your area, plan your journeys and avoid the classic mistakes: the wrong season, a scooter without a licence, a room in Haad Rin during full moon week.

01Which side of the island to choose?

Koh Phangan's interior is mountainous and forested, so the beaches fall into very different areas, linked by roads that are sometimes steep. Choosing the right area matters more than choosing the right hotel.

For a first visit, I recommend the west coast between Srithanu and Mae Haad without hesitation. That is where I spent my four days, and it is the best compromise: close to Thong Sala, facing the sunset, with calm beaches in the dry season. If you want to see the Full Moon Party, nothing stops you staying in the west and heading down to Haad Rin for one night.

02How to get to Koh Phangan

The island has no airport. A runway project launched in 2012 was halted in 2015 because it encroached on the national park, and it has never resumed. Everyone therefore arrives by sea, usually at Thong Sala pier.

From Surat Thani and Donsak

This is the mainland route, the one you take arriving from Bangkok by train or plane to Surat Thani, or from the Andaman coast by minibus. The Raja car ferry leaves Donsak pier and reaches Thong Sala in 2.5 hours, for 290 baht per passenger. It also carries cars and scooters.

Photos : Pierre Bouyer

On 24 February 2024, my crossing left from a pier on the Surat Thani coast: a wooden jetty, blue longtails moored in turquoise water, and old red-and-white ferries with paint peeling off in patches. The first hour is the most beautiful: the boat runs along a chain of jungle-covered limestone peaks under a sky full of cumulus, before heading out to sea.

From Koh Samui

Koh Samui is the most practical gateway if you are flying in: its airport has direct flights from Bangkok. Lomprayah catamarans link Maenam pier to Thong Sala in 20 to 30 minutes, for around 350 baht, with several departures a day. Other companies sail from Bangrak, near Samui's Big Buddha, to Thong Sala or straight to Haad Rin, in 20 to 50 minutes depending on the boat. On Full Moon Party nights, extra sailings to Haad Rin are laid on.

From Bangkok, Koh Tao and the Andaman coast

• Bangkok: Lomprayah sells a combined night bus and catamaran ticket from its Pinklao office (the former Southern Bus Terminal), from around 1,350 baht. The bus runs to Chumphon, then the boat calls at Koh Tao before Koh Phangan: allow around 14 hours.
• Koh Tao: around an hour by catamaran to Thong Sala.
• Phuket, Krabi, Khao Sok: no direct connection. You have to get to Surat Thani and then Donsak, or buy a combined bus and boat ticket. I explain this leg in my 3-month Thailand itinerary.

03Thong Sala, the gateway and its markets

Thong Sala is the island's little capital: pier, cash machines, scooter rentals, supermarkets, pharmacy. You will inevitably pass through, and it is the best place on the island to eat cheaply.

• The night market (Phantip Food Market): open daily from noon to around 10pm, about a ten-minute walk from the pier. It really comes alive after sunset: grilled meats, pad thai, rotis, fresh fruit juices.
• The Saturday walking street: every Saturday, from around 4pm until late, the street leading from the pier goes pedestrian. It is busiest between 7pm and 9pm, with stalls of Thai food, crafts and clothes.

On the evening I arrived, the sun was setting behind an islet off the pier, in a cloud-laden sky. The west coast is made for this: every evening, the sea lights up in front of you.

04Srithanu and Zen Beach, the island's yoga side

Around 5.5 km north of Thong Sala, Srithanu has become Koh Phangan's wellness district. Yoga schools, meditation centres, vegetarian cafés, breathwork classes, retreats lasting several weeks: the village runs at the pace of people who stay a month or more. For a passing traveller, it is above all a calm, very green base, with healthy food you will not find elsewhere on the island.

Photos : Pierre Bouyer

I stayed in Srithanu at a place with unexpected architecture: white Moorish arches, domes, praying Khmer-style statues beside a chain of linked pools, all buried in a garden of coconut palms. That is typical of the area, where many places bet on their setting and garden rather than the beach. Breakfast, an açaí bowl and a mango smoothie, matched the atmosphere perfectly.

Zen Beach and the Srithanu beaches

Zen Beach, also called Ao Niad, is a small sandy beach surrounded by rocks, known for its Friday evening gathering: musicians, drums, acro-yoga and sometimes fire twirlers at sunset. Arrive around 5.30pm to get a spot. The water is calm and shallow, but there are rocks and sea urchins in places: bring water shoes. Swimwear is expected.

On 25 February I photographed a beach on the west coast, on the Srithanu side, with golden sand shaded by casuarinas, a wooded islet very close to shore and a beach bar strung with fairy lights. A glassy sea, a few swimmers, sunloungers under the trees: that is the picture I keep of this area. Srithanu's beaches are not the most spectacular on the island, but they are peaceful and perfect for ending the day.

05Haad Yao and Haad Salad, the north-west bays

Haad Yao means "long beach", and the name fits: a long arc of pale sand backed by a wooded hill, with a rocky headland at the southern end where a wooden resort with Thai-style roofs climbs the slope. A fringing reef runs offshore, a few hundred metres out, with better visibility at the northern end.

Photos : Pierre Bouyer

On 27 February 2024, in the late afternoon, the tide was very low. The exposed sand formed channels reflecting the sky, walkers strolled far out towards the sea, and longtails lay at anchor, backlit by a hazy sun. Along the beach, wooden bungalows with red roofs and bamboo railings, and few people. This is the beach I would recommend to a family: calm water, a gentle slope, fine sand.

Low tide, worth knowing before you book

The whole west and north-west coast is affected: at low tide, the water pulls back a long way and swimming becomes a walk through a few centimetres of water. It is superb for photos, much less so for swimming. Check a tide table (tide apps cover Koh Phangan) and swim at high tide.

Haad Salad

Just north of Haad Yao, Haad Salad is a smaller cove with pale sand. People come here to snorkel: the reef starts about a hundred metres out, and a deeper channel of turquoise water shows you which way to swim. I did not go there, but it is easy to combine with Haad Yao on the same day.

06Mae Haad and the Koh Ma sandbar

This was my favourite place on the island. At Mae Haad, in the north-west, a tongue of sand links the beach to the wooded islet of Koh Ma. At low tide you walk along it with water on both sides; at high tide it partly disappears and the islet becomes an island again.

Photos : Pierre Bouyer

On 26 February 2024 the sky stayed heavy for much of the day, with thick clouds over Koh Ma. The beach had its yellow parasols and sunloungers for hire, swimmers scattered across calm water, and a speedboat marked "Koh Ma Beach" pulled up on the sand. Then the clouds opened up late in the day.

Snorkelling around Koh Ma

The reef around Koh Ma is a no-fishing zone, and it shows: it is one of the richest areas on the island for coral and fish. The coral starts about thirty metres from the beach, in shallow, sheltered water: no boat needed, just a mask and fins, which you can hire on the spot.

• When to go: at high tide. At very low tide there is not enough water over the coral to swim without damaging it.
• What you see: hard corals (brain and staghorn), parrotfish, fusiliers, and sometimes a sea krait or a turtle according to local divers.
• The rules: do not stand on or touch the coral, and use reef-safe sunscreen.

The best sunset on the island

At the end of the day the beach fills up gently. The beach bar's fairy lights come on, walkers head out along the sandbar, and Koh Ma becomes a dark silhouette against a pink sky. The sun sinks into the sea beside the headland closing the bay and leaves a golden reflection on the water, while fishing boats and a paddleboarder pass offshore. Arrive an hour before sunset, ideally at low tide, to walk the sandbar in the golden light.

07Chaloklum and Bottle Beach, the wild north

Chaloklum is a fishing village at the back of a wide bay on the north coast. It has dive centres, a few cafés and seafood restaurants, and local life is more visible than in the west. It is also a good starting point for Sail Rock (Hin Bai), a granite pinnacle between Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, considered the best dive site in the area.

Bottle Beach (Haad Khuat) is the island's most isolated beach: a bay of soft sand enclosed by jungle and cliffs, with a few rustic bungalows and simple restaurants and no paved road. Three ways to get there:

• By longtail from Chaloklum: around 30 minutes, departures from about 8am to 5pm once four passengers are on board. Prices vary by source and number of passengers, from roughly 150 to 400 baht: confirm whether the fare is one-way or return before boarding.
• On foot: around 1.5 hours on a marked trail from near Chaloklum, along the coast or through the jungle.
• By 4x4: a dirt track comes in from the east; do not attempt it on a scooter.

I did not make the trip. If you stay there, bring cash: there is no cash machine.

08Thong Nai Pan and the waterfalls

On the north-east coast, Thong Nai Pan is made up of two neighbouring bays: Thong Nai Pan Yai, the larger, and Thong Nai Pan Noi, smaller and smarter. Pale sand, turquoise water, coconut palms and a cluster of upmarket hotels. The road from Thong Sala is long and very steep in places: this is not the destination for your first day on a scooter.

Than Sadet and Phaeng, the national park waterfalls

Than Sadet-Koh Phangan National Park protects much of the mountainous interior. It has two main areas:

• Than Sadet, on the east coast near Thong Nai Pan: a river around 2.5 km long that tumbles down in cascades and pools before reaching the sea. King Rama V visited in 1888 and his initials are carved on a boulder near the river mouth, hence the name "royal river".
• Phaeng, in the interior on the west side, not far from Thong Sala: a forest waterfall, with a trail climbing to a viewpoint over the south-west of the island.

Entry is around 100 baht for a foreign adult according to recent guides, in cash, from around 8.30am to 4.30pm. An honest caveat: in the height of the dry season, the waterfalls often shrink to a trickle between the rocks. They are at their best just after the rains, at the end of the year or at the start of the dry season. I have not seen them myself.

09Haad Rin and the Full Moon Party

At the south-east tip, Haad Rin is a narrow peninsula with two back-to-back beaches: Sunrise Beach to the east, where the party is held, and Sunset Beach to the west. For the rest of the month it is a district of bars, guesthouses and restaurants, noisier than the rest of the island. In full moon week, it becomes the busiest place on Koh Phangan.

Remaining dates and entry fee

Entry costs 200 baht, in cash, at the beach entrance on the night. There are no online tickets for the party itself: any site selling you one is a scam. Dates can shift by a day when the full moon falls on a Buddhist holiday, so check the calendar for your month before booking.

Safety

• Drinks: watch your "buckets" (cocktail pails) being made, prefer sealed bottles and cans, and never leave your drink unattended.
• Fire: keep your distance from the flaming skipping ropes and fire shows. Burns are common among spectators who get too close.
• Drugs: they are illegal and severely punished, and plain-clothes police are present during the party.
• Theft: leave your passport and valuables at the hotel, and carry only cash and a phone in a waterproof pouch. Thefts from rooms rise during party week.
• Getting back: songthaews from Thong Sala normally cost 150 to 200 baht, but prices double or triple after midnight. Do not ride a scooter after drinking: the roads to Haad Rin are among the steepest on the island.

For the basic rules that apply everywhere, I have gathered my tips for travelling safely.

10Where to stay for your travel style

I am not naming specific places here: the offer changes quickly on Koh Phangan, and I would rather point you to the right area.

• First visit, couples: Haad Yao or Srithanu. Wooden beachfront bungalows, hillside resorts, villas with pools set in gardens. You dine facing the sunset and Thong Sala is a quarter of an hour away.
• Wellness, long stays: Srithanu, as close as possible to the yoga schools. Many places rent by the month, and you can do everything on foot or by bicycle in the village.
• Families: Haad Yao, for the gentle slope and calm water, or Thong Nai Pan if the budget allows. Avoid Haad Rin.
• Snorkelling and photography: Mae Haad, to have Koh Ma on your doorstep at every tide.
• Partying: Haad Rin, booking well ahead for full moon week, often with a minimum stay. Or Baan Tai and Baan Kai on the south coast, quieter and a few kilometres from Haad Rin.
• Seclusion: Bottle Beach or Thong Nai Pan Noi. Expect to eat at your hotel's restaurant in the evening.

Wooden bungalows, an island speciality

What stands out along Haad Yao are the wooden bungalows on stilts, with red roofs and bamboo railings, lined up under the coconut palms just above the sand. It is the island's most typical formula, and it comes at every price, from the fan-cooled bungalow to the air-conditioned resort.

11Getting around the island

Koh Phangan is small, but nothing is within walking distance from one area to another. Three options:

• Scooter: almost everyone's means of transport, 200 to 300 baht a day for a 110cc (more in full moon week). The rental shop asks for your passport or a cash deposit of 2,000 to 5,000 baht. Photograph the scooter from every angle before setting off.
• Songthaew: these pick-ups with bench seats work as shared taxis from Thong Sala to the beaches, for 100 to 300 baht depending on distance. In the evening they are scarce outside Haad Rin: ask your accommodation for a driver's number.
• Pre-booked taxi: car or air-conditioned minibus, ordered through your accommodation, especially useful when arriving with luggage.

What about Grab or Bolt? The app loads, but drivers are almost non-existent on the island. Do not count on it.

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To book a songthaew or a taxi, you will need mobile data on the island: a travel eSIM can be activated before you leave and works from the ferry onwards.

12When to go: Gulf weather

The Gulf of Thailand works the opposite way to the Andaman coast. Phuket is dry from November to April; Koh Phangan, Koh Samui and Koh Tao are dry from January to August, and get their heaviest rain from October to December, with the north-east monsoon. November is the wettest month of the year: over 400mm of rain on average on neighbouring Koh Samui.

In late February 2024 I got exactly what the calendar promises: a glassy sea, blue or hazy skies, a few big clouds at Mae Haad, but no rain in my photos. If you are travelling in November or December, choose Phuket and the Andaman Sea instead, such as Kamala Beach, and save Koh Phangan for another trip.

13Budget

Koh Phangan remains cheaper than Koh Samui, except in Haad Rin during full moon week. The transport fares below come from the operators and up-to-date guides; the accommodation and food ranges are rough estimates to check when you book.

14Frequently asked questions

15My verdict on Koh Phangan

Koh Phangan is often reduced to a party island. Yet its west coast is peaceful, with a sunset every evening and a rhythm you settle into within a day. Four days was just right for Srithanu, Mae Haad and Haad Yao; you would need two or three more for the north and east.

What I loved:

• The Mae Haad sandbar at sunset, with Koh Ma in silhouette: the best moment of my time on the island.
• Low tide at Haad Yao, with its sand channels reflecting the sky, and the calm of the beach in the late afternoon.
• The atmosphere in Srithanu: tropical gardens, healthy food, no hustle.
• The ferry crossing from the mainland, slow but beautiful along the limestone peaks.

What I liked less:

• Low tide itself, when you want to swim: on the west coast you have to plan your swims around the tide table.
• Dependence on scooters: without one, you are stuck in your area or spend a lot on songthaews.
• Beaches less spectacular than those of Koh Tao or the Andaman Sea: Koh Phangan wins you over with its atmosphere rather than its postcards.

Who is it for? Travellers who want to slow down, yoga lovers, couples, families in the west, and partygoers for a night in Haad Rin. Who is it not for? Those looking for white sand and crystal-clear water at any hour, or who want neither to ride nor to rely on taxis. Koh Phangan is also a good stop for solo travel: it is easy to meet other travellers, especially in Srithanu.

Koh Phangan pairs naturally with Koh Tao, an hour away by boat, and Koh Samui, half an hour away. To fit the island into a wider trip, see my Thailand page; and if you head north afterwards, my guide to Chiang Mai takes over.