Attractions in Koh Samui
Samui is a beach island with a real interior, and the two halves are worth splitting your time between. There is a golden Buddha on a causeway, a marine park of forty-two islands, waterfalls in the jungle and a hillside garden full of statues that almost nobody finds. None of it takes a full week, which is the point of coming here.
Getting your bearings
The Big Buddha is at the north-east corner, near the airport. The Na Muang waterfalls and the Secret Buddha Garden are inland, in the hills at the centre of the island. Ang Thong is a boat trip from the west coast and takes a whole day. Everything else is on the ring road.
The island itself
Big Buddha Temple, Wat Phra Yai
Twelve metres of gold on a small island joined to Samui by a causeway, and the landmark everyone photographs. It is an active temple as well as a viewpoint — modest dress, shoes off inside. Free to visit, and best in the early morning.
Na Muang waterfalls
Two falls inland, the lower one an easy walk from the road and the upper one a proper short climb. Jungle, natural pools and somewhere to swim that is not the sea. Best after rain, unremarkable in a dry spell.
The Secret Buddha Garden
High in the hills at the centre of the island: statues and shrines arranged through a garden built by a local farmer, with a view over the interior. The road up is rough and most people arrive by tour or in a four-wheel drive. Quiet, strange, and the least visited thing on this page.
Hin Ta and Hin Yai
The grandfather and grandmother rocks near Lamai, which come with a legend that the signage explains and a decent stretch of coastline either side. Ten minutes, free, and on the way to somewhere else.
On the water
Ang Thong National Marine Park
Forty-two islands of limestone cliff and hidden lagoon, an hour or so offshore, and the best day out available from Samui. Boat tours include kayaking and a hike to a viewpoint over the lagoon. Book the earlier departures — the anchorages fill up.
Diving and snorkelling
The reefs around Samui are decent and the ones around Koh Tao, a short boat ride north, are among the best in Thailand and the cheapest place in the world to learn. Day trips run from Samui for both diving and snorkelling.
Other things worth a morning
- A Thai cooking class — a market visit and a kitchen, and the most useful thing you will take home
- Island hopping to Koh Tao and Koh Phangan, both reachable and back in a day
- Jungle trekking and ziplining in the interior
- A massage or a spa afternoon, which on this island is cheap enough to do more than once
Practical notes
- Modest dress at temples: shoulders and knees covered
- Boat trips are weather-dependent and cancel in rough seas
- Start early — the heat and the crowds build together
How to order a week
Ang Thong takes a full day and starts early, so it sets the shape of the week rather than fitting into it. The temples and the viewpoints are morning activities, before the heat. The waterfalls are best in the middle of the day, because you can swim. And the markets and the sunset bars own the evenings. One big day out, one inland day and the rest on a beach is a reasonable week here.