Things to do on
Koh Phangan

National parks & waterfalls

Koh Phangan has has large National Parks with a lot of waterfalls and and deep jungle:

Phaeng Waterfall in the centre of the island and Than Sadet Waterfall National Park on the east side of the island. Best time to visit the waterfalls is during or after the wet season or right after rain, otherwise there is not that much water.

Phaeng Waterfall National Park is located in the village of Madua Wan. The Park has a nice waterfall close to the entrance and some trekking routes to mountaintop viewpoints, including a long winding foot trail leading up to Koh Phangan's highest mountain peak Khao Ra (630m).

The trail is steep at some places and difficult to follow at times, so it is recommended to hire a guide at the entrance of the park.

Than Sadet waterfall is the largest waterfall on the island, a 3 km run of rock pools and streams with a royal emblem, since it was visited by several Kings of Thailand, including the reigning monarch, H.M. King Bhumibol (Rama IX). There are inscriptions on boulders near the river bed made by each of the Kings. The park has several nice jungle trekking paths as well.

Massage & Meditation

At most towns, resorts and beaches you can get a traditional Thai or oil massage. Koh Phangan also has a few retreat centers offering various courses in Thai massage, meditation, cleansing programs, Reiki and reflexology.

Wat Pho Herbal Sauna
This traditional herbal steam sauna is run by monks at the Wat Pho temple in Ban Thai (on the road to Thong Nai Pan). The sauna uses traditional methods by heating natural herbs such as lemongrass and tamarind leaves on a big log fire. The herbs have many health and skin benefits. It is run on donations, so please don't forget to make a donation after using the sauna. It should be remembered that ladies have to wear a sarong outside the sauna and men their shorts.

Chinese Temple
On the road between Thong Sala and Chaloklum the Chinese Temple is located. The temple is the result of the dream an american woman had in 1990 in which the (Chinese) Buddha spoke to her and asked her to build a firelight for the people.

Activities

Snorkeling & diving
There are many great snorkel and dive spots on the island, especially on the Northwest coast. One of the best spots is around the little island of Koh Ma ('Horse Island'), off Mae Haad beach at the Northwestern tip of Koh Phangan. There are several diving schools offering PADI courses around the island.

Boat trips / Kayaking
Boat trips around the island or to other islands can be arranged at most resorts and travel agencies. Kayaks can be rented at most resorts and at beaches.

Wakeboarding
Wakeboarding is offered by Phangan Adventure in Chaloklum. They also offer many other activities like kayaking-, sailing- and big game fishing trips, sunset boat trips and mountain bike trekking.

Kiteboarding
Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is offered by Cuttlebone Kiteboarding Center near Ban Thai (at Golden Light Resort).

Quad riding
Just outside main town Thong Sala there is a quad racing track.

Thai boxing
Although Lumphini Stadium in Bangkok is the place to be for the real Muay Thai match, Koh Phangan also has some small Muay Thai 'stadiums' in Thong Sala and Haad Rin. You can learn the art of Muay Thai yourself at the Jungle Gym in Haad Rin and Thong Sala.

Elephant Trekking
Just outside Chaloklum you can enjoy an elephant ride through Koh Phangan's jungle.

Daytrips

Ang Thong National Marine Park
Ang Thong is an archipelago made up of around 40 small, mostly uninhabited islands with limestone cliffs, caves, beautiful beaches, a giant emerald saltwater lake (also known from the movie The Beach) and dense tropical rainforest. You can either book an organized day- or camping trip or hire a speedboat with a group (usually minimum of 6 people) and plan your own trip.

Koh Tao
The waters around Koh Tao offer some of the best diving and snorkeling sites in the Gulf of Thailand, both for beginners and the more experienced divers. There are daily boats between Thong Sala and Koh Tao. The trip takes around 2 hours by boat. Organized dive and snorkel trips can be arranged at most travel agencies.

In the late 1990's Ko Tao´s very first, and until recently, only road was built, it runs South to North from the far side of Sairee beach to the southern settlement of Chalok Baan Kao. A new road is being developed on the way to Tanote Bay, and when finised it will open up the far side of the island for better development, it is accessable with care at the moment by 4x4. The island now has 24 hour electricity on the island too and finally they have had a water reservoir made to ensure that even in the dryest periods there is enough water for all. Occasionally progress can be a wonderful thing, fortunately KohTao has maintained its relaxed atmosphere, ]it is,it's] still nigh on impossible to find a crowded beach.

As KohTao´s reputation spread and rapidly grew as it widely became known all over world through international travellers and adventurous visitors. During the last 12 odd years the island has changed in many different ways as it developed to become one of the major dive destinations in Thailand, bringing all levels of divers and water lovers alike. Local fishermen and farmers quickly realised that major business people from other places were developing their island to accommodate to the needs of all these new customers and they also, immediately began to open their own businesses to fulfill all the clienteles demands. From the very first bamboo A-Frame bungalows on the beach for strangers other wise known as farangs.

The 'Turtle Island', has so much to offer but hasn´t lost what attracted tourists here in the first place, it is still a petite piece of tropical paradise for all to share and enjoy.


Koh Samui
Take a half hour boat trip to big sister island Koh Samui to go shopping at touristy Chaweng Beach or to visit the Samui Butterfly Garden, Snake Farm, the Samui Aquarium and Tiger Zoo or the golden Big Buddha statue at Bophut.

There are approximately 14,000 people living in Koh Phangan, the majority of which are Chinese descent. There are also many Thai's from all over Thailand, who moved here to start a tourism related business.

Most inhabitants live in Thong Sala, the main gateway into the island from Samui.

The most important product of Koh Phangan are coconuts. Each month Koh Samui and Koh Phangan produce more than 1 million coconut exports to Bangkok. Others prominent island produce is fishing and of course there is the growing tourism business.

Around 95 per cent of the island’s population are Buddhists and it plays as very significant role in their daily life.

Buddhism inevitable involves almost every occasion such as birthdays, marriages, moving to a new house, funerals, opening business offices and buying new vehicles etc.

Positioned harmoniously in the east coast on the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Phangan is the third largest island in Thailand and most of the island’s area of 168 square km is made up of mountains and tropical forest. The lowlands are abounding with coconut fields and sandy white beaches. Koh Phangan stretches 19 kilometres from north to south and 12 kilometres from west to east.

Due to its proximity to the equator, Koh Phangan`s temperature remains fairly constant all year round and the conditions are tropical. Sunshine can be found even during the monsoon season.

Food in Thailand

Salty in taste, khao yam is taken with an assortment of vegetables, considered special ties of the south are sataw, med riang and look niang. Sataw is a green pod and when stripped reveals green berries inside, sataw berries sometimes are chopped into thin slices and cooked with chillies and meat or simply added to any gang or maybe boiled with other vegetables in coconut milk, or taken raw with chili sauce. The berries can be preserved by pickling them and eaten without further preporation.

Every part of the world is falling in love with Thai food, but did you know this wonderful tasting food is also very good for you? Common Thai ingredients such as turmeric, coriander, galangal, and basil have strong antioxidants that help fight against inflammation and protect the body from damage by free radicals and toxins.

Once the sauce or paste is made up, Thai curry is extremely easy to create, by simply adding any variety of meat, seafood, vegetables, or tofu and cooking it in the oven like a casserole or in a wok if an oven is not available.