Destination · Gulf of Thailand
Koh Phangan
- Getting there
- Boat only30 min from Samui, 2–4 hrs from Surat Thani
- Best months
- Feb–AugSame Gulf pattern as Samui
- Temperature
- 25–33°CWarm all year
- Nights to allow
- 3 to 4Three is the least that feels like a stay
- Money
- CashATMs cluster in Thong Sala; thin elsewhere
Half an hour from Samui and far less tamed. Phangan carries a reputation built on one party, which does the rest of the island a disservice: the north and east coasts are among the quietest and most beautiful in the Gulf, and the interior is jungle and waterfalls.
Decide first
Where to stay, and who each one suits.
Haad Rin
The party end, and the site of the Full Moon Party. Outside those few nights a month it is a fairly ordinary pair of beaches.
Choose it if
- You are here for the party
- Cheap beds and easy company
Think twice if
- Around full moon it is very crowded and very loud
- Not somewhere to bring children
Sri Thanu & the west
The wellness and yoga side of the island, with sunsets over the water and a large long-stay community.
Choose it if
- Yoga, diving or a long stay
- Sunsets
- A calmer crowd
Think twice if
- Very shallow at low tide
- Quiet at night
The north coast
Chaloklum, Bottle Beach and Mae Haad, with the sandbar out to Koh Ma. The prettiest part of the island and the least convenient.
Choose it if
- You want the good beaches
- Snorkelling straight off the sand
- Being genuinely away from it
Think twice if
- Rough roads, and some beaches reachable only by boat
- Very little to do after dark
Decide second
When to come, month by month.
Thailand does not have one season. Bar height is that month’s typical rainfall here, the symbol above it is the weather to expect, and the figures below it how busy it gets.
Pick a month to read it in full.
Drying out
January
The tail of the north-east monsoon. Drier week by week, and quiet after the new year crowd has gone home.
- Typical rain
- 150 mm
- Conditions
- Settling
- Crowds
- Moderate
Very good
February
Reliably dry and not yet punishing. One of the two best windows of the year on this coast.
- Typical rain
- 60 mm
- Conditions
- Calm
- Crowds
- Busy
Peak season
March
The driest month. Flat sea, clear water for diving, and the island at its best.
- Typical rain
- 70 mm
- Conditions
- Calm
- Crowds
- Busy
Peak season
April
Hot and dry, with Songkran mid-month. Excellent water clarity; book well ahead.
- Typical rain
- 80 mm
- Conditions
- Calm
- Crowds
- Busy
Very good
May
A little rain returns but nothing that shapes a trip. Rates ease while the weather stays good.
- Typical rain
- 150 mm
- Conditions
- Calm
- Crowds
- Moderate
Good
June
Note the difference from the Andaman coast: while Phuket and Krabi are into the monsoon, the Gulf stays largely fine.
- Typical rain
- 110 mm
- Conditions
- Calm
- Crowds
- Moderate
Peak season
July
Busy with European summer holidays, and the weather earns it. Dry, hot and calm.
- Typical rain
- 120 mm
- Conditions
- Calm
- Crowds
- Busy
Very good
August
Still busy, still good. Occasional heavy showers that clear quickly.
- Typical rain
- 110 mm
- Conditions
- Calm
- Crowds
- Busy
Shoulder
September
Rain building towards the wet season, and the quietest good-value window before it arrives properly.
- Typical rain
- 160 mm
- Conditions
- Choppy
- Crowds
- Moderate
Wet
October
The north-east monsoon arrives. Ferries still run but crossings get uncomfortable, and rain sets in for days rather than hours.
- Typical rain
- 300 mm
- Conditions
- Choppy
- Crowds
- Quiet
Wettest
November
The wettest month here by a distance, and the one to avoid. Flooding is not unusual and ferries are cancelled outright.
- Typical rain
- 440 mm
- Conditions
- Rough
- Crowds
- Quiet
Improving
December
Still wet early on and drying towards the end, but Christmas and new year fill the island regardless of the sky.
- Typical rain
- 210 mm
- Conditions
- Settling
- Crowds
- Busy
Decide third
How long, and what shape.
Three shapes we actually sell. The nights are real and so is the pace — each one is a starting point we rebuild around who is travelling, not a fixed menu.
1 night · 2 days
Touch & Go
Thirty minutes from Samui, and one night is enough for the sandbar and a sunset on the west coast.
Day 1
Ferry in
Half an hour from Samui to Thong Sala. The west coast for the afternoon — that side of the island gets the sunset, and it is the reason to stay there.
Day 2
Koh Ma and the sandbar, then out
At low tide you walk out to Koh Ma along a sandbar and snorkel off the far side of it. Back on an afternoon ferry.
If your night falls on the full moon, nowhere near Haad Rin is quiet and room rates triple. We check the lunar calendar against your dates before we quote.
2 nights · 3 days
Quick Getaways
Two nights on the quiet side of an island most people only know for one party.
Day 1
Ferry in, west coast
Settle, and take the sunset. An early night is a legitimate plan here.
Day 2
Koh Ma and the north
The sandbar in the morning while the tide is out, then Chaloklum for lunch and Bottle Beach in the afternoon if the longtail is running.
Day 3
The interior, then out
Than Sadet and the waterfalls the kings of Siam carved their initials beside, or nothing at all on Haad Yao. Afternoon ferry.
Phangan’s roads are steep and several beaches are reached by dirt track or boat only. We do not put a first-time scooter rider on the Bottle Beach road.
4 nights · 5 days
Destination Deep Dive
Long enough to reach the north-east, which is the half of Phangan almost nobody sees and the half worth coming for.
Day 1
Ferry in
The west coast, and the first sunset.
Day 2
Koh Ma and the sandbar
The morning in the water, and a long afternoon that goes nowhere.
Day 3
The north by longtail
Bottle Beach and Thong Nai Pan — beaches with no road to them at all, reached the way everyone reached them before there were roads anywhere.
Day 4
Than Sadet and the interior
The waterfall, the Phaeng viewpoint above it, and the east coast in the evening.
Day 5
Thong Sala, then out
The morning market — genuinely good, and not for tourists — then the ferry and the flight from Samui.
Most visitors never leave the western strip. Four nights is what it takes to get to the north-east and back without the whole day being transport.
What you came for
Three things worth the day.
The Full Moon Party
Once a month at Haad Rin, and between five and thirty thousand people depending on the season. If your dates are near one, decide deliberately either way — the whole island books out.
- When
- Monthly, full moon
- Where
- Haad Rin
- Entry
- ฿200
Koh Ma and the Mae Haad sandbar
A natural sand spit out to a small island, with the best snorkelling on Phangan on either side of it. Walkable at low tide.
- Time
- Half day
- Needs
- Low tide
- Cost
- Free
Than Sadet and the interior
Waterfalls that four Thai kings carved their initials into, reached on a genuinely rough road through the national park.
- Time
- Half day
- Getting there
- 4WD or a tour
- Fee
- ฿200 / ฿100
For Indians
Entry requirements
- Route
- Visa exemption
- Maximum stay
- 30 days
- Fee
- None
When this starts India was moved to this 30-day exemption by the Thai Cabinet on 16 July 2026. It commences 15 days after the Ministry of Interior announcements are published in Thailand’s Royal Gazette. We confirm in writing which rule applies to your travel dates before you fly, and we will not let you travel on the wrong one.
Every traveller must also file the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online within 72 hours of arrival. It is free, and airlines check it at the gate — without it you will not be allowed to board.
Applies to Indian passport holders. Last reviewed 12 August 2026. Entry rules change; we confirm the current position at the time of booking.
Packages through Koh Phangan
Nothing published through here yet, which usually means the trips we run to this part of Thailand are built to order. Tell us your dates and who is travelling, and we will price one.
Plan my ThailandWorth knowing
What we would tell you on the phone.
Check the moon before you book
It sets the price and the availability of every bed on the island, whether or not you intend to go.
The roads are steep and the scooters are not
Several of the hills here have defeated far more experienced riders than most visitors are. Take a taxi to the north.
Low tide on the west is very low
Swimming from Sri Thanu at low water is not really possible. Check which side of the island your dates favour.
Bring cash from Thong Sala
ATMs on the far beaches are unreliable and charge heavily.
Pairs well with
Where most people go next.
Ko Samui
Thirty minutes, an airport, and a far wider choice of hotels.
Koh Tao
An hour north, and the reason most people learn to dive in Thailand.
Surat Thani
The mainland gateway and the overnight train back to Bangkok.
Koh Phangan, built around you.
Tell us who is travelling and when. We will build the rest around the season.