Koh Samui Travel Guide: Beaches, Ang Thong and What Things Cost

Koh Samui is Thailand’s Gulf coast at its most complete: a 228-square-kilometre island with a 50-kilometre ring road, calm swimming beaches, a 12-metre gold Buddha, and a 42-island marine park within an hour’s boat. Base yourself in Bo Phut or Maenam for four to seven days, fly or ferry in from Bangkok, and give one full day to Ang Thong. This guide covers when to go, how to arrive, where each beach strip actually suits, and what things cost in baht in 2026; prices were checked against operator listings in October 2026.

At a glance:

• When: December to April is driest; July and August is the Gulf’s second window.
• How long: Four to five days minimum, seven with a marine park day and an island hop.
• Getting there: One-hour flight from Bangkok, or the Donsak ferry from about 165 baht.
• Stay in: Bo Phut for balance, Chaweng for nightlife, west coast for sunsets.
• Budget: About 2,500 baht (US$75) a day mid-range, 1,200 baht (US$35) backpacking.

When is the best time to visit Koh Samui?

December to early April is the reliable dry season: long sunny days, sea calm enough for boat trips, and the highest hotel prices of the year, especially across Christmas, New Year and Songkran in mid-April, with February usually the single driest month (Lonely Planet).

Samui’s rain calendar is the one fact most first-time visitors get wrong. The island sits on the Gulf of Thailand, not the Andaman Sea, so it runs on the opposite schedule to Phuket and Krabi: rain peaks from October to December, reaching around 445mm in November, while January to September each stay below roughly 140mm (Wego monsoon data).

That inversion creates the Gulf’s best-kept scheduling trick. July and August stay comparatively dry on Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao while the Andaman side is at its roughest. For the full month-by-month picture, see our best time to visit Thailand guide. One seasonal caveat: Ang Thong Marine Park shuts from about 1 November to mid-December, so a November trip loses the island’s top day out.

How do you get to Koh Samui: by air or by ferry?

Two routes reach the island, and the choice is really about money versus time.

Flying is the fast option. Koh Samui Airport (USM) sits on the north-east coast, three kilometres from Big Buddha, and Bangkok Airways holds exclusive rights to it. Hourly flights run from Suvarnabhumi for most of the day, with an air time of about an hour; round trips from Bangkok start around 10,000 baht (US$300) in low season, then climb sharply over the December to February peak (Lonely Planet). The terminal is open-air and famously pretty, which also means limited shelter and a short walk to taxis.

The Donsak ferry is the budget route and the one backpackers use. Buses and trains reach Donsak pier on the mainland side of the Gulf, roughly 30 kilometres from Samui, and three operators run the crossing (Travelfish timetables).

Operator	Crossing time	Lands at	Typical fare
Lomprayah catamaran	About 45 minutes	Nathon	About 330 baht (US$10)
Seatran Discovery	About 1 hour 30	Nathon	About 230 baht (US$7)
Raja Ferry	About 1 hour 30	Lipa Noi	About 165 baht (US$5)

Raja and Seatran sail roughly hourly from early morning to early evening; Lomprayah has fewer, faster sailings, commonly around 11am and 3pm. Taking a car costs 800 to 1,500 baht on Raja, and from Bangkok combined bus-and-ferry tickets run about nine hours and start near 1,100 baht (US$33).

Ferries from Samui also link the neighbouring islands in minutes: Koh Phangan takes about 30 minutes, and Koh Tao about two hours for snorkelling and diving. That is how most people build a two-stop Gulf trip out of a seven-day Thailand itinerary.

Where should you stay on Koh Samui?

The ring road links a dozen beach strips, each with a different personality, so match the base to the trip before booking rather than wasting a day discovering the difference.

Area	Best for	Keep in mind
Bo Phut	First visits, Fisherman’s Village restaurants, families	Shallow swimming at low tide; not a party base
Chaweng	Nightlife, widest hotel and restaurant choice	busiest strip; the beach itself is pleasant rather than empty
Lamai	Second-choice strip with a slower evening scene	Further from the airport and ferries
Maenam	Long quiet beach, mid-range and boutique rooms	Fewer restaurants within walking distance
Choeng Mon	Quiet upscale end, villa stays	You will want a scooter or car
West coast (Lipa Noi, Taling Ngam)	Sunsets, calm water, low-key resorts	Thin services; you drive for everything
Nathon	Ferry port, cheap local food and guesthouses	Administrative town, not a beach holiday

Bo Phut is the balanced pick. The old Chinese shop-house street at Fisherman’s Village now holds the island’s best run of seafood restaurants and boutique shops, the beach is long and shallow, and Big Buddha, Maenam and the Maenam ferry pier all sit a short ride north. Rooms run from about 1,000 baht (US$30) for simple guesthouses to 4,000 baht (US$120) for small design hotels.

Longtail and fishing boats off Bo Phut, the island’s most useful first-time base.

Chaweng remains the busiest commercial strip: the most restaurants, the loudest bars, Muay Thai fight nights, and hotels at every price. Pick it for nightlife and convenience, not for a quiet swim. Lipa Noi and the west coast face the sunset over the Ang Thong islands, which is the view on this guide’s opening photo, and suit couples who would rather watch the sky than walk to dinner.

For cost benchmarks that apply island-wide, our Thailand trip cost breakdown puts Samui in national context: prices sit above Bangkok guesthouse rates and below Phuket resort rates in high season.

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What are the best things to do on Koh Samui?

Four sights and one park cover the essential list, and everything below is doable without an organised tour except Ang Thong.

Big Buddha and Wat Plai Laem

The island’s landmark is Wat Phra Yai, known to almost everyone as Big Buddha: a 12-metre gold-painted statue completed in 1972 on the Ko Fan islet, joined to the coast near Bo Phut by a short causeway three kilometres north of the airport, and free to enter. Climb the dragon-flanked stairs for views across the bays, cover shoulders and knees, and arrive late afternoon when tour groups thin out. The neighbouring Wat Plai Laem temple, with its white multi-arm statue and lakeside halls, sits five minutes further along the same road and is equally free.

Wat Phra Yai, the 12-metre Big Buddha on the Ko Fan islet near Bo Phut.

Ang Thong Marine Park

Ang Thong Marine Park is a protected archipelago of 42 islands about an hour by boat from Samui’s north piers: limestone cliffs, a saltwater lagoon and snorkelling stops in a compact national park. The park fee is 300 baht (about US$9) per adult and 150 baht per child, paid in cash, and the park opens roughly 8am to 5pm and closes to visitors from about 1 November to mid-December (Thai National Parks fee list).

Full-day tours run about 1,200 to 2,000 baht on a shared big boat, or 1,800 to 2,800 baht by speedboat, typically including lunch, snorkelling gear and hotel pickup; big boat is calmer and cheaper, while speedboat buys an extra hour on the water and matters if you get seasick. Book direct with a pier operator in Bo Phut or Maenam rather than through a hotel desk, and confirm the boat returns before dark.

The palm beach and visitor centre island of Ko Wua Talap, the usual first stop in Ang Thong.

Na Muang waterfalls

Na Muang 1 and Na Muang 2 are the island’s main jungle waterfalls in the south-central interior, both free to enter with only a small parking fee of about 20 to 50 baht. Na Muang 1 is an 18-metre fall a five-minute flat walk from the car park with a large natural pool for swimming, while Na Muang 2 is taller at around 80 metres and needs a steep 30-minute climb, with rope sections near the top.

Go to the base of Na Muang 2 and stop there: the upper tiers are wet, unprotected rock, and several tourists have died slipping on them in recent years. The falls run hardest in the wet months of October and November and can thin out from February to April, which is the trade-off with the best-weather season.

Fisherman’s Village walking street

Fisherman’s Village is the old trading settlement at Bo Phut. Its Friday walking street is the island’s best market evening: food stalls, barbecued seafood, craft tables and small shops fill the old street from about 5pm to 11pm. Friday is the night every operator and guide agrees on, though some listings also show a smaller Monday and Wednesday market, so check locally if your stay misses Friday. Arrive hungry: grilled prawns, roti and som tam run 40 to 100 baht a plate.

Beaches, rocks and a Muay Thai night

Beyond the bases, the free list is long: Hin Ta Hin Yai, the Grandfather and Grandmother rocks at Lamai, are natural coastal formations with a small craft market and no entry fee, and the west-coast viewpoints between Taling Ngam and Namuang Bay reward the drive at sunset. Chaweng’s Muay Thai stadium runs fight nights most weeks, with tickets from about 1,000 baht at the gate. For a proper island hop, the Koh Phangan ferry takes 30 minutes; go for the waterfalls and quiet beaches of the island’s north, and skip the Full Moon Party dates unless that is specifically the plan, since prices double across Koh Samui on party nights.

How do you get around Koh Samui?

The ring road is about 50 kilometres, so one full loop with stops is a half-day, and four transport options cover almost every need.

Scooter rental costs about 150 to 300 baht (US$5 to US$9) a day and is the standard way locals and long-stay visitors travel; wear a helmet, carry an International Driving Permit, and check the brakes before you leave the shop. The south-west coast roads are winding and quiet after dark, which is where most serious accidents happen.

Songthaews, the shared pickup-taxi trucks that run fixed loops along the ring road, cost about 50 to 100 baht for a beach-to-beach hop; they are the cheapest option and the hardest to read as a visitor, since routes are learned by landmarks rather than maps.

Taxi counters at the airport sell prepaid vouchers at fixed fares, around 300 to 500 baht (US$9 to US$15) to Chaweng; agree the price before you queue. Ride-hailing apps such as Grab and InDrive do operate on Samui for shorter hops, often 150 to 300 baht, though wait times run longer than in Bangkok.

Hotel transfers are worth pricing when two people share: a private airport pick-up to the west coast often costs little more than two taxi vouchers plus the drive.## What does a Koh Samui trip cost in 2026?

Samui sits mid-range for Thailand. Street food is cheap, imported restaurant prices on the Chaweng strips are not, and hotel rates swing 50 percent or more between August and New Year. Benchmarks for 2026:

Item	Price	Notes
Street meal	40 to 100 baht	Pad Thai, som tam, grilled skewers
Sit-down seafood dinner	250 to 500 baht	Beach restaurants higher in Chaweng
Guesthouse	From 1,000 baht	Simple fan rooms inland from the sand
Mid-range hotel	1,500 to 4,000 baht	Bo Phut and Maenam sweet spot
Scooter rental	150 to 300 baht a day	Helmet and insurance check essential
Ang Thong full-day tour	1,200 to 2,800 baht	Big boat lower, speedboat higher
Ang Thong park fee	300 baht adult	Cash, collected separately
Airport to Chaweng taxi	300 to 500 baht	Prepaid voucher, fixed price
Donsak ferry	165 to 330 baht	45 to 90 minutes depending on boat
SIM, 30 days	250 to 400 baht	Sold at the airport arrivals hall

For a four-day mid-range trip with one Ang Thong day, budget about 10,000 baht (US$300) per person excluding flights, while backpackers on guesthouses, street food and scooters run closer to 1,200 baht (US$35) a day. Our Thailand street food guide covers what to order at the stalls.

Cash still matters: national park fees, songthaews, market stalls, waterfall parking and pier ferry tickets all want baht, and ATMs cluster in Chaweng, Bo Phut and Nathon but thin out on the west coast, so withdraw before you cross the island. Hotels and sit-down restaurants take cards almost everywhere.

What should you know before you go?

Entry rules changed in September 2026. The free Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) must be filed online at the official site within three days before arrival, and there is never a fee: any site charging to complete it is a scam. On visas, Thailand revoked its 60-day exemption and, from 15 September 2026, nationals of 60 countries including the UK, US, Australia and most of the EU enter visa-free for 30 days (Royal Thai Government notice); longer stays need the correct visa in advance.

Health and safety. Bangkok Hospital Samui runs a 24-hour emergency room in Maenam. Motorbike accidents are the most common serious injury among visitors, so travel insurance that covers riding is essential. Jellyfish numbers rise in the wet months, so swim at patrolled beaches between November and January. Follow the usual advice on tap water, sun exposure and temple dress codes, and check your government’s advisory before departure, such as the US State Department Thailand page.

Connectivity and money. Buy a tourist SIM at arrivals for 250 to 400 baht with 30 days of data, or check eSIM coverage before flying. Tipping is not mandatory, though rounding up a taxi fare or leaving small change at street stalls is normal, and dress codes at temples mean covered shoulders and knees for both men and women.

Festival weeks reshape the island: Thai public holidays, especially Songkran in mid-April and the New Year period, fill hotels and double ferry demand. Dates for 2026 sit in our Thailand holidays guide, and booking beds and boats three to four weeks ahead around them is the difference between a plan and a scramble.

Koh Samui works as a single-base beach holiday or as the calm anchor of a Gulf loop with Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. Pair it with a temple-and-street-food stop in Bangkok on the way through, and browse the rest of our Thailand guides when the next trip starts forming.

At a glance

Wat Phra Yai (Big Buddha)

12-metre gold Buddha on the Ko Fan islet, joined to the north coast by a causeway near Bo Phut. Free entry.

Address

Koh Samui, Surat Thani, TH

Wat Phra Yai (Big Buddha)

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Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need in Koh Samui?

Four to five days covers the beaches, Big Buddha, one waterfalls morning and the Bo Phut walking street. A full day for Ang Thong Marine Park and a day trip to Koh Phangan or Koh Tao lifts the trip to six or seven days. Two or three days only touches one stretch of coast.

Where should you stay in Koh Samui for the first time?

Bo Phut suits most first visits: the Fisherman's Village restaurants, a walkable beach and easy access north to Big Buddha and the ferry piers. Choose Chaweng if you want nightlife and the widest hotel choice, Maenam for a longer quieter beach, or the west coast for sunset views away from the busy strips.

Is it cheaper to fly or take the ferry to Koh Samui?

The ferry is cheaper. From Donsak on the mainland, crossings run from about 165 baht (US$5) on the Raja ferry to about 330 baht (US$10) on the Lomprayah catamaran, which takes 45 minutes to Nathon. Flights from Bangkok save half a day and often start around 2,000 baht one way, with round trips from about 10,000 baht.

How much does Ang Thong Marine Park cost?

The national park fee is 300 baht (about US$9) per adult and 150 baht per child, paid in cash. Full-day tours cost about 1,200 to 2,000 baht on a big boat or 1,800 to 2,800 baht by speedboat, usually with lunch and snorkelling gear. The park closes to visitors from about 1 November to mid-December each year.

Do I need a visa for Koh Samui?

Entry rules follow Thailand's national scheme, not the island. From 15 September 2026, nationals of 60 countries including the UK, US, Australia and most of the EU enter visa-free for 30 days; the previous 60-day exemption was revoked. Everyone must also file the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card online within three days before arrival.

When is the rainy season on Koh Samui?

Unlike Phuket and Krabi, Samui's heaviest rain falls from October to December, peaking in November at around 445mm. January to September stays under about 140mm a month, which is why July and August work so well on the Gulf coast while the Andaman side is at its roughest.

Useful links (8)

1. Guide to Ko Samui, Lonely Planet (February 2026)— lonelyplanet.com
2. Ko Samui ferry timetables and fares, Travelfish— travelfish.org
3. Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park fees and opening hours, Thai National Parks— thainationalparks.com
4. Thailand Digital Arrival Card official site— tdac.immigration.go.th
5. Ko Samui destination guide, Tourism Authority of Thailand— tourismthailand.org
6. Thailand monsoon season by coast, Wego— blog.wego.com
7. Revision of Thailand's visa exemption schemes effective 15 September 2026, Royal Thai Government— thailand.prd.go.th
8. Na Muang waterfall guide, InsideSamui— insidesamui.com

Photo credits

Thank you to Manfred Werner, Per Meistrup, Mustang Joe and Vyacheslav Argenberg for sharing these beautiful photographs and helping bring this guide to life.

Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · CC0 · CC BY 4.0