The Islands of Thailand – How to Arrive ? Where to Stay ? What to Visit ? – Page 2

Note : You are on Page 2 about the Thai islands, Start with Page 1

Maps – Orientation

Map 1 – The Zones

Map 2 – Interactive Map

Note : You can find more Maps on the individual pages of the islands.

How to Arrive from Bangkok (or other Thai cities) to the Islands ?

See the Maps above for the zones.

In Brief : You can arrive to the islands in zone 1 and 2 with a short flight. Alternatively, you can take a bus for about 12 hours. For zone 1, you can also use the train (12 hours). For the islands in zone 3, the usual way to arrive is with a bus.

There are individual pages with details about how to arrive to each island :

From Bangkok to Zone 1 (Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao)

islands thailand

For zone 1, see on the individual pages  :

From Bangkok to Zone 2 (Koh Phi Phi, Phuket, Koh Lanta, Krabi Zone (Krabi Town, Railey Beach, Ao Nang)

For zone 2, see on the individual pages  :

From Bangkok to Zone 3 (Koh Chang, Pattaya city+ Koh Larn, Koh Samet)

islands thailand

For zone 3, see on the individual pages  :

islands thailand

Where to Stay on the Thai islands ? – The Best Zones

You can find on the individual pages an explanation about the potential zones to stay, with the advantages and disadvantages of each zone. You can then book a place and read the opinion of travelers for each hotel.

For zone 1, see on the individual pages  :

For zone 2, see on the individual pages :

For zone 3,  see on the individual pages  :

When to Go to the Islands ?

The Weather

The problem may not be with the cold but with the rain. There are two main seasons in Thailand and it applies also to the islands. The rainy season is from June to December (it varies slightly from region to region). When it rains on a small island it can be boring (for you as a tourist) because there are no big commercial centers like the famous Siam Paragon and Central World of Bangkok. On the other hand the Internet reception is good and the hotel prices are lower. Note : in some big islands, there are big commercial centers : In Phuket and in Koh Samui.

Remember also that the rain is quite unpredictable on an island (during the rainy season). Clouds like to focus on islands. On the limit of the rainy season, you can get a rainy week of vacation or a dry and sunny vacation.

As for the temperatures, you can count on warm weather all year round. Around 30 degrees Celsius during the day and 25 degrees Celsius during the night.

The High Season and Feasts

The high season is during the dry season : December to May. Prices of hotels are at their peak. You can choose to arrive to the islands on the limit of the rainy season and so enjoy lower prices of hotels. If you are lucky it will not rain or it will rain just for 1 or 2 hours during each day.

Be aware that during feasts (new year day, for example), the hotels are very requested and it may be difficult to find a room at the last moment. It is especially problematic in very small islands like : Koh Phi Phi and Koh Tao and in Railay Beach.
In Koh Phangan hotels tend to be full around the day of the full moon party (occur every month).

Things to See and Do on the Thai Islands

See the individual pages for the attractions of each place :

For zone 1, see on the individual pages  :

For zone 2, see on the individual pages  :

For zone 3,  see on the individual pages  :

As a general indication, here are the type of activities, you may expect on a Thai island :

Lay on the Beach

The first attraction of an island is its beaches. Most of the popular beaches are part of a place (town, village) with hotels and restaurants. These are long beaches with some facilities. Some of the beaches are only a place to be visited without hotels. These beaches are usually small and beautiful and sometimes in form of a little bay.  For example, there is Freedom Beach in Phuket island.

On this site, there are dedicated pages (or sections) for the beaches :  For example :

Panoramic Viewpoints

The elevated viewpoints on the Thai islands are great . The view is amazing.
In some case the viewpoints are on the main road and in some cases you need to make a small trek on a hill.

For example : In Phuket, there is the Karon viewpoint, which is right on the main road.
In Koh Phangan, there is the viewpoint over Bottle Beach, which requires a small climbing.

See the section : What to Visit, for each island, to know the main viewpoints.

Take an organized Boat Trip for one day

This is cool and not expensive. They take you visit nearby small islands. The boat stops at each place and you can do snorkeling. They give you lunch and coffee and fruits and the snorkeling equipment. It usually includes the pick-up from your hotel. Highly recommended. There is a slight difference of price between the agencies that sell these tickets, so make your checking (you can buy a ticket on the island). There are trips with speed boats and there are trips with slow boats.

There are 3 islands where it is very popular to do these boat trips :

  1. Koh Phi Phi (includes a stop a the famous Maya Bay, where the movie “The Beach” with Leonardo DiCaprio, was filmed)
  2. Koh Tao (includes a stop a the famous tiny island : Koh Nang Yuan)
  3. Koh Chang 

On the other islands, there are also boat trips, but it is less popular.

Rent a Motorbike

On the islands that have roads, you can rent a motorbike. It is much cheaper and fun than the Taxis.
Of course that you should know how to ride a motorbike. Some roads on the islands are steep and dangerous, so be very careful. Tourists tend to do accidents more than locals.

Here is how you can reduce the risks :

  1. Put an helmet. Most drivers on the islands don’t wear it, but it is very advisable.
  2. Be extra careful when the roads are wet
  3. Avoid riding a motorbike after you have drunk alcohol

Rent prices are around 250 Baht per day, depending on the island and the shop.
Gasoline will cost you around 50 baht a day. The engines are usually 125 cc.
See about the motorcycle license issue in Thailand on the Main page.

See Monkeys

There are quite a lot of Monkeys on the Thai islands. I am talking about small monkeys, not Gorillas or Chimpanzees.

When you will ride your motorbike, you may spot a monkey on the way. If there is one monkey, more will join, monkeys are social animals.
What they expect from you is food, so try to give them something healthy like a Banana and not industrial food (in fact, there are usually signs asking not to feed the monkeys). The monkeys are not always nice, they will show you their teeth if you try to touch them.

Monkeys are searching for food in the motorbikes which are parked. While doing so, they may cause the fall of the motorbike. So, think about keeping your belongings in a closed compartment in the motorbike and park far from the group of monkeys.

Some islands have more monkeys than others (I mean, they are more visible on the roads). There are many monkeys in Koh Lanta and koh Chang.

In Railay Beach there are interesting monkeys with big eyes.

See Elephants

The elephants are not native to the islands but were brought for the tourists.

Elephant camps are usually present on the big islands. There are a lot of elephant camps in Phuket. There are several elephant camps in Koh Samui and in koh Chang (by the way, Chang means “elephant” in the Thai language).

There are 1 or 2 elephant camps in Koh Phangan and Koh Lanta. There are no elephants in Koh Phi Phi, Koh Tao, Koh Larn and Koh-Samet.

Some elephant camps want to be more ethical than others and they don’t allow riding the elephants (but only making them a bath).

Visit Mangroves areas

Mangroves are a type of tree with roots above ground.
At certain locations on the Thai islands, there are fishing villages in Mangroves areas. It is a very special environment and the photos to take are great.
You can take a guided Kayak tour or just watch the water canals from a wooden dock. There are a lot of crabs moving in the mud of the mangrove areas, especially at sunset time.

There are nice mangrove areas to visit in : Koh Chang and Koh Lanta.
There are also nice mangrove walks in Hua Hin (not an island).

Take a Diving course + Snorkeling

All islands have diving schools, but they are especially abundant in Koh Phi Phi and Koh Tao. These 2 place have especially clear and beautiful waters.

If you just want to do snorkeling, then the best is to join an organized boat trip. There are always stops to make snorkeling and they give you the equipment.

Waterparks and Shows

If you want this type of activities, go to Phuket. There is a big waterpark and many shows. There are cultural shows and animal shows.

Waterfalls

There are many waterfalls in Koh Chang and in Koh Phangan and in Koh Samui.

Caves

Not a very prominent tourist attraction on the islands. There is a small cave at Railay Beach.

Climb Mountains

There are many wonderful viewpoints that necessitate a small climbing on a hill (a simple walk). This is an activity for everyone.

On the other hand, in the region of Krabi, you can make a climbing course with equipment. For example in Railay Beach. In this place, there are beautiful rock-mountains which are typical to Krabi region.

Organized Tours

In all the islands there are organized tours that bring you to see the attractions. You will see a lot of publicity in place.

Commercial Centers – Malls

The small islands don’t have big malls. There are big malls in Phuket and in Koh Samui.

Parachute and Jet-Ski

This type of activity exists in busy beaches.

It exists in Patong Beach (Phuket). It exists also in Koh Larn, the island in front of Pattaya city.

Museums

Not common on the Thai islands, but it exists. For example in Phuket there is a Mining museum.

Make a Tattoo

It exists especially in backpackers areas. It is very popular in Koh Phangan (Haad Rin beach), and in Koh Phi Phi.

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