What to Visit in Koh Samui, Thailand ? – Page 4

Note : You are on Page 4 about Koh Samui. Start with Page 1.  

Maps – Orientation

Map 1 : Transport to the islands

Map 2 : Koh Samui – Overview

Map 3 : Koh Samui – Beaches

Map 4 : Koh Samui – Main Attractions

Map 5 : Interactive Map

What to Visit in Koh Samui ? – Second Part

  1. I have ordered the attractions this way : Starting from the upper right corner of the island and going clockwise.
  2. There are more attractions on the right side of the island, but the south and east have very nice beaches. There are more people on the right side of Koh Samui.

Note : You are on the second part  about What to Visit in Koh Samui.  Start with the first part.  

Wat Samret

A Buddhist temple. It is a nice environment, but the temple itself is not especially impressive (If you have not seen many Buddhist temples in Asia, so it is impressive).

There are some nice tombs

The temple is located on the right south side of the island.

You should definitely visit the south part of Koh Samui and this temple is near the road.

There were no tourists when I visited. A very calm place. You can sit on a bench and relax.

How to arrive ?

Wat Phra Chedi Laem So

Located on the south shore of the island. A very nice area. There is a beautiful Buddhist Pagoda here, right on the beach.

There are some big rocks on the water, and the Pagoda is still in view, from the rocks.

You can drink a coconut in the parking place.

There is also a boat inside a glass display case

It is a nice beach to stay, when it is not extremely hot

How to arrive ?

Wat Khao Chedi

A Buddhist temple on a hill, very close to Wat Phra Chedi Laem So. (less than 1 Km). You park your motorbike on the hill and continue by foot a few steps, till the temple.

Upstairs, there is a nice view over the sea.

Some dogs that make a lot of noise when you arrive, but later become friendly.

A reclining Buddha

And more interesting statues

Not a lot of tourists here. I was the only person.

How to arrive ?

Boat Trip to Pig island (from Thong Krut Pier)

On the Thai islands, it is common to make a boat trip of half a day. In these trips there are stops to make snorkeling. There is usually also a meal.

My advise : If you intend to visit also Koh-Phangan and Koh-Tao, then do your boat trip in Koh Tao. It is cheaper and nicer. Cheaper because you are in a boat with many passengers. It is nicer because the zone is nicer. In Koh Tao you may also see turtles in the water if you are lucky.

The trip from Koh Samui to the Pig island is made on a private basis. It is a small boat. If you are one person, 1600 Baht can be expensive (price at the time that I am writing).

Pig island is located 5 Km at the south of Koh Samui. You can buy a boat ticket in the travel agencies or at the pier, located on the south of the island.
The pigs were brought to this tiny island for tourism.
Note : There are also boat trip to Mu Ko Ang Thong National Marine Park.

How to arrive ?

Beaches

There are a lot of beaches in Koh Samui. Let’s see again Map 3 :

The best is to explore the island with a motorbike. Just make a tour with the circular road and stop at the beaches.

Some nice beaches :

On the bottom part of the island :

Thong Krut Pier area

Some parts look like a classical beautiful beach

And some parts are with fishing boats

The beach is close to the road and there are some good restaurants with view over the sea. Among the restaurants with good view and good food : The Stoned Table.

I ate a very good vegetarian Massaman Curry + wonderful view

How to arrive ?

On the left part of the island :

Nathon Beach – Coconut Beach

Located on the left side of island, just bellow the main port of the island (Nathon).

It is a long beach. Nice sand and nice trees.

There is a café on the road, with a view over the beach. Sunset café.

It is easy to park the motorbike on the road and then access the beach.

How to arrive ?

On the upper part of the island :

Chengmon Beach

On the right upper corner of the island. Relatively close to Chaweng beach.

This is a developed beach with many services. Here is a bar, right on the sand, with a name “BAR”. Great, you can not mistake it for something else.

Outside the beach, on the road, there are many restaurants.

How to arrive ?

Thongson Beach

Very close to Chengmon beach.  Located on the right upper corner of the island. Relatively close to Chaweng beach.
Unlike Chengmon beach, this beach is smaller and has a bay shape. Quite beautiful.

A good place for a little walk

And for drinking something in the restaurant-café.

How to arrive ?

On the right part of the island :

Chaweng Beach

There is big chance that your hotel will be in Chaweng beach (see Where to Stay in Koh Samui).

From the town, you won’t see the beach, but there is a sign.

You have to walk between hotels

And you arrive to the beach. The beach is OK but it is not the best of the island.

It is a long beach

How to arrive ?

Elephant Camps in Koh Samui

There are a number of places with elephants in Koh Samui (I list them later). There are 2 types of elephant camps. In the first one, you can watch and ride elephants. Such a place is Na Muang Waterfalls. There are many places in Thailand where you can ride on an elephant, in Koh Chang island for example.

The second type of elephant camps, wants to be more ethical by not allowing riding the elephants. Instead of riding,  the visitors are washing the elephants or caressing them. In that way, the elephants are living peacefully, without the training that involves riding on elephants.
I guess it is more ethical that way (there are persons who say that both camp types are not ethical).

My problem is the deception some of the elephant camps are using in order to attract visitors (not all of them). They call themselves “elephant sanctuary” on Google Maps. This title makes an impression of a benevolent organization. In reality, they are totally private businesses. They take an elevated price in order to access the camp (thousands of Baht). In fact, they won’t let you even see the elephants if you don’t pay the entry price. They have put the elephants in a concealed area. A tourist who explores the zone and is attracted in Google Maps by the name “elephant”  or “sanctuary”” may be very disappointed when he is not allowed to watch the elephants.

Read the opinion for each place in Google Maps. Some of the camps are good and some not. Arrive to the place only if you are prepared to pay the entry price (otherwise they won’t let you see the elephants).

How to arrive to the elephant camps ?

Google Maps coordinates :

  1. Samui Elephant Kingdom Sanctuary
  2. Samui Elephant Home
  3. Elephant Village Samui
  4. Samui Elephant Sanctuary
  5. Heart Shape & Elephant Care Samui
  6. Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Samui

As I said before, you can watch elephants (free) in Na Muang Waterfalls.

Return to Page 1 – Basic Info about Koh Samui

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