Koh Samui, Surat Thani

Samui map

Koh Samui island of Surat Thani Province is an island off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus in Thailand, close to the mainland Surat Thani town and in Surat Thani Province. It is Thailand's second largest island after Phuket, with an area of 228.7 km² and a population of over 50,000 (2008) attracting 1.5 million tourists per year. It is rich with natural resources, white sandy beaches, coral reefs and coconut trees.

Koh Samui Festivals & Events

Samui Regatta

>> Samui Regatta : The Samui Regatta is a sailing tournament, held every year. The tournament is internationally known and competitors come from as far away as Australia, Singapore, Japan and China. This event, for boats of all sizes and shapes, began in 2002.

Buffalo Fighting Festival

>> Buffalo Fighting Festival : One of the best-known festivals on Ko Samui is its Buffalo Fighting Festival, which is held on special occasions such as New Years Day and Songkran. Unlike Spanish bull-fighting, the fighting on Ko Samui is fairly harmless. The fighting season varies according to some ancient customs and ceremonies. The buffalo are beautifully decorated with ribbons and gold-painted leaves. Before the contest which lasts just two rounds, monks spray them with holy water. The winning owner typically takes home millions of baht in prize money.

>> Avis Samui Tennis Open : The annual amateur tennis tournament held in July.

>> The Fisherman's Village Festival : This five-day festival is celebrated with fun, music and food. The music is usually played by well-known artists and food tents sell inexpensive cuisine provided by local hotels.

Triathlon Event

>> Triathlon Event : The International Triathlon Union organizes this event every year. This event in Ko Samui draws more than five hundred participants from around the world. The event attracts competitors and visitors as well as locals.

>> Ten Stars Samui Art Party :  A recurring cultural event bringing together art lovers, local Thai and international artists and their new, original artworks. These bi-monthly events, hosted at various high-end resorts and other 5-star venues on the island, focus on building the art community on Ko Samui with presentations by featured artists.

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What to do at night in Koh Samui

From sophisticated gourmet restaurants to the famous full moon parties,  Koh Samui has some of the best nightlife in Thailand. Discos, clubs, music venues, bar beers, classical Thai dancing, mud wrestling (yes) and even weekly Thai Lady boxing... Plus, a huge variety of excellent restaurants all over the island.

>> Ladyboys Cabarets Shows

Thai society is generally more open to ladyboys than many other cultures, or the 'third sex', have played a prominent role in the nation's entertainment industry for generations. Thailand's katoey are world famous, partly because there are so many of them and also because they are so feminine. In fact it can be difficult to tell if the beautiful young lady paying you attention was a lady at birth... as many an unwitting tourist has discovered. A typical show involves lip-synched interpretations of popular songs, complete with elaborate costumes and make-up. Some of the performances are skilfully choreographed and the tone is light-hearted, sprinkled with glitter and glitz. 

Most of the cabarets in Chaweng are located near the Centara Grand beach Resort, which makes for interesting competition before the show. The 'girls' hand out flyers and sometimes drag you in to their bar forcibly! Keep an open mind and enjoy the show!

>> Chaweng Beach

Chaweng is Koh Samui's Party Central. All along the Beach Road you will see sois (streets) leading off into warrens of bars and pubs of varying appeal and popularity. The epicentre of all this hedonism and fun is undoubtedly Soi Green Mango in Central Chaweng, with Soi Reggae, by the lake, coming in a close second.

Before we get too hyperbolic about Chaweng's nightlife it's best to remember that bars close at 02:00 by order of the police so the party curve zooms upward past midnight and peaks a little earlier than some would prefer. And yes, some bars stay open later – those whose owners have friends in high places. Here are some Chaweng night areas to check out.

>>  Bophut Beach 

The centre of Bophut is called Fisherman's Village and yes, you can still see a few old salts around the pier but make no mistake about it, the whole centre of town is now dominated by upmarket boutiques and restaurants. It's simple to explore nightlife in Bophut; either take a right or a left at the pier. A left-hand turn will take you to the heart of the action whereas going right leads to a few pretty good restaurants and select guesthouses and eventually to the road to Bangrak.

There are no Go-Go's, girlie bars or dodgy massage parlours here and as a result the atmosphere is much more laid back and friendly.

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Hoe to get there

>> Air

Bangkok Airways is the only airline that flies directly to Koh Samui. They have approximately 10 flights per day, depending on the season. The Bangkok Airways counter at Don Muang Airport is on the arrivals level in the domestic terminal. For further information regarding flights to Koh Samui from Bangkok (and other locations) click on the link for Bangkok Airways. You can also fly by Thai Airways to the Surat Thani airport and arrange for bus and ferry transportation to KohSamui. Click for more information from Thai Airways. >>Train There are many trains running throughout the day from Bangkok to Surat Thani and return. The Surat Thani train station is about an hour from the ferry pier where you catch the boat to Koh Samui. You will need transportation from the railway station to the pier. The most popular trains are the sleeper trains where you travel at night and arrive in either Bangkok or Surat Thani in the morning. Any travel agent in Bangkok or Koh Samui can book a ticket for you that will include train, bus and boat, to or from Koh Samui. Prices vary depending on the class of train travel 1st, 2nd or 3rd.We recommend 2nd class air conditioned as the best value at approximately 700 baht for the train, bus and boat ticket combined. The click here for additional information from the State Railway of Thailand. >> Bus All buses for Koh Samui leave from the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok. There are different classes of buses running between Bangkok and Koh Samui. There are buses run by private companies and there are buses run by the government. If you are taking the bus from Bangkok to Koh Samui, or vice versa, we recommend any of the VIP bus as there are fewer seats on the bus, and the seats recline to somewhat of a sleeping position. These buses tend to leave late afternoon, early evening.  You can purchase a ticket that includes bus and ferry at the Southern Bus Terminal, or through any travel agent in Bangkok. The bus ride to Surat Thani is about 10 hours. Then you have another hour to the pier and then about a 90 ferry trip to Nathon. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------