Ko Phangan Island
I am not the same having seen the moon
shine on the other side of the world
Mary Anne Radmacher Hershey
Ko Phangan or Ko Pha Ngan is an island off the south-east coast of Thailand attracting thousands of backpackers every year mainly for it's famous full moon parties at Hat Rin Beach. The island is situated in the Gulf of Thailand between the island of Ko Samui to the south and the island of Ko Tao to the north. A good portion of the island inland is mostly mountainous covered in thick tropical forest. Some coastal areas support rugged granite outcrops, coconut plantations, beautiful secluded craggy bays with plenty of coral to explore and although the beaches are not as spectacular as Ko Samui, there are however some gentle sweeping beaches on the eastern shores. The few beaches found along the north western coast are not the finest on the island but do allow for some excellent snorkeling. Thong Sala is the main port with boats arriving from Surat Thani and Ko Samui. The port is situated on the southern end of the island yielding little else other than hungry touts wanting to offer you accommodation and to show you around. I usually just ignore them unless really needed. There is nothing to do here other than it being a starting point to various beaches and a few places of interest.
Full Moon Party
Ko Phangan Nightlife
Internatioal DJ's descend upon Ko Phangan all year round although December and January are the real party months of note having the bigger and better bashes. Clubbers dance until the small hours of the morning to ear-splitting music ranging from all the latest boy band music as well as techno and transcendental trance. It is not uncommon during peak period when clubbers can easily swell to 15,000 strong. If the monthly full moon parties at Hat Rin are not enough, then there are also the twice-monthly half moon festivals at Ba Tai as well as the monthly black moon parties at Ban Khai to wet your appetite. If only in name, these parties have similar characteristics as the full moon ones. Ko Phangan parties are not only the most famous but are also the most visited beach parties in the world.
Hat Rin Beach
Ko Phangan Beaches
If loud music and raucous parties are not quite your scene, it is possible to avoid them altogether and venture out to some of the more secluded beaches and bays dotted around the island. However, due to insufficient and appalling road conditions, some of the better beaches can only be accessed either by dirt roads or by sea. The east coast of the island has some pretty good beaches.Hat Rin or Haad Rin is a long crescent shaped beach located at the far south eastern corner of Ko Pha Ngan attracting many thousands of backpackers and party ravers as though attending some sort of sacred pilgrimage. Of course the real motivation and magnetism isn't necessary the pleasant enough beach itself. It's the large scale monthly all night full moon parties bellowing continuous but controlled riotous electronic dance music, that has the greatest allure. Hat Khuat or Bottle Beach is situated on the north east coast of the island and can only really be accessed by boat from Ban Chaloaklam on the north coast. This relatively untamed pristine beach is for anyone seeking a little solitude.
Hat Yuan Beach Ko Phangan
Ko Phangan Beaches
Hat Yuan or Haad Yuan is a small secluded bay situated only 5 kilometers from the over-crowded party beach of Hat Rin on the the east coast of the island. With ample space and a unique lay-back atmosphere for total relaxation, this white sandy beach is great for all year round swimming. It is also within easy walking distance to the neighbouring beach of Hat Thian a little further north. Hat Thian or Haad Tian is quiet bay known for it's underwater swim-throughs, caverns and tunnels. Although the beach area is fairly coarse due to some coral deposits, the natural wonder of the surrounding indigenous flora and fauna are simply awesome. It's a great place for kayaking, snorkeling and scuba diving. The offshore coral reef is superlative even though the seabed can be rather shallow at times. Swimming is best between the months of November and April. Hat Waynam or Haad Wai Nam is a another small but charming sandy beach bay situated 500 metres north of Hat Thian and although access is either by boat or a rather arduous walk through a mountain path, there is a descent coral reef allowing for some excellent swimming in the secluded bay all year round.
Ao Thong Nai Pan Beach
Ko Phangan Beaches
Hat Sadet is a small remote beach situated 12 kilometers or 7 miles along a dirt trail north of Hat Rin and a short distance south from Ao Thong Nai Pan on the eastern shores of the island. The beach is flanked by precipitous lush green hills that descend down a brook filled with big boulders that eventually runs into the sea. Thai royalty once popularized this locale and duly carved their initials on some of the boulders. The serene atmosphere, soft white sand and crystal clear waters allows you to unwind and enjoy the peaceful setting away from the crowds. A couple of bars and restaurants line the beach for your convenience. The beautiful Than Sadet Waterfall is also close by for your viewing pleasure.Ao Thong Nai Pan is a stunning semicircular double-barrelled bay made possible by what appears to be a huge protuberant bulge of land having divided the bay into two parts. The bay sits on the island's north eastern shores and sports breath-taking views from it's steep forested hill. The more southern part named Thong Nai Pan Yai, bears a beautiful sheltered and unspoiled beach with fine white sand that is excellent for both sunbathing and swimming. A number of moderate resorts, restaurants, bars, internet cafe's and dive shops stand along it's rather bumpy partly paved but mostly dirt road. The
Panviman
is a rather charming luxury resort perched atop a steep cliff edge and well worth the climb from the beach to enjoy the pretty spectacular view from the resort's restaurant. A bonus would be to spend the night here. The northern part of the bay is named Thong Nai Pan Noi and although less indented, with a smaller beach area, it is also sheltered as well as being favorable for sunbathing and swimming.
Hat Yao Beach
Getting to Ko Phangan Island
Surat Thani situated on the mainland off the south west coast of Thailand is the most obvious way of getting to Koh Pha Ngan although you can also gain access from Ko Samui should you be vacationing there. Boats from Surat Thani depart according to demand but there is a well established ferry service operating from Ban Don Pier that departs every night at 11.00 pm. Tickets can be purchased at the pier on the day of departure. The distance to Koh Pha Ngan is approximately 100 kilometers or 60 miles in a north westerly direction and takes around six hours. There are also four Raja vehicle ferries leaving every day from the pier at Don Sak which is also on the mainland. This is of course a shorter distance and the trip of less than 50 kilometers or 30 miles will take around two and a half hours. All these ferries will take you to Thong Sala at Koh Pha Ngan. Na Thon on Ko Samui is the departure point for Thong Sala on Ko Pha Ngan which is only 15 kilometers or 9 miles south of the island. A Songserm express boat departs every day for the 45 minute voyage. There is also a Seatran vehicle ferry that does the same trip in one hour.
Dirt Road leading to Thong Nai Pan Bay
Return from Ko Phangan to the Thailand Islands page
|
