Koh Samui

Koh Samui started attracting tourists in the early 1970's. A sleepy island till then, with fishing and coconuts being the main source of income for the local people, today Koh Samui is a major tourist resort with its beautiful beaches, the popular ones being Chaweng and Lamai on the East coast.

Located in the Gulf of Thailand in the South China Sea, Samui is surrounded by 60 big and small islands, some of them uninhabited. The bigger islands are Koh Phangan, Koh Tao (a divers' paradise), Koh Nang Yuan and Angthong (the National Marine Park.)

The easiest way to reach Samui is by air. Bangkok Airways has scheduled flights to Samui Airport on the island, while Thai Airways flies to Surat Thani from where you take a taxi or a bus and ferry ride to the island.

There are regular bus services to Surat Thani from Khaosan Road and from the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok. VIP buses are more comfortable than the A/C buses. Tickets can be purchased from most travel agents.

You can also travel to Surat Thani by the night train from Hualamphong Railway Station in Bangkok, arriving fresh in the morning to take the bus/taxi to the ferry. The fastest ferries leave from the piers in Donsak, operated by Seatran and Raja Ferry. There are also other smaller ferry services available.

Apart from the beautiful beaches, there are several activities on Samui such as shooting (machine guns and pistols at the Samui Shooting Range), Go Karting and Bungy Jumping. There is also Thai boxing at the Chaweng and Lamai Stadiums and the Butterfly Garden and the Magic Garden are worth a visit too.

Being an island, there is no shortage of good seafood on Samui. And Samui also boasts of a few night clubs and discotheques. The welknown ones are Green Mango and Reggae Pub on Chaweng and Bauhaus and Super Sub on Lamai.