Koh Phangan is 125 square kilometres and you can see it in three days, but you will not get to the bottom of it in three days. There are always more beaches, viewpoints and parties on your list than will fit, and that is fine. This is an island where the days you had nothing planned often turn out to be the best ones.
A few things really belong on your trip: an evening on the west coast as the sun goes down, one day on a scooter heading north, and yes, that party everyone talks about. Other things are on every list and are fun if you have half a day spare, although here you can just as happily give that time to a single bay.
So where do your Koh Phangan days go, and what do you save for next time?
Where to sleep, how to get around and how many days to plan are all on our Koh Phangan page.
Sunset at Zen Beach
At the end of the afternoon the whole northwest of the island turns towards the water. At Zen Beach, walking distance from Srithanu, backpackers gather in the sand for music, dancing and fire shows, without anyone having made it an official party. This is our favourite spot on Koh Phangan.
It costs you nothing. You sit down, someone puts music on and the rest happens by itself, while the sun sinks into the sea behind Koh Ma in front of you. Staying in Srithanu, you walk there. Coming from Haad Rin, it is the other side of the island, so take the scooter or a shared taxi.
Do this at least one evening, even if you mainly came for the party. For a lot of backpackers this ends up being the picture of Koh Phangan that sticks, even more than the night on the beach.
Our verdict: absolutely, and ideally more than once
The Full Moon Party on Haad Rin
Twelve times a year, at full moon, Haad Rin beach turns into one huge party with around 30,000 people on a good night. Buckets, fire shows, music coming from ten directions at once and backpackers from all over the world, and it keeps going until the sun comes up. It is busy, touristy and completely over the top, and that is exactly the point.
Book your bed at least two weeks ahead and arrive a day early, because around the date everything near Haad Rin is full and prices triple. Take only what you need for the night and leave your passport in the safe. Keep your shoes on in the sand, because there is glass everywhere.
Agree beforehand where you will meet if you lose the group, and do not get on a scooter yourself afterwards. Riding drunk is the leading cause of tourist deaths here.
Our verdict: one for the bucket list, and keep the next day free
Bottle Beach and the viewpoint above it
Bottle Beach is tucked away in the north and is one of the most beautiful bays in the Gulf of Thailand. The fact that it is hard to reach is exactly why it is still quiet: there is no decent road to it, so most people never get further than the idea.
You go by longtail boat, and that is the best part of the day straight away. Once you are on the beach you can swim, eat something and do absolutely nothing for a few hours. Want more? Climb to the viewpoint above it, looking out over the bay and the green hills around it.
Do the climb early in the morning or late in the afternoon, because in between it is scorching, and bring enough water.
Our verdict: a must, and take the boat
A full day on a scooter
Koh Phangan is made for a scooter. As soon as you leave the busier stretches behind, the island changes completely: jungle in the middle, bays along the coast and a reason to stop every few kilometres. For about €6 a day, one is yours.
A good route runs from Thong Sala or Baan Tai towards the north and west, taking in the waterfalls inland, such as Phaeng Waterfall, and the viewpoint at Khao Ra. Plan nothing else. The stops you had not thought of are usually the best ones here.
Two stretches are best left to someone else: the notoriously steep hill between Haad Rin and the rest of the island, and the road to Bottle Beach. Scooter accidents are the biggest risk you face on this island, so if you do not have much experience, take the shared taxi or the boat for those.
Our verdict: the most fun day of your stay
Yoga and retreats around Srithanu
The northwest has a completely different reputation from Haad Rin. Around Srithanu everything revolves around yoga, meditation, retreats and healthy food, and that scene draws travellers all year round who are not here for the party at all. You feel it in the pace as soon as you ride in.
You can drop into a single morning class, try an ice bath or sign up for a programme of several days where you step right out of the backpacker rush for a while. No experience needed. The vegan cafés on the same streets are a reason to come this way on their own.
Good to know: this is the side of the island where you can sit for a few days without having to be anywhere.
Our verdict: go for it when you are ready for a few quiet days
Snorkelling at Koh Ma or a day trip to Ang Thong
For the best snorkelling on the island, head to Koh Ma, the little island off the northwest coast, where you snorkel straight off the sandbar at Mae Haad. Want a whole day at sea? Ang Thong Marine Park is the bigger version: forty-two islands with limestone cliffs and lagoons, as a day trip from Koh Phangan.
Ang Thong means leaving early and not getting back until evening, so do not count on doing anything else that day. Koh Ma fits into a morning and pairs easily with the sunset further along that same coast.
Your best chance of clear water is between February and August. From October to December the sea is rough and snorkelling here is not much fun.
Our verdict: go for it if you have four days or more
The Thong Sala night market
In the evening, Thong Sala harbour is the cheapest place to eat on the island. The night market is open every evening and full of Thai street food, fresh catch from the boats, fruit, snacks and desserts where you usually have no idea what exactly you are eating.
A plate costs around €1.50, so do not order one meal but four or five small things and share them. Pad thai, som tam, green curry, and sticky rice with mango to finish.
Save this for the night you do not feel like partying. It is the best antidote to a few days of buckets.
Our verdict: one evening is enough, but give it that evening
Got time to spare on Koh Phangan?
Stay for more than the party
Coming for the Full Moon Party? Great. Stay a few more days afterwards, because Haad Rin is one bay on an island of 125 square kilometres. The north with Bottle Beach, the waterfalls inland and the sunsets on the west coast are the reason people come back here.
Pick a few bays
There are bays along almost the entire coast and you could fill days with them. By the end of your trip, the ones you remember are the two where you stayed for hours, so pick a few and take your time there instead of riding on again every morning.
Getting around the island
A scooter costs about €6 a day here and is by far the best way to see the island. For one-off rides the shared songthaews are fine, especially back from Haad Rin if you do not want to ride yourself. For your whole stay they get pricey, and you are tied to their routes and times.
Good to know for the party
During the party there are burning skipping ropes on Haad Rin, and they are best kept at a distance: they cause serious burns every year. Watching is the fun part. Wear sturdy shoes rather than flip-flops, because later in the night there is glass in the sand, and take only what you can afford to lose.
Our top five on Koh Phangan
Only got a few days? These are the five we would do no matter what:
- Sunset at Zen Beach, at least one evening
- The Full Moon Party on Haad Rin, if you are there at full moon
- Bottle Beach by longtail boat, plus the climb to the viewpoint
- A full day on the scooter past the waterfalls and Khao Ra
- The Thong Sala night market on your quiet night
Still got time after that? Go snorkelling at Koh Ma or take the boat out to Ang Thong. And if you are not on the island at full moon: there are jungle, pool and beach parties too, so ask at your hostel what is on during your days. Those parties are often a lot less massive.
So what do you really have to do on Koh Phangan?
Honestly? None of it is compulsory, least of all the Full Moon Party. This island does not punish you for spending a whole day walking between your bungalow and the water. The travellers who got the most out of it are usually the ones who had lost their list after two days.
If we still had to pick one thing, it would not be the party but the scooter. Ride north on any random morning, turn off at a sign you do not recognise and see where you end up. For €6, that is the best day you can have here.
And keep your last evening free for the west coast. Sit down in the sand with a cold drink, wait for the sun to disappear behind Koh Ma and let the party be the party. That is the bit of Koh Phangan you will still be telling people about a year from now.
