Backpacking Koh Phangan
Koh Phangan is known for one night a month, and that reputation does the island a disservice. Thirty thousand people show up on Haad Rin beach for the Full Moon Party, and then it empties, and what is left is one of the best islands in Thailand.
The place has two completely different halves. The southeast is Haad Rin: beach parties, buckets, fire ropes, and a beach that gets covered in paint once a month. The northwest around Srithanu is the opposite, a whole zone of yoga schools, vegan cafés and sunsets where nobody is shouting. Between the two is jungle, waterfalls and bays you can only reach by longtail.
Plenty of people come for the moon and end up staying for the other bit. Three days minimum, five if you are timing it around the party.
Why Koh Phangan is popular with backpackers
- The Full Moon Party, which is a genuine rite of passage
- Beaches on the north coast that are still nearly empty
- A yoga and wellness scene that is real, not a gimmick
- Waterfalls and viewpoints in the interior
- Hostels built around making you talk to strangers
- Half an hour from Samui, an hour and a half from Koh Tao
Best time to visit Koh Phangan
Phangan is in the Gulf, so it follows the same rhythm as Koh Tao and Koh Samui: dry when the rest of Thailand is wet, and wet when the rest is dry.
Coming for the Full Moon Party? Book your bed at least two weeks ahead and expect prices to triple around the date. Want the island without it, book a week either side and you will barely recognise the place from the photos.
Backpacker budget: around €22 a day
- €7hostel bed
- €2local meal
- €1.80beer
- €6scooter per day
Guide prices from our own days in Koh Phangan. Add a tour or a night out and it climbs fast.
Best hostels in Koh Phangan
The Wanderlust Hostel
Relaxed, social, and the one most solo travellers end up recommending. Something arranged most days, close to the beaches and the food, and calm enough that you can actually sleep between the parties.
Shiralea Backpackers Resort
Cheap bungalows around a big pool, and a long-standing reputation on this island. Sociable in the evenings without being in the middle of Haad Rin, which after the third night is a real advantage.
Phangan Arena Hostel
The party hostel, and it does not pretend otherwise: pool, sports pitches, pool tables and beer pong every night, packed out around the full moon. Worth being straight about the 4.4 score, which is not about the atmosphere but about the state of the place. People book it for the social side and the pre-parties, not the bed.
Best things to do in Koh Phangan
Ang Thong Marine Park
Forty-two uninhabited islands, a lagoon sitting inside a collapsed one, and a viewpoint climb that will make your legs shake. The best day trip from any of the Gulf islands.
Day trip to Koh Tao and Nang Yuan
Koh Nang Yuan is three islands joined by a sandbar, and it looks fake in photos. Good option if Koh Tao is not on your route but you still want to see it.
Road trip around the island
Somebody else drives, which on this island is a genuinely sensible choice. The roads to the north and east are steep and rough, and this is how you see them without becoming a statistic.
Jungle trek and waterfalls
A perfect 5.0, which almost never happens. The middle of Phangan is jungle nobody bothers with, and there are waterfalls in there you would never find on your own.
Zipline over Wang Sai waterfall
Lines running out over the treetops with the waterfall below. Two hours, and a good use of a day when you are not fit for anything more demanding.
Free, and often the best bit:
- The Full Moon Party, once, on the right night
- Sunset at Zen Beach, with drums and fire and no ticket
- The hike up to Bottle Beach viewpoint
- Phaeng Waterfall and the climb to the Domsila viewpoint above it
- Snorkelling at Koh Ma, straight off the sandbar at Mae Haad
- The night market at Thong Sala, every evening
Best area for backpackers
Haad Rin and Srithanu
Two different holidays on one island, and which you pick matters more here than anywhere else in Thailand.
Haad Rin is the party end: bars, hostels, beach clubs, and the beach the Full Moon Party happens on. Srithanu in the northwest is the other extreme, all yoga schools, health food and sunsets, with a permanent community of people who came for a week in 2019.
Good to know about these areas
- Social hostels in both, aimed at completely different people
- Haad Rin for the parties, Srithanu for the mornings
- Beaches on the doorstep either way
- Scooter rental everywhere, and you will want one
- Plenty of solo travellers in both
- About forty minutes apart, so you can switch mid-trip
A lot of people do exactly that: a few quiet nights in Srithanu, then move to Haad Rin for the moon.
How to plan your days in Koh Phangan
Two islands in one, so split your days between them. Pick how long you have.
Haad Rin and the south. The Full Moon beach, which in daylight is just a very good bay. Walk on to Haad Yuan and Haad Tien, both longtail-only and both worth it.
Tonight: one of the smaller parties. There is something on nearly every night.
Srithanu and the northwest. The other side of the island: yoga studios, vegan cafés and sunsets over Koh Ma. Completely different tempo, twenty minutes away.
Tonight: sunset at Zen Beach, with drums and fire and no entry fee.
The island on a scooter. Bottle Beach in the north, the waterfalls inland, and the viewpoint at Khao Ra. The road down to Bottle Beach is notorious, so take the boat for that bit.
Tonight: eat at Thong Sala harbour, where the night market is.
Snorkelling or Ang Thong. Koh Ma for the best snorkelling on the island, straight off the sandbar. Or the full day boat out to Ang Thong Marine Park.
Tonight: something quiet in Srithanu, or a small beach party.
The quiet northeast. Thong Nai Pan is two bays on the far side with almost no traffic and the calmest corner of Phangan. Stop at Than Sadet waterfall on the way.
Tonight: ferry to Koh Tao, Koh Samui or the mainland.
Food and drink in Koh Phangan
Two kitchens side by side here: Thai street food down at the harbour, and international health food up in the northwest where the yoga scene lives. Both are good, and one is a lot cheaper.
The night market in Thong Sala runs every evening and is the cheapest eating on the island. Around €1.50 a plate, and it is where the people who live here go.
What to eat here:
Getting there and onward
Phangan sits right between Koh Tao and Koh Samui, which is why the three get done together so often.
Getting there. From Bangkok, night train or night bus to Surat Thani and then the ferry. Flying means landing on Samui and taking the short boat across.
On the island. Shared songthaews run between the beaches but they are expensive for what they are. A scooter is about €6 a day and gives you the whole island.
Onward. Koh Tao is an hour and a half, Koh Samui half an hour. The mainland is back via Surat Thani or Chumphon.
- FerryKoh Samui 30 min · Koh Tao 1.5 hrs
- To the mainlandSurat Thani 2.5 hrs, connects to the train
- ScooterFrom about €6 a day
- SongthaewShared pickup between the beaches
- LongtailTo the bays with no road, like Bottle Beach
Staying safe on Koh Phangan
The island is safe, but more goes wrong around the Full Moon Party than anywhere else in Thailand: theft, spiked drinks, and above all scooters.
- Take only what you need for the night out. Passport stays in the safe
- Wear shoes on the beach during the party. There is glass everywhere by midnight
- Agree a meeting point before you go, because you will lose the group
- Take the longtail to Bottle Beach instead of riding that road
- Go near the burning skipping ropes. They cause serious burns here every single month
- Buy drugs. There are plain clothes police on that beach and the sentences are severe
- Ride a scooter after drinking. This is the leading cause of tourist deaths on this island, by a distance
- Accept a drink you did not watch being poured
The road between Haad Rin and the rest of the island has a notoriously steep hill on it. If you have been riding for two days, do not take it on. The shared taxi costs a couple of euros.
Rebels on the Road tip
Go to Zen Beach for sunset at least once. People gather on the sand with drums, someone starts a fire show, the sun goes down behind Koh Ma and nobody is selling you anything. A surprising number of travellers say afterwards that they enjoyed that hour more than the Full Moon Party itself, and it is free.
Frequently asked questions
Is Koh Phangan only about partying?
Genuinely not. The northwest of the island is yoga, quiet beaches and sunsets, and the interior is jungle and waterfalls. The party is one night a month.
Is the Full Moon Party worth it?
If you like a big night, yes, and it is one of the classic backpacker experiences in Southeast Asia. Go once, keep your valuables in the safe, and wear shoes.
Which side of Koh Phangan should you stay on?
Haad Rin for the parties, Srithanu and the west for the quiet. A lot of people do a few nights in each, and that is the right answer.
Do you need a scooter on Koh Phangan?
For the hidden beaches and the waterfalls, yes. Just not on the Haad Rin hill or the road to Bottle Beach, which are where the accidents happen.
Is Koh Phangan expensive?
No, around €22 a day. The exception is the week of the full moon, when beds can triple in price.
Is it easy to meet other backpackers?
One of the easiest places in Thailand. The hostels are built for it and half the island arrived alone.
