12 things to do in Koh Samui

Twelve things worth your days

Mix a boat day, the temples, the beaches and the beach clubs, with the Full Moon Party one island away.

• A boat day to Ang Thong Marine Park
• The Big Buddha on Koh Fan
• The Friday Walking Street at Fisherman's Village
• The Na Muang waterfalls
• A beach day at Chaweng or Lamai
• A beach club afternoon
• A catamaran or yacht day around the island
• Snorkelling at Koh Tao
• The Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan
• A Muay Thai class
• An ethical elephant sanctuary
• Chaweng's bars and clubs after dark

Pick four for three days, and keep the evenings for Chaweng. Ask Tanner which four suit your group.

Don't miss: a boat day to Ang Thong

What not to miss on Koh Samui? Ang Thong National Marine Park, but it's closed 1 November to 15 December 2026, so in that window take a villa pool day or the Big Buddha instead. The rest of the year it's 42 limestone islands about 30 km northwest of Samui, with lagoons, viewpoints and snorkelling. A speedboat gets there in 45 to 60 minutes, or a big boat in about 1.5 hours from Nathon.

The park charges foreign adults ฿300 and children ฿150, often in cash, and closes each year from 1 November to 15 December, dates that can shift with the weather.

The climb to the Pha Chan Charat viewpoint on Koh Wua Ta Lap is a 500 m trail, 25 to 45 minutes up, and it's the photo of the trip. Insider tip: February to April is the best time for the boat day, when the water is calmest.

See Koh Samui yachts, and ask Tanner to quote a catamaran for your date.

The Big Buddha and Samui's temples

The Big Buddha, or Wat Phra Yai, is a 12-metre gold-painted statue built in 1972 on Koh Fan, a small islet joined to Samui's northeast coast by a causeway, about 3 km north of the airport.

It's free and open daily from 7am to 6:30pm, with a dragon staircase up to the platform.

Wat Plai Laem, about 1 km east, has an 18-armed Guanyin on a lake, and it's free too.

Cover your shoulders and knees, and take your shoes off on the platform. Insider tip: tour vans start arriving around 9:30am, so go early or at sunset. Ask Tanner to fit both temples into one morning.

Fisherman's Village and the Friday market

Fisherman's Village in Bophut is Samui's prettiest corner, a row of old Chinese shophouses turned into restaurants, bars and small hotels.

Every Friday from 6pm to 11pm, Bophut's beach road becomes the Walking Street market, with street food, crafts and live music, Inside Samui lists.

Arrive early for parking, and bring cash for the stalls.

It's a short drive from Chaweng, so it makes an easy start to the evening. Ask Tanner for a beach table before the market.

The Na Muang waterfalls

The Na Muang waterfalls are Samui's best jungle stop: two falls in the forested interior, about 12 km from Chaweng.

Na Muang 1 is a 10-minute flat walk from the car park, while Na Muang 2 is a 30 to 40 minute uphill hike on a marked trail, Inside Samui says.

Entry is free, so it's an easy morning before the beach.

Wear proper shoes for the walk to the second fall, and ask Tanner to have the van wait at the car park.

Beaches and beach clubs

By day, the beaches come first: Chaweng is the busiest and liveliest, and Lamai is quieter, just to the south.

For the big beach-club day, CLUB SEEN came in at number 52 on DJ Mag's Top 100 Clubs for 2026, and it's open 11am to 11pm while works go on (CLUB SEEN's own site, Nov 2026). ARKbar on Chaweng Beach is the beach party.

See our Chaweng guide and the best beaches in Thailand, then ask Tanner for a daybed.

The Full Moon Party and the islands nearby

The Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan's Haad Rin beach is the big reason to base a party group on Samui.

The next dates are Tuesday 24 November and Thursday 24 December 2026, with a countdown party on 31 December, the organiser's date list shows. Entry is paid in cash at the gate.

The crossing from Samui takes 20 to 50 minutes, and most boats land at Thong Sala, 20 to 30 minutes by songthaew from Haad Rin.

From Samui, a private boat gets the group across and back by morning. Koh Tao is the island for snorkelling, about 1.5 hours by Lomprayah. See the Full Moon Party guide, and ask Tanner to book the boat back first.

Muay Thai and the elephants

Samui's active days run from a Muay Thai class to an ethical elephant sanctuary. Punch it Gym, near Lamai, charges ฿400 for one class on its own site, and Google Maps showed it open daily on 2 Nov 2026.

Tanner books a drop-in class at a gym near your villa, for a first-timer or a group that trains.

For the elephants, choose a sanctuary where you watch and feed them, never one that offers riding.

See our Muay Thai camp guide, and ask Tanner to book the class.

Chaweng after dark

After the beach, Samui's evening runs from Chaweng's beach bars to the clubs up Soi Green Mango.

Green Mango is free to enter on a normal night, opens around 9pm, and cocktails run about ฿200 to ฿350 (checked October 2026). Licensed entertainment venues in Koh Samui district and licensed venues inside hotels may open until 4am; ordinary bars and restaurants close earlier, usually by 2am.

Our host meets the group and walks them straight in.

See ARKbar, Green Mango and our Koh Samui guide, and ask Tanner for a table.

What Samui is famous for

Its beaches, the Big Buddha, its villas and its place next to Koh Phangan's Full Moon Party.

Most visitors fly in: Bangkok to Samui takes about 1 hour 10 minutes.

Fisherman's Village and the Ang Thong islands are its other big draws.

Weighing it up? Our Koh Samui vs Phuket guide compares the two. Ask Tanner which island suits your group.

Months to skip

Skip October to December, the wettest stretch, the Thai Meteorological Department says. November is the worst, with about 445 mm of rain on 16 days, and the ferries to Phangan and Tao run on choppier water.

Ang Thong Marine Park is closed from 1 November to 15 December 2026, so the island's best boat day is off; Tanner swaps in a villa pool day.

February to April is the driest stretch, with February the driest month at about 64 mm, and the island stays good through September.

Read the best time to visit Thailand and Thailand rainy season guides, then ask Tanner for your dates.

How many days you need

Three or four days: one boat day to Ang Thong, one island day for the Big Buddha, the waterfalls and Fisherman's Village, and one beach day.

Two days is only enough for a quick stop: you'd see the boat day or the island sights, not both.

Add a day around a Full Moon date for the party on Koh Phangan.

See our Thailand itinerary to fit Samui into a longer trip, and ask Tanner to slot it in.

Pig Island and the quiet south

Koh Madsum, the one everyone calls Pig Island, is about 15 to 20 minutes by longtail from Thong Krut pier on the south coast, with pigs on a white-sand beach, clear water and a small bar.

It's a fun hour, not a day. Tanner's call: add it to a catamaran day round the south of the island, with lunch on board and a swim off the back.

Two of you? The south coast and a villa with its own pool are the honeymoon version of Samui. Ask Tanner to add the boat to your days.

Things to do in Koh Samui in short

• What it is: Thailand's big Gulf island, with beaches, temples, a boat day and the Full Moon Party one island away.

• The big day out is Ang Thong Marine Park, 42 islands about 30 km away, closed from 1 November to 15 December.
• The Big Buddha on Koh Fan is free, 7am to 6:30pm.
• Fisherman's Village in Bophut holds its Walking Street every Friday, 6pm to 11pm.
• The Na Muang waterfalls are free, about 12 km from Chaweng.
• February to April is driest; November is the wettest month.

Checked October 2026.

Next: plan your Samui days

The next step is to pick your days: a boat day, an island day and a beach day, with the evenings in Chaweng and a Full Moon if the dates fit.

Then add the villa, the boat and the club, with the van waiting between them.

Plan it with Tanner, and he sends back the days and the evenings for your group.