Go island hopping to the scenic pearls: Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, located in south-eastern Thailand.
A leisurely holiday awaits you here in paradise surroundings combined with exciting cultural and natural experiences.
The tour starts on Thailand’s second largest island, Koh Samui. You’ll be staying here, right next to the warm sea in a quiet bay at Mae Nam Beach, which is close to the charming area, Fisherman’s Village. Throw yourself into tasting the Thai cuisine or checking out the local arts and crafts.
Look forward to a guided tour around the island of Koh Samui, where you’ll experience everything from local temples and a mummified monk to beautiful viewpoints and waterfalls.
The rest of your time on Koh Samui is without scheduled activities, and it’s up to you whether you want to laze around or go exploring.
Your next island adventure awaits on the neighbouring island of Koh Phangan. There are a multitude of lovely, peaceful beaches here with hammocks in the palm trees and turquoise water gently lapping against the shore. The island is relatively untouched and covered in lush, mountainous nature with waterfalls, jungle and fabulous viewpoints.
The southern part of the island might host the infamous full moon parties, but the pace on the rest of the island is sedate, and you can really feel the quiet island life.
Don’t miss out on a dive beneath the surface in the crystal-clear waters or a boat trip to the neighbouring island of Koh Tao, known for its excellent snorkelling and diving opportunities.
The tour can be extended to include a city break in vibrant Bangkok.
Your tour to Thailand starts today. You fly from the selected airport, with connecting flight(s) along the way.
You’ll touch down at Koh Samui’s exotic airport, breeze through immigration, and collect your luggage. Your guide will be waiting just outside arrivals, dressed in a TourCompass uniform and holding a TourCompass sign to help you spot them straight away. From here, you’ll be transferred to your hotel, located on the island’s quieter northern coastline in a peaceful bay by Mae Nam Beach.
After checking in at the hotel, you’ll probably need to rest after the long journey. The rest of the day is yours to do as you please. Whether you stay at the hotel or have a look around is entirely up to you.
Mae Nam Beach is right next to the Bophut area, to which a visit is highly recommended. Bo Phut Beach is known for its beautiful bay with golden sandy beaches and calm waters. This is also where you’ll find the old stronghold of the island’s fishing industry, Fisherman’s Village. Well-preserved, rustic façades form a beautiful backdrop to the cosy district found here today. The charming area offers a wealth of small shops selling local arts and crafts, bars and, not least, fabulous restaurants. We highly recommend tasting the fresh, spicy Thai cuisine, and if you choose a restaurant on the seafront, you can throw yourself down on a bean bag and enjoy the view of the bay. When darkness falls, you might be lucky enough to see the so-called “Fireboys” performing their impressive shows with fire.
A visit to Fisherman’s Village is a great way to meet the local islanders and feel their passion for Thai culture, craftsmanship and gastronomy.
If a lively urban scene is more your thing, Chaweng, a mere 20 minutes away, is the place for you. There’s a larger selection and a faster pace here than in Bophut. The main street is lined with restaurants, cafés, shops and bars. And the lively atmosphere also makes itself felt on the beach front at Chaweng Beach in the evening, when restaurants serve dinner under the open sky. What could be better than lounging in big, squishy sofas in the light of torches and fairy lights, while the aroma from the barbecue wafts through the air and your thirst is quenched by an ice-cold drink? And the best part of it all is that the your holiday has only just begun.
Koh Samui offers much more than palm-fringed beaches and turquoise waters, and today you’ll discover some of the island’s most fascinating sights. The tour takes you to temples, viewpoints, and natural attractions, giving you a wonderful insight into the island’s culture and history.
After a leisurely start to the morning, your guide will pick you up from the hotel, and you’ll head out to explore.
One of the first stops of the day is the island’s famous Big Buddha Temple, where an impressive 12-metre-high golden Buddha towers over the area. From the temple’s elevated position, you can also enjoy beautiful views of the sea and the surrounding islands.
The tour then continues to Lad Koh Viewpoint on Koh Samui’s east coast. From here, you’ll have fantastic panoramic views of the lush coastline and blue sea – the perfect place to get your camera out.
The day will continue with a visit to the distinctive rock formations of Hin Ta and Hin Yai, which mean Grandfather and Grandmother. Over time, the rocks have been shaped by wind and weather, and they were given their names because of their striking resemblance to male and female genitalia, respectively. According to local legend, the rocks were formed after a married couple, Ta Kreng and Yai Riem, drowned at sea and were later immortalised in nature.
Next, you’ll have a hair-raising encounter with Buddhist culture at Wat Khunaram Temple. The temple is particularly famous for the mummified monk Luang Pho Daeng, who died in 1973 and remains preserved in a meditative seated position to this day.
From the temple, the tour then continues into Koh Samui’s lush, tropical countryside to Na Muang Waterfall. Here, the water cascades around 18 metres over the rocks into a natural pool below. You’ll have time to enjoy the surroundings and take a break amid the verdant jungle.
The final stop of the day will be Koh Samui’s main town, Nathon, where you’ll have some time to explore the town’s shops and local market life at your own pace.
You’ll then be driven back to the hotel. The rest of the day is at your leisure, so perhaps you’d like to enjoy a relaxing afternoon by the pool or take a stroll along the beach.
The days are yours to do as you please, and it’s entirely up to you what you do. Perhaps you’ll just want to laze by the hotel pool with a good book, or maybe you’ll want to explore the island’s other beaches and waterfall?
If more adventure is the order of the day, we highly recommend a boat trip to the picture-postcard Ang Thong Marine National Park, where uneven rows of beautiful, lush tropical islands shoot up in the landscape.
Or how about an enchanting visit to the world-famous islands of Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan, known for their incredible visibility and brightly coloured underwater wildlife? Get your snorkel mask on and meet Nemo and all his friends.
Read more about the excursions below:
Today, you’ll be saying goodbye to Koh Samui, and another island adventure awaits on the somewhat smaller neighbouring island of Koh Phangan.
You’ll be picked up at the hotel and driven to the Buri Rasa pier, and from there you can look forward to a nice sailing trip with a beautiful view of the green island, Koh Phangan. Upon arrival you will be picked up at the pier and driven to your hotel, located at the northern end of the island.
After arriving at your hotel, you have some quiet days ahead of you, enveloped in total relaxation in lush surroundings. There are no scheduled activities for your stay on Koh Phangan, so it’s entirely up to you how you spend your days there.
The island has countless small bays, where turquoise water gently laps the light, silky-soft sand. The beaches are scenically surrounded by palm trees, rocks and mangrove forest, which gives a fantastic feeling of being close to nature.
You can also choose to explore the island’s high spots with a hike to the top of Khao Ra mountain, where you’ll be rewarded with a fabulous view of the island’s rainforest, coconut plantations, rocks and bays. At low tide in Mae Haad Bay, you can walk over to the small island, Koh Ma, where there is every opportunity to snorkel for colourful fish.
Koh Phangan is also known as the island where so-called “Full-moon Parties” are held on the night of the full moon. However, the festivities take place in the southernmost part of the island – so, far away from where you’re staying.
Lazy days by the water’s edge or more adventure. It’s up to you!
Maybe you just need a few days of complete peace to enjoy the fantastic food, or maybe you need to explore a little. Whatever you choose, Koh Phangan is the perfect place to unwind.
Today, it’s time to bid farewell to Thailand. You will be collected from your hotel and driven to the harbour, where you will catch a speed ferry back to Koh Samui. Upon arriving in Koh Samui, you’ll be picked up and taken to the airport, from where you’ll fly back to Europe with connecting flights along the way.
You land at the selected airport after a relaxing holiday.
From £339 pp including flights
Children under 12 years from £339
Single room supplement from £129
Extend your tour to include an exciting city break to Bangkok and fall head over heels for the hectic and fascinating capital, which is home to around 12 million inhabitants.
There are no planned excursions today, so you can explore the city at your own pace.
When it comes to getting about in Bangkok, you needn’t worry about the notorious traffic, as there is a wide range of transport options other than buses and taxis. The river taxis are popular and account for a significant portion of the city’s public transport, as they dock at many of the city’s sights. You can also take The Sky Train, which winds its way between the many high-rise buildings and is a good, fast and cheap way of travelling.
Bangkok is divided into east and west by the 372-km-long Chao Phraya River, which flows south of Bangkok all the way up to Nakhon Sawan.
The eastern part of the city is considered to be central Bangkok, where the popular areas of Silom and Sukhumvit have a high concentration of shopping centres, local markets, good eateries and cool sky bars. It is also on the eastern side that you will find the historic part of Bangkok, which is home to the spectacular royal palace, the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Wat Phra Kaew.
Fortunately, Bangkok also has many green oases when you need to retreat from the tropical heat and noisy traffic. These include Lumpini Park and Benjakitti Park or the green island, Bang Krachao, which is often referred to as “Bangkok’s jungle” – it’s as if time stands still here.
On the western side, on the other hand, you experience a completely different world without skyscrapers and honking tuk tuks. You will encounter a more authentic Bangkok and a maze of canals here, where houses stand on stilts and postmen make their deliveries by boat. This is such a stark contrast to eastern Bangkok that you feel like you are in a different place entirely – however, the city’s great contrasts are precisely what make Bangkok such a fantastic and fascinating city to visit!
In the evening, China Town, the Asiatique outdoor shopping and entertainment area, and the many sky bars are especially popular. Known from the film “The Hangover Part II”, Lebua Sky Bar is an ideal place to enjoy a refreshing drink before dinner while watching the sun set over the capital.
Whatever you decide to do, we guarantee that you won’t get bored!
Children under 12 years from £1539
Single room supplement from £579
Emily loves to travel and is extremely passionate about helping others achieve their travel dreams.
