Visit Koh Phangan: What To Do, Where To Sleep

Last updated on August 4th, 2022 at 03:37 pm

When people plan a visit to Koh Pangan, one of the first few reasons that may come to mind is the Full Moon Party.

Koh Phangan is very popular because of these parties. These events are usually full of people, with most of them backpackers who come to the island for socializing and adventure.

We weren’t exactly on any of these parties during our trip to Koh Pangan, but that didn’t stop us from falling in love about it. It was very beautiful, just like how beautiful the other beaches of Thailand are.

How to Travel to Koh Phangan

There are so many ways to get to Koh Phangan. But for this article, we’ll tell you about traveling to Koh Pangan from Bangkok, by train, by bus or by ferry.

By Train

There are trains to Koh Phangan coming from Bangkok. We really recommend this option. We took a night train from Bangkok to Surat Thani. But there are also trains during the day. The journey takes around 10 hours.

When taking a night train, you will save the accommodation. Riding a train, you will get to Koh Phangan on the morning of the next day. From Surat Thani train station, you need to go to the bus station and from there another bus to Donsak Pier where you can catch a ferry (a 2-hour ride) to Koh Phangan.

By Bus

If you are coming from Bangkok, there are different ways to go by bus to Koh Phangan. You can get a bus ticket until Surat Thani and go to Donsak Pier which is around 40 minutes by bus and get the ferry to Koh Phangan. You can even buy a ticket in Khao San Road which will include bus and ferry until Koh Phangan. Prices are similar, it depends the experience that you want to have.

By Ferry

Once you get to Koh Phangan by ferry. It could be from Donsak Pier, Koh Tao or Koh Samui. The main ferry station is Thong Sala, if you are coming from Surat Thani (2-hour ferry ride). If you are coming from Koh Samui, the most common port is Hat Rin or Haad Rin (45-minute ferry ride). When you reach Hat Rin, you will find the cheapest accommodation in the island and it’s the place where the Full Moon Party takes part in Koh Phangan.

How to move around Koh Phangan

There are taxis to move around, but prices can be quite expensive for not very long rides. That´s why the most of the people rent a motorbike. Be careful renting a motorbike in Thailand! Make sure you take pictures of the motorbike, you need to leave your passport there. And when you are giving back the motorbike, they can try to overcharge you for small damage in the motorbike with a very expensive price. Us, we even hitchhiked successfully in Koh Phangan – double the fun with less the price!

How to get Internet

You will most likely find internet in your accommodation place working well. If you want to get a Sim card, just go to 7 Eleven and you can buy a data plan which really works well. Sim Card prices start from $2.

Things to do when visiting Koh Phangan

View Point

There are many view points around the island, look for them if you want to take amazing pictures and enjoy with the views. If you rent a motorcycle, you can have easier access to these places.

Beaches

The beaches in Koh Phangan are beautiful, with white sand and clear blue water. The beaches in Koh Phangan are perfect for swimming with the water very warm. If you don’t feel like swimming? You can go sunbathing, reading, walking around the beach, or having a beer.

Massage

As you know Thailand is famous for their massages. And why not have a relaxing time while the weather is so hot during the day? We tried an Aromatherapy Thai Oil Massage with tea. So good! An hour relaxing your muscles, with the massage not too hard – this is perfect for us! We had a relaxing tea before starting and tea with cookies when we were done. We can recommend our experience 100%. The girls were very friendly and our body got super relaxed for the rest of the day.

Offerings To Buddha

Thai people are 95% Buddhist and you can see and feel the religion everywhere. People love to offer food and prayers to the Buddhas. We really like Budhism and we feel very comfortable in Thailand.

Muay Thai

Muay Thai is the most popular sport in Thailand. If you are fit and you want to try it, this is a perfect place to do it! If you’re not interested in doing it yourself, you can go and watch how they fight. You can see Thai people gambling and shouting. You will enjoy the experience.

Going Out

Going for dinner or a beer in Koh Phangan is great! There are always people around the streets, too. Might be even more in the parties! For us, we got some calm quiet nights with friends, and that’s what we all needed.

Kayaking when you visit Koh Phangan

The water is so calm in the beach. If you want to try kayaking, Koh Phangan can be a perfect place for beginners. You can go around the beaches. Enjoy alone, far from the crowd, enjoying the sunset while you kayak.

Rock Climbing

If you like adventure, you can try rock climbing. We did one for beginners level and it was so much fun. After the climbing you will get your reward with amazing views of the island. Totally worth it.

Relaxing

If you like swimming there are many beaches to practice in Koh Phangan. As the water is so calm you will enjoy your swim in the warm water. We found the beaches very quiet for relaxing.

Full Moon Party

At that time, there wasn’t a Full Moon Party. But I bet all of you have heard about them. Crazy parties in the beach, alcohol, drugs, music and hundreds of people around. If you like a party island, Koh Phangan is your place.

Sunset

We weren´t very lucky with the weather in Koh Phangan. We were chasing sunsets everyday and finally we got great colors. It´s our favorite plan – to grab a beer and watch the sunset while taking pictures.

Local Food

There are many places for local food and prices are affordable. You can get a noodle soup for 50-60 Baht. There are juices, fruits and infinite choices of Thai street food. Ooh. How we loved them.

Where to sleep

If you want to enjoy an amazing experience in a quiet place, with breathtaking views, infinity pools, this is your place!

During our stay in Koh Phangan, we enjoyed our private villa with pool and amazing views. How great it is to wake up and swim a little bit in the pool. The room was very stylish, and full of wood everywhere. Panviman Resort Koh Phangan has their own golf cart to move around the resort and reach the point of view where you will get amazing views. You have your own private beach just going downstairs and you can enjoy swimming or resting in a very quiet area.

For breakfast, we had Western choices and Thai dishes. A buffet where you can have juices, bread, pancakes and even hot meals to start your day. Apart from amazing food, you can enjoy the incredible views.

The staff is super friendly in Panviman Koh Pangan, and even take a picture of you as a memory.

Where is Panviman Resort Koh Phangan located? It’s located in a green area in the North part of the Island where you can find the best beaches in Koh Phangan. It’s far from Hat Rin and Thong Sala Pier around 15 kilometers. But there are transfer services from the hotel to pick you up. If you want to know more about the places, check the pictures below:

We hope that you were enticed to visit Koh Phangan! If we missed something, let us know in the comments below.

If you are planning to visit more places in Thailand, read here about our stay in Bangkok. Or you can click here, to read about our experience in Ayutthaya.

Happy Travels x