Koh Phangan is an island paradise in the Gulf of Thailand located about 100 km from the coast of Southern Thailand's Surat Thani Province and about 15 km from the famous resort island of Koh Samui.

Koh Phangan is the largest of Samui's neighboring islands with an area of 168 square km. Over 70% of its total area is mountains and tropical forest. The lowlands are beaches and coconut fields.

The island has 9.2 sq. km of coral reef, which is 100 to 1000 meters wide, with its widest part in the Wok Tum area. 50-70% of the reef is alive with 300-500 meters covered in seaweed. The most abundant fish is the Mackerel.

About 14,000 people live on Koh Phangan. Some are Chinese, whose ancestors migrated from China more than hundred years ago. The main population lives in Thong Sala Town.

Standard Thai is used as the official language, but the southern dialect is more widely spoken among the local people. English is understood in business circles and tourist areas. More than 95% of the population is Buddhist, but there are a few Muslims in Baan Tai village. Koh Phangan is a district (Amphoe) of the Surat Thani Province in the Southern Region of Thailand.

The most important product of Koh Phangan are coconuts. Each month Koh Samui and Koh Phangan produce more than 1 million coconuts for export to Bangkok. Another prominent island industry is fishing and of course the growing tourism business.

Koh Phangan Beaches

Haad Leela (Haad Sarikantang)
Travelers seeking a beach that offers a little bit of everything will be truly satisfied when they discover this coconut lined stretch of white sandy beach. A relaxed atmosphere and a great social scene await you. Only a 10 minute walk from Haad Rin.

Chaloklum
When the tides are high in Dec to Mar Chaloklum provides good swimming in many parts of its two and a half km beach. Beautiful stretches of beach can be found on either side of Ao Chaloklum.

Thong Nai Pan Beach
Only accessible by a jungle road or by boat, a double crescent bay with a gently sloping beach surrounded by swaying palms. Adults will find great nightlife at Funky Buddha, Game Bar, Dive Bar and Flip Flop Bar.

Bottle Beach
Only accessible by boat or trekking through the jungle trail this fine white sandy beach is perfect for people who want to get away from it all. Enclosed by granite rocks making it great for swimming and snorkeling. Just be wary of the weather, as the boats can only travel in good weather.

Baan Tai
This beach offers great views of the sunset over the long stretches of white sands running from Thong Sala down to Baan Khai.

Mae Haad & Koh Ma Beach
Mae Haad Beach and the tiny island Koh Ma is located on the northwest tip of Koh Phangan. In low tide a sand bar connects them both. The months of December through March are the best times to visit as the rest of the year the tides are too low for swimming. Mae Haad provides a long stretch of beach with views of sunsets over Koh Ma.

Haad Rin Beach
Located at the SE point of the island you find two beaches, Haad Rin sunset and Haad Rin sunrise. Both these beaches are beautiful with fine white sand, crystal clear waters and a jungle backdrop. Haad Rin sunset is the quieter beach with shallow corals with Haad Rin sunrise being the more beautiful with many restaurants and bars.

Haad Salad
A beautiful and secluded beach known by the Thais as an old place for pirates who came here to hide out until their ships were full of booty until moving off to trade. In the high tidal season of Nov to Apr Haad Salad provides good swimming and a reef of 150 meters just offshore.

Haad Yao
Said to be one if the prettiest beaches on Koh Phangan with stretches of white sand and a good drop off for swimming. Both ends of the beach have good corals off the rocks. If you are looking for a postcard view this is the beach for you.

Haad Son Beach
This very laid back beach attracts many families as the beach is perfect for young children. Even during the low season the beaches are still excellent for swimming.

Than Sadet
Here the famous Than Sadet River meanders down the mountainside though the dense jungle and exits into the sea. White sand and crystal clear blue water make this a perfect place to relax far from the crowd. The neighboring smaller beach of Thong Reng boasts clear waters and a unique rustic feel of the old Koh Phangan.

Haad Yuan Beach
A secluded beach, accessible only by boat or by trekking through the jungle. Swimming here is possible for most of the year. With its white sandy beach an ideal place for families.

Phangan Parties

The Koh Phangan Full Moon Party takes place on Haad Rin Beach every month. The Fullmoon Party in Koh Phangan is by far the biggest party in Thailand and is said to be the world's biggest beach party. The Full Moon Party in Thailand attracts thousand of party revellers every full moon, in high season the crowd can be up to 25,000.

On the night of the Koh Phangan Fullmoon Party every bar in Haad Rin is hopping, the DJ's playing everything from psy-trance, techno, drum and bass to hip-hop and R'n'B on huge sound systems. There are over 10 clubs on the beach, where the party goes on until (and after) the sun is up, but there are also a large number of clubs and bars in Haad Rin town where many prefer to warm up before heading down to the beach.

The first Full Moon Party in Thailand took place on Haad Rin Beach in 1987. Since that the Fullmoon Party's reputation as well as the size of the party has grown.

If you're planning to visit Koh Phangan for the Full Moon Party, make sure you book your room way in advance, as the island gets packed during the days leading up to the party and accommodation can be hard to find.
Expected Full Moon Party Dates

* Thursday 23 September 2010
* Saturday 23 October 2010
* Sunday 21 November 2010
* Tuesday 21 December 2010
* Saturday 25 December 2010
* Friday 31 December 2010
* Wednesday 19 January 2011
* Friday 18 February 2011
* Saturday 19 March 2011
* Monday 18 April 2011
* Tuesday 17 May 2011
* Wednesday 15 June 2011

The Fullmoon Party dates do sometimes change due to Buddhist holidays.

Half Moon festival
The famous Pha Ngan's best music and dance festival is presented by the Harmony Team, which provides the latest sound system, highest quality equipment and DJ's. The event is indoor and outdoor dancing arenas. The area is covered by professional artist's UV decorations. There is fire show across from the main dance floor.

Location: On a beautiful tropical island "Koh Pha Ngan", Ban Tai Village.

Half Moon Festival takes place twice a month - one week before and one week after the Full Moon Party.

Things to see

Koh Ma
Koh Ma is a small island connected to Koh Phangan by a sandbar on Had Mae Had beach. Easily accessible, Koh Ma has only a few bungalows. Many people refer to this island as "Paradise" and find it extremely hard to leave.

Koh Ma is surrounded by an amazingly colourful, living reef. It's an ideal location for snorkeling or learning how to dive.

The island itself is lush, with papaya and coconut to help yourselves to. If you want to climb to the top of the island, we recommend you bring yourselves a sturdy pair of walking boots!

Chinese Temple
The Chinese Temple exists today because of the faith of one woman - Mrs Malawan. Years before in 1990, when Koh Pha-Ngan was still largely without electricity, Mrs Malawan came to Sangthom Temple on Koh Pha-Ngan from Bangkok for the ceremony of presenting the robes to the priests (Todkathin). During one night, sleeping outside with friends, Mrs Malawan dreamt about the Chinese Buddha, Jaomae Kuanim. The Buddha told her to build a firelight for the people.

With intent to fulfill the requests of the Buddha, Mrs Malawan returned to Bangkok to raise the funds necessary to build the Temple. Building was completed in 1992, and continues today.

Now the Chinese Temple is a place where many people come to try one's luck or trust in luck. There are three main festivals during the year which are special for the Chinese Buddha: January, May and August. Every year during these periods, people come to the Temple to show their faith and ask for blessing.

The Chinese Temple opens at 8.00am until 5.00pm.

Kao Ra
Kao Ra is the highest mountain peak on Koh Phangan and offers the most spectacular viewpoint on the island.

There is a long winding foot trail leading up to the scenic vantage point from the village of Ban Madua Wan. The trail can be steep and dangerous in places, so it is advised that travellers should take advantage of the guide service available at Phaeng Waterfall. The guide service should cost about 500 Baht per trip.

Alternatively, the peak can also be reached along a trail starting from the road from Ban Khai to Thong Nai Pan.

Phaeng Waterfall
The main waterfall is a steep 250m walk up a jungle trail, and a further 200m up the path will bring you to a fantastic mountaintop viewpoint. Nearby, there is also a long winding foot trail that leads up the mountain Kao Ra viewpoint, which begins in the village of Ban Madua Wan.

The trail is very steep in places and can often be difficult to follow - in some places dangerous. It is recommended that you take advantage of the guide service at Phaeng Waterfall, which costs about 500 Baht per trip.

Getting there

Plane
Koh Phangan is most easily accessed via Koh Samui airport. Bangkok Airways operates about 20 daily flights between Koh Samui and Bangkok. International flights from Singapore, and Hong Kong run on a weekly schedule. There are more than 10 passenger boats and one car ferry between Koh Samui and Koh Phangan every day. The trip takes between 30 and 60 minutes.

Ferry
Koh Phangan is about 3 1/2 hours from Surat Thani Province and 45 minutes from Koh Samui Island by boat. The easiest way from Bangkok to Koh Phangan is to buy joint tickets from Songserm Travel Center who operates joint ticket (Ferry and Express boats, bus, train, air) to Koh Phangan:

- Bangkok (Head Office) Tel: (66-2)9845600-49, 5740251-4
- Bangkok (Kao San Road) Tel: (66-2)2811463-5, 6290400-1
- Surat Thani (Ta Thong) Tel: (66-77)285125-6, 286342
- Surat Thani (Town) Tel: (66-77)286340
- Koh Phangan Branch Tel: (66-77)377046, 377096

Another Ferry boat operator is Raja Ferry :
- Don Sak office Tel: (66-77)371205-6 Fax: (66-77)371530
- Phangan office Tel: (66-77)377452-3 Fax: (66-77)377452.

There are a few boats daily from Chumporn to Koh Phangan via Koh Tao. Tickets can be bought at any travel agency in Chumporn.

Bus
You can buy joint tickets for bus and boat to Koh Phangan at most travel agencies in Bangkok and all major cities around in Thailand. It is also possible to buy a bus ticket to Chumporn or Surat Thani, from where you can take a boat to Koh Phangan. In Bangkok buses to Chumporn and Surat Thani depart from the Southern Bus Terminal.

Train
You can buy joint tickets for train and boat to Koh Phangan at most travel agencies in Bangkok and major cities around in Thailand. It is also possible to buy a train ticket to Chumporn or Surat Thani, from where you can take a boat to Koh Phangan. In Bangkok trains to Chumporn and Surat Thani depart from Hua Lamphong Station.