Koh
Samui is Thailand 's third largest
island and is located on the east
coast in the middle of the southern
gulf area and is part of the archipelago
containing Koh Tao and Koh Pha-Ngan.
The first settlers here were
from Hainan, an island which is
now part of China . These settlers
became coconut farmers and Koh
Samui's many palm trees still
give a large crop of coconuts.
However the inhabitants of the
island now make far more money
from tourism than they could ever
hope to make from coconut farming.
The population of the island refer
to themselves as chao samui rather
than Thais and have a different
culture and cuisine from the other
islands.
Koh Samui started becoming popular
with Western traveller from the
1980s onwards and is now quite
crowded in high season (December
to February and July to August).
Koh Samui may be affected by the
rain from July to October but
the weather will still be mainly
fine. There can be heavy winds
from October to January. It can
be hard to get accommodation at
these times. Koh Samui still has
a traveller air about it and it
is more laid-back than other developed
tourist resorts in Thailand .
Koh Samui has many beaches, some
are more developed than others
and it is still possible to find
quieter parts of the island.
With the influx of visitors,
environmental issues are becoming
a concern. Buildings are restricted
in height to being no taller than
the palm trees and policies are
being formulated to deal with
the increased amount of noise
and rubbish on the island.
If you are bored of the beaches,
there are plenty of other things
to do. There are several temples
worth visiting on the islands.
Meditation courses are occasionally
held for Westerners (farang) at
Wat Pang Bua and there is a mummified
monk on display at Wat Khunaram.
Wat Phra Yai at the northern end
has a large Buddha and Wat Samret
has a marble sitting Buddha.
There are two waterfalls: Nam
Tok Hin Lat accessible from Na
Thon and Nam Tok Na Muang in the
middle of the island. The latter
has a pool large enough for swimming
at the lower part of the falls.
Koh Samui has an airport. There
are ferries from Surat Thani or
the nearby islands of Kao Tao
and Koh Pha-Ngan. Package deals
are available to travel to Samui
from Bangkok by train, bus and
boat. These can be booked through
travel agents . Travel around
the island is by songthaews which
are pickups with two benches which
follow set routes, picking up
and dropping off passengers on
the way, or there are a few air-con
taxis. It is possible to hire
motorcycles but the roads aren't
great and accidents are frequent.
Samui Beaches
Chaweng Beach / Chaweng Noi
Chaweng beach is the biggest one
with very smooth sand and clear
water. With discotheques, bars
and shops, it is the main tourist
center. There are many hotels
and resorts located at Chaweng
beach. The area is too large for
walking. You need a taxi from
the north end to the south. Chaweng
Noi is the southern part of Chaweng.
Lamai Beach / Hinta Hinyai
Lamai beach is the second big
tourist center. The beach is a
little bit more rough and the
water is deeper. It's an excellent
location for swimming and has
a well-known nightlife. Lamai
can be discovered by walking,
as the area is not as large as
Chaweng. Hinta Hinyai is a famous
rock formation at the southern
end of Lamai Beach.
Big Buddha Beach / Bang Po
Beach / Bophut Beach / Maenam
Beach
located in the north of Samui
has smooth sand and good swimming
preferences. These areas are more
quiet than the big tourist centers
Chaweng and Lamai.
Choengmon Beach / Hua Thanon
/ Coral Cove / West coast /Thong
Tanote
Chengmon beach in the north east,
Coral Cove between Chaweng and
Lamai, Hua Thanon in the south
east and the West coast of the
island are beautiful locations
set amongst coconut plantations.
These areas are quieter than the
big tourist centers Chaweng and
Lamai.
Weather on Koh Samui, Thailand
Rainy Season
Koh Samui is a tropical island.
Inland parts of the island are
a dense tropical forest, expect
some rain at anytime in any month
on Koh Samui. The time of heavier
and more consistent rain is October
through to mid December.
Dry Season
When the rains stop and the plants
grow wild and beautiful is the
Dry Season, or as the Thais call
it, winter. Winter on Koh Samui
is usually 30C / 85F and sunny.
This season is typically mid December
through March.
Hot Season
When the ground has dried from
a lack of rain and sand dusts
the road, the Hot Season has started.
The over-head tropical sun is
brighter and hotter than usual.
Many tropical fruits ripen during
this season. This season starts
in April and lasts until the cooling
rain, which begins in September
/ October.
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