Thailand was the last destination of my Southeast Asia’s adventure. For two months I explored the magnificent countries of Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam. Homesickness, tiredness and the fear of it all coming to an end were all beginning to to take its toll after nine months of travelling.
With little time that I had left, I set out to visit some islands in South Thailand: Koh Phi Phi, Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui. These four islands are some of the most popular islands in the south and easily accessible.
- Koh Phi Phi
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From Krabi we took a ferry over to the first island of our island hop: Koh Phi Phi. Koh Phi Phi is a place where a lot of tourist crowd the beaches, yet it’s still my favorite island in Thailand.
There is plenty of space on the nearby beach with a stunning view in front of you. Grab a bucket (those things are lethal), or a cocktail by the beach and watch the best fireshows in Thailand at Stones Bar. And the best thing about Koh Phi Phi, there are cats everywhere!
The extreme heat during the day makes even lying by the beach hard and sadly almost every swimming pool (when you’re on a budget and aren’t staying in a expensive hostel) is hard to come by. Except for sunday! The Ibiza Pool Party is free, loud, crowded but worth every second of it!
- Koh Tao
To get from Koh Phi Phi to Koh Tao you will need to calculate some hours of travelling. You get on a ferry, drive across mainland to get on another ferry. Bring enough water with you because the bus doesn’t stop. At the bus station, they’ll try to sell you separate ticket for your next destination. Don’t do it. It costs way more than a ticket all-in-one which you can buy on the island.
Tip: the waves in the waters around Koh Tao are the biggest I’ve encountered so far. Bring seasick pills if you get seasick quickly.
This time every month this area gets a bit crowded. Why? The legendary Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan of course. But I’m getting ahead of myself, why not chill out at Koh Tao for a while?
Take a day to go to Koh Nangyuan, an private island 10 minutes from Koh Tao. Over there you can snorkel with a variety of colorful fish and walk up to the viewpoint. Note, you must pay an entrance fee to enter, you can’t bring your own drinks because there’s no plastic aloud and you have to pay for a seat because you can’t lay down on the beach. I wish someone had told me all of this before I went, so there you go.
- Koh Phangan
FULL MOON PARTY! LET’S NOT THROW GLITTER AROUND AND TRY NOT TO WEAR BLACK. Oh well, I said tried.
We stayed in a (sort of) resort by the beach. I recommend booking ahead in the area of the Full Moon Beach, but do note that prices for a dorm room during this period (800 Baht – +/-23 US Dollars for one night) can be over the top.
I can say with reassurance that experiencing the Full Moon Party with your friends is a magical experience. For my fellow adventurers Esperanza and Lindsey, this would be our last time partying with the three of us. So yeah, we made the most of it.
- Koh Samui
Koh Samui was the last stop of my two month Southeast Asia’s adventure. There is not that much to do around Koh Samui for backpackers to be honest. It’s quite an expensive island with lesser activities. Still, they have beautiful beaches and great restaurants. Koh Samui is a great place to relax.
Read all about my Southeast Asia’s adventures here!
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