🌊 Southeast Asia

Culture & discovery
Koh Phangan

Siamese kings, hilltop temples and full moon festivities: an island deeper than it looks.

Discover other cultural venues

⚠️ Timetables, opening hours, prices and access conditions may change without notice, for reasons beyond our control (season, weather, decisions by operators, venues or local authorities). Before every trip, check the information with the relevant authorities and service providers.

🏛️Heritage and sites5 places
🏞️
Than Sadet royal river
East coast

Waterfalls and rock pools on the river King Rama V visited from 1888; his monogram carved on a rock near the mouth recalls these royal stays.

Royal historyWaterfalls
🌳
Than Sadet–Ko Pha-ngan National Park
North-east and centre of the island

Protected rainforest, waterfalls and trails around Khao Ra, the island’s highest point at over 600 metres.

JungleHiking
🛕
Wat Phu Khao Noi
North of Thong Sala

A Buddhist temple with a dazzling white façade, perched on a wooded hill far from the bustle of the beaches.

TempleHilltop
🧘
Wat Khao Tham
Ban Tai

A hillside temple known for its silent meditation retreats, which need to be booked well in advance.

MeditationRetreat
🏮
Kuan Yin Chinese Temple
Island interior

A colourful shrine to the goddess of mercy, reflecting the influence of southern Thailand’s Chinese community.

ShrineChinese heritage
🎉Festivals and traditions3 places
🌕
Full Moon Party
Haad Rin

Born in the mid-1980s on Haad Rin beach, it draws thousands of revellers every full moon, dancing until sunrise.

MonthlyAll-nighter
🪷
Loy Krathong
Island-wide

On the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, often in November, people float small flower rafts with candles and incense on the water.

NovemberTradition
💦
Songkran
Island-wide

Thai New Year, in mid-April, combines temple visits, blessings for elders and joyful water fights in the streets.

AprilNew Year
🍽️Food2 places
🍜
Thong Sala night market
Thong Sala

The island’s evening food hub near the pier: grilled skewers, curries, pad thai, rotis and fresh fruit at low prices.

Street foodCheap eats
🦐
Southern cooking and seafood
Island-wide

Curries spicier than elsewhere in Thailand, grilled fish, squid and prawns from Chaloklum’s fishermen fill the menus of beach restaurants.

SpicySeafood