While many visitors to Koh Phangan come for the raucous Full Moon Party, there are others who are looking for a more peaceful experience and don’t want the noise and party atmosphere to spoil their tropical island experience. Haad Rin is party central on Koh Phangan, but for a more laid back experience you need to travel to the west side of the island to Haad Yao beach.

Haad Yao (literally Long Beach) is the type of beach that postcards are made from. The kilometer long beach is wide and slightly curving, giving perfect vistas and fringed with tropical foliage, making it what some consider the “perfect” beach. While it has developed some over the years, it has mostly retained the original natural surroundings and beauty as well as the laid back feeling that has made it so popular with visitors since its discovery.

Because Haad Yao has become popular with a wide variety of travelers you are able to find the same variety of accommodations. Everything from cheap budget bungalows to luxury villas are available for rent, making Haad Yao a diverse and vibrant community during the high season. It also means you’ll be able to find a nice variety of great restaurants on the beach as well as in many of the hotels. Three good choices are Long Bay Resort, Haad Yao Bayview Resort and Haad Yao See Through Resort.

While night time is much quieter than Haad Rin beach, you can still find nighttime activities. There are numerous beachside bars, including the famous Eagle Pub, which has been built right into the rocks on the southern tip of Haad Yao. The pub includes great drinks, a wonderful steakhouse and an in house DJ playing some great tunes. If you’re still craving a huge party, Haad Rin is just a short ride away so you can have your quiet time on Haad Yao and still party the night away if you prefer.

Those looking for something to do during the day other than lying on the beach (which isn’t a bad pastime at all!) can find many activities around Haad Yao. The west and south coasts of Phangan are surrounded by coral reefs rich with diverse marine life. Diving and snorkeling are a great way to immerse yourself in the marine life and there are a variety of operators offering half and full day diving and snorkeling trips, either around Phangan or around nearby islands like Koh Ma, which is part of one of Thailand’s National Marine Parks.

In addition to diving you’ll find loads of great trails to hike through the tropical jungle and since the island is fairly mountainous you will likely get a pretty good workout. There are also waterfalls to visit such as Wang Sai and a fresh water lake called Laem Son, which is a short trip away and has giant rope swings over the lake which are a blast!

So, don’t think that the only reason to come to Koh Phangan is the Full Moon Party. The island still has quiet retreats and natural beauty for all to enjoy.

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Yesterday I posted a small guide to Koh Phangan that I want to elaborate on a bit without turning it into a 10,000 word treatise. So over the next few days I’ll be sharing more information about the island that has become famous for its Full Moon Parties and yet can still offer you a place to get away from it all and relax without paying a fortune.
Today’s post is a simple guide for getting to Koh Phangan, whether that be by air, bus, train or boat. Your mode of transportation will likely be determined by two factors; your budget and your available time.

Getting to Koh Phangan from Bangkok

I’m sure many if not most of you will be interested in how to get to Koh Phangan from Thailand’s capital city of Bangkok. As the hub of transportation for Thailand it’s a logical place to begin your travels through the Kingdom.

Obviously the quickest way to get to Koh Phangan from Bangkok is going to be by air. You have two choices here, either fly to Surat Thani and take the boat from there or fly to Koh Samui and take the boat from there. The quickest method is to fly to Koh Samui as the boat from there to Phangan is only 90 minutes or so. Ferries from Surat Thani will take in the neighborhood of 4 hours.

If you plan on taking the quickest route then you can fly to Koh Samui with either Bangkok Airways or Thai Airways. I personally recommend Bangkok Airways as the prices are 60-70% less than Thai Airways. Off season flights are as low as THB3600. Once you land in Samui stop by the limosine counter to get your boat and bus tickets for Koh Phangan.

Those preferring to fly to Surat Thani can get there flying with Thai Airways or Air Asia, again the price for Thai Airways is 30-40% higher so unless you have some reason to fly with them I would choose Air Asia. Also take note that when booking air tickets during the high season (November-March) it is recommended that you book several weeks in advance.

If you are looking for a cheaper way to get to Koh Phangan and don’t mind taking a bit longer then a bus is a great way to go. Busses for southern Thailand destinations leave from Sai Tai Mai bus station (Borom Rachachonnanee Rd, Bang Bamru, Bang Phlat, Bangkok, 10700) each night at 19:30 and cost THB895. The trip takes about 12 hours and you can also get the boat tickets when purchasing your bus ticket. Thailand’s long haul buses are pretty comfortable and you might even want to take a sweater because they really crank up the AC!

Another inexpensive way to get to Koh Phangan from Bangkok is by train leaving from the Hua Lumphong station several times a night. Purchase a combination ticket for onward bus and ferry travel to get you to Phangan early the next day. Cost for the train is THB519 for 1st class A/C and THB248 for 2nd class A/C. You can get time tables and rates from the State Railway website.

Boat Schedules for Travel To Koh Phangan

KPG = Koh Phangan / KS = Koh Samui / KT = Koh Tao / ST = Surat Thani

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I’m in a party mood so I thought I’d write a bit about the biggest party in the world. Of course I’m talking about the Full Moon Party on Haad Rin beach on Koh Phangan which regularly has over 7500 partiers during the low season up to 30,000 people dancing and partying during the high season!

Now you can find full moon parties on other islands throughout Thailand for sure, but none of them even come close to what has become the world famous quintessential beach party on Koh Phangan. It is believed that the party started sometime in the late 1980′s (1988 or 1989) as someone’s birthday party and was so great that they started coming back each month to party again. Slowly the party grew as more travelers heard about it until today when it has become a virtual city of party people each full moon.

You really can’t imagine what it’s like without experiencing it yourself. Haad Rin beach is now home to 10 different sound systems pumping out all kinds of music from techno to drum beat to rave and everything else you can think of. People fueled by vodka and Red Bull buckets (a combination of Red Bull, Coke and vodka or whiskey), among other things, dance on the beach from sunset until sunrise and even after. Everyone is friendly and happy and it is like no other vibe you’ve ever experienced.

Of course the popularity of the Full Moon Party can make it difficult to find a room on Koh Phangan, so I would suggest getting there a few days before the full moon. It will be fine because the Full Moon Party usually gets started a few days before the full moon anyway. I have more detailed instructions on the post Getting to Koh Phangan including air travel, buses, trains and ferry schedules. You can find a great list of Koh Phangan hotels at Hotels.com or alternatively find the best deal, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor.

Full Moon Party Dates 2010

• Wednesday 28, July
• Wednesday 25, August
• Thursday 23, September
• Saturday 23, October
• Sunday 21, November
• Tuesday 21, December
• Saturday 25, December
• Friday 31, December

Full Moon Party Dates 2011

• Wednesday 19, January
• Friday 18, February
• Saturday 19, March
• Monday 18, April
• Tuesday 17, May
• Wednesday 15, June
• Friday 15, July
• Saturday 13, August
• Monday 12, September
• Tuesday 11, October
• Thursday 10, November
• Saturday 10, December
• Sunday 25, December
• Saturday 31, December

And don’t forget to stay safe while you’re partying. Follow these common safety rules for the Full Moon Party and you’ll have a much better time.

Enjoy the Full Moon Party Safely

1. Take a copy of your passport with you, and keep original passport in your hotel’s safe.
2. Take the hotel’s business card to contact them in case of emergency.
3. Don’t take bags with you, it’s likely you’ll lose them.
4. Take enough pocket money and keep it in 2-3 different pockets. It’s about 2,000-5,000 Baht.
5. Wear shoes to protect your feet from broken bottles.
6. Set a time and place to meet up with your friends, you WILL lose them in the huge scale noise and partying going on.
7. If you don’t want to be jailed, avoid bringing drugs to the party

There now you have the info to get there and you have the party dates. Don’t be like Golf and myself. We’ve wanted to go to the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan for several years and every time we’ve been in Thailand we’ve missed it be a few days one way or another. Ahhhhh…well it gives us another reason to keep coming back to Thailand.

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