South Thailand🇹🇭

South Thailand is a must visit when backpacking South East Asia, it is a tropical haven, known for its incredible, pristine, white sand beaches and crystal clear waters. The variety of islands offer the perfect mixture of culture, adventure and fun nightlife.

Phuket

Spend at least four days in Phuket exploring the different beaches and sights. It has the perfect balance of relaxing and sunshine to party and vibrant nightlife. My recommendations for Phuket will have its own blog here.

Koh Phi Phi

Maya Bay Boat Trip
The famous Maya Boat trip includes either a day tour or night stay excursion, visiting different sights, such as Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave, Monkey Beach and Maya Bay. There are so many tour companies to choose from, so do your research on which one you would prefer. The tours can range from getting a long-tail boat, speed boat or private boat. As we had a group seven of us we chose to get a bigger, private boat, which included snacks and drinks throughout the day.

The first stop we went to was Monkey Beach, where you can see wild monkeys hanging around in the shallow waters. Be careful though as some of them are a bit nippy, so you definitely don’t want to be getting bitten! After Monkey Beach you head to the Lagoon, which is where you are allowed to swim. We were here for about an hour, before we moved onto our next stop.

The main stop of the tour is Maya Bay, which is this beautiful sheltered bay, famous for its white sand beach, crystal clear waters and surrounding limestone cliffs. Boats use to be able to come into bay, but in order to protect it and its reef, they stopped tours from doing this. They also don’t allow people to swim too far in the sea either, you are only allowed to go in to your ankles! You spend about forty minutes here, taking in the blue waters and incredible views before making your way back to the mainland.

Phi Phi Viewpoints
Phi Phi Viewpoints are three scenic lookouts, offering iconic panoramic views of the island and nearby bays. To get to the viewpoints, it is roughly a twenty to thirty minutes hike, from the main village by the Reggae Bar. There are signs along the way and locals will also help direct you. The path is pretty easy, but involves a lot of steep steps to reach the first viewpoint.

When we went we didn’t have to pay an entrance fee, but I believe you now have to pay 30 THB for Viewpoints 1 and 2 and an additional 20 THB for Viewpoint 3. The best time to go is in the morning to see the beautiful views over the island, however, most go in the evening as it’s a prime spot to watch the sunset. This is what we did and we were graced with a beautiful one.

1. Viewpoint 1 is the lowest of all three, and includes a featured garden, which you can walk around. It is the perfect place for a break and you can see some beautiful views over the island.
2. Viewpoint 2 is the most popular spot as it has a platform and different seating areas, which allows you to see the views from higher up. There is also a cafe, which sells drinks and snacks.
3. Viewpoint 3 is an additional fifteen minutes walk from Viewpoint 2 and is highly recommended to watch the sunset from.

Muay Thai Match
One popular evening activity is to watch a Muay Thai match at the famous Reggae Bar in the heart of the island. They are known for its live kickboxing matches, ranging from professional fights to entertaining volunteers. It is free to enter the bar, but you have to buy a drink first for entry. We went one evening and spent the night watching the matches, had a few drinks and enjoyed the island nightlife.

Long Beach
Do a day trip to Long Beach, which is this stunning beach, known for is powdery white sand, excellent snorkelling spots and crystal clear waters. We spent one day here relaxing and soaking up the sun, eating delicious food, before watching the sun set as we caught the boat back to the mainland.

Railay Beach & Krabi

🏨Blanco Hideout Hostel

Getting from Koh Phi Phi to Railay Beach and Krabi is pretty straightforward. The boats take around forty minutes to get there and you can book tickets from the port in Koh Phi Phi. We only went to Railay Beach, but if you want to go to mainland Krabi, you can organise another boat to take you there as well!

Railay Beach Bar Crawl
Blanco Hostel, does a pub crawl once a week, which takes you to five different bars around the island. I can’t remember the price of it, but it includes a free signature shirt, drinking buckets and shots on arrival. It’s the perfect way to meet other backpackers and is a really fun evening full of games, karaoke and dancing.

Phra Nang Beach
This beach is a stunning white sand beach, famous for its calm, blue waters and towering limestone cliffs. You can spend the whole day here relaxing on the beach. It also has the Princess Cave, which is a sacred shrine, full of (interestingly shaped) carved wooden offerings for safe voyages, prosperity and fertility.

Rock Climbing
You can spend an hour or so rock climbing up the faces of Railay Beaches cliffs. We booked with a random guide and it was pretty good. We were taken to three different climbing routes and we got to try as many times as we wanted to climb them.

Princess Emerald Lagoon Hike
The Lagoon Hike is a pretty strenuous, rock scramble hidden inside the limestone caves. The trail starts along the walking path towards Phra Nang Beach, its doesn’t really look like a starting point as you have to scramble to the top to start (first pic below). From then, it levels out for a bit and takes around forty minutes to get to the lagoon. Once you get to the cross roads, the left takes you to Railay Viewpoint, whereas the right directs you straight to the lagoon. If you head right, this is where the hike gets a bit more challenging and will become very steep, requiring you to use fixed ropes to lower yourself down the cliff faces. Once you have made it to the bottom, you are awarded with a secluded, emerald sinkhole that you can swim and relax in.

Be aware, that if it has rained previously, it can make the trail very slippery, so make sure to wear proper shoes. We wore our crocs, which were good because they gave us some grip whilst also getting very dirty, so it didn’t matter to us. The red mud won’t be kind on white trainers though, so don’t wear those!

After we relaxed in the Lagoon for a bit, we made our way back, which is the exact same route as before. We chose to go the longer route and stopped off at Railay Viewpoint to see the views over the island before heading down. This route takes you out on the East side of the island rather than the starting point by Phra Nang Beach.

Khao Sok National Park

Khao Sok National Park is an incredible spot that you must visit when in South Thailand. It is an ancient rainforest reserve, with an incredible variety of wildlife and stunning blue waters. You can either do a day trip or stay a night or two in one of the floating huts. At the time, we chose to only do a day tour which we definitely regret, so we would recommend staying for at least one night. It means the activities are more spread out and you get the chance to be offline, relax and explore the National Park properly! It can also take a whole day of travelling to get to the National Park so it would worth your time spending the night. For us, we spent the night in a hostel, before getting picked up the next day for our day trip!

Once you are in the park, you can spend a few hours kayaking in the waters, eat traditional food with the locals, do a hike around the National Park and explore some underground caves.

Koh Phangan

Koh Phangan is the main island to visit in South Thailand, famous for its huge party celebrations, especially the Full Moon Party, which happens every month. We were in Koh Phangan for a week and spent our time going to different events and lounging at the beautiful beaches.

Full Moon Party
The Full Moon Party is a famous all-night beach rave held monthly on Haad Rin Beach. It attracts thousands of travellers who gather on the night of the full moon to dance, drink, dress in florescence paints, until sunrise. It is such a big event that accommodation leading up to it can get booked up very quickly, meaning you have to book hostel rooms or airbnbs in advance!

OXA Beach Party
Days leading up to the Full Moon Party, loads of other events also happen. When we went, OXA was a big event that happened the night before the Full Moon and was another rave on the beach. We had to organise transport to and from the place and then spent the whole evening into early morning there.

Disco Event
Another party was the disco event which was the day after the Full Moon. Basically four days of non stop drinking, dancing and meeting loads of other travellers!

Zen Beach
Zen Beach is a gorgeous, tranquil beach about a forty minute drive away from the centre of Koh Phangan. After a few days of drinking, we wanted to spend the day away from the centre of Koh Phangan, so decided to drive here for the day.

Bottle Beach and Viewpoint
Bottle Beach is a secluded, picturesque beach, famous for its powdery white sand, dense jungle backdrop, and laid-back vibe. As it is pretty remote and hard to get to, it doesn’t get super busy compared to other beaches. We drove there on mopeds and the roads are pretty steep, some unpaved moments and can be dangerous if it’s raining!

From Bottle Beach, you can hike 45 minutes to the viewpoint, which overlooks the beach and offers panoramic views of the entire bay and surrounding jungle. We did the hike before going to the beach where we spent the rest of the day. There are a few resorts, beach bars and lounges, which you can rent as well as kayaks, and a volleyball court.

Amsterdam Bar
Amsterdam Bar is a famous cliffside place known for its beautiful panoramic views of the sea and being a fantastic spot to watch the sunset. It has multi-tiered decks, a swimming pool, lounge chairs and offers a relaxed reggae and chill out music vibe. You can buy a day pass, which gives you access to all the amenities throughout the day. If you want to go for sunset, make sure to grab a spot early as this is the most popular time of the day.

Koh Tao

Koh Tao was one of my favourite islands. We were here for five days and could have easily stayed for longer! There isn’t a whole lot to do here as it is mainly another party island, but we made the most of it!

John Suwan Viewpoint
John Suwan Viewpoint is the most famous and scenic vantage point of Koh Tao, offering beautiful panoramic views of the surrounding jungle and islands. The hike to the top can be accessed from Freedom Beach and takes around ten minutes of steep climbing with the final moments including rock scrambling with guide ropes. As the entrance is on private property, you will have to pay an entry fee of 50 THB. The best time to go is either early in the morning or late afternoon, which is when we went. The crowds and midday heat had gone, so it was a really nice time to go, we also got to see clear views across the island

Nang Yuan Island Boat Trip
The most popular thing to do in Koh Tao is to do this boat trip, which takes you to this private island, famous for its three tiny islets connected by an incredible white sandbar. The tour offers excellent snorkelling, scuba diving and a scenic viewpoint hike. The crystal blue waters and shallow coral reefs make it an incredible spot to snorkel at and see all kinds of wildlife, with the Japanese Garden reef, being the most beautiful spot. The viewpoint hike (first picture), is a short but steep fifteen minute hike up through tropical trains and up wooden steps to give you a spectacular panoramic view of the connected islands.

Leo and Fishbowl Beach Bar
Leo and Fishbowl Beach Bars are two popular spots, right on the beach, famous for their fun nightlife. Most nights start off at Fishbowl until they close and then most they move next door to Leo’s to continue to the night.

Koh Samui

There isn’t a lot to do in Koh Samui apart from a few sights and the nightlife. I was here for three days but if you don’t have enough time you can easily miss this spot.

Waterfall Hike
Koh Samui has two waterfall hikes, that you must do if you have the time. The most popular and challenging hike is the Na Muang 2 Waterfall, featuring an 80-meter cascade and scenic top assisted climbs. It takes you through the jungle and is quite a steep ascent, although it is best to avoid to the hike if it has been raining as it causes the rocks to become very slippery. The other hike, is a more serene jungle experience, called the Hin Lat Waterfall hike. It is a 3km round hike, which passes through a hidden temple.

Pig and Wild Island
Pig Island is a small island off Koh Samui, famous for its friendly, free-roaming pigs that wander in the white sand and swim in the shallow waters. You can book this tour with your hostel and it is a whole day tour, spending it lounging on the beach.

Wat Phra Yai
If you aren’t sick of seeing temples, then you can miss this sight. However, The Big Buddha Temple of Koh Samui is famous for its iconic 12-meter tall, gold-painted statue.

Overall, this sums up my South Thailand recommendations. We spent nearly a month land hopping around, making the most of the beautiful weather, beaches and fun nightlife. If you need some inspiration for North Thailand, check out my other blog here.