Ko Samui: Temples, Beaches and Island Experiences

Ko Samui offers many different reasons to explore the island: temples with a striking Guanyin statue, a protected beach in the north, a waterfall with a swimming pool, and activities ranging from cooking classes to scuba diving. If you’re looking for a holiday rental in Ko Samui, these experiences can help you sort out your interests for your stay—whether you want to focus on culture, water or activity.

Temples, Chedis and Old Shop Houses

Wat Plai Laem (วัดปลายแหลม), also called Wat Laem Suwannaram, is an old temple in Ko Samui, founded in 1880. One of its striking features is a 20-metre-high white Guanyin statue in a pond. Visitors reach it by crossing stones and a marble bridge. The combination of temple grounds, pond and statue makes Wat Plai Laem a special destination for anyone who would also like to discover religious architecture and design on the island.

Another reason to visit is Wat Laem Sor: visitors come to pay their respects at the Laem Sor Chedi and watch the sunrise. Wat Phra Yai, also known as Big Buddha, is also nearby, on Koh Fan, north of the island. A permanent stone causeway connects Koh Fan to Ko Samui. In Bo Phut, converted old Chinese shop houses shape the townscape and complement the temple destinations with a different perspective on the area's history.

Beach, Waterfall and Marine Life

Bo Phut Beach is in the north of Ko Samui, between Mae Nam Beach and Bang Rak Beach. The long, sheltered beach is suitable for water sports. There is also a pier on the beach, where visitors can catch speedboats from Ko Samui to Koh Tao. If you’d like to include the beach and water sports in your holiday plans, this offers a specific point of reference when choosing where to stay on the island.

Na Muang Waterfall cascades down 30–40 metres. Its pool can be used for swimming, but care is needed because of the rocks in the water. This combination of waterfall and natural pool makes the outing quite different from a day at the beach. Samui Aquarium & Tiger Zoo features marine animals and fish from the Gulf of Thailand, including clownfish and sharks. It also offers parrot and sea otter shows, which visitors can attend.

Activities and Routes Around the Island

Activities in and around Ko Samui include cooking classes, yoga lessons, Muay Thai training, scuba diving and golf. Alongside trips to temples and nature spots, there are also various types of classes and training to choose from. When planning a trip, you can consider which of these experiences would interest your group and how much time to set aside for them alongside beach or temple visits.

You can drive around Ko Samui by motorcycle or car in a few hours. If you’d like to explore the island this way, you can make the drive a part of your stay in its own right. Arriving passengers at Samui International Airport can use Ko Samui’s public island bus, the songthaew, to travel around the island. You can also arrive by ferry: the service from Donsak International Ferry Port goes via Lipa Noi Ferry Port to Ko Samui and takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

When choosing a holiday rental in Ko Samui, it helps to first decide which experiences matter most: water sports at the beach, temple visits, a trip to the waterfall or exploring the island. This way, you can tailor your search to the kind of holiday you’d like to enjoy in Ko Samui.

More Destination Pages

More destination pages: Lamai Beach, Ko Pha-Ngan, Ban Tai, Khao Wong, Surat Thani, Amphoe Phunphin, Bo Put and Ko Tao.

Back to the main travel overview: Surat Thani.