Koh Samui Thailand, travel and beach information

Bang Kao
Bang Kao is located on the southern part of Koh Samui. Bang Kao is quite far off the main highway, accessed by a secondary main road. If you like to drive, this is a good road to drive on as it is lined with palms and lush vegetation. Be careful, as it is a little rough in a few spots. The roads down to the beach and the few resorts are very rough.
There is limited accommodation at this beach and they are located quite far from the main road. There is very little development in this area and any shops found here are geared towards the locals.

The beach is a five kilometer stretch of sand, edged with lush tropical vegetation. Midway through the beach there is an unpaved, beach access road (extremely rough). Swimming is not great here, as the beach is quite rocky. There is an extensive coral reef off shore, which provides for excellent snorkeling. There are some interesting Buddhist sites at the southern end of the beach.

Thong Krut
With it's brightly colored fishing boats, Thong Krut is a neat little village. Thong Krut is located on the southwest corner of Koh Samui. If you want to go to Koh Tan, and the other southern island, here is where you come. You can find many tours companies to make arrangements for you, and restaurants in the village.

Accommodation in the village is extremely limited. Here you will see great sunrises, sunsets and views of Koh Tan. The beach is about one kilometer long with very few beach vendors. Good fishing here with lots of tour companies offering fishing trips.

Taling Ngam
The best beach on the west side of Koh Samui, Taling Ngam is just south of Nathon. It is extremely secluded with very few resorts. The resorts are quite distant from each other so you get a true feeling of peace and tranquillity. There is little development outside of the resorts, just lots of coconut plantations.

The short beach is completely palm lined and the water here is quite shallow. Here you will find outstanding sunsets views, perhaps the best on Koh Samui. There is an interesting Wat and gate at the southern end of the access road.

Nathon
For anyone traveling to or from Koh Samui by ferry boat, Nathon (pronounced Nah-tawn) will be your arrival / departure point. There are two piers here. One in the center of town, the other south of Nathon, about a 10 or 15 minute drive. Which pier you use depends on which company you booked your ticket with. Check your tickets closely.

In addition to the ferry boats at the pier in the center of town, there are numerous fishing boats, longtail boats, diving boats and other boats to Koh Tao and Koh Phangan. Lots of boats, and at times, what appears to be lots of confusion!
Once you get off the ferry, there will be lots of ways for you to get to your hotel. Many hotels can arrange for pick up at the pier, or there are taxi meters (without any meters, rates are negotiable) motorbike taxis or songtaews (pick up trucks with 2 benches in the back).

Nathon is the business center of Koh Samui. The regional government buildings, banks, police and telephone office are all located here. Many locals and expats make the trip to Nathon to take care of business, purchase necessary supplies that they cannot find anywhere else on the island, or just to enjoy the sunset.

Nathon is not really a popular place for tourists to stay. There are some hotels, plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants. These places tend to be filled with people in transit, waiting for their boat, or people that have made a day trip to Nathon.