Old lighthouse, Laem Yai
A disused light on the north-west tip, at the end of a rough jungle track. The reward is the sunset over the mainland with nothing built in between.
Open≈ 24 km
Forty-two uninhabited limestone islands an hour and a half west of Samui, with the emerald lake of Wua Talap, snorkelling and kayaking between the cliffs.
Forty-two uninhabited limestone islands an hour and a half west of Samui, protected as a national park since 1980. The emerald saltwater lake inside Wua Talap island, reached by a steep climb through the rock, is the single most photographed thing in the Gulf of Thailand.
A day here is a boat day: snorkelling over shallow coral, kayaking between the cliffs, a beach lunch on Wua Talap, and the climb to the viewpoint above the lake — three hundred steps and a rope in places, but the view over the whole archipelago is the payoff.
Boats run Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. The sea is calmest before 11 a.m.
A national park fee is collected on arrival, on top of the boat. The sea is calmest before eleven, and the park closes in bad weather — which is why departures are day-dependent.
On the map…
Open the full island map · Driving directions · Google Maps · © OpenStreetMap
The closest places on the map, straight-line distance.
A disused light on the north-west tip, at the end of a rough jungle track. The reward is the sunset over the mainland with nothing built in between.
Open≈ 24 km
The north-west headland, all rock and coconut. No swimming to speak of — this is a place you drive to for the last twenty minutes of daylight.
Open≈ 25 km
The main passenger and vehicle pier on the west coast, and the crossing to Surat Thani on the mainland.
Open≈ 26 km
Half of these places are easier with a driver who knows which hill road is paved. Tell us which ones you care about and we will build the day around them.