ABOUT KOH SAMUI

 

Koh Samui  is an island in the Gulf of Thailand, some 700 km south of Bangkok and about 80 km from the eastern coastline of southern Thailand. The island was probably first inhabited about 15 centuries ago, settled by fishermen from the Malay Peninsula and Southern China. Until the late 20th century, Samui was an isolated self-sufficient community, having little connection with the mainland of Thailand. In the early 1970s the first backpackers traveling on the back of a coconut boat arrived on Koh Samui. For years after that the island just had a few bungalows and a trickle of travelers. Things started to change in the early 1990s when tourists started arriving in full boats and since then the place grew substantially. Koh Samui may not be the country’s most beautiful island but it is still an oasis of natural beauty with its white sandy beaches, dazzling coral, luscious lagoons, picturesque waterfalls, swaying coconut trees and crystal clear water.

 

 

HOW TO GET HERE

 

By Plane
Koh Samui Airport (USM) is a private airport originally built by Bangkok Airways, which is still the main operator and Thai Airways operate some flights between Bangkok and Koh Samui. There are also daily flights between Koh samui and Phuket , U-Tapao, Chiang Mai, Singapore and Hong Kong.

 

By Boat
From Surat Thani train station and Surat Thani Airport (URT), there are combined bus/ferry services - some entail a 60 minute bus ride followed by a 90 minute ferry crossing. Tickets are sold by numerous agents that meet each train and airport.