Welcome to charming Koh Phangan

Koh Phangan is renowned in the whole world for its famous «Full Moon Party», hosting thousands of young partygoers on Haad Rin Nok beach, every month, on full moon nights, of course...
Since the first Full moon party organised in Koh Phangan, in 1988, the island never split one and hundreds of thousands of people have seen the sun rise on that beach, each month, in the early morning of every full moon nights... Even during the wars on drugs of 1995 and 2002, where all parties where prohibited all over Thailand, the full moon party still took place every months !

But Koh Phangan has much more than hangovers to offer to the travellers who visit it. Indeed, due to its remote situation, far from the mainland, and to the lack of an airport, Koh Phangan was kept from urban development for a long time, compared to other part of thailand which have been spoiled by massive tourism, therefore making it a privileged destination for thoses seeking for wild nature.

Conscient of this natural energy spreading from Koh Phangan, numerous Yoga school have settled here these last years, allowing visitors to keep in contact with their body and spirit in a stunning place, between beaches and jungle.

But Koh Phangan do not forget sport lovers and offers all kind of water activities, like Kite-surfing or Jet-Ski, including, of course, scuba diving and snorkelling. Whatever the vacations you are dreaming of, Koh Phangan has it all, with a wide variety of accommodation of all categories, from the simple hut on the beach up to the deluxe cottage in a 5 star resort.

Koh Phangan, beaches for all tastes

Haad Rin, the most famous beach of Koh Phangan, is actually made of 2 beaches, one on the sunset side, Haad Rin Nai (or Haad Rin West) and the other on the sunrise side, Haad Rin Nok (or Haad Rin East) where the monthly full moon party takes place. Haad Rin Nok is much more crowded, and moreover, the swimming is possible all year long here, due to a nice depth, which is not the case in Haad Rin Nai, with an ending coral reef near the beach.
Ban Kai, Ban Tai & Bang Charu are the beaches following Haad Rin Nai when going west. These wild beaches, where swimming is not possible all year long, are a favorite among nature lovers and partygoers, as most of Koh Phangan's parties, appart from the full moon party, take place in Bantai.
Ao Nai Wok, Ao Woktum & Srithanu, are the beaches located on the west coast. These beaches host many bungalows and resorts, but here again, swimming is possible only in high season, as the coral reef surrounding the south of the island stops here (Koh Phangan means the island of sand banks...). This part of the island is associated with Yogis, as many Yoga schools are settled in the area.
Haad Son, Haad Yao, Haad Salad & Mae Haad are the beaches of the far North-West coast, therefore, the beaches which have been developped the last, offering the accommodation among the most luxurious and expensive of Koh Phangan, including cottages, many resorts with swimming pools, villas and Spas. It is to admit that these beaches are among the most beautiful of the island, with a thin white sand, enough depth to swim and gorgeous underwater to dive or just snorkel around.
Haad Khuat, Thong Nai Pan & Than Sadet, on the East coast, and formerly reachable only by boat, these beaches were a paradise to be away from it all, like Robinson Crusoë. But since 2002, 5 stars deluxe resorts have grown like mushrooms and these places are much more expensive.
Haad Nam Tok, Haad Thian & Haad Yuan are also on the East coast, just South of Than Sadet, and are still reachable only by boat, making them some private places, away from civilisation, as there is no electricity, only generators... Haad Thian has been more developped than the other places with its New age Yoga complex at the renowned Sanctuary.

Let's get the parties started !

If Full moon parties actually exist since humanhood exists, Koh Phangan is the only place in the whole world nowadays, where EACH full moon, with NO exception, is celebrated by an enormous party on the beach.
According to the most conclusive memories, the first Full moon party organised in Koh Phangan, was in 1988 for a birthday party, by german hippies coming from Goa. More than 20 years after, these are more than 10,000 people, each month, meeting each other in Haad Rin to party 'til death... But time are changing, and the entry fee for the Full moon Party is now 100 bahts and you will have to pay the parking (20 bahts) if you came with your own vehicle... Once on Haad Rin Nok beach, you will better understand why they are so many to make the trip. Indeed, many travellers did admit that it is the hugest event they did take part of during their whole life !
All the beach is full of people and street vendors, with stalls especially built for the occasion, are selling thousands of «buckets,» (ice buckets filled with Red Bull™ and Coke™ mixed with the liquor of your choice, vodka, gin, Thai rum...), all along the stretch of the beach. All bars are playing their own tunes, from Psychedelic Trance Techno up to Reggae, including Dance classics and other standards of western nightclubbing. There is enough for all tastes and for all night long.

FULL MOON PARTY DATES

Phangan : Party each week, on the beach or in the jungle

HALF MOON PARTY or Half moon dance festival, is certainly the favorite party after the Full Moon Party, and, lucky enough, it takes place twice a month, in the Jungle in Bantai, one week before and one week after the Full moon party.

BLACK MOON PARTY or Black moon culture, was a favorite among partygoers, as it takes place on Bantai beach. But its notoriety has fade away to the benefit of the Half Moon Party.

SHIVA MOON PARTY, despite its name, this party does not follow the lunar cycle, but takes place regularly all year long, one to three times a month, in Bantai, in the jungle. Check the flyers for schedule.
SABAI SABAI JUNGLE EXPERIENCE happens only in the high season, when Sabai sabai, DJ of Koh Phangan gone famous, comes back from Europe where he played in several festivals. All partygoers are there, many coming from Goa, to enjoy the good vibes.
MOON SET PARTY, the only party of the West coast, in Haad Chao Pao, 2 days before the Full moon Party
AFTER PARTIES, if you still need more, or for those who like day partying, only one place, the Ban Sabai in Bantai, which organizes after parties of all parties ! The Backyard, in Haad Rin, hosts the after of the Full Moon Party, and also hosts the now famous Backyard sunday nights.

Discovering Koh Phangan

Koh Phangan has much more to offer than Party nights and relaxing days on the beach. Rent a vehicle, take the time to visit the island and it will charm you.
Temples. You will find many temples on Koh Phangan, some very finely decorated, with nice Buddha statues. The most famous are Wat Khao Tham, located on a hill behind Bantai village, offering a stunning sea view, you can also pay a visit to Wat Thong Sala or Wat Po, in Bankai. A Chinese temple, getting bigger year after year, due to donations of successfull chinese families of Koh Phangan, is located just 1 km before Chaloklum, you can roam around, and, mostly, enjoy the splendid view over Chaloklum bay, where you can see Koh Tao by clear days.
Waterfalls. you will find some interesting waterfalls at Phaeng Waterfall, 3 km north of Thong Sala or at Paradise Waterfall, 1 km before Chaloklum, but, mainly at Than Sadet, where you will find the biggest and most famous waterfalls, visited several times by the royal family itself, which initials are engraved on some rocks in the area. You will be able to swim in the natural clear water swimming pool, found there.
Mae Haad & Koh Ma, North of Koh Phangan, the small island of Koh Ma is linked to Mae Haad beach by a tiny sand bank, making a really scenic place. Diving and snorkelling are easy here and offers absolutely unforgattable memories, with any kind of exotic fishes and corals to swim among.
Angthong marine park is a group of protected islands, between Koh Phangan and the mainland. Registered as Nationnal Park, one can not settle there, but you will be able to visit the park with the various one day excursion packages offered from Koh Phangan, in speed-boat, to visit this stunning place. Some agencies even include a kayak trip between the island of the park. Not to be missed.

You will find many other interresting sites, marked on our map of Koh Phangan, feel free to consult it to organize your travel trip.

Practice sport and regenerate your inner self in Koh Phangan

Like many places by the sea, Koh Phangan offers many kind of activities to safely fill your days after all these nights partying.
Discovery excursions. Many agencies offer different excursions to discover Koh Phangan. Phangan Safari offers a full package of a one day trip that will help you visit most of Koh Phangan sites (the chinese temple, Than Sadet waterfalls, etc...). The visit is made in 4x4 Jeeps and includes an elephant trecking and a sweety break enjoying home made ice creams. If you prefer a boat trip around the island, onboard of a «long tail», to go discover the remote beaches of Koh Phangan. Many agencies have their own tours, but we advice you to start from Haad Rin, to be sure to make a full tour of the island.
Scuba diving and snorkelling. Koh Phangan is is one of the most blessed places in the area for diving. Even if Koh Tao is more renowned, most of the dive spots are in between Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. Many dive schools offer you to train for a Padi license or just go for a dive trip to one of the spots. And you can also enjoy diving around in Mae Haad and Koh Ma or Haad Yao which are easy to reach from the beach, or in the famous Angthong Marine Park, east of Koh Phangan.
Yoga and Meditation. Wat Khao Tam organizes Vipassana meditation retreat every months, to help you better understand buddhism. You can also practice Yoga, as many Yoga schools have opened their doors these last years, teaching any kind of physical, spiritual and cleansing practices. The most renowned is Agama Yoga which have several Yoga halls on the West coast. And, of course, you will have the opportunity to learn Thai massage with confirmed people, in different massage parlors. And to relax and clean, the Wat Po prepares an Herbal Sauna every days.
Water Sports. More and more hotels offer various water sports like sea Kayaking, water skiing, Banana boat and Jet-ski. Some beaches also have Kite-surfing and wind surfing schools. So you can also enjoy active holidays while in Koh Phangan.
Thai boxing. Home of the Muay Thai, you can, of course, train in Thailand, and Koh Phangan also hosts some Thai Boxing stadium and schools, where you will have the chance to learn the basics of this martial art, and even to climb on the ring for a real fight !