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Koh Samui |
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| Anchor in 7-10 metres well clear of the jetties. Na Thon, the main town on the island, offers a market as well as shopping, banking, postal and other facilities. This is also where you go to deal with Customs and Immigration. The main jetty is designed for fast passenger and car ferries, the local fishing fleet and bulk transport. Fuel and water are available on the jetty by arrangement only. |
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| This is the location of another car ferry terminal from Donsak, and it is not particularly recommended unless you are meeting passengers from the ferry. |
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Approaching from the east beware of the unmarked rocks just past Lamai Beach. Anchor between the islands in 5-6 metres on a muddy bottom, clear of the fringing reef on Koh Katen’s west coast. The approach from the west is clear and deep, following Koh Katen’s north coast.
There is a small resort on the island, a pleasant and secluded overnight spot or an ideal day destination from the main island. There are trails through the mangroves leading to caves ashore.
Local legend has it that dogs cannot survive more then a couple of days on Koh Katen due to the noise of thousands of fruit bats that take to the skies at dusk everyday. |
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The best anchorage is in 6-8 metres on a sandy bottom in the middle of the bay. Take care to avoid the coral outcrops to the north of the bay. The anchorage may become uncomfortable in the southwest season due to ground swell.
Ao Lamai is the second-most developed bay on the island, with plenty of action ashore. Accommodation of all types is available, together with the usual minimarts, bars, discos and restaurants. |
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| This small indention in the coast north of the headland makes a nice lunch stop and is used as such by many local fishing boats. Anchor outside the bay in 10 metres on sand, as the inner bay has a rocky bottom. |
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The main tourist bay on Samui Island, Ao Chaweng is separated by a rock formation into two beaches: Chaweng Noi (southern end) and Chaweng Yai (northern end).
The gradually sloping sandy bottom permits anchorage in 5-10 metres anywhere in the bay. In the southwest season, even in quite strong prevailing westerlies, a ground swell from the east can make this anchorage uncomfortable.
Major hotels, resorts, bungalows, restaurants, shops and discos sprawl along the entire beach road. The main part of town is at the northern end. |
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Towards the southern end of Chewang Yai, the red roofs of the Central Samui Resort can be clearly seen. Next door to the north is the Tradewinds Resort.
Central is the headquarters for the Koh Samui Regatta, raced each year in May; Tradewinds is yachtie friendly and has a fresh water tap on the beach.
Transport can be arranged by local bus or taxi from many points on the road, and Na Thon is about half an hour away. |
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| This is a reasonable daytime anchorage, affording access to the resorts ashore, but it is not suitable for overnight stays due to the rocky bottom. Anchor in 8-12 metres well clear of the beach. |
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The Five Bird’s Nest Islands
On the southwest corner of Samui are five islands where the locals collect bird’s nests.
The waters around the islands are deep, so this is not one of our recommended overnight anchorages although day anchorage can be found on the eastern side of Koh Mae Tap.
Many small shacks cling to the steep cliff faces and bamboo scaffolding used by the nest collectors can be seen rising to the top of the sheer rocks.
On the southwest side, shelter can be found from the strong winds without dropping the pick. There is cave that runs right through the island. Koh Bon is great spot for a swim to cool off. |
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One large bay divided by a rocky promontory forms Bo Phut to the west and Bang Rak to the east. These bays are shallow, only 4 metres up to a mile offshore with anchorages on a sandy bottom in 2-4 metres. They offer the best protection from swell and wind during the southwest season.
Approaching either bay from the northwest, beware of the reef at the western end. Arriving from the east, the passage between Koh Som and the headland has a depth of 4 metres. Inside the bay keep well west of the wooden jetty ashore.
These north-coast beaches have developed more recently than Chaweng and Lamai and are not as built up. In Bang Rak, look for the huge sitting Buddha on Koh Fan, the island north of Haad Bang Rak.
This bay is directly on the approach path of the airport so it can be a little noisy. There is a large concrete ferry pier in the southwest corner of the bay which is deep enough to go alongside.
Ashore in each bay you’ll find clusters of small resorts and bars and a variety of small shops and local markets along the road. Sunsail‘s charter base is at Bo Phut in the fisherman’s village.
Many restaurants and small resorts line the bay. Local boats offer passage north across Chong Samui to Koh Phangan.
Further west at Maenam, anchor in 4-6 metres on a sandy bottom. Beware of the submerged rock off Laem Na Rang. |
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Koh Phangan |
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This island fills the horizon north of Samui. It now rivals Samui for the number of bungalow resorts on its beaches, but the style is still more rustic with rough dirt tracks and some paved roads linking some of the beaches. There is only one small town on the southwest corner of the island, Thong Sala. This has a large jetty and numerous ferry services linking it to Samui and Surat Thani on the mainland. There is a large, interesting fishing town in a northern bay, Chalok Lam.
Budget-conscious travellers have switched allegiance to Koh Phangan, and beach scenes are reminiscent of the laid-back Samui of the mid-1980s. Bungalow accommodation is cheap, attracting the young party set from all corners of the globe, who make their way to the island via Surat Thani and Na Thon by ferry.
The east coast of the island offers ideal sailing conditions with flat clear deep water with constant offshore winds in the southwest season. There are seven beaches offering many anchoring possibilities.
The island has two mountain ranges, several waterfalls and long beaches, numerous coves and one deep water port. Like its southern neighbour, Koh Samui, the island is carpeted with legions of coconut trees. |
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| Photo courtesy of Vimarn Samut resort, Haad Rin - www.vimarnsamut.com |
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| This day anchorage lies in 5-10 metres on the south coast of Koh Phangan. The beach is fringed with coral, and the wind, channelled as it is between the islands, often creates a ground swell. The action in the bars ashore is a big draw for some, but this is really a marginal stopover for a cruising yacht. |
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The best anchorage is on the northern end of the beach in about 6 metres on a sandy bottom.
There are many restaurants and bungalows ashore. This beach, heir to the Goa and Bali of the late ‘60s and early ’70s, has been made famous by the “full moon parties” which attract thousands of uninhibited revellers every month. |
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Anchor in 8 metres on a sandy bottom, well offshore in the middle of the bay.
This bay is named after Tharn Sadet waterfall, which has a spectacular view of the bay below and can be reached by following the creek from the sea.
Along the way are engravings commemorating the visits of kings Rama V, Rama VI and the present king Rama IX – and pools big enough to bathe in.
A two-inch pipe carries water to the beach, where you can fill your jerry cans for a nominal fee. There are two small restaurants on the beach. |
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This large double bay boasts two of the best beaches on the island with fine white sand backed by lush green mountains.
The southern bay is the most protected while the northern one can be subject to swell. Anchor on a sandy bottom in43 metres in front of the big tree on the beach.
The Panviman Resort has a great infinity edge pool and superb views over the bays from the rocky headland that separates them. A short trek will take you to the Thaanprawet waterfall. |
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Just around the headland to the north is Had Khuat (bottle in Thai) an appealing little bay with resorts ashore. Avoid the charted rock on the eastern side of the bay on approach. Anchor in 6-7 metres nearer to the western side to get the best shelter from westerly swells. Good restaurants ashore.
Further west is Ban Chalok Lam, the island’s second main town. Often used by fishing vessels, it has a fermented fish sauce factory – which is interesting for a short trip if you can handle the stench. There is a sealed road which goes to the main town of Ban Thong Sala.
On the hill above is the Kuan-im shrine, a temple where visitors burn incense sticks and the entrance offers one of the island’s finest views.
Ao Mae Haad has several bungalows and restaurants and is a good swimming and diving location. Anchor in 8-12 metres on sandy bottom. |
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| Anchor in 10 metres east of the small offshore island. This is the island’s principal port and town, as well as being the business and administrative centre. Most of the bigger passenger vessels arrive here, linking the island to Samui and the mainland. The town retains much of its character with wooden shophouses and many small restaurants. |
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