Koh Phangan - An island paradise you can't miss!

From Koh Samui, it's a stone's throw to the island paradise of Koh Phangan, located in the Gulf of Thailand. On a whim, so to speak, unplanned and without much packing, we set off for Koh Phangan on a wonderful Saturday to discover a more authentic Thailand.

Getting to Koh Phangan

The Fast Ferry takes us from Maenam Samui to Thong Sala Phangan. This takes about 25 minutes. This short hop takes about 25 minutes. You can also take other ferries from Nathon Town, which is interesting if you want to arrive by car.

We've decided to rent a car because we want to stay for two days, Saturday and Sunday. With a car or even a scooter, you are simply more flexible here. Uber doesn't exist, and Grab doesn't work reliably in Phangan.

Family activities on Koh Phangan

We only discovered most of the cool family activities on Koh Phangan when we were there and often just as we were driving by. That’s how we stumbled upon a wonderful café while looking for a delicious breakfast, where we got to feed emus and koi fish. From there, we discovered two waterfalls and stopped to see a Chinese temple as we continued on our way. In the evening, our eldest got to participate in a fire show, and the next day we had a wonderful brunch with a view of the vast ocean. But more on that shortly.

Zoo Café Koh Phangan

What a wonderful cafe, just 10 minutes from the harbor in Thong Sala. It's located in the middle of the jungle, like almost everything in Koh Phangan. We were welcomed very warmly here, and since we were already here around 9 AM, we were among the first guests.

The breakfast was super delicious and there was a huge selection, from traditional Thai breakfast to the boring American breakfast. 😀 Our youngest even got cornflakes here and she was mega happy with that. She hadn't had them for a few weeks.

The highlight here, however, are the many animals to marvel at and feed. For the equivalent of 50 cents, you can buy a portion of carrots or koi food and get started. We fed emus, rabbits that roam freely, and giant koi carp. One of the kids suddenly shouts: Daddy, there are really ugly guinea pigs here. 😀 The so-called hippo rats are truly not beauties, but very cute, naked guinea pigs. Nevertheless, they received lots of carrots and cucumbers from us.

In the back, there's even a larger enclosure with deer, which is unusual. They looked happy and had probably already gotten used to the tropical temperatures. We gave them bananas as treats. I'll offer the deer there the same thing on my next visit to Germany too. 🙃 The zoo cafe is one of the best family activities on Koh Phangan.

Phaeng Noi Waterfall

Directly in front of the Zoo Café is the entrance to Than Sadet – Koh Phangan National Park. There you'll mainly find lots of viewpoints and waterfalls. We pay a few euros entrance fee and walk on an exciting and adventurous natural trail. You should stay on the path here because there are scorpions, spiders, and cobras in the jungle. They won't come to you because they're far too scared. However, they will attack you if you accidentally step on them in the undergrowth or thicket. Therefore, we also strictly stay on the path here.

The short hike of about an hour to the waterfall is great. It’s very humid here in the middle of the jungle because we’re walking along the small stream. We have too little water with us, which is why we break off the hike after an hour and relax in the cool water at the first waterfall.

Our youngest is very adventurous and goes along with almost everything. So I jump with her into the small pool that forms between the rocks. We enjoy the cool water and a few other people then join us. They were probably waiting for someone else to make the first move.

After 20 minutes, I felt the stone wall behind us and discovered with horror a hand-sized spider. 😳 It had been there the whole time and hadn't moved. Thank goodness. But the sight fascinated us. However, we did put some distance between us. It was funny when we later showed the other people the photo. Fairly, we only did it after they were out of the pool again.

I can only highly recommend a visit to the national park. Especially here, you can enjoy the island paradise of Koh Phangan in its breathtaking natural scenery. If you're lucky, you might even see some monkeys jumping around here, also called long-tailed macaques. =)

Hotel Recommendation: Little Paradise

After that, we went to Haad Rin Beach, in the very south of the island. Here we booked a quiet and charming room at Little Paradise. It is located directly on the beach and has a large pool with a slide for the little ones.

A little tip on the side: Haad Rin is kind of like San Antonio in Ibiza. This is where the legendary Koh Phangan Full Moon Party takes place, once a month, of course. When it's a full moon, I'd avoid this area as a family. Without family, it's definitely pure fun and the beach promenade consists of pretty cool clubs and discos.

When we were in Koh Phangan, it was neither a full moon nor a half moon, and the place was relatively empty. This was ideal for enjoying a relaxed dinner by the sea with a cool fire show, typical for Thailand. Since we gave the artist a tip, our oldest was allowed to be part of the show for a few minutes. That's when you, as parents, watch the guy swing torches around your little one and sparks fly into the ground inches from her. Yay! But the little one had a blast and was so proud afterward.

Tomorrow X – Delicious brunch with a cool view

Right after checkout the next morning, we drive to the far west of the island. This is where the Tomorrow X Restaurant is located. It has an extensive menu with all sorts of delicacies imaginable. We order a lavish breakfast and the kids hop into the infinity pool.

The view from up here is breathtaking. There's a light breeze that keeps the temperature pleasant. We're spending the whole morning here because the atmosphere is so great, and we're ordering more delicious coffee and fresh juices. As everywhere in Thailand, everything in Phangan is, of course, always very fresh. Wonderful!

Guan Yin Temple – A Place of Peace and Meditation

This colorful and well-preserved temple is dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy, Guan Yin. It is a Chinese temple founded and built in 1990 by a Thai woman named Maliwan. She was inspired by a dream. Well, that's how things happen sometimes. 😉

We are enjoying the peace and quiet up here. The temple is a bit secluded and offers a wonderful view of the dense jungle and the sea. We light some incense sticks and quietly take in the surroundings. For some time now, we've been teaching the kids that religions and other cultures are to be respected. They find this very exciting and interesting, and as a result, we can easily visit places like this with them.

Thong Sala – Island Paradise Koh Phangan

This is the island's most important port. Therefore, Thong Sala could be considered the island's capital, even though Koh Phangan officially has no capital. But everything happens here. There's a night market, many shops, and numerous cafes and restaurants. We'll let the kids play at Messy House for another two hours. It's a supervised indoor playground. Meanwhile, we'll go to a viewpoint and enjoy a fresh coconut with a view of the sea.

Our ferry back to Samui leaves in the afternoon. Just before that, we grab a really delicious ice cream at Satimi's Ice Cream. Afterwards, we head to the ferry and begin our journey home.

Conclusion Koh Phangan with Family

I love this picture. It's a nice contrast to all the other tropical cover photos I usually choose.

We had a fantastic weekend in the island paradise of Koh Phangan. Such a great island if you love nature, animals, kind people, adventure, variety, hiking, and swimming. The list is of course much longer. Even the kids thanked us at home in the evening for going to Koh Phangan. They only do that when they really, really like something. A successful trip and therefore an absolute recommendation if you're in the area.

In Koh Phangan, you'll still experience the authentic Thailand that has partly given way to tourism in Koh Samui. We've already mentioned it in Krabi experience and prefer such places for relaxation and rest.

Impressions of Koh Phangan