Exploration of the southeast coast of Koh Samui. Where to relax and what to see

Koh Samui. Location. Ways to get around the island.

Samui, or, as the Thais say, Koh Samui, is located in the Gulf of Thailand, forty kilometers from the mainland in the southeast of Thailand. From Bangkok, it is easiest to get to it by plane, by the way, Samui airport is unique: from the arrivals area to the exit from the airport you will not see a single wall - only pillars supporting the roof.

The most convenient way to travel around the island is by scooter. You can easily find many rental offices of this type of transport. You can rent a car or get around the island using local taxis called "tuk-tuk". They do not have specific stops, just go out on the road and, seeing the approaching "tuk-tuk", wave your hand, it will definitely stop, since there is not much demand for them during the day. Negotiate a price with the driver and go wherever you need.

South coast

We will start our journey from the south coast and from the cozy Bang Kao bay and head north along the east coast.

Not far from the intersection of roads 4170 and 4173, there is a rather remarkable place: the Magic Alambic rum factory. Here you can not only taste different varieties of cane rum and buy an amusing souvenir from Koh Samui, but also just eat well, tasty and not expensive, and also gain strength before a long journey, relaxing on green lawns among ponds overgrown with lotuses.

South Koh Samui is relatively quiet and sparsely populated, but it is here that a landmark is hidden that often eludes inspection - this is the temple of the footprint of the Buddha. It is very small and rarely visited by tourists. To get there, follow road 4170 and follow the signs carefully on the right side of the road (remember that Thailand drives on the left!). After the pointer, you need to climb up the mountain, the temple is lost among the overgrown jungle on a high bank, a few minutes walk from the road.

And then we are waiting for rest and entertainment. The first turn to the right after the temple will lead you to the butterfly garden. He is also quite small, but cute. You will not see swallowtails, but admiring the multi-colored fluttering butterflies, you can enjoy peace and quiet under the rustle of water of a small artificial waterfall.

Two more turns: to the left and at the next road intersection to the right - and you will get to the local zoo and aquarium. The ticket price includes a tour of the zoo, aquarium and the performance of fur seals, birds, otters and tigers. Before the start of the show, you can walk among the cages with parrots, otters, black squirrels and feed the animals - food is sold before entering this area. Here you can order swimming with cats. The event, of course, is expensive, but the impressions are worth it.

We move further along the coastline, visit the Muslim village, the Chinese temple of Guan Yu. On a small square near the temple, you can take a break from impressions, have a snack and try coconut milk ice cream with a variety of toppings.

Further, our path lies to the temple of stone snakes (Wat Sila Ngu). Very beautiful. With access to a rocky beach. The temple is located on the border of Hua Thanon Bay and the second most popular beach on Samui - Lamai. Here, as on every beach of Koh Samui, there are many hotels and restaurants. If you turn off the ring road (4169) near the Red Temple (Wat Ratchammaram) and follow the signs up the mountains, you will see one of the stone wonders of the island: the Overlap Stone. From here you will have a beautiful view of the entire southeast coast. Returning to the temple, we continue our way along the ring road to the Thai restaurant Sabeinglae and turn right to the very shore. Two more stone fantasies await us here: Grandmother and Grandfather (Hin Ta and Hin Yai).

East coast

And again we return to the ring road. Ahead of Samui is the pearl of Chaweng Beach. It is always crowded here, even in the off-season, all the hotels are overcrowded, and the beaches are full of vacationers. Continuing to move along the coast, at the crossroads we leave the ring road and switch to road 4171. It will lead us to the "heart" of Koh Samui's tourist life - the Festival shopping center. Near it you will see a whole parking lot of "tuk-tuks" - after all, all roads lead to Chaweng!

Moving along the coast, you can get to the Temple of the Many-armed Goddess (Wat Plai Laem) and further to the Temple of the Big Buddha (Wat Phra Yai). If you go deep into the island, you can't help but visit the Khao Hua Look Pagoda. From here you have a magnificent view of the coast and an overview of the local airport. You can watch planes land and take off.

Koh Samui is beautiful at any time of the year and worth a visit.