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Many people regard Thailand as the first stop on their overseas trip, and it is the "hottest place to visit" regardless of the pleasant level of the four seasons and the charming island style. According to official figures, Thailand has about 1,430 islands, most of which are scattered in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. In addition to Phuket and Koh Samui, which are well known to the general public, there are many treasure islands, today we will carefully nag, after reading this article to strive so that you can: have a clear mind, choose the island is not entangled.
Image source: Ctrip
The best time to visit the Thai islands is from November to April, when the water is clear and beautiful, and a large area of the glazed sea is not the rainy season! The rainy season from July to September is the off-season, depending on luck, there may be rain and strong winds and waves, but in fact, in addition to the impact on the sea, the rest is only thunderstorms, and the off-season hotel price reduction people are less clean. The following picture is the specific distribution map of the main islands of Thailand:
- Area A (around Bangkok): Pattaya, Koh Chang, Koh Samet, Koh Llan, etc
- Zone B (Central Area): Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, Nam en Island, etc
- Zone C (Phuket and surroundings): Phuket, Similan Island, Egg Island, Great and Small Emperor Island, Coral Island, etc
- Zone D (around Krabi): Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta, etc
- Zone E (southernmost): Koh Lipe, etc., the most unpopular area with relatively inconvenient traffic (many people also choose to go north from Malaysia)
1. Phuket
Highlights: pleasant scenery, mature development, many surrounding outlying islands
Known as the "Pearl of the Andaman Sea", Phuket is Thailand's largest island. Early development, convenient transportation, many hotel choices, perfect entertainment facilities, is the largest façade of the Thai island. Compared with other islands, it is the most popular, has the most gameplay resources, and is also the favorite of Chinese people, basically coming here for the first time to Thailand.
Image source: Ctrip
Phuket is ideally located for easy access to Phang Nga Bay, Surin and Similan Islands in Phang Nga Province and Phi Phi Island in Krabi Province. Blue water, blue sky, special performances and affordable prices are the main factors that attract many tourists to come for vacation.
Image source: Ctrip
Phuket is surrounded by many outlying islands, each with its own characteristics. You can go to Raja Island to play diving, the gradient color of the sea, the water is pure. If you take a baby to swim with a child, the egg island with many fish and less shallow water will be more suitable for children. In addition, there are Meeru Island, Coral Island, Big and Small Long Island, etc.
Surrounding Islands (in no particular order)
- Emperor Island: Once a royal resort island, famous for its jelly waters and white sand beaches, it is the best snorkeling place near Phuket;
- Coral Island: It is the most suitable island in Phuket for water sports such as parasailing, banana boating, sea walking, surfing, etc.;
- Egg Island: Egg Island is the most popular island in Phuket for families with young children, it is closer to Phuket, there are many shallow fish, and it is most suitable for taking children to see tropical fish;
- Meeru Island: is a private island, the island is limited to 200 people per day, the natural environment on the island is very good, there are few people and quiet, there is a chance to see dolphins, suitable for people who like quiet and prefer places with less people;
Summary: Phuket is the most famous and the most visited by people compared to other islands. There is plenty of local things to do, from island tours during the day to land tours at night. It is especially suitable for first-time visitors to Thailand, families with children and the elderly, and tourists who have a lot of time to travel.
One of the essences of visiting Phuket Island is to visit the beaches. The beaches are mainly concentrated in the western part of the island, and three popular beaches spread out from north to south along the coastline: Patong (easy to eat, drink, and have convenient transportation), Karon (fine water, suitable for surfing), and Kata (beautiful and quiet, relatively few people). There are also some niche but equally scenic beaches such as Kamala, Nai Harn, etc.
About Phuket's island selection strategy, we have written in detail before, click to go directly
2, Ko Samui (Ko Samui)
Highlights: Honeymoon Island, diving resorts, full moon parties, high-end hotel options
Located in the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Samui is the third largest island in Thailand and is often referred to as "Coconut Grove Island" due to its dense coconut groves. Koh Tao, a diving resort, Nam Park Island with its herringbone beach, and Koh Phangan, where full moon parties are held, are also very close to each other, and the main island is also very well developed, making it a paradise for island hopping.
Image source: Jaturunp/Figureworm Creative
Surrounding Islands (in no particular order)
- Koh Tao: Koh Samui's outlying island, known as the "Diving Factory", looks like a turtle from Koh Phangan, so the island is also known as "Koh Tao", which is a small island with an area of only 21 square kilometers. Koh Tao's diving courses should be the cheapest in the world, and people from all over the world come here to study;
- Nam Park Island: Known as the "most beautiful mini island in the world", it is 15 minutes from Koh Samui and Koh Tao. The biggest landscape is herringbone beach, Nanyuan Island is connected by three very small islands by a herringbone beach, the beach is only two hundred meters long, through the sand you can freely reach any of the three islands;
- Koh Phangan:
- When it comes to Koh Phangan, the first thing that comes to mind is the super hilarious full moon party here! Every month, when a full moon rises, the island hosts a three-day musical feast on the tranquil Haad Rin Beach;
Koh Samui has many sandy beaches and a well-balanced distribution, with options to choose from both east and west of the island. Among them, the popular Chaweng Beach, in the shape of a crescent, white fine sand and turquoise water is like a picture, and this area of life and entertainment development is more perfect, gathering restaurants and specialty shops of different grades, and water projects.
Image source: Ctrip
Summary: Koh Samui is its most famous label for diving compared to other islands, and all the fun on the island seems to be made to release hormones. So, especially suitable for couples, energetic young people who can play crazy, Koh Samui is also an island with top hotels, such as Six Senses, Banyan Tree, Ritz-Carlton and so on.
3. Pattaya
Highlights: Shemale show, floating market, proximity to Bangkok
Pattaya (belonging to Chonburi Province), because of the shemale show and the frenzied nightlife, is always called "fragrant" and "unorthodox", but this does not affect the fun of Pattaya. 2 hours from Bangkok is Thailand's famous seaside resort, known as the "Hawaii of the East". Pattaya's sun, sand and seafood make it a backyard garden in Bangkok, and Bangkok locals flock here every weekend.
Image source: nimon_t/Figureworm Creative
Of course, what makes Pattaya most famous is the adult culture here, with red light streets, shemale shows, and adult performances all enchanting many tourists.
Koh Lan is the closest island in Pattaya, only 7 kilometers, usually with Pattaya, if you do not live on the island, half a day is enough. There are also various water entertainment activities such as parachuting and diving (but the fees will be more expensive than on Pattaya Main Island). Here you can enjoy the wonders of the sea, the clear water, reefs, small fish, jellyfish and more.
Image credit: Amarinj/Tuworm Creative
4, Koh Samet
Highlights: Proximity to Pattaya, abundant water sports, fresh and delicious seafood
Koh Samet, as Thailand's third largest island, has neither the fame of Phang Nga Bay nor the popularity of Koh Phi Phi. It is just over 1 hour's drive from Pattaya, from Pattaya to Pan Phuan Pier, and then from Taruaphe pier in Pan Py, to Koh Samet, and only 3-4 hours from Bangkok. Such a close distance, but still no fire, a bit puzzling.
Image source: Ctrip
Koh Samet is best known for its white sand beaches, with 15 bays in total, all of which are breathtakingly white and sparkling. More distinctive is the crescent-shaped Ao Phrao Coconut Bay, located on the west side, suitable for watching the evening sunset. Diamond Beach is the most delicate white beach on the island, while Candlelight Beach is arguably the most laid-back beach in Koh Samet, and if you want to watch the sunset over the sea, go to the sunset observation deck.
Image source: Ctrip
5, Krabi (Krabi)
Highlights: Unique karst landscapes, rock climbing paradise, mangrove nature
Krabi is not an island or a beach, but a coastal province, across the sea from Phuket, but not as noisy and bustling as Phuket, like a peaceful "hideaway" on the coast of Andaman. Compared with the evergreen trees in the island circle such as Phuket, Krabi is more like a new Internet celebrity, with pure seawater, unique karst terrain and rock climbing advantages, it has successfully emerged from the circle, but it is not so crowded.
Image source: Ctrip
The limestone peaks of the Riley Coast are a mecca for rock climbers, and you can enjoy the "Guilin by the Sea" as you travel through the surrounding islands. The beaches here are gentle and clean, with a slow pace away from mundane life. If you want to avoid the hordes of tourists, then Krabi is a great place to visit.
Away from Krabi Town and the sea, Krabi is formed by a spring water gushing out of the ground in a large area of dense jungle A unique "hot spring waterfall" where the water temperature on each level is different, but it remains 40-50 degrees all year round. The springs in this area are naturally emerald colored, which is Krabi's famous "Emerald Lake", which is also known as Thailand's Little Jiuzhaigou.
Image source: Ctrip
About 80% of people who go to Krabi will go to Krabi Four Islands, Krabi Four Islands are Chicken Island, Guanzi Island (Tower Island), Mo Island, Poda Island, of which Tower Island and Mo Island when the tide is low, the beach connecting the two islands will surface, and these four islands are not far away and put together. Compared with other islands, Krabi has a low reputation, quiet and leisurely pace of life, and belongs to the vacation and leisure type of the island, basically suitable for all ages, suitable for all kinds of people.
Photo credit: Iuliia Sokolovska/Tuworm Creative
6, Phi Phi Don
Highlights: Natural rock caves, well protected corals are diving destinations
Koh Phi Phi is also one of the superstars of Thai islands, strictly speaking it is the outlying island of Krabi Province, but many people get here by boat from Phuket's pier. There are a lot of people, but the stay time is also short, so it is more peaceful than Phuket, and it is a good haven from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Image source: Ctrip
Koh Phi Phi is located about 20 km south of Krabi and there are two Phi Phi Islands, one large and one small. Koh Phi Phi was filmed in Leonardo's movie "The Beach", and the towering peaks of the sea and the turquoise waters are breathtaking. Koh Phi Phi is formed by the confluence of two half-moon-shaped bays, and the water near the shore is emerald colored.
Image source: Ctrip
In 1983, it was designated as the National Marine Park of Thailand. The inhabited island of Phi Phi is shaped like an irregular dumbbell, with small hills covered in greenery at the end, and two half-moon-shaped bays in the center of the island, and the water near the shore is a charming emerald color. This uninhabited island is a great place to dive with minimal water pollution and a wide variety of marine life.
Image source: Ctrip
Summary: Phi Phi Island is not technically Phuket and is not as famous as the latter. There is relatively little traffic, and people who love quiet will favor it. The island play is relatively single, mostly island hopping tours of different small islands in one day, which is physically challenging. There is a careful choice of the elderly, suitable for young people who travel together.
Image source: Ctrip
7, Similan
Highlights: diving resort, pristine nature
The Similan Islands National Marine Park is one of the top dive sites for diving enthusiasts around the world, consisting of a combination of 9 archipelagos, with only 4 and 8 having accommodation. Located 60 km north of Similan, the Surin Islands National Marine Park consists of 5 small islands.
Image credit: Unsplash
The tranquil atmosphere is a world away from the hustle and bustle of Phuket Samui, where diving requires an AOW diving license, but has been severely damaged in recent years, so it is only open to the public from mid-November to mid-May every year, and the marine life and coral reefs here are well protected. Most Chinese tourists travel here from Phuket and generally opt for a day trip, with a few diving enthusiasts opting for a multi-day dive liveaboard.
Image credit: Unsplash
Image credit: Unsplash
Similan We have also written a special guide, so I won't do much to expand here, you can click to go directly.
8, Koh Chang
Highlights: Pristine rainforest landscape in the sea area of Koh Chang Marine Park
It is the second largest island in Thailand and is named after the island's shape resembling an elephant. It became popular in China because of the variety show "Chinese Restaurant", and although it is well-known, there are not many tourists who go.
Image source: Ctrip
Surrounded by the sea and crystal clear waters, Koh Chang is a true hideaway and ecological paradise for its undeveloped and unspoiled island. The entire western coast is pristine, undeveloped and palm-fringed sand, with Kai Bae Beach being the perfect place for water recreation, with marine life and coral reef views.
Image source: Ctrip
9, Koh Lipe
Highlights: Snorkeling, blue tears in some hours
Koh Lipe belongs to the Tarutao National Marine Park, a marine park located in the Andaman Sea, the southern waters of Thailand, bordering Malaysia. Koh Lipe, known as Thailand's pony, is Thailand's diving mecca. Because of the initial development, the infrastructure on the island is relatively weak, except for a few main roads, which are basically muddy. Perhaps the hard work of the journey directly led to the fact that there were still very few Chinese to go to Koh Lipe in the past two years, most of them were Thais and foreigners.
Image source: Ctrip
Due to the inconvenience of transportation, the underwater environment around Koh Lipe has not been greatly damaged, and snorkeling can see a variety of corals, anemones, clownfish and various fish, which is a very worthwhile place. Koh Lipe is not too big, within walking distance of the island and consists of three beaches (Pattaya Beach, Sunrise Beach and Sunset Beach) and a pedestrian street. Walking along the beach with the sea breeze on the island is also a pleasure.
Image source: Fat Photography Brother_Zhe/Tuworm Creative
Koh Lipe is best known for its stunning waters and fine beaches. The sea has a distinct range of colors, from jewel-like deep blue to peacock blue with a touch of green, and gradually changes to a sky-like light blue, which is stunningly beautiful. Especially the famous trailing beach, the corner of the trailing beach, people feel like they have come to the Maldives, pure nature.
Today's Thailand island selection is written here, the editor crazy code 5000 words to return to the blood first, in fact, most countries in Southeast Asia have difficulties in island selection, such as the Philippines, such as Malaysia, the next article you want to see which country , the comment area left a message to me Oh.
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