Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Stretching from Chalok Lam to Thong Nai Pan, the dramatic northern coast is a wild
jungle with several stunning and secluded beaches - it's the most scenic coast on the is-
land.
The east coast is the ultimate hermit hang-out. For the most part you'll have to hire a
boat to get to these beaches from Thong Sala, Chalok Lam and Hat Rin and 4WD taxis
from Thong Sala are an option for the few that have dirt roads. The
Thong Nai Pan Ex-
press
boat runs daily at noon from Hat Mae Nam on Ko Samui stopping at Hat Rin and
the east coast beaches as far as Thong Nai Pan Noi. The boat is a casual, rickety fishing-
style vessel and won't run in rough weather.
Hat Rin
The thin peninsula of Hat Rin features three separate beaches. Beautiful blond Hat Rin
Nok (Sunrise Beach) is the epicentre of full moon tomfoolery, Hat Rin Nai (Sunset
Beach) is the much less impressive stretch of sand on the far side of the tiny promontory,
and Hat Seekantang (also known as Hat Leela), just south of Hat Rin Nai, is a smaller,
lovely white and more private beach. The three beaches are linked by Ban Hat Rin (Hat
Rin Town) - a small inland collection of restaurants and bars. It takes only a few minutes
to walk from one beach to another.
Hat Rin sees Thailand's greatest accommodation crunch during the full moon festivit-
ies. At this time, bungalow operations expect you to stay for a minimum number of days
(usually five). If you plan to arrive the day of the party (or even the day before), we
strongly suggest booking a room in advance, or else you'll probably have to sleep on the
beach (which you might end up doing anyway). There's a new breed of cattle car-style
dorms where a seemingly impossible number of beds are stacked and crammed into dark
small rooms and shared toilets are few. These start at around 200B outside of the full
moon chaos then escalate to 650B and up for party times. Even though these grim op-
tions have added a significant number of beds to the town, everything still manages to fill
up. Check hostel booking websites for dorm bed availability.
Full-mooners can also stay on Ko Samui or other beaches on Ko Pha-Ngan and take
speedboat shuttles to access the festivities - prices will depend on how far away you're
staying but the money you'll save on staying anywhere besides Hat Rin itself will prob-
ably make it worth it. Driving on Ko Pha-Ngan during the festivities is an absolutely ter-
rible idea and there are gory and often fatal accidents monthly.
