Sights in Ko Samui
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Ang Thong National Marine Park
Popularised by its role as home to a utopian beach society in the movie version of Alex Garland's novel The Beach, Ang Thong National Marine Park is made up of an archipelago of about 40 small islands combining sheer limestone cliffs, hidden lagoons, white-sand beaches and dense vegetation providing a postcard-perfect vista almost anywhere you look.
The numerous caves and crevices are home to nesting swallows and there's a narrow coral reef in the southwest of the park.
From Ko Samui, a couple of tour operators run day trips to the Ang Thong archipelago from Na Thon or Mae Nam.
There are bungalows available at the park headquarters on Ko Wat Ta Lap, but you may not be abl…
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Hin Lat Falls
Hin Lat Falls is worth visiting if you're waiting in town for a boat back to the mainland. Catch a sǎwngthǎew south 2km and get off after the 7-Eleven, then walk 2km or so south of town on the main road and turn left at the first major intersection. Go straight along for another 2km to the waterfall (you'll see the vendors). From here you'll need to hike for one hour, cross streams and climb over rocks to get to the uppermost of the numerous levels - but it's not too strenuous. Sturdy shoes are recommended. At the top you will be rewarded with a cool pool that's great for a dip. Look out for the temple with moral guidance inscribed on the tree trunks at the base of the fa…
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Ban Hua Thanon
Welcome to a morsel of southern Thailand, with a sprinkling of Muslim Thais living beside Buddhist Thais. The old wooden houses, only 50 to 60 years old, have weathered beyond their years, looking more ancient than antique. Pick your way through the parked motorcycles to the pier where the fisherfolk moor their small but stately boats. Continue to Hua Thanon Market and further on to the local mosque and the village’s Muslim quarter.
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Hin Ta Hin Yai
Lamai beach is weighted by massive boulders but none are as spectacular as the grandparent rocks, an honorific name considering that Grandfather Rock looks like an erect penis and Grandmother looks like the female counterpart. Don’t be shy about posing with Grandpa, even the monks take the photo-op. On a serious note, assigning human characteristics to rock formations is a common feature in Southeast Asian Muslim culture.
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Chaweng Lake
By the light of the harsh daytime sun, Chaweng Lake is an example of everything that is wrong with Samui. The public park is poorly maintained, half constructed and devoid of shade. But come sunset, it springs to life – ordinary Thai life, that is – with aerobics classes in one area, football practice in another and strolling families enjoying the cool breezes. It’s a charming glimpse into provincial Thailand.
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Wat Plai Laem
This little temple has several large attractions: three gigantic depictions of Buddha set in a man-made lake. The centrepiece is an 18-armed Hindu-style Buddha next to a lotus blossom and a fat, Chinese-style Buddha. Considered an act of merit, Thai Buddhists, especially the young ones, feed the hungry fish, who live a charmed life in the surrounding lake. Sometimes this temple is called Wat Laem Suan Naram.
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Meditation Cave
Make a spa date with Kamalaya so you can sneak a peek at this decades old cave temple built by local monks for meditation. Temple caves are a vital part of the forest temple tradition in Thailand and in the past, monks have lived inside the cave as meditation hermits. The visitors pass allows access to the cave as well as use of the health resort’s steam cavern and plunge pools.
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Buddha Footprint
More religious than touristy, the Buddha Footprint is housed in a hill-side chapel. The room-sized sculpture of the sole of Buddha’s foot is believed to be about 100 years old – nearly prehistoric for Samui – and is a common symbolic representation of the enlightened one. The temple’s abbot asks that people show respect by being quiet and not eating and drinking at the site.
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Nam Tok Na Muang 2
The taller of sister waterfalls, this one crashes 80m and sifts out the spectators from the enthusiasts with an admission fee and a 30-minute walk. The falls are more dramatic and there’s a natural swimming pool at the base but it is still a stop on the package-tour route. Next to the entrance is a zip-line, known locally as ‘skyfox’, and elephant treks.
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Ko Fan Yai
The largest cove following Ao Thong Sai has several names, but the beach is generally known as Hat Choeng Mon. It's clean, hushed and recommended for families or for those who don't need nightlife and a variety of restaurants (these can be found at nearby Hat Chaweng). Opposite the beach is Ko Fan Yai, an island that can be reached on foot at low tide.
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Magic Garden
A fruit farmer laboured in the jungle in the Samui interior to create this spiritual garden of concrete characters depicting Buddhist myths and legends. The road here is a military road north of Ban Saket, and a little tough for most vehicles, so visitors are advised to take one of the jungle tours available through the travel agents.
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Samui Butterfly Garden
Walk slowly among the tropical flowers to spot the colourful butterflies fanning their wings as they sip nectar. At first only a few will cross your path, but search the garden for the sultriest flowers to find an undulating carpet of anxious diners. Butterflies are most active in the mornings. It’s opposite Central Samui Village.
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Nam Tok Na Muang 1
One of two waterfalls, this 18m-high cascade is an easy walk from the car park and is the best example of Thais’ peculiar appreciation of falling water: a quick snapshot, a bowl of noodles, a few souvenirs and back in the car. For lolly-gaggers, Na Muang also has elephant trekking and is a popular stop on the package-tour route.
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Wat Khunaram
Some temples are famous for their architecture or sculptures, but this pilgrimage site is a fixture in the abbot adoration tradition. Luang Phaw Daeng (Phra Kru Samathakittikhon) was a master meditator in the 1940s and 1950s, and his preserved corpse, complete with sunglasses, remains on display as inspiration.
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Wat Samret
Temple buffs will find a dusty gem in Wat Samret, which has a white marble Buddha, believed to have come from Burma or India, and a crowded hall of expressionless Buddha figures. Across the Ring Rd is the Coral Buddha, used as a shrine by the Wat Samret monks. Ask for directions at the temple.
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Wat Phra Yai
Big Buddha Beach’s eponymous temple boasts a 12m-high Buddha figure seated on a small promontory known as Ko Fan. It was built in 1972 and surveys a scene of moored fishing boats and overhead flying boats. An attached souvenir village signals the unabashed mixing of religion and commerce.
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Chedi Khao Hua Jook
Atop Khao Hua Jook (Top-Knot Mountain), this stupa commands powerful views of Chaweng Lake, the beach and beyond. You’ll need private transport to reach this area. Take the road that leads to Q Bar and follow the roundabout to the car park; from there follow the stairs to the summit.
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Nam Tok Wang Saotong
With a 1km walk from the car park, this waterfall is less crowded than Na Muang and more of a communion with nature than with your fellow sightseers. To get here, turn right off the Ring Rd at Wat Khunaram and follow the road past Baan Chang Elephant Trekking.
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Chedi Laem Saw
A wild and rocky stretch of beach is barely tamed by this lonely stupa staked into a spit of land. Nearby is a meditation forest and another hilltop stupa. Follow the signs for ‘Waikiki Bungalows’ to reach the chedi from the main road.
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Emerald Sea
The Emerald Sea is a popular destination. This large lake in the middle of the island spans an impressive 250m by 350m and has an ethereal turquoise tint. A second dramatic viewpoint can be found at the top of a series of staircases nearby.
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Na Muang Falls
At 30m, Na Muang Falls is the tallest waterfall on Samui. The water cascades over amazingly purple rocks and there's a great pool for swimming at the base. This is the most scenic - and somewhat less frequented - of Samui's falls.
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Wat Hin Lat
On the eastern part of Samui, near the waterfalls of the same name, Wat Hin Lat is a meditation temple that teaches daily vipassana (Buddhist meditation) courses.
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Wat Laem Saw
For temple enthusiasts, Wat Laem Saw, at the southern end of the island near the village of Bang Kao, features an interesting and highly venerated old Srivijaya-style stupa.
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