Nakhon Si Thammarat
Fronted by the huge black-and-white picture of a young King Rama IX sat atop the mosque's ornate wooden mimbar (pulpit), this mosque is distinctly Moghul…
Must-see attractions in Ko Samui & the Lower Gulf
Ko Pha-Ngan
This beautiful stone pagoda from the 19th century has carvings of monks, Garudas, demons, elephants, nagas and an intriguing man in a Chinese suit, as…
Ko Samui
The smaller of the two Na Muang waterfalls is a challenge to access for the young and elderly, but those that make it are rewarded with stunning views and…
Hat Yai
At a height of 25m, southern Thailand's tallest Buddha is truly a sight to behold. The immense golden statue, weighing 200 tonnes, casts its serene eyes…
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Completed in 1999, this stunning white monument has four small buildings centred around a beautiful, three-tiered central shrine in the Sriwichai style…
Ko Pha-Ngan
This quaint, dark, wooden mosque on stilts, resembling a Chinese house, is reportedly over 100 years old and was originally built using the waqf (trust…
Ko Pha-Ngan
A small white-sand beach slung out between Hat Thian and Hat Yao (East) on the more remote east coast. Tiny Hat Wai Nam can be reached on foot from Hat…
Songkhla Province
The second of the most accessible of ancient Singora's forts, looks out towards the azure gulf with commanding views that make it clear why this spot was…
Central Mosque of Songkhla Province
Hat Yai
Rising up like an Indo-Asian mirage, the Central Mosque of Songkhla Province – dubbed Thailand's Taj Mahal – is a commanding nod to the region's historic…
Songkhla Province
This historic rice mill still retains many of its original features, including machinery, a brick chimney stack and rusting tools. One of only two to have…
Ko Samui
Wat Samret, west of Ban Hua Thanon has several standout features, a Mandalay sitting Buddha carved from solid marble, common across India and northern…
Ko Samui
The shrine of the 3rd-century Chinese general, Guanyin (also called Yunchang), worshipped as a bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism, is dominated by a…
Ko Pha-Ngan
Hat Thian is a pretty, relatively empty, back-to-nature beach in the southeast of the island, accessible either by boat or on foot trekking from Hat Rin…
Hat Yai
The most curious and beautiful of the mosques in Hat Yai, this green and purple monument echoes the Mughal-style of the Subcontinent with its onion domes…
Ko Tao
Next to Ko Tao school, this is the finest Buddhist temple on the island. It is a haven of peace and solitude and boasts a stunning white central building…
Ko Pha-Ngan
A beautiful green, red and golden gate featuring a dharma wheel greets you at this temple famous for it's terrifying clay model scenes depicting the…
Ko Pha-Ngan
The smaller, very secluded sibling of Hat Than Sadet, is located by walking over a rickety wooden bridge and beneath the stilts of several shacks (not…
Ko Samui
This beach in the south of the Muslim village of Ban Hua Thanon offers an authentic picture of a real Thai fishing community. Ancient, disintegrating…
Ko Pha-Ngan
Linked to the Shrine of Our Lady Guan Yin Phangan by a small path at the back, this wát near the outskirts of Chalok Lam sits in a serene, forested…
Ko Samui
The most arresting statue on the island is the thousand-arm Guanyin (Kwan Im), the Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion, displayed with 18 arms in a fan…
Nakhon Si Thammarat Province
A large aqua-blue pool is the star attraction here. It sits at the foot of a series of falls, cascading down a hillside creating smaller, equally…
Songkhla Province
This island sits in the middle of Songkhla Lake and is connected to the mainland by two long bridges. Ko Yo is famous for its cotton-weaving industry and…
Ko Samui
It's quite a hike on foot, but a scooter can whisk you up most of the way to this viewpoint among the trees just before the Tan Rua waterfall. The…
Songkhla Province
This is the best preserved and most accessible of the 14 or so surviving forts from the 17th century Sultanate of Singora. An impressive 10m in width and…
Ko Samui
This small green-tiled church north of Na Thon is an interesting Catholic outpost on the island. Visitors can simply push down the latch and let…
Nakhon Si Thammarat Province
Khao Wang Thong is an impressive network of 17 caves and narrow passages that reaches a depth of 150m. Visitors walk past a series of natural limestone…
Songkhla Province
History buffs will love examining the 100m that remain of the original city walls around the 17th century Sultanate of Singora. Made from brick and lime,…
Surat Thani
This tiny museum housed inside a beautiful wooden hall is part of the Wat Sai complex. Built in 1932, it was occupied by Japanese troops during WWII in…
Ko Tao
Long before Ko Tao was inhabited by people, in 1899, King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) visited the island, and as seems to have been a habit of his, he carved…
Ko Samui
This temple (the name means Snake Stone) on the south side of Rte 4169 has a recently built red-clay temple hall, decorated with a fascinating display of…
Ko Samui
The only rum distillery in Thailand produces Caribbean agricole-style spirits (distilled from fresh, fermented sugarcane juice) in a variety of all…
Ko Samui
This tiny museum is a nod to Ko Samui's history as one of Thailand's premiere coconut supplying islands. As well as the chance to become educated on Samui…
Ko Pha-Ngan
The terrific Domsila Viewpoint – offering a rocky perch with superb, panoramic views over the island – is a 15-minute, root-choked climb up from Nam Tok…
Ko Samui & the Lower Gulf
Located 8km west of town on the road connecting Yala to Hat Yai (Rte 409), this Srivijaya-period cave temple features a reclining Buddha that dates back…
Ko Samui
This golden pagoda – gloriously illuminated at night – sits on top of the hill north of Chaweng Lake, offering spectacular panoramic views over the island…
Surat Thani
The beautiful green Island park of Ko Lamphu on the river Mae Nam Tapi is neatly landscaped around a central lake. There are various sports courts …
Ko Pha-Ngan
Than Sadet has a string of waterfalls down to the beach at Ao Thong Reng, and this is the best. Deang features a sequence of falls, a pool for swimming in…
Ko Samui
A short walk up dilapidated wooden steps and past the Mae Nam Viewpoint is this lovely waterfall, spilling down through tendrils of green foliage…
Ko Pha-Ngan
A short walk or scooter ride east of Ban Chalok Lam in the island's north, Hat Khom is a little-visited and desirable 500m length of sand. Water taxis…
Surat Thani
Enter via the narrow alley on Na Mueng street, topped by a beautiful sitting Buddha gate, heading straight for the doors of the white temple. Once there,…
