Most people go to Koh Samui to chill on the beach. Read on for a list of the best beaches in Sami followed by the top activities, including diving around the island

If you feel like it, there is much to explore in Koh Samui.

 

Best Beaches in Koh Samui

Beaches are of course the top highlight of any trip to Koh Samui. Here are a few of the best:

Chaweng Beach

Chawen is one of the main touristic areas in Samui. The beach here is one of the best beaches on the island. With a long white sandy beach and beautiful rocks, it is easy to see why tourists flocks here.

Lamai Beach

Lamai is also a fantastic beach that features this white sand that Samui is famous for. Lamai is a great place to chill or go for a long walk. The boulders rocks make it great for taking pictures. There is also a wide array of water sports available Bophut beach The sand here is yellow but what makes this beach attractive is the proximity of the old fisherman’s village. The beach covers several kilometres between Maenam and Bangrak and is also a great place to go for a long walk

Best Sightseeing in Koh Samui

If you manage to extract yourself from your hotel or villa, there are many sightseeing activities. Renting a car for the day can be a good option. Below are my 3 favorite activities in Samui

Big Buddha Shrine

The big Buddha shrine is a famous place on the island. It is on the northern coast of the island. It towers at 12 meters high. Beside the big Budha, you can also visit the temple that has many smaller Buddhas and shrine. There are also a few food stalls, so this could be a good stop option for lunch if you are after simple street food.

Sunday Brunch

Sunday brunches in Samui are an institution. Most large beachside restaurants provide large buffets with Thai and international delicacies.

Champagne and alcohol packages are available at most places. Make sure you don’t have breakfast before going. And don’t plan too much for the rest of the afternoon as you might feel lazy after all this food and champagne. ( might also be better not to drive yourself if you plan to enjoy the Champagne 😊

The Namuang waterfalls

Samui being a lush tropical island, there are plenty of waterfalls to visit.

Our favorites are the Namuang waterfall. The first one is a short walk down to a fun jumping rock.

The second one is a bit more challenging as you need to walk up. But you get rewarded with a beautiful viewpoint.

Other possible activities include other beaches visits, jet skiing, kite surfing, national marine parks, eco safaris at Na Maung, elephant ride tours and cooking lessons.

 

Diving from Koh Samui

We did two days of diving at Sailrock.

I dove in Thailand a few times before ( Phuket, Similan islands,…) and had not been convinced.

I find diving in the Philippines or Indonesia in general far superior. You can see my reviews of some of the best dive sites like Maumere, Bohol, Alor, Komodo or Derawan islands The dive in Sail Rock was, however, the exception. It was excellent diving with good visibility and many schools of fishes. What makes this site unique besides the stunning topography is the large number of fishes. Schools of Barracudas, king mackerels, Tuna, Groupers, and the likes roam around. You might also be lucky to see whale sharks. They are seen quite often, but we, unfortunately, didn’t see them Imagine a fifteen meters granite pinnacle that comes out of the water. There is a hole in the middle that you can enter at 18 meters. You swim up that cave up to 12 or 7 meters and are rewarded with the view of anemones and sunlight. Very scenic 😊 It was so good that we went for a second day at the same dive site. And we still didn’t see the whale shark… I guess that is our excuse to go back to Samui

If you are looking for great villa accommodation in Samui, check out my review of Miskawaan Villa, located on the south coast of Samui