Tiny Ko Samet is a nice beach-hopping destination off Thailand’s eastern gulf coast. It’s not really a secret anymore, but I still met less other foreigners here than I did on islands in southern Thailand, like Phuket or Ko Tao.

If you don’t mind walking for a bit, you stand a very good chance of still finding a beach where you’re alone. After spending some time here, I quickly slid into that laid-back vibe that everyone on the island seemed to project. Here’s everything you need to know about exploring Ko Samet.

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What to See and Do on Ko Samet

Most people I met in my hostel came to the island to just relax on the pretty white-sand beaches. If you’re like me and lazing on the same stretch of sand all day long isn’t your thing, you could explore Ko Samet by foot or scooter, or join a snorkeling trip to some of the surrounding islands. You can have a look at some available tours below.

An interesting connection to Thai folklore is the fact that the island is part of the setting for Phra Aphai Mani, an epic 19th-century poem by the famous Thai poet Sunthorn Phu (who’s also known as the ‘Shakespeare of Thailand’).

Ko Samet is part of the Khao Laem Ya–Mu Ko Samet Marine National Park, so when visiting the island, you’ll have to pay the park fee of 200฿ (40฿ for Thai citizens) at the gate to Hat Sai Kaew Beach.

Hat Sai Kaew Beach

The 1km long Ao Hat Sai Kaew is the island’s most famous and most popular beach, but I have to admit that it was a bit too crowded and developed for my taste. If you just want to plunk down in a deck chair and let the sun shine on your belly, it might be alright, but otherwise there are nicer beaches farther south.

That said, if you’re the active kind of beach-goer, there are some watersport options on Hat Sai Kaew beach. You can try your hand at windsurfing or catamaran sailing or annoy everyone else by jet-skiing through the waters.

An interesting feature is the statue of a mermaid and a prince playing the flute at the western end of the beach. These are Phra Aphai Mani, the main hero of the epic Thai poem of the same name and a mermaid, whom he courted and later had a son called Sudsakorn with (I assume the flute playing is part of the courting process).

Ao Hat Sai Kaew is directly south of Na Dan Village and definitely the most accessible beach on the island.

Other Beaches Along the Eastern Coast

There are plenty of other beaches along the eastern coast of the island. I’ll go through them from north to south, so you can decide which one sounds appealing to you.

Ao Hin Khok is directly south-west of Hat Sai Kaew beach. The mermaid statue on the rocks between the two beaches is meant to symbolize motherly love. There is a monk’s dormitory directly at Ao Hin Khok and while passing through, I spotted some orange robes around the beach.

The beach seems to be popular with backpackers as well, same as Ao Phai directly to the south. In general, I noticed that the beaches got less and less crowded the further south I came along the coast.

Ao Tubtim already seemed a bit quieter than the beaches further to the north, although there are still some resorts here, similar to Ao Wong Deuan and Ao Thian, which follow to the south.

The small Ao Wai beach was one of my favourites on Ko Samet, but maybe that’s just because it was the first beach I found on the island, where I was completely on my own.

Close to the southern end of the island, near Ao Pakarang Beach is Laem Khut, a small rocky peninsula, which I found easy to climb up. There are some nice views of the Ocean and along the coast in both directions.

The tiny Ao Toey beach at the southern tip of the island is as far as you can get from Hat Sai Kaew both in terms of geography and ambience. I spent an hour here before making my way back north and didn’t see a single other soul in that time.

Ao Prao Beach

This is the only real beach along the western coast of Ko Samet. I found it pretty, but it was rather crowded when I came by, as there are a few resorts right behind the beach.

To get here, you can either take the road west at the intersection near Ao Phai Beach or, if you’re a bit adventurous, you can follow the western coast south after walking around the northern tip of the island.

You should only do it if you’re comfortable with scrambling over sometimes slippery rocks, but I found it lots of fun and there were some great views along the coast which I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.

Sunset Viewpoints

There are a few sunset viewpoints along the western coast of the island, the most accessible of which is a bit further south from the southern tip of Ao Prao Beach.

If you’re coming from the main north-south road, you’ll have to take the turn west at the intersection near Ao Phai Beach and continue past the northern end of the reservoir, then turn south (instead of north which would bring you to Ao Prao).

Another good spot is opposite Ao Wong Deuan. There’s a small path leading off the main road, where it bends from west to south. I was there at the end of the rainy season when it was still pretty cloudy, but it was nice, even without seeing the sun sink into the Ocean.

Na Dan Village

Na Dan, at the northeastern tip of the island is the only village on Ko Samet, but I didn’t find a whole lot to see there.

There’s a small temple by the imaginative name Wat Ko Samet with a big white Buddha statue and near the boat landing at the northern end of the village a statue of an ogress stands in the water off the pier. This is Nang Phisuea Samudra, another character from the Phra Aphai Mani poem, who kidnapped the main hero and forced him to have a son with her (that guy really got around).

What is the Best Beach on Ko Samet?

This really depends on what you’re looking for. If you like a good infrastructure or would like to try some outdoor activities, Hat Sai Kaew Beach is the choice for you. It’s also the easiest beach to reach from Na Dan village.

If you want to mingle with the backpacker crowd, you should try Ao Hin Khok or Ao Phai and if you’re like me and prefer your beaches deserted, Ao Wai and Ao Toey would be the choice for you. Finally, the perfect beach to enjoy the sunset would be Ao Prao (as it’s the only beach on Ko Samet’s west coast).

Otherwise, just follow your instincts and see where they take you: My favourite beaches as a rule tend to be the ones I stumble upon unexpectedly.

Map of Ko Samet

You can find all the places that I mentioned above in this map of the island.

Practicalities

How Long to Stay on Ko Samet

As always it’ll come down to what you’re trying to get out of your stay. If you’ve got itchy feet and want to see as much as possible on your trip, I found one full day on the island enough to explore everything and relax a bit on the beach, although I met plenty of people who stayed for a week or longer.

If you’re unsure whether you’re going to like Ko Samet, I’d suggest booking a night or two. You can always stay a little longer if you like the vibe.

How to Get to Ko Samet

Ko Samet can be reached by ferry from the village of Ban Phe on the mainland. There are different companies who run boats to the island. It’s best to avoid the big easternmost municipality pier by the information building and to continue west to one of the other piers (eg. Nuanthip Pier), where prices were lower.

A return trip by slow wooden boat shouldn’t cost more than 100฿. They go hourly during the day and take about 40 minutes. You can check the current schedule here. There’s also a speedboat service, but in my opinion the 20 minutes. that this saves you aren’t worth the 150 to 200 extra baht.

To get to Ban Phe, you can take any overland bus or minibus that travels along the coastal road between Bangkok (or Pattaya) to the north-west and Chanthaburi or Trat to the south-east. In Bangkok, big overland buses going in this direction start from Ekamai Bus Station.

Alternatively, you can also book a private transfer to Ko Samet from either Bangkok or Pattaya. You can have a look at some well-rated options below.

How to Get Around

There are a couple of places offering scooter rental by the pier and near Hat Sai Kaew beach, but as the island is only 7km or 4.5mi., I decided to stick to exploring it by foot.

In my opinion, that’s the best way to go, especially if you want to explore the beaches without constantly leaving your scooter somewhere near the road. That way, you can just walk from beach to beach along the coast.

Where to Stay on Ko Samet

There are plenty of places to stay all over the island with the highest concentration of guest houses and hotels in Na Dan Village near the boat landing. I stayed at Sundaze Samet Hostel, which has good value beds in a capsule-style dormitory and super nice and helpful staff.

There are many other budget and mid-range options along the main road of the village, and plenty of low-key resorts and apartments for rent on the less crowded beaches farther south. Have a look at the map for some options.  

Where to Eat

Again, Na Dan Village has the most restaurants. If you’re looking for cheap Thai food, try the area south-west of the temple where there are a few food stalls in a mini night-market setup.

Where to Go Next

Ko Sichang, an off-the-beaten-path island full of wacky sights

Chanthaburi, Eastern Thailand’s city of gems