Koh Phangan

Currency

Thong Sala has the island’s best rates; everywhere else charges for the convenience. Prices across the island roughly double in the week around the Full Moon Party.

ATMs & cards

Machines run dry around Full Moon — withdraw before the crowds arrive rather than the night of. The 220 THB foreign fee applies as everywhere in Thailand.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

Safe by day and generally safe at night, but the Full Moon Party has real hazards worth naming: drink spiking, cuts from fire-skipping ropes, and drownings after drinking. Watch your own drink being poured, and do not swim at night. The steep interior roads injure more scooter riders here than anywhere else in the Gulf.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.

Worth having

• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid
• Tetanus up to date
• Rabies if you will be near animals or staying a while
• Japanese encephalitis for long rural stays

Getting treated

One of the best places in the world to have an accident. Private hospitals in Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai are excellent, fast, English-speaking and cheap by Western standards — a consultation runs a few tens of euros. They expect payment or an insurance guarantee up front.

Dengue is present year-round and worse in the rainy season; there is no prophylaxis, so repellent is the defence. Rabies is present in street dogs and monkeys — any bite or scratch means a clinic the same day.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Thong Sala night market on any evening beats the beach restaurants on both price and quality. The island has an unusually good vegetarian and raw food scene, a legacy of its long-stay yoga crowd.

Getting around

• Songthaew — shared trucks from Thong Sala pier, 100-300 THB depending on distance
• Scooter — the practical option, but the north and east roads are genuinely steep
• Longtail boat — reaches beaches the roads do not, such as Bottle Beach
• Ferry — Thong Sala connects to Samui, Koh Tao and Surat Thani
• No airport: fly to Samui or Surat Thani, then ferry

Must-see

Things to do

• Go to a Full Moon Party, once
• Walk or boat to Bottle Beach
• Swim under Than Sadet waterfall
• Take a yoga or free-diving course
• Ride to the Sri Thanu west coast for sunset
• Eat through Thong Sala night market

Nearby day trips

Religion

Theravada Buddhist

About 93% Buddhist, and it governs a lot of daily etiquette. Monks may not be touched by women. Never point your feet at a Buddha image or climb on one — people have been prosecuted for it.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Return the wai greeting — palms together, a slight bow — when someone offers it first
• Remove shoes before entering temples and homes
• Cover shoulders and knees at temples, including for men
• Keep your cool; visible anger loses you the argument and the respect

Don't

• Do not touch anyone’s head, including children — it is the most sacred part of the body
• Do not point your feet at people or at Buddha images, and never step over someone
• Do not say anything critical of the royal family; lèse-majesté carries prison sentences and is enforced
• Do not climb on Buddha statues for photographs