02/08/2023 Angthong National Marine Park in Koh Samui, Thailand

I woke early to head to the beach and catch the sunrise (6:40AM). There was a small layer of clouds sitting on the horizon, but the sky’s color changes and moment of the sun peaking out from behind the clouds made it all worthwhile. Our shuttle was to pick us up before 7:30AM at Lotus Hotel, so why not wake up a little earlier to catch a good sunrise?

Our shuttle picked up a few other passengers at various hotels on Samui before arriving to the pier. After checking in, we boarded a large two story boat with around 75 passengers. Coffee, tea, croissants, and a banana were provided, then Joseph, Morgan, and I headed to the roof deck to have a comfortable spot in the sun for the journey over to Angthong National Park.

The boat trip took about an hour and a half, during which I got a nice nap in, before arriving at our first stop, Ko Mae Ko. The crew members assisted the kayaking group (including us) by getting us settled on our kayaks and out into the water. For the next 30 minutes or so, we kayaked around a portion of Ko Mae Ko, passing many beautiful beaches, rocky cliffside, and going between and underneath rock overhangs. The tour typically includes paddling into some caves, but unfortunately the high tide had other plans. At the fourth beach we arrived at, we paddled to shore and disembarked our kayaks.

There was a short but very steep hike up many narrow, spaced out steps to reach the Blue Lagoon (Emerald Lake). The lagoon was a beautiful body of teal/turquoise clear water at the top of this island surrounded by mountainous jungle. Inhabiting this lagoon were many colorful fish and sea urchins. It was nice to see a natural body of water preserved and undeveloped. Growing up in Michigan to now living near the beach in Southern California, most bodies of water I’ve been to are surrounded by houses or buildings.

Following the hike down from the lagoon, we boarded long boats at the floating dock to return us to our large sea ferry that brought us from Samui. Lunch was served in cafeteria fashion, but was surprisingly still very tasty! While eating lunch, we headed to Ko Wua Ta Lap (translation: Island Sleeping Cow), our second and final stop on our tour. Longboats working the dock transported us from our boat to the island, where we had about 2 hours of time to spend however we chose. Joseph and I hiked up to Pha Chan Charat viewpoint, a trail that was not terribly long distance wise, but was all steep steps up to the top. After about 30 minutes, we reached the peak and enjoyed 360* views of nearly every island in Angthong. After taking in the views and taking some photos, we hiked the endless steps back down barefoot.

Back at the beach, we rejoined Morgan and had about an hour of time left. I sipped on a coconut, feeling accomplished after the moderately strenuous hike, when I saw a group of tourists circling around a nearby tree. There was a monkey eating a banana, thrilling everyone to see a wild monkey up close. After getting a few shots of the monkey, we borrowed snorkel gear and spent the rest of our time swimming around the warm Thai waters, looking at some fish and crustaceans. When our time was up, we returned to the boat, got back to the rooftop, and made way back towards Samui. I enjoyed my second boat nap of the day, waking up to our arrival.

After a long ride in the shuttle through Samui traffic back to our hotel, we walked the beach to Elephant Bar and Grill. I really liked the atmosphere of this place, with vibrant neon signs, good music being played, a clean pool patio, and comfortable beach furnishings. The long day in the sun filled with kayaking and hiking had worked up our appetites. I splurged and ordered a protein smoothie, pad thai, pad kra pao chicken, and a banana foster ice cream dessert. This was the first meal in Thailand I had ordered enough food to actually stuff myself. While I can’t speak highly enough of the taste and price of authentic Thai food, typically the portions are smaller than what Americans are used to, or at least what I’m used to.

Following dinner, we returned to the Air BnB to shower off the sand and sunscreen from the day’s adventures and grab our computers for a working session. Following the showers, we were pretty beat and tempted to just call it a night. Instead, we rewarded ourselves with working at a lounge that offered hookah as a reward for our discipline and determination to work late despite an exhaustive long day. We went to Combo restaurant, a beachfront spot that offered hookah, and worked for several hours drinking hot green jasmine tea and puffing on a watermelon and strawberry flavored hookah. We worked until their close time of midnight, then took a TukTuk back to our hotel. For our last day on Samui and the Thai islands, we absorbed as much of the islands’ natural beauty as possible with our visit to Angthong. I highly recommend at least a day trip to Angthong National Park to any Samui visitors and considering overnight stays that are available and affordable.

Comparing my experiences on Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, I would have to give my favor to Phangan. We had a longer stay and nicer place on Phangan, sure, but it was a smaller island vibe with very friendly people and fun nightlife options every single night. Samui is also beautiful and has a lot to offer, but it is more developed and modernized. Personally, if I’m going to an island, I prefer the island vibe while still having many options for activities and socialization.