Koh Samui Sightseeeing: a Tour Around the Island

While on our honeymoon in Ko Samui, Nick and I spent the majority of the time relaxing along the beautiful beaches, just enjoying each others presence. After two weeks of this, we decided it was high time for us to take a tour of Koh Samui, seeing all of the beautiful sights that the island has to offer. Here are just some of the sights and things we were able to experience!

viewpoint of Koh Samui

The tour we took picked us up from our hotel and then began the exploration of the island. One of my personal highlights was how throughout the trip, you had access to stunning views of the island and the ocean surrounding. At many points, the gorgeous blues of the sky and ocean colliding were indistinguishable. So many terrific landscape photos to choose from!

Wat Phra Yai

Wat Phra Yai up close & personal

Nick with 'Big Buddha'

One of the stops on the tour was to check out Wat Phra Yai, or Big Buddha. Big Buddha is named so because of the size- visitors throughout the island of Ko Samui, and especially the Chaweng Beach area, can see Big Buddha in the distance. Big Buddha is over 12 meters tall, and is situated on a platform with stunning views of the island. A couple of traveling tips while in Thailand and visiting temples: you are not allowed to wear shoes in the temples, so plan on wearing shoes that are easy to take on and off. Secondly, it is important to have your shoulders covered or you will not be allowed entrance to many of the temples. For this reason, I carried a light scarf with me that I could drape around my shoulders.

Lamai Beach of Koh Samui

 During our honeymoon, Nick and I stayed on Chaweng Beach. We were happy that one of the stops of the island tour was to check out Lamai Beach and the Grandfather and Grandmother Rocks.

Wat Khunaram

mummified monk

The next stop after Lamai Beach was to visit the mummified monk housed at Wat Khunaram. The mummified monk dedicated his life to religion at age 50, becoming ordained in 1944. Legend has it that he could foresee his own death in 1973 at the age of 79, passing away in this exact meditative position.

Namuang Waterfall 

Another stop on our tour of Koh Samui was a visit to Namuang Waterfall, where there are actually two waterfalls. The first one is a short 20 meter fall, and after hiking to the second waterfall you are greeted with an 80 meter fall. In order to reach the waterfalls, you must hike through the jungle- and it is definitely a hike, so I would recommend tennis shoes and a water bottle! 

more island views

After a busy morning, we headed for lunch at a lookout point of the island. As stated before, all of the views are simply stunning!

house at the Magical Garden

the Magical Garden or Secret Garden

Another stop along our tour of Koh Samui was the Magical Garden or Secret Garden. The garden was built in 1976 by a 77 year old fruit farmer. It features stone statues of animals, gods, and demons.

coconut plantation

 One of the last sights on our tour of Koh Samui was a coconut plantation. Before the tourism industry took off in Koh Samui, coconut farming was the largest industry for the island. The coconut plantation we visited was high up in the mountains, allowing us more views of the island and sea. At the coconut plantation, we had the opportunity to purchase fresh coconuts for coconut milk, as well as products such as coconut oil.

biggest wild spider I have ever seen

Of course, no tour of Koh Samui would be complete without some wildlife. Between destinations, our tour guide stopped the truck, hopped out, and disappeared into the forest. A moment later, he came back carrying the largest wild spider I have ever seen. Glad this wasn't at my hotel!

hanging out with the elephants!

I was pleased that at one of the temples we visited there were elephant statues. After my previous experience with the elephants, I knew this was the only picture with elephants from my trip I would be happy about!

one last gorgeous shot of Koh Samui

Our day tour of Koh Samui was overall a great way to explore the island, visiting all of the main sights and attractions in just one short day. It was a terrific way to leave Chaweng Beach, taking a break from sunbathing and swimming. If you are in Koh Samui and looking for a one-day excursion to knock out all of the most popular attractions, a tour of the island is definitely the best way to do this!