Southern Thailand Off The Beaten Path

  Get away to Koh Tam Rang- Moo Koh Ang...
by chonda
 
  • Get away to Koh Tam Rang- Moo Koh Ang Thong
      Get away to Koh Tam Rang- Moo Koh Ang...
    by chonda
  • CHAWENG BEACH-Koh Samui
      CHAWENG BEACH-Koh Samui
    by mamasan69
  •   Off The Beaten Path
    by pfsmalo
  •   Off The Beaten Path
    by pfsmalo
  •   Off The Beaten Path
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Most Viewed Off The Beaten Path in Southern Thailand

1.

Villages and Beaches   Phuket

Villages and Beaches, Phuket

 37 Reviews  As a local I should really be keeping this a secret but I don't think many people will visit my page, so I am considering this as a prize for those who do stop by and end up using this... 

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2.

Beaches   Ko Samui

Beaches, Ko Samui

 8 Reviews  Koh Nangyuan is a small island about 1 and a half hour from Koh Samui. It has great snorkeling and diving. It's lovely and there is only a resort there. You can get there taking a catamaran sped ferry... 

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3.

Wats, Mosques & Temples   Hat Yai

Wats, Mosques & Temples, Hat Yai

 3 Reviews  Wats (Thai buddhist temples) are oblivious buildings around Hat Yai in part due to the majority of Thais who embrace Buddhism. We visited several Wats between hat yai and Songkla (a neighbouring... 

 See All 16 Off The Beaten Path in Hat Yai

4.

Exotic animals   Phuket

Exotic animals, Phuket

 11 Reviews  probably not really off the beaten path, but well worth a look in. lots of exotic birds and other things to check out. one noticable difference to western zoos, is the abscence of any barrier cages.... 

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5.

Wildlife & Nature   Ko Samui

Wildlife & Nature, Ko Samui

 4 Reviews  Right up the top, on almost the highest point of Ko Samui, is the Magic Garden. A haven of peace inhabited by flowers and butterflies and very few tourists. Also the main reason for the visit are the... 

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6.

Snake Restaurant   Hat Yai

Snake Restaurant, Hat Yai

 1 Review  For reasons of taste (in both senses of the word) I did not put this tip in the restaurant section! I had seen this spectacle on TV a few times but had not witnessed the real thing. There is a place... 

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7.

Phang Nga Bay   Phuket

Phang Nga Bay, Phuket

 13 Reviews  At some islands there are partially submerged grotoes that can be entered by small boats during low tide. Swiftlets have made their nests in some of these caves where locals come to 'farm' these... 

 See All 122 Off The Beaten Path in Phuket

8.

Waterfalls   Ko Samui

Waterfalls, Ko Samui

 2 Reviews  There are 2 Na muang waterfalls: The first one is the largest and you can swim underneath it which is very refreshing and cooling on a hot day. It has a fall of about 79 metres so it is quite a big... 

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9.

Internet Access   Hat Yai

Internet Access, Hat Yai

 1 Review  Around Hat Yai there are many Internet cafes. Some are hopeless, their PCs crash all the time and connection speeds are extremely slow. The best one I've found is at the Ocean Shopping Centre on the... 

 See All 16 Off The Beaten Path in Hat Yai

10.

Hat Nai Yang Beach   Phuket

Hat Nai Yang Beach, Phuket

 5 Reviews  This is a beautiful beach and everyone is so friendly. No fancy restaurants (except maybe at the few bigger hotels?) but lots of small restaurants right on the beach - eat with your bare feet in the... 

 See All 122 Off The Beaten Path in Phuket

11.

Wat Hat Yai Nai   Hat Yai

Wat Hat Yai Nai, Hat Yai

 1 Review  This is home to a large reclining Buddha, the 3rd largest in Thailand apparently, and a small mausoleum with a souvenir shop in the base. It is a little way out of town so you need to use a local... 

 See All 16 Off The Beaten Path in Hat Yai

12.

Philatelic Museum   Hat Yai

Philatelic Museum, Hat Yai

 1 Review  If you've already seen everything there is to see in Hat Yai and are really stuck for something to do you could visit the philatelic museum and look at lots of stamps. Alternatively you could find... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Daytrip to Patong

by tvdandy

Want to experience a beach town out of control in Phucket, but still be able to head back to cozy Kata for bedtime? Then take a day trip to crazy Patong Beach. The beaches are beautiful but way crowded and the music and party scene is loud and endless. Hey, who knows, you may get bored with the chill environment of Kata and need an injection of crazy on steriods like Patong. The main hub with all the nightlife runs right along the beach, so you can't miss it.

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Edible Beetle Collecting. Koh Samui.

by derekscott

At certain times of year it is possible to climb into the mountains for a very unusual harvest. Firstly it is advised to wear clothing of white or yellow colour. Secondly, bring with you two metallic objects that when striking them together create a nice metallic ringing sound. At the mountain top, as the sun begins to set, begin the rhythmic metal striking. For a minute or two nothing happens, then barely audible at first a slight humming sound, growing in intensity until you catch the first glimpse of the source of the sound. All around, is a maelstrom of flying beetles, attracted by the metallic beating and now as you look down, to the light coloured clothing you are wearing. Crawling all over you are big black beetles. Don’t panic, they are completely harmless. Simply pick the insects from your clothing and put them in a bag. These are the basic ingredients for tonight’s meal. Gently...

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Taratua wilderness

by lukulu21

Taratua Island/ Marine Park of the coast of Trang on border of Malaysia. Undeveloped apart from a handfull of reasonable national park bungalows with a great restaurant. Colourful birds everywhere and a real treat are the hornbills who visit the environs around the restaurant. The beach at Au Molea is a lovely place to hang out and do nothing. wake to the sunset and venture out onto the only road to meet the early morning monkeys, wild pigs and huge monitor lizards as they scurry into the jungle. Not a lot to do here but if your seeking solitude and nature and you enjoy birdwatching then this is a good place to chill out.

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Enter a different world

by spitball

On the island of Ko Lanta in the south of Thailand, was the first place I experienced caving. It's something I wanted to try for a very long time, getting deep within the earth.First off, I was completely surprized how hot it was in this cave. I figured that we'd be down in the cold, cold, ground. But I guess we were getting closer to the bowls of the earth.Luckily for some, there were pools of cold water to wash-off in. I'm not a strong swimmer myself, so didn't jump in. I didn't take the risk of leaping into the unknown darkness, if I can't see what I'm jumping into, forget it. There were only two out of our group who risked this.So, we heard just how cold that water was!Before we went into this particular cave, we noticed a very huge shiny black spider hanging on its web outside. It had markings of white on its under belly, and nasty mandibles. Someone asked our guide, "would it hurt...

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Elephant Walks Through Rubber Plantations

by rossbaku

Wow! What a fantastic experience I had whilst riding an elephant.We rode through some rubber trees where we were encouraged to pull the rubber off the trees. It was a definate highlight to the holiday. They take you up into the hills for about an hour where you can see what Thailand is all about.After that it was onto snake charming which was also a spectacle on it's own. They wrapped a python around my leg to demonstrate the squeeze it can apply - wow!

Full Moon Party-Koh Phangan

by Atomic_Punk

Haad Rin Beach is located on the southern island in the Thailand Sea.It is home of the Full Moon Party that goes down every full moon.From Bangkok you can catch a bus or train down to Koh Samui, myself I wanted to get there quick so we paid about 4,500baht for standby on one of the airlines.From there you can take one of the boats over...about 40 min.Had a good bungalow at Pradise Bungalows cost was 450 baht/night.We experienced the rave party in late Feb. 2003 with 10,000 of our closest friends from Europe and Asia.The next day up on the hill try the dance music at The Backyard Bar.Save time for travel and relaxation for the island...very beautiful.Yes there are many things there other than beer...just becareful.

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Khao Sok National park (2)

by mikegr

From the entrance to the National Park there are 3 walks you can do - beautiful scenery but have a lighter at hand to remove leeches! The accomodations also run day trips to other parts of the NP. I fully recommend their lake tour - a lengthy trip by boat across the lake, and a hike through the jungle including following an subterranean stream for 800 metres underground(make sure your flashlight fits in your mouth as at times you need your hands free for climbing and swimming!). This was an awesome day out which would have been practically impossible to arrange on my own. Highly recommended

Khao Sok National Park (1)

by mikegr

Midway between Surathani and Phukett this National Park is one of my favourite places in Thailand.I caught the bus from Surathani (very easy) which drops you off on the main road where vans are waiting to take you to the accomodations which are all clustered within 300m of the NP entrance.I stayed in "Jungle Huts" a group of simple stilt huts, with great food, very friendly mangement (a little crazy - say hello to Chicken Woman, Spider Woman and Gekko Man from Mosquito Man!). A great place to chill out and meet other people.

Jeep and Elephant trekking...

by AnythingButOrdinary

u'll discover the mountains with a four-wheel drive jeep and an experienced driver, explore the other unknown side of the island jungle, local villages,. Don't miss the refreshing bath at a scenic waterfall. than don't miss the Elephant trekking, its so great:) Elephants are so nice and funny:) You'll enjoy much more than ridding the jeep:)

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Day after Full Moon Party..

by Atomic_Punk

With the night gone and the day after the Full Moon Party...dance a bit longer and make your way to the Backyard Bar up on the back hill...the beat continues and so does the party.

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Top 3 Hotels in Southern Thailand

Mom Tri's Villa Royale Phuket  Phuket

 4 Reviews and 294 Opinions  Ocean Wing Suites (Villa Terracotta) Mom Tri’s Villa Royale now have a beautiful new area which is... 

 Hotels in Phuket

Rocky Resort  Ko Samui

 2 Reviews and 530 Opinions  I arrived at Rocky Resort with high expectations after reading the 14 pages of testimonials on the... 

 Hotels in Ko Samui

Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort  Krabi

 7 Reviews and 789 Opinions  While this hotel has some lovely staff and nice facilities, it is about 15 minutes from Ao Nang... 

 Hotels in Krabi

Questions and Answers

mils.90 profile photo

Q:  Hey, I am visiting Thailand for a month in September this year. Just wanted some advice and suggestions. What will the... 

pfsmalo profile photo

A: Hi, The only national park on or near Samui is the Angthong Marine one. You can catch a boat tour from Nathon pier out to here. There's not much decent diving on... 

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