Gulf of Thailand · Rayong · national park island

Koh
Samet

White sand, clear water and Bangkok two hours away — the capital's closest proper beach.

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Two hours from Bangkok
White sand
National park
Fire shows
Small bays
Dry when Bangkok is wet
Introduction

Bangkok's nearest beach

Koh Samet is small, dry and close: two hours from Bangkok to Ban Phe pier and forty minutes across. The whole island is a national park, which is why the sand is still white and the development is low-rise. Sai Kaew in the north is the busy beach with the restaurants and the fire shows; the bays south of it get smaller and quieter with every headland.

Rocky shoreline and clear water on Koh Samet

It has a reputation as a party island, which is only true of one beach on Saturday night. Come midweek and Samet is a quiet, rather elegant island with excellent snorkelling off the rocks and a dry microclimate that keeps it sunny when the mainland is grey.

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Quick facts

Koh Samet

  • In Rayong province, about 2 hours from Bangkok plus a 40-minute ferry
  • The whole island is a national park — there is an entrance fee on arrival
  • Drier than the rest of the Gulf coast; good most of the year
  • Sai Kaew for restaurants and nightlife, Ao Wai and Ao Kiu for quiet
  • No proper roads in the south — songthaews on dirt tracks
Loungers on the beach at a Thai resort
Getting there

Getting to Koh Samet

Buses and minivans run from Bangkok's Ekkamai terminal to Ban Phe in about three hours, and ferries leave Ban Phe for Na Dan pier roughly every hour, taking forty minutes. Speedboats do it in fifteen if you are in a hurry.

Coming from the Gulf coast in the south, the route runs back through Bangkok — Samet is on the eastern seaboard, the opposite side of the bay from Ban Krut.

On the island, green songthaews meet the ferry and run down the east coast. Fares are fixed per beach and rise as the track gets worse.

Good to know

On the island

  • The national park fee is charged when you land — keep the ticket.
  • Saturday nights are loud on Sai Kaew and silent three bays further south.
  • Bring cash: ATMs exist at Na Dan but not on the southern beaches.
  • Snorkelling is best off the rocky points between the bays, not on the sand.
Longtail boats on the beach
Highlights

What to do on Koh Samet

  • Sai Kaew Beach — the long white one, with the restaurants and the evening fire shows.
  • Ao Wai and Ao Kiu — small southern bays with one resort each and no road noise.
  • The east coast walk — headland to headland, an hour between swims.
  • Sunset at Ao Prao — the only west-facing bay on the island.
Where to stay

Which bay on Samet

North for convenience and life, south for silence. Sai Kaew and Ao Hin Khok have the choice and the restaurants; Ao Wai and Ao Kiu are single-resort bays where dinner is wherever you sleep; Ao Prao on the west side is the sunset address.

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Where next

Nearby islands

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