Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
123km²
Area
77km
Coastline
630m
Highest point
13,700
People
30°C
Warmest sea
May
42km
To the mainland
When to go to Ko Pha-ngan
Best for the beach from February to March.
The sea is warmest in May (30 °C) and coolest in January (28 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in the gulf of Thailand
Ko Pha-ngan is an island in Thailand. It belongs to Samui archipelago. It covers 123 km², with 77 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 630 m. About 13,700 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 42 km away.
Getting there
- Samui International Airport (USM)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 22 km in a straight lineCar hire at USM airport (Na Thon)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesKo Samui (Bangrak) - Ko Pha Ngan (Thong Sala), Ko Samui (Mae Nam) - Ko Pha Ngan (Thong Nai Pan Yai), Ko Tao - Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Samui (Big Buddha) - Ko Pha Ngan (Haad Rin)
- 42 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From February to Marchbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Ko Pha-ngan.
- 61beachesHaad Son Beach Koh Phangan, Zen Beach, Lonely Beach (Nudist Beach) and 58 more
- 68viewpointsto the south, to the north, Viewpoint to Bottle Beach and 65 more
- 7ferry terminalsSongserm Thong Sala Pier Ferry, Haad Rin Queen, Night Boat Thong Sala Pier and 4 more
- 7named peaksKhao Ra, Khao Ta Luang, Khao Kin Non and 4 more
- 23waterfallsPhaeng Yai Waterfall, Paradise Waterfall, Khao Ra Waterfall and 20 more
- 1ruins and archaeological sitesRuined building
- 21dive centresH2O Divers, Chaloklum Diving, Pirate Divers and 18 more
- 1surf spotsKiteboarding Asia
- 690hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 752restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Ko Pha-ngan in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Ko Pha-ngan, each with its own numbers.
13beaches and covesCoastya
7mountainsPeakyas
5waterfallsCascadyas
Beach with the warmest sea
30.3°C
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
13 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Hat Chalok Lam30.3°C
- Hat Thong Ta Pan30.3°C
- Ao Thong Nai Pan30.3°C
- Hat Salad30.3°C
- Yuan Beach30.3°C
- Koh Phangan30.3°C
- Hat Rin30.3°C
- Chaloklum Beach30.3°C
5 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
7 mountains
on Peakyas, the mountain atlas
- Khao Hin Nok
- Khao Ta Luang
- Khao Ban Fai Mai
- Khao Ra
- Khao Mai Ngam
- Khao Kin Non
- Khao Lat Mai Kaeo
5 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Nam Tok Than Sadet
- Saampan Waterfall
- Than Prawet Waterfall
- Paradise Waterfall
- Phaeng Waterfall
Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 167 m above the sea. 63 % of it is below 200 m.
- 30 %0–50 m
- 32 %50–200 m
- 36 %200–500 m
- 1 %500–1,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
10 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Ko Pha Ngan11,846 people
- Ko Pha Nganno census figure
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Night low (°C) | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Sea (°C) | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 |
| Rain (mm) | 136 | 38 | 114 | 90 | 170 | 167 | 166 | 144 | 181 | 246 | 375 | 262 |
| Wet days | 12 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 25 | 18 |
| Sun h/day | 6.5 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 7.7 | 6.8 | 6.3 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 5.9 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 5.3 |
| Wind (km/h) | 17 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 19 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.5 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +1.1 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.1 |
| 2021 | −0.7 | −0.7 | −0.3 | +0.1 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.1 | −0.2 |
| 2022 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.3 | −0.2 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.5 | −0.1 | −0.1 | −0.3 |
| 2023 | −0.2 | ±0.0 | −0.6 | +0.2 | +0.6 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.4 | ±0.0 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +0.6 |
| 2024 | +1.1 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +1.1 | +0.6 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +0.5 |
| 2025 | −0.2 | +0.3 | +0.1 | −0.1 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.1 | −0.3 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Ko Tao
Thailand18 km²372 m44 km away
PhuketThailand536 km²507 m268 km away
Ko ChangThailand217 km²743 m365 km away
Ko KutThailand111 km²309 m349 km away
Koh Rong
Cambodia78 km²326 m368 km away
King Island
Myanmar450 km²181 m357 km away
Koh KongCambodia104 km²421 m370 km away
Koh Rong SanloemCambodia24 km²202 m370 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q1069922) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Peakyas, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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