THE BEST TRAVEL IN THAILAND,KOH SAMUI

Koh Samui
Koh Samui is the largest of hundreds of islands in the calm, crystal seas of the Gulf of Thailand. At 250 square kilometers, it is the third largest in the Kingdom Thailand.
Situated 700 km. south of Bangkok it's a gentle 45 minutes flight from Bangkok or an easy 1 hour and 40 minutes from Singapore. The direct flight from Hong Kong to Koh Samui takes 2 hours and 10 minutes.
In Just two decades, Koh Samui has blossomed into one of Asia's leading holiday destinations. Every year more visitors are drawn to marvel at it's beauty. On trip will tell why.
But there's a lot more to Koh Samui than it's miles of Golden beaches. With the ultimate variety of sports. Koh Samui is quite simply the complete lifestyle destination. Explore it's spectacular interior; there are elephant treks, mountain bike riding, Go-Karting even Bungee jumping. Why not try a round of golf at the magnificently elevated Santiburi Samui Country Club. If water activities are more your scene amongst Koh Samui's lush backdrop you will be spoilt for choice from simply dipping into the warm blue waters to snorkelling, diving, parasailing, kite surfing, windsurfing, canoeing or big game fishing and more.
When the sun sinks beneath the distant horizon, downtown Koh Samui wakes up with an upbeat and nightlife scene of its own.

Koh Samui Travel Guide and Tourist Attractions

Enjoying the sun and beach atmosphere lull you into the feeling that you never want to budge from the beach. But Samui is an island of great natural beauty and has lots of things to be see. Even those who don't get excited about sightseeing will find that the journeys to these popular attractions will provide their own delights.

Buddha's Footprint
There is no sign showing the exact location of footprint and finding this attraction will be part of the adventure. Take Rt. 4170 and 2 km west of the turnoff for the Butterfly Garden, go up the concrete slope on the left. Housed in a hilltop shrine, four footprints have been engraved one atop another. There are 163 steps to climb in all, but the view up there is surrounded by treetops and valleys that will be worth for a visit.

Hin Ta Hin Yai
Upon viewing those astonishing creations, even scientific purists would be tempted to believe that nature can also be as whimsical as the most eccentric artist. Also known as "Grandfather and Grandmother rocks"; entirely formed by the elements, two extraordinarily accurate male and female genitalia-shaped rock formations share a perch overlooking the sea. Delightfully refreshing forest forays, if you plan to do more than admiring the view - that is plunge into one of the island's natural waterfalls, then take along a sturdy and non-slip pair of old shoes and tread carefully. Those who have difficulty walking mountain paths are advised to visit Na Muang 1, and content themselves with enjoying the view. The volume of water at the falls will vary, depending on the time of year and recent rainfall. The last few months of the year are the wettest, while the months of March through September are fairly dry.

Big Buddha Temples
Being one of Samui's most popular attractions, Big Buddha image sitting 12 meters tall was built in 1972 by the local society to give visitors a place to pay respect to The Lord Buddha. This monumental landmark is placed on the Northern shore of the island.
This temple is the home of Koh Samui's most famous landmark and most of the visitors come to marvel at the sheer size and the beauty of this remarkable statue at some point during their holiday. Big Buddha is visible from several kilometers away and even from the air when landing or taking off on the airplane.

Heaven's Garden
High in the hills that rise from the forested interior of the island, lies an art gallery extraordinary in many ways. The inspiration and creation of Nim Thongsuk, this son of 4 generations of Samui people decided at the age of 77, to create a little piece of heaven on earth in the hope that many of the increasing number tourists would appreciate not only his vision, but the extraordinary beauty of the island's hilltop forests.

Khun Nim spent his life in agricultural innovation, during which he was a pioneer in Durian farming techniques that are now credited for some superb crops of this delectable fruit, still grown and exported by island farmers. With the help of assistants, he sculpted dozens of figures inspired by Buddhist scriptures, in the mountaintop river bed on land belonging to his family. He remained absorbed in the project until his recent death at the age of 91. A spot far too little visited, Heaven's Garden is on some of the island's guided mountain tours.

Some of the creations are immediately apparent, others are either so small or so immense, you might miss them as you concentrate on keeping your step. So be prepared to take your time. Wear a sturdy old pair of shoes.

Eight Headed Coconut Tree
"Have you ever seen one million coconut palms and you've seen them all?" Well not until you've seen the one with 8 heads. To get there, take 4169 ring road towards Nathon. One kilometer north of town is the turnoff. Wear long pants and study shoes for the hike through the jungle.

Monkey Theatre
Located in Bophut, this crude zoo with a performing animal arena features shows several times a day. Small monkeys are trained to perform various tricks on stage, and then they climb the trees to demonstrate how they harvest coconuts; a feat for which the area's monkeys are uniquely skilled.

Samui Snake Farm
Southern Thailand is home to a great many species of snakes, many of them venomous. The mountains of Samui have their share. The bite of a full grown king cobra for example can bring death within one half hour. But don't worry! They are extremely reclusive, and chances are tiny that you will come in contact with one anyplace but at this attractions' two shows a day, where they are handled by capable and "death defying" trainers. Located in the southwest on the 4170 ring road.

Buffalo Fighting
A pair of male water buffaloes are pitted against one another in what amounts to a fairly harmless head wrestling contest. This widely loved spectacle still takes place at selected venues around the island, where banners are displayed days in advance. Like sumo, the elaborate and theatrical preparations are an important part of the show, after which the animals are set loose to glower and paw the ground. Finally they lock horns and the crowd goes wild. The show at the edge of the ring is just as entertaining as the one within. The first beast to turn and run away is the loser, and so are some punters in the crowd.