Beach in Thailand

Understand

The Westside Cliffs

Ko Samet is not overly renowned for its parties or its diving , but it has both convenience and quietness in its favor. It's a popular tourist destination for Thais as well as foreigners for its proximity to Bangkok.

Climate

Even though Ko Samet is only a few kilometers from the mainland of Rayong, the island with its micro-climate (the driest archipelago in Thailand) gets much less rainfall than the rest of the province. The rainy season is May to September but even then it still has significantly less rain than the other islands in Thailand. Tourists should, however, be careful of occasional storms.

History

It is believed that once upon a time, Ko Samet was the home of pirates and that until this very day there is still lost treasure buried somewhere on the island.

Thailand’s legendary poet Sunthorn Phu was the first one to put this island on the map when he set his classical epic there, Phra Aphai Manee “The Story of Princes, Saga, Mermaids and Giants”.

Even though Bangkokians had known about the beauty of Ko Samet for decades before, the Thai government put this island off limits and restricted overnight stay there; that was until 1981. In that year, on 1st October, the Forestry Department of Thailand declared Koh Samet and its surrounding to be a national park.

Geography

Located just 200km from the capital in the Gulf of Thailand, the T-shaped island of Ko Samet is famed for its white sandy beaches, exotic coral and crystal clear waters. The island is 6.5 kilometres offshore of Ban Phe, Mueang district. Forest remains blanket up to 80% of the total area of 3,125 rai.

Koh Samet is under the administration of Pe Sub-district, Muang District, Rayong Province.

Get in

Most of Ko Samet, including all of the good parts, is part of Khao Laem Ya and Mu Ko Samet National Park and has an entry fee. Thais pay 40 baht for adults, 20 baht for children (current as of 6/09); foreigners pay 200 baht for adults, 100 baht for children (current as of 11/09). This two-tier pricing policy is applicable to all national parks. If you can explain, however, that you actually live or work in Thailand, then you may not have to pay the ‘tourist’ price. One excuse for the difference is that "Thai pay taxes". If your ferry arrives at the main pier and you take a songthaew to the beaches, there will be a stop at the main ticket checkpoint. If your ferry arrives at one of the beaches, an officer will collect the fee as you step out of the surf. Note that there is plenty of foot traffic in and out of the park to the 7-Eleven, ATM or other shops and restaurants and if you have no bags you can nonchalantly walk into the park without anyone checking your ticket. There is a road via the temple which avoids the checkpoint entirely. Note: some bungalows might give the impression that the entry fee is included in their booking, but it is not.

By car

There are many routes from Bangkok to Rayong:

1. Driving along Sukhumvit road (Highway No. 3); passing Bangpu, Chonburi town, Bangsaen, Sri Racha, Pattaya, Jomtien Beach, Sattahip, Banchang and get into the centre of Rayong province. The total distance is approximately 220km.
2. Taking Bangna-Trat road (Highway No. 34); off the Highway No. 3 at Chaloen Nakorn Toll Plaza through Pang Phi and Bang Bo of Samut Prakarn province and connect with the Sukhumvit road (Highway No. 3) at 70th kilometres. The total distance of this route is approximately 220km.
3. Drive along the Sukhumvit road (Highway No. 3) from Bangkok to Banglamung then off at 140th kilometres that connected with Highway No. 36 and take about 70km to Rayong. The total is about 176km.
4. Taking Highway No. 344 to Chonburi; through Ban Bung, Nong Yai, Wang Chan and end at Klang district, Rayong province. Total distance is 180km.
5. Driving along Motoway from Pattanakarn road to Pattaya and followed by Highway No. 36 about 50 kilomatres to Rayong province.

Taxi service (the street taxis) is also available to Rayong. You need to specify Ban Phe since the pier at Ban Phe is at the lower outskirts of Rayong itself. The metered fare is approximately 1600 baht, but most drivers will want to go "off meter" for a fare ranging from 1500 baht (for some drivers who don't realize the meter is slightly higher) to 2000/2200/2500 baht. Expressway tolls of about 100 baht are additional. You can either grab a taxi from your hotel or guesthouse that is willing to make the drive on the spot, or pre-arrange a pickup from a taxi driver you like by asking for his cellphone number and calling to make a booking - the latter routine works best if you have a native Thai speaker to help you. Look for a later model taxi and do a quick visual check of the tires before committing to a trip. As a general precaution with all taxis in all countries, it's better to double up in a taxi with a friend on a long ride like this.

There are also mini-vans that leave from Victory Monument and charge 250 bht per person. This is a slightly nicer alternative to the larger tourist buses that depart from the bus stations. While the mini-vans drive faster than the tourist buses, they also make several stops along the way in Rayong which makes the trip about the same time as the tourist buses. The best way to get to Victory Monument is via the BTS Skytrain, since traffic is quite busy around this section of town. The mini-van "stations" are close to the base of the Victory Monument Skytrain stop.

By plane

Bangkok Airways has operated a flight daily from Phuket and Samui to U-taphao Airport. For more information contact Bangkok Airways at number (0 2265 5678) or travel agents. From the airport, it is about one hour by car or bus to reach the pier. This way of transportation is only recommended for travellers from the south of Thailand.