Srithanu, Koh Phangan: the west coast for groups and families

On this page

On this page

Weather month by month

Averages for 1991 to 2020 from the Ko Samui (WMO 48550) weather station, the nearest one to Koh Phangan in the source.

Month	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)	Rain (mm)	Rainy days	Sea (°C)
January	29.0°	24.2°	126.8 mm	11.1	28 °C
February	29.4°	24.9°	64.3 mm	5.6	28 °C
March	30.4°	25.4°	115.8 mm	5.9	29 °C
April	31.8°	26.0°	82.9 mm	8.1	30 °C
May	32.9°	25.7°	131.6 mm	14.0	30 °C
June	32.7°	25.3°	133.6 mm	13.1	30 °C
July	32.3°	25.1°	117.0 mm	14.3	29 °C
August	32.4°	25.1°	102.2 mm	14.5	29 °C
September	31.9°	24.8°	117.5 mm	15.0	29 °C
OctoberRainy season	30.6°	24.3°	294.9 mm	19.3	29 °C
NovemberRainy season	29.7°	24.1°	444.6 mm	18.7	28 °C
DecemberRainy season	29.3°	24.0°	263.1 mm	14.2	28 °C

Sources: ubonmet.tmd.go.th (climate normals), weather2travel.com (sea temperature). As of 4 October 2026.

Srithanu is a small, walkable community on the northwest coast of Koh Phangan, with Zen Beach as its sunset meeting point, Laem Son Lake directly behind it and most of the island’s yoga centres. The Thong Sala ferry pier is roughly ten minutes away by motorbike.

The west coast is wettest from October to December, when it faces the northeast monsoon. January to September is the better window for the beach.

Srithanu and the west coast at a glance

Going clockwise from Thong Sala, Wikivoyage lists Ao Nai Wok, Srithanu, Haad Chao Phao, Haad Son, Haad Yao and Haad Salad among the west coast bays. It describes Srithanu as a volcanic peninsula with bays and beaches, south of Haad Son and Haad Yao.

Sawa Discovery reads the island in three zones: a party south around Haad Rin, a wellness west around Srithanu and Haad Yao, and a north and east shaped by nature.

Beaches: sunset and swimming

Srithanu Beach, Zen Beach and Haad Chao Phao

Three beaches lie close together around Srithanu, according to a guide to Srithanu published by a retreat centre in the village.

• Srithanu Beach is the main stretch: shallow and calm, good for swimming most of the year and described as family-friendly. At low tide the water pulls back a long way, so check the tide before a swim.
• Zen Beach (Ao Niad) is where people gather at sunset. An informal drum circle typically starts around 17:30 and runs until dark; it is not organised and needs no ticket.
• Haad Chao Phao is longer and wider, with clearer water, a few beach bars and better snorkelling than the village beaches. The sources place it on different sides of the Srithanu peninsula, so check its position on a map.

Haad Chao Phao to Haad Salad

Haad Chao Phao is a small, quiet beach with several bars and restaurants where you can have dinner while the sun sets (Wikivoyage). Haad Son is a bay with a beach.

Haad Yao, a long white sandy beach just north of Haad Chao Phao, is slightly more developed, with more beach bars, a 7-Eleven, ATMs and restaurants; the snorkelling is further out from the beach. Haad Salad is an idyllic cove with several high-end resorts in the northwest corner of the island. Sawa Discovery names Haad Salad and Haad Yao, with Thong Nai Pan, as the areas that combine calm beaches with suitable facilities for families.

Secret Beach, like Haad Yao within 15 minutes of Srithanu by motorbike, is well signposted despite its name and has good snorkelling at the northern end of the bay (Srithanu guide).

A 2017 feature by the Tourism Authority of Thailand sends sunset lovers to the west coast: Haad Yao, Haad Salad and Ko Raham. Wikivoyage describes the strip of bays along this coast as having “no surf whatsoever”.

Swimming by season

• October to December: the west coast faces the northeast monsoon, with the most rain and the roughest seas on this side of the island (Srithanu guide).
• January to September: the better period for beach conditions, with March to June widely considered the best mix of weather and crowds (Srithanu guide).
• December to March: high season, with clean water good for swimming (Wikivoyage) and a calm sea (Sawa Discovery). July and August are a second high season (Wikivoyage).
• Sawa Discovery dates the rainy season from September to November, with rain sometimes intense in October and November.

The table above gives rain and temperatures month by month for the Ko Samui station, the nearest in the Thai Meteorological Department’s 1991 to 2020 normals. October to December bring 1002.6 mm there, about half of the annual 1994.3 mm, and November alone 444.6 mm.

Laem Son Lake

Laem Son Lake is three minutes from Srithanu village, says the Srithanu guide. It is a freshwater lake in a former tin mine, with rope swings and year-round swimming, and a calm, shaded place for an hour away from the beach. Fishing is not permitted, as it is a protected area. Entry fees, opening hours and safety arrangements are not published, so ask locally before going with children.

The yoga and wellness village

Srithanu concentrates most of the island’s yoga centres, with Vinyasa, Hatha, Yin and Ashtanga classes, Vipassana meditation and breathwork (Sawa Discovery). Retreats typically last 3 to 28 days and cost €40 to €80 per day with full board, depending on the centre, and Sawa advises booking reputable centres 2 to 3 months ahead.

Drop-in classes are available at most schools in the area. The village is compact, with Reiki, Ayurvedic and Thai massage, and cafés serving vegan and raw food alongside Thai and Mediterranean cooking (Srithanu guide).

The same guide says there is no nightlife to speak of. For a group in which some people want a quiet week and others want evenings out, this is worth weighing early.

Staying on the west coast

Sawa Discovery describes boutique hotels and smaller resorts (€60 to €120) as very present on the west coast, at Haad Yao, Haad Salad and Mae Haad, often beachfront with a pool, a restaurant and direct beach access. Retreat centres around Srithanu sell packages with accommodation, yoga classes and vegetarian meals for €40 to €80 per day. Prices as listed on 4 October 2026.

For a quiet stay, Sawa points to the west or the east of the island; for the Full Moon Party, to Haad Rin or Ban Tai.

Shops, cash and getting to Thong Sala

The main Srithanu intersection, marked by a 7-Eleven, is the village’s orientation point, with a small pharmacy and a bakery nearby. There are ATMs at the crossroads and in Thong Sala, but most restaurants and small businesses in Srithanu do not accept cards (Srithanu guide). Sawa Discovery also advises withdrawing cash in Thong Sala, as ATMs are rare in remote villages.

The island’s biggest supermarket is in Thong Sala, according to Wikivoyage, which also lists the Thong Sala night market with meals from 40 baht (as read on 4 October 2026).

Times and fares, as published:

Getting around as a group

A scooter is almost the only way to get around the island, and outside Thong Sala most roads have no pavement (Wikivoyage). Helmets are compulsory and police fine riders without one. Many travel insurance policies do not cover motorcycle accidents. Scooter rental is quoted at 250 baht per day (Wikivoyage), around 200 baht (Sawa Discovery) and 200 to 300 baht (Srithanu guide).

For families and groups, Sawa Discovery finds a car sometimes more economical and safer than scooters, at 800 to 2,000 baht per day depending on the model. Wikivoyage says small manual 4WDs rent for the price of two scooters.

Songthaews charge per person, not per trip. Drivers at the pier try to fix the price at 200 baht a ride, so Wikivoyage suggests walking 300 m to the taxi station at the Thong Sala roundabout. Songthaews run along the west coast road between Thong Sala and Haad Yao, less often in the evenings (Srithanu guide).

Away from the Full Moon noise

On full moon weekends Haad Rin fills with thousands of visitors, while Srithanu keeps its own rhythm (Srithanu guide). Sawa Discovery advises anyone not going to the party to avoid the south coast that night; the rest of the island stays calm. Entry to the party costs 100 baht, according to Sawa.

You can stay almost anywhere on the island and still reach the party (Wikivoyage). Police roadblocks are common between Thong Sala and Haad Rin in the week before, and the “Hill of Tears”, the first steep climb from Thong Sala towards Haad Rin, needs care. Do not ride home after drinking: Wikivoyage suggests a taxi, Sawa Discovery a songthaew.

Book ferries early around the full moon, as the limited boats fill quickly (Wikivoyage), and Haad Rin accommodation fills 1 to 2 months ahead (Sawa Discovery). The party is not always held on the night of the astronomical full moon. According to a published party schedule, the Haad Rin Business Association sets the dates, in some months the party moves because a Buddhist holiday falls on the full moon day, and the date should be reconfirmed before booking. Plan around the published party date, not a lunar calendar.

How we checked

We compared Wikivoyage, Sawa Discovery, a 2017 Tourism Authority of Thailand feature, a Srithanu guide published by a local retreat centre and a published Full Moon Party schedule, all read on 4 October 2026. The retreat centre’s guide is used for local facts, not for its recommendations. The climate figures come from the table above. None of these sources gives a road distance or driving time from Srithanu to Haad Rin, or describes Hin Kong. Prices and times are not dated in the sources, so confirm them locally before booking.