Being the second-largest island in Thailand, Koh Samui is an ideal place for the first-time tourist, families, honeymooners and yoga bunnies. Known for its extravagant resorts, luxury spas, chic bars and world-class restaurants, people come to Koh Samui to relax and unwind. The island is also home to several natural and man-made attractions like the Secret Buddha Garden, the Mummy Monk, and the beautiful Namuang Waterfall. Tourists can also visit the Fisherman’s Village and explore its Walking Street Market that comes to life every Friday in the old part of Bophut Beach.
Meaning ‘Turtle Island’, Koh Tao is a mecca for scuba divers. The coral landscapes here are home to turtles, reef sharks, stingrays, barracudas and whale sharks. Popular dive sites here help you explore the underwater sculptures of Ocean Utopia, the wreck of HTMS Sattakut, Lighthouse Bay, Japanese Gardens, Chumphon Pinnacles and many more. There are dozens of diving shops that provide daily trips and training courses, particularly in Mae Haad. If you’re new to diving, you can sign up at a school there and get your Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) or Scuba Schools International (SSI) Open Water certification. These courses usually take up to four days and include four ocean dives. If you’re short on time, you can opt for the one-day Discovery Dives, where you can go down 12 metres without certification.
The biggest and busiest island in Thailand, Phuket is blessed with more than 30 amazing beaches to choose from. Patong Beach, Kata, Karon and Kamala have always been the most popular, but the north of the island reveals some hidden gems for travellers searching for a more romantic atmosphere. What makes Phuket different from the others is that it offers every luxury that a traveller can think of. Celebrity-chef restaurants, five-star resorts with private butlers, glitzy bars, Phuket has it all. A great one-day excursion is to Phang Nga Bay. A distinctive feature of the bay are the limestone cliffs with their sheen, that jut vertically out of the emerald-green waters. James Bond Island and Koh Panyee are two other famous spots in this bay.
The island of choice for many solo travellers, Phi Phi will live up to all your expectations. This small archipelago consists of six islands: Koh Phi Phi Leh, Koh Bida Nok, Koh Bida Nai, Koh Phai (Bamboo Island), Koh Young (Mosquito Island) and Koh Phi Phi Don, the largest and only human-inhabited island of the group. Phi Phi is known for having various activities on offer—diving, snorkelling, cliff-jumping, boat trips, you’re spoilt for choice. As the waters around the island are home to a number of innocuous black-tip and leopard sharks, shark-watching tours have gained much popularity. These tours start early in the morning and end by mid-day. While you can spend the day indulging in adventure activities, you can spend your evening shopping for t-shirts, souvenirs and other accessories at the Tonsai East Shopping Alleyway.
A place loved by adventurists and naturists, Similan Islands are numbered north to south, one to nine, and form a national park in the Andaman Sea. You can swim over untouched coral reefs in the turquoise waters and then step on to the white sand beaches of Koh Miang (known as ‘number four’) which has simple bamboo bungalows. The largest island Koh Similan (number eight) measures around five sq. km and is highly distinguishable because of the strange rock that is shaped like Donald Duck that overlooks the famous Donald Duck bay. Koh Similan is the main island here that attracts the most tourists because it has an average water depth of just over 25 metres, making it ideal for snorkelling and diving. It also has a fantastic nature trail up the highest mountain of the Mo Ku National Park.
Now experience greater convenience while applying for a Thailand visa. Streamlined visa services are offered at Thailand Visa Application Centres, operated by VFS Global, in 13 cities in India. In addition, applicants can also avail a host of additional optional services like Prime Time appointment, form-filling assistance, and other personalised services at these state-of-the-art Visa Application Centres. Key features of the Thailand Visa Application Centres: