Island Cruise: Discovering Koh Phangan and Koh Ma

Koh Ma is a tiny island connected to Koh Phangan by a sandbank at low tide from Mae Haad Beach. Many call it paradise and find it extremely hard to leave. Koh Ma is well-known for its blue-turquoise sea, colorful corals and vibrant marine life. It is not as crowded as compared to other locations, making it a relaxing place for a beach holiday. Surrounded by reefs, Koh Ma is also a good site for snorkeling. Local dive schools carried out trips to Koh Ma as beach diving is regarded as a popular sport here on Koh Ma and also Mae Haad. Diving and snorkeling are more mesmerizing thanks to the vast range of coral and local marine life, including bannerfish and grouper. Mae Haad is another paradise for beach lovers where simple activities such as going on a beach swing and relaxing in a hammock can be very pleasurable.

Koh Phangan, with an overall area of 167sqkm, is Thailand’s fifth biggest island. Located 70km from the mainland and just 12km from Koh Samui, Phangan does not have an airport and relies heavily on ferries from the mainland and Koh Samui. Predominantly made up of granite, Koh Pha Ngan almost unspoilt beauty is accented by a hilly, lush tropical jungle interior, many idyllic, long white-sand beaches and over 20 nearby dive sites. The main disembarkation points are Thongsala and Haad Rin where you will find plenty of ATM machines and banks.

Ko Samui (or Koh Samui, also often locally shortened to Samui) is an island off the east coast of Thailand. Geographically in the Chumphon Archipelago, it is part of Surat Thani Province, though as of 2012, Ko Samui was granted municipal status and thus is now locally self-governing. Ko Samui is Thailand's second largest island after Phuket.