Ko Samui Vacations and Tourism

Ko Samui, often called just Samui is an island in the Gulf of Thailand, some 700km south of Bangkok and about 80km from the eastern coastline of southern Thailand.

An island of great natural beauty and variety, Samui is home to about 40,000 full-time inhabitants, 90% of whom are Buddhist. The palm fringed shoreline and coconut and fruit cultivation of the coastal lowlands rise to a central granite massive, the slopes of which are cloaked in virgin rainforest.

At 247km squared Samui is the third largest island in Thailand and the largest island in an archipelago of over 80 (mostly uninhabited) islands which form the Ang Thong National Marine Park, a kayaking and snorkeling paradise. At 25km long and 21km wide, Samui is big enough for serious exploration by the adventurous and fit, but can be circumnavigated in just a couple of hours by motorbike or car.

Tourism has long since overtaken coconut farming and fishing as the main sources of income. The latter are still practiced though to a lesser extent and the pleasant aroma of charring coconuts can still be smelt on many parts of the island. Many of the fish on local restaurant and hotel dining room tables come from the surrounding Gulf of Thailand's warm waters, although increasing amounts are imported from elsewhere as demand outstrips supply.

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