Koh Samui's best sights away from the beach fit into one day: the 12-metre Big Buddha on its little island in the north-east, Wat Plai Laem nearby, the Hin Ta and Hin Yai rocks south of Lamai, the mummified monk at Wat Khunaram and the Na Muang waterfalls inland. Go clockwise or anticlockwise round the ring road by hired driver, Grab or scooter, and dress for temples all day.
Most visitors see Samui as a beach island, and its beaches are good. But the island also has a working Buddhist life, a jungle interior and some places that are odd enough to remember. A loop takes you past all of them in a day, with time for lunch and a swim at the end. It also works for cruise passengers with one day ashore, if you keep to the shorter version below.
This page is the inland and ring-road loop. For where to swim and stay, see our guide to Koh Samui's beaches; for the island as a whole, our Koh Samui guide.
The Samui loop at a glance (November 2026)
- Big Buddha (Wat Phra Yai)
- On Ko Fan, a small island off the north-east corner, reached by a causeway; the Buddha is 12 m tall (TAT)
- Hin Ta and Hin Yai
- On the south-east coast, a couple of kilometers south of Lamai Beach (TAT)
- Wat Khunaram
- About 6 km west of Lamai Beach (TAT); the mummified monk Luang Pho Daeng
- Waterfalls
- Na Muang and Hin Lat, the island's jungle falls named by TAT
- Fees
- Check at each site; we found no official fee for the waterfalls or the Secret Buddha Garden
- Dress
- Shoulders and knees covered at every temple
Big Buddha and Wat Plai Laem in the north-east
Start in the north-east, close to the airport. The Big Buddha temple, Wat Phra Yai, stands on Ko Fan, a small rocky island linked to the shore by a causeway. TAT describes the golden Buddha as 12 meters tall, seated in the Maravijaya posture, the pose of the Buddha's victory over Mara. You can see it from kilometers away, and the beach opposite is known as Big Buddha Beach. Some websites give the statue as 15 meters; TAT says 12.
Take your shoes off where the signs ask you to, as you would in any temple. Early morning is cooler and quieter. Note that this is a different place from Phuket's Big Buddha, which has its own opening hours and history.
Wat Plai Laem is usually visited together with Big Buddha. We found no official description of it, so we do not repeat the dates and sizes that circulate online. If you want to know what you are looking at, our guide to reading a Thai temple explains the ubosot, the wihan, the chedi and the guardian figures you will find at most wats.
Down the east coast to Hin Ta and Hin Yai
From the north-east, the ring road runs south past Chaweng to Lamai. A couple of kilometers south of Lamai Beach, on the south-east coast, are Hin Ta and Hin Yai, "Grandpa and Grandma Rocks". TAT describes them as two rock formations that resemble male and female genitals, and says local people revere them. Treat them with the same respect as a shrine.
The rocks stand at the southern end of Lamai, so this is the natural place for a coffee or lunch break before you head inland. Take care on the wet rocks by the sea, and keep off them when the waves are high.
Wat Khunaram and the mummified monk
About 6 km west of Lamai, according to TAT, is Wat Khunaram, home of Samui's best-known relic of modern Buddhism. The monk Luang Pho Daeng died in 1973, and his body is displayed in a glass case. TAT notes that it shows little decay apart from the eyes, which are covered with sunglasses. He is said to have asked to be cremated if his body decomposed and to be put on display if it did not.
For Thai visitors this is a place of devotion, not a curiosity. Dress as for any temple, speak quietly, do not point your feet at the case, and take photographs only if others around you are doing so and no ceremony is under way. Our guide to temple etiquette and the dress code covers shoes, Buddha images and behavior around monks in more detail.
Carry a sarong in the car for Wat Khunaram and Big Buddha. On a beach day you will be in shorts and a vest. A sarong or a light scarf covers knees and shoulders in seconds at the temple gate and goes back in your bag at the next beach.
The Na Muang waterfalls
TAT names Na Muang (also written Na Mueang) and Hin Lat as Samui's jungle waterfalls. Na Muang has two falls, usually signed as Na Muang 1 and Na Muang 2, and most drivers combine it with Wat Khunaram on the same leg of the loop. Ask at the entrance how long the walk to each fall takes before you set off in the midday heat.
We could not find an official operator or fee for either fall. Blogs disagree on whether there is a fee and how much, so take some small notes and check at the entrance. The same goes for parking.
Waterfalls are where island days go wrong. The rock is slippery, flows can rise quickly after rain, and the top of a fall is not a viewpoint. Samui's rainy season comes later than in most of Thailand: the Thai Meteorological Department's averages make October to December the wettest months, with November the peak. Stay away from the edge, do not jump from the rocks into pools you cannot see the bottom of, and leave the water if it turns brown or starts to rise. Our page on waterfall and river safety in Thailand explains the warning signs.
The Secret Buddha Garden and the hills
In the hills of the interior is the Secret Buddha Garden, which TAT says is also sometimes called the Tarnim Magic Garden. TAT describes it as a lovely private little park with statues of the Buddha and of figures from legend. Because it is private, check the entry fee on the spot; we found no official figure.
The same 2021 TAT feature names other stops in the hills: Wat Theepangkorn on the island's highest point, with a standing Buddha and a view over Lamai and Chaweng, the Overlap Stone viewpoint, and Wat Sila Ngu, nicknamed the red temple. TAT warns that the inland roads between the top viewpoint and the Overlap Stone are bumpy dirt roads, recommended only for skilled scooter riders or for a 4×4, and suggests a tour as the safe option. We would follow that advice: hire a driver with a suitable car for the hill section, or join a tour.
How to do the loop: driver, Grab, scooter or songthaew
A hired driver is the easiest way to see everything in one day. Agree the stops, the hours and the price before you set off, and include waiting time at each place.
Grab works on Samui; Bolt does not cover the island. It is fine for point-to-point legs, for example Big Buddha to Lamai, but waiting times are longer away from Chaweng, and getting a car back from a waterfall can take a while. Our guide to using Grab on the Thai islands explains where it works.
Songthaews, the shared pickup trucks, are a cheap way to cover the coastal stretches between beaches. For the waterfalls and the hill gardens, plan on your own transport or a driver. Our guide to riding songthaews in Thailand explains how to stop one and pay.
A scooter gives you freedom on the ring road, but TAT itself warns that the island's motorbike accident toll, fatal crashes included, is high. Wear a helmet, avoid the dirt roads in the hills, and read our guide to safe scooter riding in Thailand before you hire one.
One day ashore from a cruise ship
Cruise ships do not dock at Samui. They anchor off Nathon on the west coast and bring passengers ashore by tender to Nathon pier, and tendering stops when the swell is heavy. Our page on Thailand's cruise ports explains how the tender works and what to bring.
With only a few hours, skip the hill section. A driver from Nathon can take you round the south via Wat Khunaram and Na Muang, then up the east coast to Hin Ta and Hin Yai and the Big Buddha, and back. Ask your cruise line for the last tender time, add a generous margin for traffic, and keep your phone charged with the ship's port agent number in it.
If you have a second day, or are staying on the island, the classic boat trip is to the marine park west of Samui; our guide to Ang Thong National Marine Park covers the tours, the fee and the closure from 1 November to 15 December.
Frequently asked questions
How tall is the Big Buddha on Koh Samui?
TAT gives the golden Buddha at Wat Phra Yai as 12 meters tall. It sits on Ko Fan, a small rocky island off Samui's north-east corner, linked to the shore by a causeway. Some websites say 15 meters, but TAT's figure is 12.
Can you see the mummified monk on Koh Samui?
Yes, at Wat Khunaram, about 6 km west of Lamai Beach according to TAT. The body of the monk Luang Pho Daeng, who died in 1973, is displayed in a glass case. It is a place of worship, so dress modestly and behave as you would in any temple.
Is there an entrance fee for the Na Muang waterfalls?
We could not find an official fee from the operator or the local authority, and blogs disagree. Take some small notes and check at the entrance. Parking may also be charged.
What is the best way to tour Koh Samui in one day?
A hired car with a driver is the easiest way to see the temples, rocks and waterfalls in one day, with Grab useful for single legs. Shared songthaews suit the coastal stretches; for the hills, use a driver.
Sources
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – Samui offers other than the beach holiday experience, 29 October 2018 (checked November 2026)
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – Mu Ko Ang Thong Marine Park and Ko Samui's inland sights, 20 May 2021 (checked November 2026)
- Grab Thailand – Transport service areas (checked November 2026)
- Cruise-port.com – Ko Samui cruise port (tender to Nathon) (checked November 2026)