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|
One
day tour |
|
| Adventure
Sports |
 |
If
you're after an adrenaline rush, then you have a number of options. You
can head to Samui Shooting Sport on the main road between Bophut and
Chaweng to safely use rifles and handguns. You can go to Lamai to
shoot up into the air compliments of the Jungle Bungy Catapult. Or
you can head to Samui Go Kart between Maenam and Bophut to shoot around
their track. |
| Children's
Activities |
|
Treasure
Island - before kids hit the big links they may want to try their hand
at mini golf. Treasure Island has 18 colourful hotels in Chaweng
behind the islander restaurant and Gringo's Tex-Mex Cantina.
Health Oasis Resort-offers the child and
family a friendly environment. The resort's Healing Child Centre
offers everything from informal supervised playtime to more formal yoga,
reiki, computer and English classes. Tel. 66.077.420.124
|
| Kayaking |
 |
The living Bowl Centre offers top of the range ten
pin action and its own on-site restaurant, if you can't tear
yourself away from the lanes for long. In Central Chaweng, above
McDonals. |
| Kayaking |
 |
You can glide across the
water's surface near Samui's
shores or around the cave-studded islands of Angthong National
Marine Park. Sea Kayaks are very stable and easy to use.
A number of hotels in Chaweng rent kayak, or Blue Stars Kayaking
can arrange a full day tour complete with guides and kayaks in
the marine park. |
| Sailing |
|
Samui has excellent weather conditions for sailing
- a good all year round breeze which is a solid northeasterly
between December and April and a more challenging strong
westerly with the occasional violent gust between May and
November. Craft available for a day on the ocean waves
include yachts, catamarans and, more modest, windsurf boards. |
| Diving |
 |
Diving is one of the most popular activities on
Samui and the surrounding islands. Beneath the waves you
will find a whole new world. Whether you are experienced
or not, have your own equipment or not, you can find a dive
school and tour to suit your tastes. |
| Crocodile
Farm |
 |
If
you're into sharp-toothed reptiles, head over to the Samui Crocodile
Farm. Just 800m from he airport, you can't miss the green
signs. The farm is open 8.30 am - 5 pm daily and there are shows
at 2pm and 4.30pm. |
| Elephant
Trekking |
 |
If you like to enjoy the scenery without
the noise of an engine disturbing the peace, then why not go on an elephant
trek?
While elephants are not native to Samui their appearance on the
island is actually a good sign: Since Thailand's remaining
natural forests are not protected, elephants are no longer
employed in their traditional logging work, and so have plenty
of free time to work with visitors. Despite their huge size,
elephants are incredibly sure-footed, even on steep and narrow
trails. And the world looks wonderful from 3 metres up on the
back of an elephant. Standard trips last half-an-hour,
although longer trips can be requested. |
| Thai
Cooking |
|
One of the best things about
Thailand, of course, is the food. If you want to have more than a passing
knowledge of classic Thai dishes, then you can learn how to cook
them yourself. A culinary institute and several hotels
offer demonstrations and hands-on practical experience in Thai
ingredients and cooking techniques. Introductory and/or
intensive courses are available and range from a few hours to a
week or two. |
| Buffolo
Show |
 |
Bringing back a bit of the traditional rural
Thai way of life
to Samui, Living Thailand offers a very pleasant diversion from
the rigours of the beach. Situated amongst paddy fields
and rolling hills in the south of the island, visitors to Living
Thailand and enjoy buffalo cart rides, buffalo theater and a Thai
farming museum. The theatre show includes demonstrations
of rice planning and paddy ploughing as visitors are welcome
to join in. Multi-lingual guards are on hand throughout and
show times are at 10 am and 3 pm. |
| Heaven's
Garden |
 |
This
is an extraordinary sculpture garden created by an extraordinary
man. Nim Thaongsuk was a fourth generation Samui native. At
the age of 77 he began his creation of figures based on Buddhist
scriptures. He was still working on the garden when he died a couple of
years ago at the age of 91. The garden continues to offer not only
Khun Nim's woderful sculptures, but also a great view of the
island's hills and forests. To get to Heaven's Garden, take the
asphalt air force road in Ban Saket, turn right about 1 km before the
end of the road, then follow the dirt track for 400mm. if you get lost
ask for Nam Tok Ta-nim. |
| Butterfly
Garden |
 |
Butterflies are one of the most easily
observed and beautiful
examples of the island's biodiversity. See vividly
colorful examples of Tropical butterflies in this scenic
hillside setting. Since butterflies only live for about
two weeks, the garden raises their own butterflies and has a
great display of caterpillars, cocoons and adults. The
garden is next to the Central Samui Village, off the 4170 road,
south of Huan Thanon. Open daily from 9 am to 9 pn. Price
: 120 Baht for adults, 60 Baht for children under
12. |
| Monkey
Theatre |
|
Watch monkeys perform in special show at
10.30 am, 2 pm and 4 pm every day. Price: 150 Baht for adults
and 50 Baht for children. It's on the 4169 ring-road, 400 metres
South of Bophut Village. |
| Thai
Boxing |
 |
Muay Thai is
Thailand's national sport and as such, is
taken very seriously indeed. An evening's entertainment can
feature as many as 10 fights before getting to the main bout and
can last up to three hours. So unless you're devoted fight
fan, it's probably best just to drop in for an hour or so.
The pre-fight rituals and the traditional music throughout are
as much a part of the event as the fights themselves. Widely
considered to be the world's most dangerous martial art, Thai
boxing is a superb showcase of speed, grace and discipline. |
| Snake
Farm |
|
If you don't want to venture into Koh
Samui's
remaining forests, you can still get some of the thrill from the
snake farm's daily shows. They feature ten different
species of snakes as well as centipedes, scorpions and lizards.
Snake handlers boast the longest King Cobra in Thailand, which
is on display at the farm's King Cobra House. The snake
farm has been known to perform a valuable service by capturing
wanted snaked from the yards of locals and giving them a home
in the show. |
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