In the morning we say goodbye to Max and Alina. We leave with a good spirit on our 'island expedition’: walking from beach to beach and eventually arrive back in Than Sadet, after a hike of 70km. We each take a small rucksack with our bare necessities: no tent because almost every beach on Koh Phangan has bungalows and just a few extra clothes because we can wash them almost every day. The first day we encounter some problems: the trails shown on our map are not always marked properly or don’t exist anymore. One path isn't possible anymore because of the construction of an airport.

Construction of Koh Phangan's first Airport

As a result it becomes a real adventure: first we have to follow the coastline over the rocks for two hours and afterwards we end up in the middle of the jungle without a path.

Hard but worth it

Just before sundown we reach our destination: Haad Yao East. We find a lovely bungalow built entirely out of bamboo. It almost feels like we are on a deserted beach, it’s so quiet here.

Haad Yao East and our Bamboo Bungalow

The next day is less adventurous because the hiking trail is well marked. We start the day with three nices beaches, close to each other. It was really rewarding after all the hard labour the day before.

Haad Thian, Haad Yuan and Haad Khontee

The trail also passes a nice viewpoint which is located at an altitude of a few hundred meters. This is the hardest climb of the day but it was really worth it. From here we see the three beaches we were walking on a few hours ago.

After the viewpoint We Have an Easy Descent

After climbing down the mountain we arrive in Haad Rin, the most touristic beach on Koh Phangan. This is the beach where the famous Full Moon Party is held, which we just missed when we came to Koh Phangan. It's really a beautifull beach and it has the whitest sand we have ever seen. Here we halt for the night in a nice bungalow, away from the beach.

Haad Rin

On day three we only have a short walk to Baan Kai, we don’t suffer too much because we’re on the flat part of the island now. Again we pass many nice beaches along the way. This side of the Island really has a lot of nice beaches. We find a resort with a pool in Baan Kai, just 2 euro above our budget. Unfortunately, the pool is closed due to maintenance (they tell us we can swim the next day for sure). Actually, this is perfect. Tomorrow we want to rest anyway because we have some plans tonight.

Today we are Treated Again with Beautiful Beaches

In the evening it’s time for a party. We missed out on the Full Moon Party but tonight we go to its counterpart, the Half Moon Party. Max and Alina are also coming, together with some friends of theirs. The party is really nice; the music is good, the location in the jungle is really great and the decoration perfectly completes the whole scenery. We have a great time and we party until the early morning.

Half Moon Party

We wake up around noon and are disappointed that the pool at the resort is still closed. We ask for a refund for that night and decide to walk further.
We still find ourselves on plane grounds so there aren’t any steep roads. We pass a beautiful mangrove beach where we take a long break to relax. Also the other beaches we pass today are nice. In the evening we don’t easily find an affordable place to sleep, so we have to walk until 9pm.

Truly Paradise

At day five we return to the mountains. It’s very exhausting to walk on the steep roads while the sun is burning on our backs, so we decide to take a shortcut over the rocks again. We get stuck and since we don’t like to go back, our only option is to have a little swim (with the rucksack over the head). We arrive at Haad Mae Haad which has a beach with a sand bar that you can walk across to reach Koh Ma (a small island less than 100 metres offshore of Haad Mae Haad).

The Sand Bar Between Mae Haad en Koh Ma

Just before the sun goes down, we arrive at Baan Chaloklum, where we immediately find a cheap bungalow with sea view.
Our next destination is Bottle Beach, we just have to follow the empty plastic bottles that mark the path. We stay here for two nights because we love our beachfront bungalow. Moreover, it’s our cheapest accommodation in Thailand so far, for only 7 euro! Our resort provides plenty of free entertainment: we can use their snorkels, beach ball set and the pool table. In the evening they show movies on a big screen. Like most beaches on Koh Phangan, there are swings hanging in a tree.

Our Swing and our Bungalow at Bottle Beach

Our last day of hiking starts with a very hard climb, but once at the top we are rewarded with a stunning view point. At three o'clock we arrive at Than Sadet.

The Island's Most Beautiful Viewpont

We pick up Mickey and drive to the pier in Thong Sala. Here we have to take the boat to Koh Tao but there's no car ferry to this Island. We look for a guesthouse where we can park the bike while we are gone.

Beautiful Koh Phangan

More info on www.wijzijnweg.org