Koh-Phangan
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The Island
Thailand is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and an extremely easy to travel country. The Thai people are very friendly and helpful and English is spoken by everyone.
Koh-Phangan (or Ko Pha Ngan) is an island in the Gulf of southeast Thailand, in Surat-Thani Province.
It is part of the Samui Archipelago and it has two sister islands: the larger Koh-Samui to the south and the smaller Ko Tao to the north.
Koh-Phangan itself is a small island (125 km2) in which nature remained wild and flourishing and the atmosphere is matching with a unique vibe of freedom and tranquility.
This magical island offers a wide variety of experiences and things to do; sandy white beaches with crystal clear water, turquoise lagoons, overwhelming sunsets, massages and spa treatments, jungle hikes in the beautiful nature surroundings, magnificent waterfalls, delicious Thai food, tropical fruits, a variety of vegan restaurants and a wide range of holistic activities and spiritual workshops.
The local established yogi community in Srithanu village (where Luna Alignment Yoga is located) gives you the opportunity to socialize and interact with like-minded people. For example the well-known daily sunset gathering at Zen beach, where you can meet new friends for acro-yoga, musical jam sessions, meditations, dancing, swimming or just lying down on the soft white sand in front of the breathtaking sunset or chilling around the bonfire. Really, it makes a yogi's heart sing.
It is said that the island is situated on a giant bed of rose quartz, what better place to start or deepen your physical, spiritual life journey.
Whether you are an experienced traveler or it is your first real journey, whether you are new or familiar to Koh-Phangan, we will happily assist and guide you through your trip and your stay in this amazing island, and answer any question or inquiry you may have.
We see it as our goal not only to provide you with the unique, high quality and professional TTC, but also to accompany you during your entire stay and allow you to enjoy this magical place as much as we do.
For more photos of Koh-Phangan please visit our Around the Island photo gallery
Feeling At Home - While On The Island
Getting Around
You can rent a bicycle or a scooter (they don't ask for a driving license) for faster travelling and touring the island. We will gladly recommend a good place for that.
A taxi service for trips around the island is also available when booked in advance.
Laundry
Doing laundry has never been easier 😊
Laundry services are easily found in our village. They are cheap - only 40 THB (approximately 1.2 US$) for 1 KG - and you'll get your clothes back within one day, clean, ironed, folded and smelling great.
Food and Drinks
Delicious tropical fruits and fruit shakes are available everywhere in our village, and a rich variety of restaurants that offer all types of cuisine, such as Thai of course but also Italian, French, Middle Eastern, Indian, Persian, Greek and more. There are also several wonderful vegan restaurants in the village.
Important notes:
1. It is not advised to drink tap water in Thailand (we do brush our teeth in tap water here on the island). You can buy water in 7-Eleven or Family Mart, where they also sell big bottles (~6 liters), which you can later on refill as well.
2. You should not throw toilet paper (or anything else) in the toilet, it will cause a blockage in the sewage system. Please always use the bins which are there for that purpose.
Toiletries and Pharmacy
Local convenient stores (such as 7-Eleven and Family Mart) offer nearly everything and in very affordable prices. Rest assure, wherever you are, they are just nearby 😊 They are always open and offer a variety of good toiletries, perfumery product, stationary product, medicine, drinking water and of course delicious snacks and coffee.
There is a pharmacy in our Village, just across the Srithanu 7-Eleven where you can find medicine, different remedies and also a good advice.
Internet, Communication and Electricity
Wi-Fi is available at the houses, resorts and in our school and in most restaurants as well, and it is also very easy and cheap to buy a local SIM card with Internet package for your mobile if you'd like.
In some places electricity adapters are required, depending on the specific socket type. Adapters are cheap and easily found in local stores.
How to get here
Visa to Thailand
A very convenient option is to issue a 60 days tourist visa* before arriving to Thailand in Thai embassies or consulates.
Please note that once the visa is issued there is usually a time-frame limitation to activate it, meaning to actually enter Thailand - so you should not apply too much in advance (you should check that exact time according to the place where you plan to issue the visa).
Another option is upon arriving to Thailand, at the airport, you can receive a 30 days tourist entry visa* (please note that this is not valid to all nationalities). If needed, you can extend it for another 30 days tourist visa* later on in Koh-Samui (starting from the day the first 30 days expire). That will require an easy couple of hours process including a short ferry trip from Koh-Phangan and back, and can be done during our TTC - we are giving optional days in which the students go there together.
* The above information may change according to nationality, please check your specific terms and conditions according the passport you are holding.
Important:
- Please note that over-staying is illegal (even for a day).
- You should be entering Thailand with a tourist visa. Yoga TTCs, and yoga schools in general, are not considered as an educational or study (or any other) purpose when it comes to the visa to Thailand. So please always indicate the reason of your trip as Holiday/Vacation.
Arriving to Koh-Phangan
Arrival to the island is by ferry. You should arrive to the Thong-Sala pier which is the closest to Srithanu, our village.
Ferries are run by 3 companies: Lomprayah, Seatran Discovery and Raja Ferry (depending where you come from). They run from morning till afternoon (Raja Ferry runs later as well). You can check their timetable online.
Important: Since arrival-to and departure-from the island are only by ferries, please pay attention to the ferries schedule in advance - on your way to the island make sure you can make it to the ferry to Koh-Phangan on time, and on the way out of the island make sure you can arrive on time for your ongoing travels.
Please also note that ferries can sometime be late so we advise to take an extra buffer time in your itinerary plan.
Upon arriving to Koh-Phangan
When arriving to the island before the course you should go to your accommodation. At Thong-Sala pier taxis are available and they can take you there. The ride to Srithanu should take about 15 minutes and cost about 200 THB. You can also take a taxi-bike for about 150 THB (taxi-bike drivers are wearing orange vests).
We will meet all the students on the first day of the course and walk together to our school. We will give more details about the meeting on the course facebook group.
Arrival by airplane
The nearest airport to Koh-Phangan is in the neighbor island Koh-Samui. At the airport counter (right when you make your way out of the airport) you can buy - on arrival - a joint ticket for a taxi to the pier & ferry to Koh-Phangan. You can go there after you pick up your luggage and they will tell you when is the next ferry leaving, and sell you the joint ticket.
Ferries depart several times daily from Koh-Samui to Thong-Sala pier in Koh-Phangan, with the last one at around 16:30. Taxi ride from Koh-Samui's airport to the pier will take about 10-15 minutes and the ferry ride to Koh-Phangana about 30 minutes.
Another - usually cheaper - option is to fly to Surat-Thani on the mainland. From Surat-Thani's airport, you would need a joint bus & ferry ticket to arrive to Thong-Sala pier in Koh-Phangan, and this journey would take about 5 hours. It is advised to purchase the tickets in advance.
Arrival by bus
The least expensive way to travel is to take one of the overnight buses from Bangkok to Surat-Thani. From there, you would need a joint bus & ferry ticket to arrive to Thong-Sala pier in Koh-Phangan. This would take several hours. The trip’s joint ticket can be arranged by travel agencies in Bangkok. It is advised to purchase the tickets in advance.
Arrival by train
Another way to get to Koh-Phangan is taking an overnight train with a proper bed from Bangkok to Surat-Thani. From there, you would need a joint bus & ferry ticket to arrive to Thong-Sala pier in Koh-Phangan. This would take several hours. The trip’s joint ticket can be arranged by travel agencies in Bangkok. It is advised to purchase the tickets in advance.
> In any case, please feel free to contact us for any question or clarification. We will be happy to assist.
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