Destination Details

Ko Pha Ngan is an island in southeast Thailand that’s renowned for its monthly Full Moon Party. This boisterous night-long celebration, which is tied to the lunar calendar, draws revelers to its southeastern peninsula, Haad Rin. Most festivities center on Sunrise Beach, whose beach bungalows attract a backpacker crowd. On the north coast lie quieter, white-sand beaches including Hat Khuat and Hat Thian.

Lining the east coast are sheltered beaches like the palm-fringed Ao Thong Nai Pan. All over Ko Pha Ngan are upscale spas, Thai kickboxing camps, and meditation and yoga retreats like those offered at the Buddhist monastery of Wat Khao Tham. The island’s mountainous center is crisscrossed with dense jungle and scenic waterfalls like Than Sadet, within the national park Than Sadet–Ko Pha Ngan. The island is also a gateway to Ang Thong National Marine Park, a reef-lined island chain that’s popular with snorkelers and scuba divers.