In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Haad Yao
Spend 1–2 days at Haad Yao for beach, snorkel and cheap bungalows; travel from Thong Sala by 10‑min taxi (≈100 THB).
Haad Yao is a long, wide beach on Ko Pha Ngan with easy access, shallow reef for snorkelling and a range of budget bungalows, making a short stay (1‑2 days) ideal.
- Country
- Thailand
- Best months
- Feb–Sep
- Avoid
- May–Oct (monsoon, rough sea)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- THB
- Money
- Currency is the Thai baht (THB, ฿). Cards work in malls, hotels and many restaurants; street food, markets, boats and small taxis are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ฿800–1,200 excl. bed · Mid ฿1,200–2,000 excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Ambulance 1669 · Tourist police 1155
- Plugs
- Types A, B, C, O · 220 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US pins and round European pins; type O is the Thai three-pin standard. UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Leave ฿20–100 or the coins; skip it if a 10% service charge is on the bill.; Taxi / Grab: Round up to the next ฿10 or ฿20.; Massage: ฿50–100 per hour to the therapist, in hand.; Guide / driver day: ฿300–500 for the guide, ฿200–300 for the driver.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ฿20–50.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Street refill machines charge about ฿1 a litre; bottled water everywhere.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in malls and hotels; squat toilets with a water bucket in rural stops. The hose ('bum gun') replaces paper; paper goes in the bin in older buildings. Some public toilets cost ฿3–5.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Pad Thai (street stall) | ฿50–80 |
| Taxi from Thong Sala to Haad Yao | ≈100 THB |
| Motorbike rental (per day) | ฿150–250 |
| Snorkel boat tour (incl. gear) | ฿300–500 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- USM · Samui Airport
- 30 min by ferry + taxi to Thong Sala
Typical fares
- Taxi Thong Sala → Haad Yao
- ≈100 THB, negotiate if driver quotes 150 THB (check)
- Motorbike hire per day
- ≈200 THB
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk the beach, rent a motorbike for farther spots, shared taxis to Thong Sala (≈10 min) or Haad Rin (≈25 min).
See and do
Known for
- 1 km sandy beach
- snorkelling reef (≈400 m swim)
- budget beachfront bungalows
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Haad Rin (Full Moon Party beach) | Shared taxi from Haad Yao, about 25 min | ≈30 min |
Sleep
- Benjawan Bungalows
- Simple fan rooms, 200 THB
- Bounty Island
- Beach‑front bungalows, 350–700 THB
- Haad Yao Bay View
- Beach‑front rooms, 1,750–2,750 THB
- Shiralea Backpackers Resort
- Stylish bungalows, 500–1,500 THB, pool, dive centre
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| How much? | เท่าไหร่thâo‑rai |
| I want to go to Haad Yao | ฉันอยากไปหาดยาวchăn yàak pai hàat yaao |
| Where is the taxi stand? | ที่จุดรับแท็กซี่อยู่ที่ไหนtêe jùt ráp taxi yùu têe năi |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A wai (palms together, slight bow) to return a greeting; a smile and nod for shop staff; avoid: Waiing children or service staff first — it confuses; hugging strangers
- Head and feet: Keep feet on the floor, sit with legs folded to the side in temples; avoid: Touching heads (even children's), pointing feet, stepping over people or food
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees, shoes off, sit lower than monks; avoid: Women touching monks or handing them things directly; climbing Buddha images
- Monarchy: Stand for the royal anthem in cinemas and at 08:00 and 18:00 in public places; avoid: Any joke or comment about the royal family; stepping on a banknote
- Keeping calm: Stay polite and smiling when things go wrong ('jai yen' — cool heart); avoid: Raising your voice; public anger loses the argument
- Names: Khun plus first name ('Khun Somchai'); nicknames are normal; avoid: Using the family name alone
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or sweets; step over the threshold, not on it; avoid: Sitting with feet towards the family shrine
- Beckoning and pointing: Palm down, fingers waved towards you; point with the whole hand or chin; avoid: Pointing at people with a finger or with your foot
Scams and watch-outs
- Taxi drivers may quote 150 THB; negotiate to ~100 THB.
- Some boat tours run too close to coral; avoid reckless operators.
Haad Yao is generally safe for tourists; keep an eye on personal belongings on the beach, avoid reckless boat tours, and negotiate taxi fares up front.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Haad Yao yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- 1 km sandy beach
- snorkelling reef (≈400 m swim)
- budget beachfront bungalows
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Thailand Tourism Authority: www.tourismthailand.org/
- Wikivoyage: Haad Yao, revision 4987650 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4987650
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/haad-yao). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.