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Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Sri Thanu
Half-day for snorkelling and a meal; skip if you want nightlife or a long beach. One night is enough.
Sri Thanu is a quiet volcanic peninsula on Ko Pha-ngan's west coast, 10 min north of Thong Sala. Its fringing coral reef makes it one of the island's best spots for shore snorkelling. The village has a handful of restaurants and bungalows but no party scene. Most visitors come for a meal or a half-day snorkel, then move on.
- Country
- Thailand
- Best months
- Feb–Sep
- Avoid
- Oct–Jan (monsoon, rough seas)
- Stay
- 1 night
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 ฿800–1,500 excl. bed · Mid ฿1,500–3,000 excl. bed · High ฿3,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Tourist police 1155 · Ambulance 1669
- 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 |
|---|---|
| Meal at Mama Pooh's Kitchen | ฿80–150 |
| Pad Thai at a local shop | ฿60–100 |
| Large beer (Chang/Singha) | ฿70–100 |
| Scooter rental per day | ฿250–350 |
| Taxi Thong Sala–Sri Thanu | ฿100–150 |
| Snorkel gear rental per day | ฿100–200 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- USM · Samui Airport
- Ferry to Thong Sala (Raja or Lomprayah), then a 10-min taxi to Sri Thanu.
Typical fares
- Thong Sala → Sri Thanu taxi
- ฿100–150, 10 min
- Scooter rental per day
- ฿250–350
- Ferry Samui → Thong Sala (Raja/Lomprayah)
- ฿400–600, 30 min (check)
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
Walking covers the village. Rent a scooter (about ฿250/day) to reach Thong Sala or other beaches. Taxis from Thong Sala cost about ฿100–150.
See and do
Known for
- Shore snorkelling on a volcanic reef
- Mama Pooh's Kitchen
- Quiet west-coast atmosphere
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Thong Sala | Taxi or scooter, 10 min | 10 min |
| Haad Rin | Taxi or scooter, about 20 min | 20 min |
| Thong Nai Pan | Scooter, about 30 min | 30 min |
| Bottle Beach | Long-tail boat from Chalok Lam or a 45-min hike | 1 h |
Sleep
- Beachfront bungalows
- SeeThanu and Loyfa are the main options; book ahead in high season (Dec–Feb).
- Thong Sala
- More choice and cheaper; 10 min by taxi or scooter.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | สวัสดีsawatdee |
| Thank you | ขอบคุณkhob khun |
| How much? | เท่าไหร่tao rai |
| Delicious | อร่อยaroi |
| I don't eat spicy | ไม่เผ็ดmai phet |
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
- Monsoon (Oct–Jan) brings rough seas and jellyfish; snorkelling is not safe then.
- Motorbike accidents are the most common tourist injury on Ko Pha-ngan; wear a helmet.
- No ATM in Sri Thanu; bring cash from Thong Sala.
Sri Thanu is safe. The main risks are motorbike accidents and jellyfish during monsoon. Keep valuables in your room safe.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Sri Thanu yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Shore snorkelling on a volcanic reef
- Mama Pooh's Kitchen
- Quiet west-coast atmosphere
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Ko Pha-ngan tourism authority: www.kohphangan.com/
- Wikivoyage: Sri Thanu, revision 4998123 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4998123
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/sri-thanu). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.