Big Buddha temple sits majestically on a small rocky island off Koh Samui’s north-eastern corner. Known locally as Wat Phra Yai, its golden, 12-metre seated Buddha statue was built in 1972 and remains one of the island’s most popular attractions. Set on Koh Faan, Big Buddha temple is reached by a causeway that connects it to the main island. Read More...

• Location: Route 4171, near the airport

If spectator sports are more to your liking how about a bit of buffalo fighting? This local sport was traditionally held as entertainment after the rice harvest but now is a regular gig with sometimes millions of baht changing hands over the winner - and that's no bull!

A good opportunity to see a snapshot of southern Thai life. Lots of excitement.attracting a neighbourhood crowd who delight in a good old dust up. The more aggressive the buffalo the greater the appreciation from the audience. There are several "stadiums" around the island, most being a basic cleared area under the palms with a wall of bamboo matting or coconut leaves to hinder the view of those who haven't paid for a seat. Men pay about 100 Baht, women enter free. The fight ends when one animal runs away, usually well before either animal gets hurt.

Known in Thai as Wat Namtok Hin Lad, Hin Lad Waterfall Temple (or Saunthamma Pala Nikrotharam Temple in full) is set in evergreen tropical jungle just before the trail up to the famous Hin Lad Waterfall, a few kilometres south of Nathon Town, Samui. Read More...

• Opening Hours: All year round
• Location: Hin Lad Waterfall Temple is at Lipa Yai, less than a 10-minute drive south of Nathon Town

Just South of Hinta Hinyai, this fishing village is home to a large proportion of Samui's Muslim population, and still retains a quaint, old-Samui feel, with rickety teakwood houses lining the road, as well as some decent seafood restaraunts and ethnic clothing and jewellery boutiques. Whilst you may not see too many long-tail boats setting off to cast nets these days, its worth checking out the teak houses put to modern usage, with the play station arcades and cars parked in the front rooms.

Koh Samui is synonymous with coconut trees - there are literally plantations all over the island, and until tourism arrived, coconuts were the main industry here.

How do you get at the coconuts? Enter the monkey, considered as man's best friend, these industrious little animals are greatly prized and give a demonstration of their incredible dexterity (and not just at picking coconuts) in the outdoor theatre. The entertainment also includes performing elephants.

• Location: look for the theatre on the ring road behind Bophut Village.
• Tour Available: Full Day Koh Samui Jungle Safari Tour

Na Muang Waterfalls, a majestic set of two cascades on Koh Samui, show that the island’s beauty is not limited to its beaches. Found inland about 12 kilometres south-east of Nathon Bay, the Na Muang falls are reached by taking a walking path from the entrance to the park. Read More...

• Location: Na Muang Waterfall is off Route 4169 south of Koh Samui’s inland mountains between Nathon and Hua Thanon.

Located on Samui’s highest mountain – Khao Pom – in Taling Ngam (southwestern area of the island), Paradise Park Farm originally opened as a bird zoo in 2012, before to add deer, rabbits and other gentle mammals to their menagerie. The park covers eight hectares and, apart from housing over 100 bird and mammal species, it features a restaurant, a swimming pool, and outstanding panoramic views over Koh Samui.

• Location: Lipa Noi hinterland
• Tel: +66 (0)86 063 3318 or +66 (0)81 255 1222

At the Samui Aquarium & Tiger Show, get up close to an array of marine life, colourful birds and exotic wildlife all in one stop. This family-oriented attraction certainly has enough to keep the kids entertained on an afternoon outing. The aquarium features mostly marine life native to the Gulf of Thailand. Its series of large tanks are filled with a range of marine life including nurse sharks, leopard sharks, manta rays, catfish and many kinds of tropical fish, and there is an area where visitors can feed the sea turtles. Read More...

• Opening Hours: seven days a week from 09:00 to 18:00
• Location: Samui Orchid Resort on Ban Harn Beach, Laem-set Road (Route 4170), Hua Thanon
• Address: 33/2 Moo 2, Ban Harn Beach, Samui Orchid Resort Koh Samui 84310
• Tel: +66 (0)77 424 017-8

Samui Butterfly Garden (aka Na Tian Butterfly Garden) opposite Centara Villas Samui in Natien, in the south of the island offers a kaleidoscope of colours provided by hundreds of spectacular butterflies. For bug enthusiasts there's also an Insect Museum as well as a bee house. Read More...

• Opening Hours: Daily from 08:30 – 17:30
• Location: On Natien Beach opposite Centara Villas Samui (Formerly Central Samui Village), south of the island.
• Tel: +66 (0)77 424 020

The Snake Farm is a thrilling spectacle where visitors get a rare and up-close look at many of Thailand's most fearsome reptiles. Definitely not for the faint-hearted, the Samui Snake Farm features daily shows where brave snake wranglers coax the creatures into displaying their amazing fighting moves. A variety of snakes are used in the show, with king cobras and giant pythons being the star attractions. Read More...

• Opening Hours: Daily with showtimes at 11am and 2pm
• Address: 88/2 Moo 4 Taling-ngam, along Route 4170, about 13 kilometres south of Nathon Pier
• Tel: +66 (0)77 423 247

Secret Buddha Garden is hidden away high in the hills in Koh Samui's interior, offering majestic views and an unusual collection of statues amid lush jungle surrounds. The gardens are a creation of an old Samui fruit farmer, Nim Thongsuk, who in 1976 began erecting several statues and temples around his family's verdant land. Read More...

• Opening Hours: Secret Buddha Garden is found on a hilltop, just off Route 4169 (ring road) at Baan Saket.

This beautiful little bay is located just off the main road as you come down the hill into north Lamai from Chaweng. There are three resorts on the beach, so it can get crowded in high season, but it is well worth a visit for the stunning scenery. Crystal blue waters and white sand, bordered by craggy limestone rock formations and verdant hills: the archetypal Thai beach.

The water is shallow at low tide and there is only one area good for bathing, (to the left of the bay) but once you have waded out, the water is wonderful and there are some fish around the rocks and reef for snorkellers to follow. You can get a reasonable meal and cold drinks from any of the three resorts' beachfront restaurants, and the Samui Yacht Club Hotel has a pool for diners and guests.

This is a peaceful shallow-water bay where you can charter long-tail boats out to neighbouring islands. Prices are usually fixed but it doesn’t hurt to bargain with a smile. Thong Krut, like a lot of Samui, is in a state of flux, with many buildings going up and just as many being demolished to make way for newer ones. Here, you have the choice to eat at several large seafood restaurants, all with sea views and all with the freshest catch. Read More...

• Location: Between Nathon and Lamai