[edit]
Sunrise, Ko Samui
Ko Samui is in the Gulf of Thailand, about 35 km (22 mi) northeast of Surat Thani town (9°N, 100°E). It is the largest island in the Chumphon Archipelago, measuring about 25 kilometres (16 mi) at its widest point. To the north are the populated resort islands of Ko Pha-ngan, Ko Tao, and Ko Nang Yuan. Close to Bangrak in northeast Samui is the small uninhabited island of Ko Som, and to the northeast of Chaweng is the tiny Ko Matlang. To the south are Ko Taen and Ko Matsum, each of which have small tourist facilities. To the far west are 44 other islands which together compose Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park which is accessible by a day-trip boat tour from Ko Samui.
The central part of Ko Samui is mostly tropical jungle with tree coverage and wildlife and its largest mountain, Khao Pom, peaking at 635 m (2,083 ft). The lowland and coastal areas are connected by a 51 km (32 mi)-long road, encircling the island. Other concrete roads branch off to service other areas.
The town of Nathon on the west coast is the closest town to the mainland and is the original capital which still houses many government offices. Two of the island's five main piers make Nathon the main port for all transportation from the mainland and the commercial centre for Samui residents. The transition from dependence on the local coconut industry and the continued growth and development of the tourist industry, as well as the northeastern location of the airport, has led to the increase of commercial activity in Chaweng and Bophut.
Climate[edit]
Ko Samui has a tropical monsoon climate according to the Köppen climate classification, based on an analysis of 1971–2010 Thai Meteorological Department data. The climate is warm and humid for most of the year. In comparison to Phuket and most of the rest of southern Thailand, Samui's weather is relatively drier (Samui receives about 1,960 mm (77.2 in) rain per year, and Phuket gets 2,220 mm (87 in)). Phuket's wet season is spread over six to eight months. Ko Samui has only two months with more than 212 mm (8 in) of rain.[citation needed] The heaviest precipitation typically falls in the time frame from mid October to early December.[failed verification] For the rest of the year, given the tropical climate, rain showers are brief; 20–60 minutes duration is typical.[citation needed]
Climate data for Ko Samui (1991–2020, extremes 1968-present)
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year
Record high °C (°F)
33.4(92.1)
35.1(95.2)
36.0(96.8)
38.0(100.4)
37.2(99.0)
37.9(100.2)
37.7(99.9)
37.2(99.0)
36.4(97.5)
35.8(96.4)
34.0(93.2)
32.3(90.1)
38.0(100.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
29.0(84.2)
29.4(84.9)
30.4(86.7)
31.8(89.2)
32.9(91.2)
32.7(90.9)
32.3(90.1)
32.4(90.3)
31.9(89.4)
30.6(87.1)
29.7(85.5)
29.3(84.7)
31.0(87.9)
Daily mean °C (°F)
26.9(80.4)
27.4(81.3)
28.2(82.8)
29.1(84.4)
29.2(84.6)
28.8(83.8)
28.5(83.3)
28.4(83.1)
28.0(82.4)
27.4(81.3)
27.1(80.8)
26.8(80.2)
28.0(82.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
24.2(75.6)
24.9(76.8)
25.4(77.7)
26.0(78.8)
25.7(78.3)
25.3(77.5)
25.1(77.2)
25.1(77.2)
24.8(76.6)
24.3(75.7)
24.1(75.4)
24.0(75.2)
24.9(76.8)
Record low °C (°F)
18.6(65.5)
17.8(64.0)
21.0(69.8)
22.0(71.6)
22.1(71.8)
20.6(69.1)
19.9(67.8)
21.7(71.1)
19.4(66.9)
21.4(70.5)
19.6(67.3)
18.8(65.8)
17.8(64.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)
126.8(4.99)
64.3(2.53)
115.8(4.56)
82.9(3.26)
131.6(5.18)
133.6(5.26)
117.0(4.61)
102.2(4.02)
117.5(4.63)
294.9(11.61)
444.6(17.50)
263.1(10.36)
1,994.3(78.52)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)
8.5
4.3
4.7
6.1
11.0
10.3
10.7
10.5
10.6
15.8
16.5
11.6
120.6
Average relative humidity (%)
82.7
81.2
81.0
80.7
79.7
78.1
78.3
78.0
80.0
84.7
85.5
82.6
81.0
Average dew point °C (°F)
23.6(74.5)
23.8(74.8)
24.6(76.3)
25.3(77.5)
25.1(77.2)
24.4(75.9)
24.2(75.6)
24.0(75.2)
24.1(75.4)
24.4(75.9)
24.3(75.7)
23.4(74.1)
24.3(75.7)
Mean monthly sunshine hours
198.4
214.7
238.7
201.0
192.2
150.0
155.0
151.9
144.0
145.7
174.0
176.7
2,142.3
Mean daily sunshine hours
6.4
7.6
7.7
6.7
6.2
5.0
5.0
4.9
4.8
4.7
5.8
5.7
5.9
Source 1: World Meteorological Organization, Meteomanz (record)
Source 2: Office of Water Management and Hydrology, Royal Irrigation Department (sun 1981–2010)(extremes)
Nature[edit]
One of the two Na Muang waterfalls
The jungles of Ko Samui are home to a number of notable waterfalls, including the Na Muang Waterfalls, the Hin Lad Waterfall, the Khun Si Waterfall, the Wang Sao Thong Waterfall, the Tang Rua Waterfall, the Tar Nim Waterfall, and the Lat Wanorn Waterfall. Many of these waterfalls are especially popular tourist destinations, despite a number of visitors experiencing severe injuries or death due to slips or falls around these areas.
A number of fruit trees grow on the island, including langsat, durian, mamud, and mamuang thaai tor (the latter two of which are local mango varieties).
A monkey collecting a coconut
Several mammal species have been noted on the island, including the peninsular shrew, the crab-eating macaque, the common treeshrew, the small flying fox, the lesser short-nosed fruit bat, the cave nectar bat, the long-tongued nectar bat, the Black giant squirrel, the grey-bellied squirrel, the black rat, the Sikkim rat, the ricefield rat, the Polynesian rat, the brown rat, the white-bellied rat, the red spiny rat, and the Asian palm civet. Stray dogs are common on Ko Samui, with tens of thousands being reported; before 1999, no organizations dedicated to spaying or neutering dogs were established, leading to the dog population of the island growing unchecked. Macaques are forced by some farmers on the island to harvest coconuts, often under threat of violence. Many elephant sanctuaries exist on Ko Samui, but there are no standards for what constitutes a sanctuary in Thailand and unethical and unsafe practices such as elephant riding still occur. In one case in 2016, a British tourist was killed after being thrown from an elephant after its handler hit the animal several times.
One of many species of frogs found on Ko Samui
Amphibian species include the frogs Limnonectes blythii, Limnonectes doriae, Limnonectes pseudodoriae, Polypedates leucomystax, Microhyla ornata and Sylvirana nigrovittata and the caecilian Ichthyophis supachaii. Reptile species include the rock geckoes Cnemaspis samui and Cnemaspis siamensis, the frilly geckoes Cosymbotus craspedotus and Hemidactylus platyurus, the Malayan forest gecko Cyrtodactylus pulchellus, the common four-clawed gecko Gehyra mutilata, the Indo-Pacific gecko Hemidactylus garnotii, the Asian slender gecko Hemiphyllodactylus yunnanensis, the garden lizards Calotes emma and Calotes versicolor, the spotted flying dragon Draco maculatus, the skinks Dasia olivacea, Eutropis multifasciata, and Subdoluseps bowringii, and the snakes Ahaetulla prasina, Argyrophis diardii, Boiga cynodon, Cylindrophis ruffus, Homalopsis buccata, Python reticulatus, and Xenopeltis unicolor.
Mosquito species Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti were the vectors for two epidemics of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) on Ko Samui in 1966 and 1967.
Fish found on the beach of Chaweng Noi
Sea life around Ko Samui is diverse, including many species such as reef squid, sand whiting (known locally as pla sai), flying fish, whale sharks, and box jellyfish. It has been noted that the highest incidence of jellyfish-related deaths in Thailand have occurred on Ko Samui and Ko Pha-ngan, with six of the seven cases of box jellyfish-related deaths from 1999 to 2015 occurring on those two islands.
