Koh Phangan
Koh Pha Ngan has been in between several trips in Southeast Asia and some trips back and forth to Europe, my central hub for the region.
The island is a weird combination of, on the one hand, rather alternative-thinking people. These are seeking advanced yoga resorts, tantra vacations, and some scuba diving. On the other side of the island, there is twice a month a crowd for the Full Moon Party and the half-moon festival. The ravers meet the hippies in the Gulf of Thailand.
It’s easy to get to the islands using the ferry from the mainland directly connected by bus to Bangkok.
Most resorts have beach bungalows at a reasonable price. For most, the price difference between the rooms has much to do with the presence of Air Conditioning or just a ventilator.


Just like the nearby islands Koh Samui and Koh Tao, Koh Phangan has is known for its dive community. One of the main attractions is sail rock. Ships go out from Koh Phangan almost daily with dive crews.

The food on Ko Pha Nganvaries from imported espresso bars all the way to local Thai, who’re trying to get their foods adjusted as little as possible to the Western tastes of the tourists who come here.


Koen Blanquart is a strategy consultant, journalist, and author.
Wanderlust is one of his driving factors, and he shares his travels here on Boarding Today. Koen is also the skipper of SV Bagabonda, a sailing vessel making a slow circumvention of the globe..
Koen recently published a book on how to manage a remote team: The Suitcase Office.