Getting about on Samui

Posted by Full mooner on March 10th, 2010 filed in Safety, Tourist tips

When staying on Koh Samui you may need to think about how you are going to get about. Obviously if you stay in town there won’t be much need for transport, but if you stay away from the main resorts a little, you may want to consider transport.

Motorbikes or scooters are the most popular form of transport around the island, this is easy to see with just being here five minutes. Locals, expats and tourists all prefer this form of transport to get about and its fine during the day, but what about when you want a drink at night. Many accidents are caused by drunk people at night, Samui has one of the highest death rates due to drink driving.

Samui’s taxi service is renowned for charging a lot of money for short journeys, which unfortunately encourages visitors to drink and drive. With this in mind you may want to think about your transport options and as soon as you arrive try and befriend a local taxi driver. They are not all unreasonable and if you take his or her telephone number at promise to use them every time you need a taxi, a fair rate can usually be accomplished.

Getting about during the day is usually best done on songtaews (a red pick-up truck with two benches running length ways in the rear). They usually have a minimum fare and follow direct marked routes, much like a bus, but you can also charter these, often cheaper than taxis.