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Khao Ra is the highest mountain on Koh Phangan and has been on our list for a long time. The peak of Khao Ra is 627 meters high and it takes a couple of hours to climb it. However, even for inexperienced hikers, the trek is not a problem.
Khao Ra is in the northern part of Koh Phangan, but you will start the trek around the center of the island. Some places recommend a guide, but that’s completely unnecessary, as long as you don’t hike up Khao Ra alone.
Khao Ra – Jungle Trek to the Top
The trek to the summit takes about 2 to 3 hours, depending on how many breaks you take and especially how fast you walk through the partly dense jungle. Sturdy shoes are definitely recommended, although the trek to Khao Ra can be done in flip flops – we tried it ourselves.
You should also bring some small snacks to keep you going and of course enough water. We recommend about 3 liters per person, as the humidity in the jungle is much higher and makes you sweat easily.
How to get to Koh Phangan
The island of Koh Phangan doesn’t have its own airport, which means that a boat trip to reach the island is necessary. With a flight to Koh Samui or Surat Thani you can only bring one leg behind you. Tickets for flights are best found at Skyscanner.
In addition, you can travel by bus or train to Surat Thani, but even there you have to change to a boat at the end. There are several providers to choose from such as Lomprayah, Seatran, Raja Ferry etc. Tickets and connection times can be found on 12go.asia or GetYourGuide.
Accommodation in Koh Phangan – our hotel tip
The bungalows in the Sea Love Beach Bar & Bungalows are rather small, but they and the whole resort area have an absolute feel-good atmosphere! Located directly by the beach, Sea Love offers a beautiful and quiet environment. The village of Ban Tai with many restaurants, shops and a 7-Eleven is only a 5 minutes walk away. There is also a swimming pool and plenty of hammocks, where you can admire the wonderful Koh Phangan sunsets every evening.
For more hotels in Koh Phangan visit this page.
Khao Ra Bungalows
The trail to Khao Ra Viewpoint starts at Khao Ra Bungalows, located in the middle of the island. They are easy to find. If you take the road from Thong Sala north towards Chaloklum, follow it for about 5-10 minutes.
After that, there is a big left turn, but you need to continue straight through a small archway that leads to Phaeng Waterfall. Instead of following the road to the right, go straight past Wat Madeauwan. Now you’ll have to follow the road for about 5 minutes until you see a sign to Khao Ra Bungalows on your right.
This is where you can turn off and park your scooter if you didn’t take a shared taxi. You’ll be greeted by friendly Thais who own the bungalows and will show you the way. They even gave us some freshly picked rambutan fruit along the way. The first thing you need to do is find the trail to Khao Ra Viewpoint between the bungalows.
Now it’s an easy walk of about 5 minutes up a hill. Then follow the path to the right until you reach a water reservoir, which you have to cross.
After that, you’ll enter the jungle. Even though it looks like the path continues to be very easy and good, you can’t take the sandy path, you have to turn right into the jungle.
Welcome to the jungle
Continue on the relatively well-trodden path in the jungle along the water. After a few minutes, the trail ends and you are standing in front of some rocks in the river. We wondered where it would lead to. Now we can tell you that all you have to do is to climb over the rocks for a short while.
Quite slightly and almost unrecognizable from a distance, a red arrow is painted on one of the rocks and just behind it you will see another marking showing you the way to Khao Ra Viewpoint. That’s where we continue our trek.
The path through the jungle is getting denser now and sometimes it’s not so easy to see the path. In some places, we had to guess where the trail continues.
Although it’s quite rare and there are only three correct signs, some trees are marked with writing or red arrows. So at least you know you are on the right trail.
The three kilometers through the jungle are very exhausting and you should take some water breaks. Also, for the last kilometer, the trail gets steeper and steeper, so it feels more like climbing than hiking.
If you are holding on to trees while climbing, you should always be careful and make sure that they are stable and can hold your weight. Apparently, there are snakes in the trees. However, we didn’t see any snakes or anything like that on the way there or on the way back. So don’t be afraid!
Khao Ra Viewpoint
After some short and longer breaks, we reached the top of Khao Ra after about 2 1/2 hours. The last meters are really exhausting and we arrived completely sweaty. Shortly before Khao Ra Viewpoint, you can enjoy the view to the south and the view of Koh Samui on the left side.
Now it’s time to take a long break and enjoy the view. From here you are looking towards the northwest of Koh Phangan. You can see Chaloklum Bay, Malibu Beach, and in the distance Haad Mae Haad with the offshore island of Koh Ma.
The view is fantastic and for us it’s the best view of the whole island so far. In the background you can see another island – Koh Tao. It fits perfectly into the fantastic panorama, even though it appears quite small on the horizon.
Conclusion
The trek to Khao Ra is definitely worth it! It’s really exhausting and very sweaty, and we were completely soaked when we arrived at the viewpoint. But the view makes you forget all the effort.
On the way down, the first kilometer is a bit challenging because you have to be careful not to slip. Although the hike is easier and probably more comfortable with normal shoes, it can be done in flip-flops (however, we don’t recommend it to you).
If you’re staying on Koh Phangan for a few days, we highly recommend the hike to Khao Ra Viewpoint. You won’t regret it.
Koh Phangan: Tours and tickets
Do you prefer to travel with a guide who knows the area very well? Then we recommend a guided tour with a local. This way you can get to know Koh Phangan in a completely different way. GetYourGuide offers a wide selection of exciting tours for Koh Phangan.
Have you been to Khao Ra before? How did you like it? Or are you planning to climb the mountain and have questions? Let us know in the comments.
