The Infamous Full Moon Party: Thailand

Thailand’s full moon party has long been a big draw for young travellers from around the world. Located on the island of Ko Pha-Ngan, which sits between the popular islands of Ko Samui and Ko Tao, the full moon party is either heaven or hell, depending on your ability to stay in one piece, functioning, and out of the local prison or infirmary.

In high season up to 30,000 people converge on Hat Rin Nok (a local beach) for the ‘festivities’ (this number drops to around 5,000 in low season). With abundant yet highly illegal drugs, and plenty of cheap alcohol on offer, it can make for the party of a lifetime or cause a serious ‘never again’ type experience. There are some pretty basic tips to keep you there and enjoying the party:

• Keep an eye on your valuables and keep them secure while left in your room; theft is a big problem on the island
• Wear shoes! Crocs are a crime of fashion but some other decent footwear will help you avoid broken glass and other nasties; think Big Day Out centre stage and thongs…not always a good match.
• Think twice about taking any of the drugs on offer; while for many it’s part of the fun the magic mushrooms have put many travellers off the deep end and into the local mental hospital in Surat Thani. Aside from that drugs are highly illegal in Thailand, and with severe punishments for even minor possession its worth considering the risks with your mates before the party starts.
• Try to stay in a group of two or more, especially girls. It is not particularly safe being alone at anytime, most certainly not on the way back to your accommodation.

How did the party start?

It’s been going since 1987 or 88, but there is no real history. Nobody really knows how it started (and most wouldn’t care).

How to get there?

Getting to the Island is fairly straightforward and there are a few options from Bangkok. No matter the mode of transport costs are higher in peak times.

Fly/Ferry

From Bangkok regular local flights depart for Ko Samui (see the Thailand guide for info on getting to Bangkok cheaply and local airline websites). From Ko Samui there are ten ferry departures a day and this will cost you around 300-350B one way. Leaving between 7am-4pm it takes about 30 minutes, depending on conditions (which can be rough in October). In Ko Samui the boats leave from either, Bang Rak pier, Mae Nam or Na Thon arriving in Ko Ph-Ngan at either Hat Rin (the easiest) or Thong Sala. It’s a pretty straight forward process whichever way you decide.

Bus/Ferry from Bangkok

It’s easy enough to get the bus from

Bangkok to the town at Chumphon and then a ferry over to Ko Pha-Ngan. Check out these companies that can arrange your tickets for this;

Seatran Discovery (http://www.seatrandiscovery.com/)

Lomprayah (http://www.lomprayah.com/)

It’s also easy to get the train from Bangkok to Chumphon and hop the ferry from there.

 

Getting around the island

Like the rest of the country the moped is the common way to get around. Just be aware that some of the major Australian travel insurers either no longer cover, or charge a specific excess for moped/motor bike use while overseas. People come off these things daily and it helps to be covered if you end up in hospital. It’s also law to wear a helmet (not always enforced), which is added incentive to be safe, and shoes rather than Haviannas is a smart choice as well. You can also rent a car for around 1000B a day, or take local boats to some parts of the island (and outer islands).

Where to stay?

Hat Rin is the hub of the local action on Ko Pha-Ngan. It is actually three separate beaches: Hat Rin-Nok (Sunrise beach and the home of the full moon party), Hat Rin Nai (Sunset beach) and Hat Seekantang. Hat Rin Nok has the biggest concentration of bars and cheaper accommodation. Prices will range from 200B for a rundown shack up to the thousands of baht for higher end places (of which are popping up all the time).

• If you have not booked accommodation before you leave Australia or elsewhere (it’s much cheaper to wing it), then try and arrive in Hat Rin at least 3-4 days before the party to get settled into the cheaper accommodation on offer.
• If you are booking from Australia accommodation can be expensive, but booking 4-6 months early for high season (Christmas/January) should see you in reasonable digs for not much.

Try the student travel agencies in Australia for deals on accommodation in Ko Pha-Ngan before you leave.

Some other stuff to consider…

• Girls should always try and travel with a group around the Islands; there are pretty numerous reports of assaults around the craziness of the full moon party. Common sense and a wingman/woman are always good.
• ‘Magic Mountain’ or ‘The Rock’ above Hat Rin is a popular place to get a view of the action below.
• Covering yourself in neon body paint is the done thing; as is drinking ‘buckets’ a Ko Pha-Ngan concoction that contains coke, redbull and a litre of Vodka. Similar to Bali’s infamous Jam Jars, the Thai Red Bull and vodka combo is the most popular drink come full moon time (shared with mates through straws out of a plastic bucket…classy).
• Avoid the temptation to buy weed for the low prices you will be offered; chances are you will end up in the local police station paying a massive fine to avoid jail time courtesy of the corrupt cop that sold it to you.
• The lack of rules at the party actually contributes to the local economy. All the burns from jumping the rope manifest in expensive taxi rides to the doctor and a cash fee to fix you up. It’s still as loose as it is for a reason – the locals do well out of your new found urge to risk injury on a third world island.

Dates of the full moon party..

Check out: http://fullmoonparty-thailand.com/ for upcoming  dates and more info on the party.

In all the party is a lifetime experience that’s pretty accessible for Aussies. While many complain it’s gone to commercial in recent years, there are few places where 30,000 people can party with little in the way of any rules; how you deal with that will decide on how good a time you have.

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Category: Asia, Ed's Travel Blog, Travel Blog