Koh Samui is Thailand’s second largest island after Phuket. Popular for its beaches, the island, generally shortened to Samui, is visited by nearly 3 million tourists each year. The interior of Koh Samui is dense, hilly jungle. It’s 25 km wide at its widest point, and is served by the 51 km Route 4169 road around the island. The running on Koh Samui is best on its lovely, white sand beaches. The interior roads can be rough, sandy, and lack sidewalks.
The best beaches for running on Koh Samui are Chaweng, Bo Phut, Maenam, and Lamai. In the commercial epicenter of Chaweng, we’ve put together a couple of road running options — not scenic, but runnable. There’s also nice running in Nathon on the northwest coast, with its waterfront road, piers, and scenic beach. For a rugged trail run with the reward of a waterfall & swimming hole, head to the the Hin Lad Waterfall Path.
Two notes for runners. The weather is hot and humid year-round. Temps rarely drop below 24C. Also, many of the roads lack a sidewalk/shoulder. The interior dirt roads can be soft sand.
