I'm coming to Samui for a day, about 8am to 5pm, will see the big buddha, but wondering about other sights on the island. I'd be interested in seeing the waterfalls, but I wonder since this is dry season that those may not be worth the effort? Other ideas?

Paradise park farm. Take your trunks & enjoy their pool (the highest one on the island).

HTH

Paradise park farm. Take your trunks & enjoy their pool (the highest one on the island).

HTH

I have never heard that there is a waterfall at Paradise Farm HTH! But then perhaps I missed something? .... when not wanting to pay an entrance fee, 900 baht PP if I remember....I've never been in there!

Namuang 2 water falls, is free to go see, (except for parking) providing you miss the Safari Park part of it.... I thought that was the highest on Samui... 80 metres! ?

It's a bit of a hike, but usually worth while. I don't think it will be dried up yet! OP should wear good hiking shoes!!!

Pictures here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/125263-images-of-samui-phangan-and-tao/page-24

I would choose the PlaeLaem temple over the Big Buddha temple.... about a kilometer down the same road!

Post 598 if you scroll to the end of the photos ... Philthebook, posted yesterday!

there are over 20 waterfalls. So it depends, some waterfalls are next to a street and therefore full with people, while others are a long hike away, some of these again well known, others see no more than a couple of people there all year round.

Also, if you are here just for a few hours here, and you stay on Koh Tarutao, the ideas what to do are different to ideas if you are on a cruise break or if you fly here from the Oslo and back on the same day etc

All that presupposed you have no more interests than the average tourist from Koh Tarutao, a cruise, Oslo.....

and: there is no dry season in the South of Thailand

How did your response help the OP Birdman?

By the way - no rain where I live for over 3 months - that's pretty dry! And it is an annual event!

To the OP - you are correct. The waterfalls are not very spectacular this time of year Maybe go to the Jungle Club for lunch and great views.

https://www.google.com/search?q=jungle+club+samui&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

Enjoy your stay.

How did your response help the OP Birdman?

By the way - no rain where I live for over 3 months - that's pretty dry! And it is an annual event!

To the OP - you are correct. The waterfalls are not very spectacular this time of year Maybe go to the Jungle Club for lunch and great views.

https://www.google.com/search?q=jungle+club+samui&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

Enjoy your stay.

I agree Birdman's post was not the most helpful, he usually is quite helpful ! Perhaps he forgot his meds today!!!!

Namaung2 should be OK still, I was there less than two weeks ago ... not the big flows of the " winter months"... but should be OK ...

to give the correct answer, OP should be more precise.

And almost no rain for 3 months does not mean categorically there is a 'dry season'. It's green everywhere, water enough, no one suffers etc. Dry season to me means a landscape in yellow brown, lack of water, problems here and there.

This is a cruise ship day at the island. While I'm in my early 60's (in my younger days I've hiked Grand Canyon & Rocky Mountains), I'll be accompanied by a 35 yo Thai, to help with language issues. I spend 2 to 3 months around BKK between November & May, so this is a first visit to Samui, and future trips are possible, but might as well make as much use of this trip as possible.

I'm thinking of doing to Big Buddha & Plae Laem in the morning, I've kept info about Jungle Club for a possible lunch (the 4x4 access, motorbike or shuttle access might cause us to change our mind).

After lunch, perhaps some of Na Muang 2 falls, Grandfather/mother rocks, mummified monk or Magic Garden (another 4x4 trip).

We could do without the monkey show & elephant activities.

Other ideas still accepted.

I would say if you are doing one on these Safari Tours, they are going to take you to interesting spots, different companies are going to have different places they visit.

I'm not sure that you'll be able to get the safari companies to change their route...

Look to see what choices there are...if they have choices, or the different companies doing it.... Some usually have a place they take people for lunch, the restaurant at the other "Big Buddha" Temple above Lamai is one of them, I know, only because I have seen them there.... then they head over the top roads of Samui... where there are some nice views... and places are usually the most visited spots on the island... These trips from the ships are usually guided by a local company and tied in with guides who regularly come from Phuket when the ships are here.

Meanwhile look through the photo section, ^ .... I and others are still working on that, always some thing that even I have not seen yet and have been here over seven years of living here!

The back roads are very dusty because of very little rain lately, you might want to consider a nose / mouth mask!

In one day, you'll not see everything... but you'll get a good sampling.... Come back and spend a lot more time... and enjoy the one day visit!

I'd recommend you check out Sabieng Le seafood restaurant in Lamai near the grandfather rock. It's right next to the beach and is one of the best seafood restaurants on the island. It's on the way to the waterfalls, so you're not wasting precious time on detours.

It will be interesting if CallCharlie2001! .... Gives us some fed back after his trip tomorrow...

What choices were you given by the tour company (Visions, I suspect tied in with Samui Ships and Trips who tend to handle these around the island trips) ....

How much leeway they offer, in where people want to go, and where they can eat.... I suspect the usual and most popular sites, given the fairly tight time line.... although enough to have a quick boo at them...

I suspect most people here, have not been on one of these tours, that are set up, especially the ones set up for the "boat ... ship people"

This could be helpful info, for the next person who asks!

I set up a personalised 'jungle tour' for my staff about two years ago. None of them were born on Samui and so they knew nothing about other parts of the island.

We visted the usual haunts

Big Buddha

A drive over 'the mountain' with drinks at a viewpoint

The viewpoint south of Chaweng

Funky monk (Wat Kunaram)

Seafood lunch

Chedi Laem Sor

Namuang waterfall

Elephant trekking (waterfall 2 - surprisingly popular)

ending with more drinks at the Ice Bar near the lake. This was the highlight of the tour for most of them. -6 degrees???? They had never been that cold before.

There migh be some things here for the OP to have a look at?

Good luck and enjoy your day