I am writing this post from Koh Phangan, a Thai island that is notorious for its crazy full moon parties. Memories of drunk backpackers, overflowing plastic cups, and a pervasive sense of chaos wash over me.
A decade ago, I left this place with a vow never to return. Especially since I stopped partying and drinking completely since a few years.
Yet, here I am, drawn by an inexplicable magnetic force.
If you’re a digital nomad looking for some healing work, spiritual Koh Phangan might be exactly what you are looking for.
Me doing a morning meditation in Haad Yoa in Koh Phangan
How did I end up here
As a long-term traveler, I intend to avoid touristy places like this completely. Earlier, when I left the country where I normally live (Mexico) to escape the heat this summer, there were two places I for sure wasn’t going to go to: Koh Phangan and Bali.
But for some weird reason, Thailand, and in particular Koh Phangan had been calling me. And Bali might be next.
So now I’m sitting here writing this post amongst a group of strangers who already feel more aligned with me than most of my friends back home. We talk about magic. About spells and witches and ancient structures and energies floating around.
They talk to my heart. We all seem aware of the different layers of our existence and Universe. All of us had and have mystical and magical experiences. We all got attracted to this place one way or another.
The spiritual side of Koh Phangan
Cacoa ceremony during Full Moon at Orion Healing Center
The full moon parties are far away from this part of the island. I’m in an area known as Sri Thanu — where the hippies and the fairies mingle.
It’s an area where there is definitely magic in the air. You feel it in the vibration, you see it in the energies. There are countless of workshops in meditation, breath work, yoga, plant medicine, tantra arts, ecstatic dance, high vibration music and sound healing.
To be honest, I’ve always tried to avoid places like these — afraid it would be too much. Afraid I wouldn’t be able to handle the environment. Afraid it might burst my magic bubble of down-to-earth spirituality that I’ve been enveloped in since the last couple of years.
More over because spirituality is not all love and light and dancing with witches and werewolves all night, while getting your aura cleared up. There’s also a dark side of the spiritual journey that we all need to face at some point.
Maybe I was too judgmental about going to a ‘spiritual’ place like this. Or maybe I got attracted to the opposite thing of what I thought I wanted for myself. After all, opposites attract, right?
But whether you’re looking for spiritual bypassing with endless ‘high vibrations’, or the deep, dark shadow work — Koh Phangan offers both.
The conscious community of Koh Phangan
The truth is, spiritual places like these attract all types of seekers, as well as people who don’t even know they are seeking anything (yet). It happened to me before: you arrive at a new destination, and you just feel you need to be there for a while for whatever reason.
These places are known as soul places; they are areas in the world where energies align. In the case of Koh Phangan, it is said to be resting on a bed of rose quartz — a highly spiritual crystal. No wonder vibrations are roaring in the skies here.
“In essence, a Soul Place (or power place) is a special site or spot where we experience unique feelings of belonging, empowerment, expansion, and energetic rejuvenation.” — Mateo Sol
I felt it too as soon as I set foot on the island. Especially when driving away from the main pier where everyone arrives, towards the north-west ‘spiritual’ area. The shops change from clubs, gyms and touristy trinket stores to healthy food markets, vegan restaurants and organic clothing boutiques.
This area feels alive, more than other places in Thailand where I’ve been so far. People seem very connected to the Earth here, and all the ceremonies confirm that too.
There is a group called ‘Koh Phangan Today’ where somebody posts all the events you can attend daily. Sometimes up to 30 gatherings happen in one single day, and it’s not even high season now (August).
A stroll on Zen Beach
Overcoming my judgment
To be honest, I was very critical about this place before I arrived. I think I mainly came here to see it wasn’t something for me and I could move on without having FOMO. But places like these attract people for a reason.
Wherever there is a big conscious community of the (over the top) crystal healers, fire dancers, Reiki healers etc., there is also an underlayer of the real seekers.
Such people are serious about their spiritual development and engage in the deep healing work, like Vipassana silence retreats, daily meditation, spiritual theory talks, and shadow work.
After all, spiritual progress is not real when only seeking for the light. You need to face all aspects of yourself and truly look in the mirror. In my case, it was overcoming my judgment. I got to see that everyone is on their own journey, even when their healing path is only looking for high vibrations right now.
The island will give you exactly what you need — and if it’s tantric dancing in a sweaty shala with 100 other half-naked hippies (said in a non-judgmental way!), that’s totally up to you.
From corporate banker to sound healer
Spiritual Koh Phangan tends to attract people who are all trying to get out of the matrix. Even the full moon party go-ers are seeking for a way to escape mundane life. And the spiritual seekers are no different.
Many business people get here and realize they don’t have to live the way society expects of us. Here, you can get by with only $1,000 USD a month and live like a king. Several people have told me they never thought they would be spiritual, but Koh Phangan activated something in them that made them want to change their lives.
Sound healing in Shivari, Koh Phangan
Koh Phangan showed me what it’s like to be free. How you can emerge yourself in the island life where time doesn’t really matter. How you only have to pay 2 or 3 dollars for a healthy meal, or $5 to rent a scooter the whole day.
I have to admit that so far all the people I have met are very nice and welcoming. It’s not like the ‘clicky’ spiritual communities I have seen before. Living on a crystal island apparently attracts the right crowd.
You can show up to any ceremony here and feel less alone. You can attend men’s circles or divine goddess workshops. And if you decide this is the type of life you want for yourself, you can choose any conscious course to become a facilitator of some sort.
Working on yourself
Koh Phangan offers the perfect opportunity to really work on yourself. Every spiritual event or ceremony will leave you with more insight than before you attended it — even it’s just the reassurance that it’s indeed not for you. It’s a great place to start your healing journey and meet like-minded travelers.
Especially if you are a solo traveler like me, it’s an awesome location to easily enter the community. But you can also take a step back from the touristy area and be in solitude. There are a lot of places for rent in the jungle or towards the East of the island if you really want to be alone and with only nature around you.
Here, nobody looks weirdly at you when sitting alone in a restaurant or when you meditate at the beach.
Having lunch by myself at a beach restaurant
The pulling energy of Koh Phangan
Whether you’re on the spiritual healing journey, want to party your ass off in the South of the island, or just looking for a great holiday destination — Koh Phangan has it all.
Conversely like many other spiritual places — Goa in India, Ibiza in Spain and Bali in Indonesia to name a few — Koh Phangan is a place where opposites meet. After all, yin-yang consists of two counter energies for a reason. It’s all about finding the balance in both. In the South, you can dance the whole night away with limitless alcohol and drugs — and in the North it’s all about healing and meditation.
Many people come for a few weeks and end up staying for months or even years. That’s the magic of a soul place, a place where you feel drawn in, a place where you belong. It’s the same pull I felt in my little town in Mexico.
Do you know what you are looking for?
Whether you’re seeking spiritual healing, a wild party, or simply a beautiful vacation, Koh Phangan has something for everyone. It’s a place where opposites meet, where yin and yang dance together, where balance is found.
I still don’t know what exactly drew me back to this island, but I do know this: Koh Phangan is a place of magic, a place where you can find yourself, a place where you can heal.
Maybe it’s the energy, maybe it’s the community, maybe it’s simply fate. But whatever it is, Koh Phangan has cast its spell on me.
Koh Phangan for Digital Nomads
Coworking at Indigo Cafe in Hin Kong
If you’re just beginning your digital nomad journey, Koh Phangan might be the perfect place to get started. There are many events organized for digital nomads, like community dinners, parties and mastermind sessions. Even if you’re not into the spiritual things, I would highly recommend this island, because it’s so easy to meet people here. There are plenty of cowork places spread out over the whole island and internet is reliable and fast.
You can find monthly rentals between $350-1000 USD, depending on your choice of luxury and the area you are in. The spiritual area, Sri Thanu, is definitely the most wanted and thus the most expensive to find a place. But if you don’t mind a short scooter ride (20 min), you can easily find whole bungalows for about $300-400 dollars, although this might be higher in the high season which runs from December till March more or less.
Ban Tai, Thong Sala and Maduwan are all great areas for digital nomads, although a bit further away from all the events. I would recommend Sri Thanu, Coconut Lane area, Hin Kong Beach and Haad Yao if you want to stay close to the action and don’t mind paying a bit more.
How long should you stay on Koh Phangan?
Koh Phangan is definitely a place where you can linger for a long time, and many people do. This place is known as a ‘vortex’ amongst the long-termers – you arrive and never want to leave anymore. This feeling certainly is overcoming me as well and as a digital slomad, I can only recommend staying at least 2-3 months in one location.
As of the time of writing (Sept. ’24), you get a 60-day visa when you enter Thailand, which you can extend for another 30 days. After that, you have to do a visa run, which you can do twice. Alternatively, you can get the new Thailand digital nomad visa (Destination Thailand Visa) or an Education Visa which allows you to stay up to 5 years.
My personal tips for getting settled in Koh Phangan as a digital slomad
- Book accommodation in Sri Thanu/Hin Kong/Haad Yao area. I recommend to first book 3-7 nights to see if you like the place and the area, and then switch to finding your long-term rental on Facebook.
- Enter the Whatsapp Community Group: Koh Phangan. Within the community you can sign up for different groups
- Coworking was best for me at Sunset Hill Resort. It was quiet, had a beautiful view and only 200 baht entry. Another beautiful spot is Inner Space Coworking, but it’s more expensive. Indigo Cafe has a free coworking space upstairs, which is also a nice place to be, although food can be quite expensive there.
- Rent a scooter at Jungle Hut Resort in Sri Thanu, I paid 4000 baht (about 100 USD) for a whole month. It’s also a nice place with beach front to stay by the way.
- Go to as many events as you can! Even though it might not resonate with you, it can still be a beautiful experience and you will most likely connect with others there. Koh Phangan is one of the cheapest places to attend workshops – between 5 USD and 50 USD per event and they are many options every day.
- Get a daily routine once you’ve found your long-term rental. This is so important for me to feel at home somewhere and makes me manage my time much better. I always started my day with yoga and meditation, then made myself a fruit bowl and started work afterwards.
- Cover yourself with travel Insurance by SafetyWing or Genki
- Get an international bank account by N26 or Wise
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About Sustaying
Sustaying helps people become a slow digital nomad. We give tips on how to break free from your current job and inspire you with sustainable and slow colivings to stay at. We blog about our travels around the world in search of community.
About the author
Yvette van den Brand
Yvette is the founder of Sustaying. She has lived abroad for ten years of her life, while traveling and working in 45 different countries. Originally from The Netherlands but now residing half of the year in Mexico and the other half traveling as a digital slomad. She is always searching for community and writes about it on this blog.
