When visiting temples, please remember to dress politely (no beachwear or revealing costumes) and behave with the appropriate respect on temple grounds.

Adventure Sports

If you're after an adrenaline rush, you have a number of options. You can head to Samui Shooting Sport on the main road between Bophut and Chaweng where you can blast away at paper targets with a variety of lethal weapons. You can head to Samui Quads and Paintball in the interior behind Maenam, to ride around a professionally sculpted football pitch sized terrain or play a variety of tactical games with BB guns in the jungle.

To get a birds eye view of the jungle, check out Canopy Tours, which allows you to travel between tree-houses in a harness attached to a high tensile cable.

Mountain bike enthusiasts should check out Red Bicycle, which offers a range of half and full day off-road trips into Samui's mountainous interior and longer tours around Ranong on the mainland. All the trips include lunch and all equipment, which is kept in perfect condition. For those wanting to go it alone, the shop also has Merida, Cannondale and Italian made waterbikes for rent.

Bowling
The Living Bowl Centre offers tropical 10-pin action and its own onsite restaurant in a fun, funky alley. It's in central Chaweng above McDonald's and open 10am-2am. Price: 100 baht per game per person.

Buffalo Sho
Bringing back some of the traditional way of rural life to Samui, Living Thailand offers a pleasant diversion from the rigours of the beach. Situated among paddy fields and rolling hills in the south of the island, visitors can enjoy buffalo-cart rides, buffalo theatre and a Thai farming museum. The theatre show includes demonstrations of rice planting and paddy ploughing, and visitors are welcome to join in. Multi-lingual guides are on hand throughout. Tel. 077 418 680 for showtimes. Route 4173.

Butterfly Garden

Butterflies are among the most easily observed and beautiful examples of the island's richly varied wildlife. You can see many vividly coloured species of tropical butterflies in this scenic netted hillside setting. Since butterflies only live for about two weeks, the garden raises its own and has a great display of caterpillars, cocoons and adults. Open 9am-6pm.

Dog Rescue
Unfortunately, stray and abandoned dogs in varying states of health can still be found everywhere on Samui. But the pooch's lot has improved dramatically over the past three years since the Dog Rescue Centre Samui (DRCS) was founded by a dedicated group of animal lovers.

DRCS provide essential medical care, food and a home for many canines and can advise on how to take a dog back to Europe with you (which is easier than you might think).

None of this comes cheap and the DRCS needs to raise 150,000 baht every month for dog food and medication.

This is where you can help. Simply log on to www.samuidog.org for details of how to make a donation, or, if you have time, help out at the centre for a day.

Golf
The world class 18 hole SantiBuri Golf and Country Club has recently opened in Maenam. Tel: 077 418 557 for more information. (North Coast Map). Alternatively, The Samui Extra Golf Club at the Fair House Beach Resort has three professional standard holes ideal for practice sessions. Open 6am- 6pm daily. Tel. 077 422 255. (Koh Samui Map S9). The 18 hole Mini Golf International is Thailand's only mini golf course and can be found in the jungle above Choeng Mon. Tel: 01 787 9148 (Koh Samui Map W15). For family fun check out Treasure Island Mini-Golf, Crazy Golf & Putt - Putt is set up for kids and adults alike. A full 18 holes of fun and adventure playing up hills, over water, through the mouth of a tiger, the belly of a whale and the gapping jaws of a crocodile. Either play for fun or test you putting skills. There is also the 19th Hole for beers and soft drinks. 11 am-Midnight everyday, 18 holes is 180 baht, 9 holes is 120 baht, 11am - 6pm kids under 10 yrs 18 holes is 120 baht and 9 holes 80 baht.

Snake Farm
Even if you're not keen to venture into Samui's remaining forests, you can still get some of the thrill from the snake farm's daily shows. They feature ten different species of snakes as well as centipedes, scorpions and lizards. Snake handlers boast the longest King Cobra in Thailand, which is on display at the farm's King Cobra House. On occasion, the snake farm also performs a valuable service by capturing unwanted snakes from the yards of locals and giving them roles in the show. Show times are 11am and 2pm daily.

Elephant Trekking
If you like to enjoy the scenery without the noise of an engine disturbing the peace, then why not go on an elephant trek? Elephants are no longer employed in Thailand for traditional logging work and so have plenty of free time to work with visitors - even on Samui, where they are not native. Despite their huge size, elephants are incredibly sure-footed, even on steep and narrow trails - and the world looks wonderful from their backs, three metres up. Standard trips last half an hour, although longer trips can be requested.

Heaven's Garden
This is an extraordinary sculpture garden created by an extraordinary man. Nim Thong-suk was a fourth generation Samui native. At the age of 77, he began creating figures based on Buddhist scriptures and was still working on the garden when he died a few years ago at the age of 91. The garden not only displays Khun Nim's wonderful sculptures, but offers a great view of the island's hills and forests. To get to Heaven's Garden, take the asphalt air force road in Ban Saket, turn right about 1km before the end of the road, then follow the dirt track for 400m. If you get lost, ask for Nam Tok Ta-nim.

Jungle Tours
Several areas of Samui are covered with dense tropical jungle which can be reached by jeep and/or a short hike. The beauty and natural diversity of these areas easily justifies tearing yourself away from the beach for a day. Most travel agents have information about the various tours available and will make a reservation for you. To get a birds eye view of the jungle, check out Canopy Tours, which allows you to travel between tree-houses in a harness attached to a high tensile cable.

Running
The Hash House Harriers are sometimes described as 'runners with a drinking problem', sometimes as 'drinkers with a running problem'. Either way, they gather every other Saturday to run. They meet at Tradewinds Cottages in Chaweng at 3.30pm and the Red Fox Bar in Lamai at 4pm, and from there head to an always different location for some running fun and seriously entertaining company.

Samui Crocodile Farm
Jaws and Claws! They're all here. Siam crocodiles, Caimans, Saltwater crocodiles, snakes, lizards, monkeys and many others. Showtime twice a day 14.00 and 16.30. A fascinating look at some of Thailand's wildlife. Located behind the airport and easy to find.

Samui Aquarium and Tiger Zoo
Located in Hua Thanon, the aquarium has many local species of coral fish, huge catfish and several sharks including leopard and black tip sharks. The Tiger Zoo, adjacent to the aquarium, has some beautiful animals, unfortunately housed in rather small and hot cages, before being release in a wider part of the park. Bird shows are also on offer, parrots, hornbills, sea hawks, eagles or even otters will perform some amusing trick for you pleasure.... if they are in the mood.

Tattoos
Looking for a permanent souvenir of your visit to Samui? French ex-pat Esther of Tattoo Mania offers a wide range of modern, tribal and traditional designs, each uniquely adapted for each customer. Interested parties are advised to give Esther two to three days to complete a design before going under the needle. She also recommends having the tattoo done on the final day of your holiday, so as not to miss out on any swimming or sunbathing.

Thai Boxing
Muay Thai is Thailand's national sport and taken very seriously indeed. An evening's entertainment can feature as many as 10 fights before getting to the main bout and can last up to three hours. Unless you're a devoted fight fan, it's probably best just to drop in for an hour or so. The pre-fight rituals and the traditional music throughout are as much a part of the event as the fights themselves. Widely considered to be the world's most dangerous martial art, Thai boxing is a superb showcase of speed, grace and discipline. There are two permanent stadiums on Samui. The first is in Chaweng, just off the road leading to the Reggae Pub. Boxing matches are held here every Monday and Friday at 9pm . The other stadium is in Lamai on the road connecting the main road to Route 4169.

Thai Cooking
One of the best things about Thailand, of course, is the food. If you want to have more than a passing knowledge of classic Thai dishes, then you can learn how to cook them yourself. A culinary institute and several hotels offer demonstrations and hands-on practical experience involving both Thai ingredients and cooking techniques. Introductory and intensive courses are both available and range from a few hours to a whole week.

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