Phra Yai (Phra Phuttha Kho Dom)

Phra Yai — Koh Samui’s Big Buddha — rises 12 metres over a small rocky islet called Ko Fan, joined to the Koh Samui mainland by a short causeway near Bo Phut on the island’s north coast. The gold-painted statue, formally Phra Phuttha Kho Dom, sits in the Mara posture: right hand resting over the knee, calling the earth to witness the Buddha’s victory over temptation on the night of his enlightenment. Entry is free, and the statue is visible from planes on final approach to Samui Airport a few minutes away.

The temple dates to 1972. Local accounts say the site was originally meant to be a monastery, but after the monk leading the project died, the community redirected the effort into building the giant Buddha instead — and it grew into the island’s most recognisable landmark over the following decades. A dragon-flanked staircase climbs to the elevated platform around the statue’s base, where smaller shrines hold additional Buddha images and offerings of incense, lotus buds, and gold leaf left by local worshippers making merit.

Watch out: The approach road and car park double as a minor night-market strip on weekend evenings, which is worth a browse but means parking gets tight — arrive early if you’re driving yourself.

Monks conduct blessings and short ceremonies through the day, and it’s common to see visitors kneel for a wrist-tying or a splash of holy water from a resident monk. Dress modestly — shoulders and knees covered, shoes off before stepping onto the shrine platform — and keep pointing feet away from the Buddha images as you move around the base. Songthaews run regularly from Chaweng, Lamai, and the airport, and most people combine the visit with Wat Plai Laem a short drive away, home to Koh Samui’s other major religious landmark: an 18-armed statue of Guanyin overlooking a lotus pond.