Being the massive food-lover that I am, I was excited to check out the Koh Samui night market tour after my very healthy wellness retreat. The tour, arranged through Flight Centre Hong Kong, began with a drive up to the north of the island where we ordered a cocktail and watched the sun slowly set in front of us. Afterwards, we made our way to Bophut for the night market tour (the location of the market changes depending on the day you book the tour) to feast on local delights.

Sunset drinks

My tour guide picked me up at 5:30 pm and we took a 20~minute drive from Chaweng up to Sunset Garden Bar, a funky and chilled our bar just north of the airport. The unobstructed views of the sunset were perfect, though I wish we had arrived a tad earlier to enjoy the experience a little longer. You can order any drink off the menu (one drink was included in the tour), so I went with a classic piña colada which tasted as good as it looked.

Eating our way through the night market

After about 30 minutes, we made our way to the Bophut Night Market. My tour guide, Tok, took me around and explained the different local foods. Since I’ve traveled to Thailand many times before, I was quite familiar with most dishes being served, but there were a few things I’ve never tried before. Tok convinced me to try silk worms, saying they were good for you and were quite tasty. Since I’m fairly open to trying new foods, I went for it. There was a light seasoning on them, which added a bit of flavor. In terms of texture, it almost felt like I was eating chickpeas. I didn’t mind eating a handful, but gave the rest to Tok for him to enjoy.

I also hadn’t tried the slightly sweet dessert of sticky rice, condensed milk, and coconut that was wrapped in a leaf and grilled. This was probably one of my favorite foods of the evening. The prices for food ranged from THB10 – 60, but everything we ate (and we ate a lot) was included in the tour. Aside from the food, I had a chance to browse around the other part of the market and ended up buying a few colorful scarves to add to my (already way too big) collection at home.

So, should you go on the Koh Samui night market tour?

I really loved the first part of the tour – heading to the northern part of the island to catch the sunset with a refreshing drink in hand was truly perfect and something I wouldn’t have done by myself. My guide was lovely and helpful, but there really wasn’t anything special about the night market portion – I could have easily done this on my own instead of paying for a tour guide. That being said, you might find a guide much more helpful if you’re less experienced with Thai food.

Where to book the tour

I booked this tour through Flight Centre Hong Kong before arriving in Koh Samui, so everything was taken care of ahead of time. Flight Centre can literally plan your whole trip: flight, accommodation, and tours, making it a simple and fuss-free experience. They have locations in Central, Happy Valley, and Wan Chai in Hong Kong, or you can call them at +852 2830 2899.

Visit flightcentre.com.hk for more information!

More information about the tour

Time: 
5:30 – 8:00 pm (there was really no set end time – the guide brought me back to my hotel when I had enough of walking around and stuffing my face).

Date:
Thursday, Friday, Sunday