10 daysThailandAges 18–40
10 days · Bangkok & Koh Phangan
Muay Thai & Islands is a 10-day group trip for solo travellers aged 18 to 40 built around five days of Muay Thai training at a camp on Koh Phangan, two sessions a day with Thai trainers. Beginners are welcome, and the trainers pitch each session to the level in the room. Once training ends you get a boat day to Bottle Beach and a full day at Ang Thong Marine Park. Your Trip Host travels with you throughout, and nobody is put in the ring to fight.
Updated
From, per person
$1,370 / £1,028 / €1,200 / A$1,950 / CA$1,940 / NZ$2,420 / ₹1,31,500
Free to reserve
Sarthak's best travel memories come from going solo: hostel dorms, a new activity most days, new cultures and new food. SoloNomads grew out of that.
Sarthak travels with every group, from the first day to the last, so there's always someone on hand to sort things out when plans change and to make sure nobody gets left out.
In every country, a licensed local agency and licensed local guides look after the ground services, so you get local know-how too.
Bangkok to Koh Phangan, 2 stops in 10 days.
2 stops
10 days
Day 1
Fly in whenever suits you and check in at the hostel. The Trip Host gets everyone together in the late afternoon to go through the ten days ahead. Then we take the metro to Chinatown for a welcome dinner along Yaowarat Road, working our way from stall to stall: noodles, grilled seafood and mango sticky rice.
Day 2
An early flight takes us from Bangkok to Koh Samui, then a short boat crossing to Koh Phangan. We check in at the camp by early afternoon: simple bungalows close to the training ring. The trainers run an orientation before dinner, covering etiquette, stance and how the week works. Nobody trains today, so use the rest of the afternoon to settle in.
Day 3
Two sessions with the Thai trainers: pad work, stance and guard in the morning, then bag work and conditioning in the afternoon, with a break through the midday heat. The trainers pitch each session to the level in the room, so first-timers work at a beginner's pace next to people who've done this for years. Lunch is at the camp. The evening is free.
Day 4
Today's sessions build on the basics with kicks, knees and clinch work. Sore muscles are normal by now, especially the shins and shoulders. Lunch is at the camp, and an early night helps more than anything else this week.
Day 5
A lighter morning session works on technique rather than conditioning, giving your body a break partway through the week. The afternoon is free for a Thai massage, the beach or a nap, popular choices by day three of training. Lunch is at the camp.
Day 6
Back to two full sessions, with pad combinations and more clinch work built on everything so far. By now most people can hold pads for a partner and string together a proper combination. Lunch is at the camp, and the evening is free.
Day 7
A final technique session in the morning, then an easier afternoon session where you run through what you've learned with your trainer, pad round by pad round. This isn't a fight, and nobody is matched against another beginner: it's a chance to see how far five days of training got you. Lunch is at the camp.
Day 8
Training's over, so today's a boat day. A longtail takes us round to Bottle Beach on the island's quiet north coast, reachable mostly by water. We spend the day on the sand and snorkelling just offshore, with lunch at one of the beach's small restaurants. Boat days depend on the sea: if it's too rough, the Trip Host swaps Day 8 and Day 9 or changes the plan.
Day 9
A speedboat takes us out to Ang Thong Marine Park, a cluster of 42 limestone islands. We snorkel off one of the smaller islands, walk up to a viewpoint over the archipelago and kayak between the islets, with lunch included. In the evening the group gets together for a farewell dinner by the sea.
Day 10
The trip ends after breakfast. Book a flight out of Koh Samui (USM), or take the boat and bus to Surat Thani, and leave plenty of time for the boat crossing. If you want more training, some camps let you extend and stay on at their day rate, and the Trip Host can help you ask.
Prices are per person, and reserving is free. A date goes ahead once about 10 travellers have joined. You pay nothing until then. Once it's confirmed, we send you an invoice for the full price, and you have 7 days to pay it (or until the trip starts, if that's sooner).
10 Jan – 19 Jan 2027
AvailableDry season on the Gulf, though showers are still possible early in JanuaryMax 16 people
Price
$1,370 / £1,028 / €1,200 / A$1,950 / CA$1,940 / NZ$2,420 / ₹1,31,500
7 Mar – 16 Mar 2027
AvailableHot and dry, usually calm seasMax 16 people
Price
$1,370 / £1,028 / €1,200 / A$1,950 / CA$1,940 / NZ$2,420 / ₹1,31,500
4 Apr – 13 Apr 2027
AvailableHot and dry. Day 10 is 13 April, the first day of Songkran, so expect water fights and busy transport on the way outMax 16 people
Price
$1,370 / £1,028 / €1,200 / A$1,950 / CA$1,940 / NZ$2,420 / ₹1,31,500
You reserve your spot for free and pay nothing to join. Once enough travellers have signed on, usually around 10, we confirm the departure and email you a confirmation with an invoice for the full trip price. You pay by card or bank transfer within 7 days, in US dollars, pounds, euros, Australian dollars, Canadian dollars, New Zealand dollars or Indian rupees, and the price shown for each date is what you pay.
No to both. Complete beginners are welcome, and the trainers pitch each session to the level in the room. If you've never thrown a punch, day one starts with stance and guard. Two sessions a day is demanding and most people are sore by day two, so a little regular exercise before you come helps.
Solo travellers aged 18 to 40. Most people come on their own, and some bring a friend. The maximum for each departure is shown with its dates, and it's never more than 16.
The Trip Host travels with the group for all 10 days and looks after the transfers, boats and check-ins in the itinerary. They're also the person you go to if anything goes wrong, and they'll happily join a session if they're up for it. Thai trainers at the camp run every training session, not the Trip Host.
It starts at our hostel in Bangkok on the afternoon of Day 1, and we send you the address when you book. It ends at the camp on Koh Phangan after breakfast on Day 10. Book a flight from Koh Samui (USM) on or after Day 10, or take the boat and bus to Surat Thani and fly or take an overnight train from there.
Departures are timed for the Gulf's drier months, roughly January to April. Rain on the Gulf islands falls mainly from October to December, and Ang Thong Marine Park usually closes from about 1 November to mid-December, so we don't run the trip then.
Many nationalities, including the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, EU countries and India, can enter Thailand without a visa for up to 30 days, which covers this trip. The limit was 60 days until 15 September 2026, so older blog posts are out of date. Check our Thailand visa guide for your passport before you book flights. Everyone also needs to fill in the free online Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) within 3 days before you land.
A social hostel in Bangkok, then simple bungalows at the training camp on Koh Phangan. You share a twin or small dorm room with travellers of the same gender, and you can ask us about a private room when you book. Camps like this usually have an open-air ring, a gym area and a canteen, and we confirm the details for your departure before you travel.
Tell us when you book and we'll ask the camp and the restaurants to plan around it. Vegetarian food is easy to find in Thailand, but we can't promise a fully allergen-free kitchen, and for serious allergies we can give you a card in Thai to show at restaurants.
Workout clothes you don't mind getting sweaty and worn out, trainers, and a mouthguard if you own one. Bring your own gloves and wraps if you already train at home; most camps also rent or sell basic gear. Airlines are generally fine with training gloves in checked luggage, but check your airline's sports-equipment policy if you're unsure.
You don't have to fight: this trip is training only, and nobody is matched against another beginner or put in the ring for the group to watch. Muay Thai still carries a real risk of injury. Sore shins, blisters and bruises are common in the first few days, and cuts, sprains and worse can happen. The sessions on this trip are planned around pad and bag work rather than sparring. Some camps can arrange an amateur bout separately, but that isn't part of this trip and we don't broker it. If you have a heart condition, a recent injury or are pregnant, see a doctor before booking.
Yes, it's a condition of joining, and it must cover Muay Thai or martial arts training. Many standard policies exclude martial arts and contact sports unless you add a sports or adventure add-on, and cover for fights is usually excluded or sold separately. Read the policy wording and check with your insurer before you buy.
Ask here and someone on the team will email you back within 1 to 2 business days.
From
$1,370 / £1,028 / €1,200 / A$1,950 / CA$1,940 / NZ$2,420 / ₹1,31,500