Koh Samui scooter routes — which one to ride (2026)
Eight rides cut from my own GPS track of the island. The table puts them side by side: how far, how much climbing, how many steep bits. Pick by your scooter and how confident you are on hills, then open the route page for the map, stops and GPX.
Colour — all the routes on this site (list under the Routes button on the map), faint — every road I have ridden. GPX works in Maps.me, Organic Maps, OsmAnd, Garmin.
The eight routes side by side
| Route | Km | Level | Climbing | Steep sections | Stops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ring road 4169 — around the island | 63.7 | Easy | ≈250 m | 1 | 14 |
| Viewpoints loop | 38.3 | Medium | ≈400 m | 4 | 7 |
| Mountain roads — Pom Mountain & Secret Buddha Garden | 45.7 | Hard | ≈1390 m | 16 (9 very steep) | 6 |
| Waterfalls — Na Muang, Hin Lad, Wang Saotong | 69.3 | Medium | ≈1870 m | 23 (16 very steep) | 7 |
| South-west — Taling Ngam, Lipa Noi, Laem Sor | 36.3 | Easy | ≈150 m | 0 | 7 |
| North coast — Bophut, Maenam, Bang Por, Nathon | 27.2 | Easy | ≈70 m | 1 | 10 |
| Temples of the east — Big Buddha, Plai Laem, Khao Hua Jook | 24.7 | Easy | ≈170 m | 0 | 5 |
| One-day classic — the best of Samui in a day | 54.5 | Medium | ≈910 m | 9 (7 very steep) | 7 |
Climbing and steep sections come from satellite elevation data (SRTM), smoothed — read them as a comparison between routes, not as exact numbers. A steep section here means a grade over about 12 % for at least 100 m; very steep is over 20 %.
How to choose
- First day on a scooter, or a 110cc bike: stay on the coast — the north coast, the eastern temples or the south-west. Almost no climbing, and the 4169 is never far away.
- A full day, comfortable on hills: the ring road with its side trips, or the viewpoints loop — a few short steep climbs, all on asphalt.
- Confident, 125cc or bigger, good brakes: the mountain roads, the waterfalls and the one-day classic. They go inland, over the hills, with long very steep concrete stretches. Not in rain, not two-up if you are new.
Using the GPX and Google Maps
Each route page has a GPX file with the stops as named waypoints and elevation in every point — it opens in Organic Maps, OsmAnd, Maps.me or a Garmin and works offline. If you only use Google Maps, the route page also has an Open in Google Maps button with the main stops; Google picks its own roads between them, so compare with the map on the page.
Questions
Which Koh Samui scooter route is easiest?
The north coast and the eastern temples: short, flat, on the main road. The south-west is also easy, just longer.
Which routes have the steepest roads?
The mountain roads, the waterfalls route and the one-day classic go inland over the hills and have long very steep sections. Ride them on a 125cc or bigger, in dry weather.
Can I ride all of them in one trip?
Over a week, yes. Together they cover most of the island; the ring road alone takes a relaxed day.
Anton A.
I live on Koh Samui and have been riding the island for several years. Every road on these maps I rode myself — the track is a real GPS log. Spotted an error? Message me on Telegram: @abrameicev