Koh Samui boat trip: Ang Thong or Pig Island, which day should you book?

Two different days at the same starting price

The Ang Thong day is from $50 per person and is a full day: a speedboat with up to 35 guests, about 8 to 9 hours from pickup, to a national marine park with the Emerald Lake, a climb to a viewpoint over 42 islands, kayaking, snorkelling and a Thai buffet lunch. The Pig Island day is also from $50 per person and is a short half day, about 5 to 6 hours, with snorkelling at Koh Tan and free time on Koh Madsum, where a family of pigs lives on the beach.

So the starting price hides the real difference, which is the amount of day you buy. Ang Thong is a destination in its own right and asks for more time and more effort. Pig Island is an easy outing built around the beach, the shallow water and the animals. There is also a fuller Pig Island option, the island day, which is from $65 per person and adds a viewpoint, lunch and an elephant visit before the boat.

Price and what is extra on each

Ang Thong includes the hotel transfer, the speedboat and guide, a light breakfast, a Thai buffet lunch, snorkelling and kayaking gear, a life jacket and accident insurance. The national park fee is extra, paid on the day. The Department of National Parks' 2022 schedule lists 200 baht for foreign adults; a park guide gave 300 baht as of May 2026. Plan for 300 baht per adult and 150 per child in cash. Our Ang Thong price guide has the detail.

Pig Island includes the transfer, the boat with a guide, a mask, snorkel, life jacket and water. Lunch is included on the $65 island day, and on the $50 option you should ask what is served. Our listing names no entrance fee, but Inside Samui's 2026 guide and Longlae Samui, in a page updated in December 2025, both give a small island fee of 50 baht per person, with children free according to the latter. Ask us whether it applies on your date.

Time: 8 to 9 hours against 5 to 6

Ang Thong starts early. Pickup is between about 7:30 and 8:30 am, the speedboat leaves a pier in the north of Samui at about 9:00 am, and the crossing is about an hour each way. The boat leaves the park at about 3:00 pm and you are at your hotel by about 5:00 pm. Wikipedia puts the park about 28 kilometres from Samui, and Thai National Parks says about 30.

Pig Island is much shorter and closer. The boat leaves from the south of Samui, and Inside Samui gives the crossing to Koh Madsum as 15 to 20 minutes, while Travel Hiatus says about 30 minutes by speedboat. The speedboat option is about 5 to 6 hours in total, and the island day is about 6 hours starting at about 9:00 am. The pickup time is confirmed on WhatsApp the day before. If you need your afternoon or evening free, this is the safer choice.

Effort: a steep viewpoint climb against a shallow beach

Ang Thong asks for some effort. Our listing describes the climb to the viewpoint on Koh Wua Ta Lap as steep, with ropes, taking about 15 minutes. The Department of National Parks puts the trail at 500 metres, and Thai National Parks says it takes 25 to 30 minutes to walk. There is also a walk to the Emerald Lake, or kayaking in the mangroves instead. Wear shoes with grip. Small children and older guests can stay on the beach.

Pig Island asks for almost none. The effort is wading into shallow water and getting in and out of a boat. Our listing says non-swimmers can join, with life jackets provided and the shallows to stay in. The $65 island day adds the Heaven Gate viewpoint and an elephant visit, but our listing does not describe a climb there. The Pig Island option is not recommended for people with back problems or those prone to seasickness, and it is not wheelchair accessible.

Snorkelling and kayaking

On Ang Thong the snorkelling and kayaking gear is in the price, and the day offers snorkelling on a reef at Koh Wao and free time on Koh Wua Ta Lap for snorkelling, kayaking or the beach. Be realistic about the water: Thai National Parks says conditions here suit snorkelling better than diving, with an average depth of about 10 metres and visibility often limited by sediment from the Tapi River. It is a scenery day more than a clear-water day.

On Pig Island the snorkelling is at Koh Tan. Inside Samui describes it as a small uninhabited island ringed by coral, with around an hour in the water, and says Samui has few snorkelling spots of its own. Our listing includes a mask, snorkel and life jacket but does not list kayaks, so do not count on a paddle. If kayaking matters to you, Ang Thong is the day that includes it.

Season and closures: only one of them shuts

Ang Thong is closed to visitors from 1 November to 15 December 2026. The Department of National Parks' 2026 closure schedule, published in the Royal Gazette on 9 January 2026, lists Mu Ko Ang Thong with those dates. Our tour runs before and after them and starts again on 16 December. If you are on Samui in November or the first half of December, Ang Thong is not available.

The weather is the other factor. Wikipedia says the heaviest rain on Samui typically falls from mid-October to early December, and Inside Samui says boat trips can be bumpy or cancelled from late October into December and calls December to April the calmest period. Our Pig Island listing names no closed season, but in the wettest weeks any boat day depends on the sea. If the sea is unsafe, the operator moves the trip to another date or refunds it.

Children and families

For young children, Pig Island is the easier day. Our listing calls it one of the best family trips on Samui: short boat rides, calm water, life jackets and the pigs, with a total of about 5 to 6 hours. Travel Hiatus describes the water at Koh Madsum as clear and shallow for quite a way out, good for children. On the ethics of the pigs, read our Pig Island guide first; it also lists the rules for feeding.

Ang Thong can work for families with older children who like adventure. Our listing says the climb is hard for small children and older guests, who can stay on the beach, and the day is 8 to 9 hours with an hour of crossing each way. It is not a day to start with a toddler. If your children are happy on a boat all day and you can split the group at the viewpoint, it is rewarding.

Who should choose which

Choose Ang Thong if you are fit, want a national park with a lake and a view over the whole archipelago, want kayaking in the price and are travelling outside 1 November to 15 December. Accept the longer day and the park fee. Skip it if your dates fall in that window, if you have very small children, or if you do not want to climb. The Ang Thong travel guide covers the route.

Choose Pig Island if you want an easy half day, travel with young children or non-swimmers, like animals and are happy to follow the feeding rules. Skip it if feeding animals for photographs does not appeal, if you want a national park, or if you are prone to seasickness. You cannot do both in one day, because each is its own boat trip, but they fit on two different days. Send us your dates and we confirm availability, pickup and total before you pay.

Practical checklist

• Check your dates: Ang Thong is closed from 1 November to 15 December 2026.
• Decide how much day you want: 8 to 9 hours for Ang Thong, 5 to 6 hours for Pig Island.
• For Ang Thong, bring cash for the park fee (plan 300 baht per adult, 150 per child) and shoes with grip.
• For Pig Island, ask us whether a small island fee applies and follow the feeding rules.
• Send us the tour, date, hotel and number of guests on WhatsApp; we confirm the total before you pay.

Questions and answers

Read next

• Ang Thong Marine Park tour from Koh Samui: price and fee
• Pig Island tour from Koh Samui: price, pigs and ethics
• Ang Thong Marine Park tour: times, packing and seasons
• Pig Island and island day: times, packing and seasons