A low-cost full-day trip into Ang Thong with breakfast, lunch and a tough climb to one of the park's best viewpoints. The snorkelling stop gets the most complaints. Highsea Tour's big-boat cruise from Nathon Pier costs from $39 per person, plus a 300-baht park fee in cash. It includes hotel pickup, breakfast, a buffet lunch and stops at Koh Wua Ta Lap and Koh Mae Ko. It is a long day in a large group, and the snorkelling is limited.
Checked 24 September 2026
Mu Ko Ang Thong is a national park of 42 limestone islands about 30 km northwest of Koh Samui. There is no scheduled public ferry, so most visitors go on a day tour or a private charter. Highsea Tour's big-boat cruise is the most-reviewed Ang Thong day trip we have found on GetYourGuide, and at $39 per person it is one of the lower-cost ways to get there.
The calendar below shows which dates still have space and what the kayaking option costs on your date. The listing currently offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
The highlights most travellers mention are the Koh Wua Ta Lap viewpoint and Talay Nai on Koh Mae Ko. The viewpoint is about 500 metres above the sea and looks out over the islands of the archipelago. Talay Nai is a saltwater lake enclosed by cliffs, which you look down on from a platform at the top of a steep staircase. Both need a boat to reach, and both involve a climb.
The big boat is slower than a speedboat. It has three decks, toilets, a buffet lunch and tea and coffee throughout the day. It also carries a large group, and the day is organised around moving that group on and off the islands.
We haven't taken this tour. For this review we went through recent traveller reports, looking closely at what people said about the snorkelling stop, the size of the group and how long the day runs. We also checked the live listing and the operator's own timetable on 24 September 2026.
There are four things worth knowing before you book:
The listing covers the pontoons and the pickup times, but its description still promises snorkelling in "clear, sparkling waters". Guides and transport both score 4.5/5 on the listing, and value for money scores 4.4. If you want the viewpoint, a swim, a filling lunch and a low price, the day usually delivers. If snorkelling is your priority, or you want a quieter small-group day, this probably isn't the best fit.
Pickup starts at 7:15 from Chaweng, Lamai, Bang Rak and Choeng Mon, and a little later from Mae Nam and the west coast. The boat leaves Nathon Pier at 8:30. If your hotel is up a hill or away from the main road, the van may not be able to reach it, and the operator will arrange a meeting point on the main road instead.
The operator's timetable has the boat reaching Koh Wua Ta Lap at about 9:50, serving lunch on board at 12:30, arriving at Koh Mae Ko at 1:30 and heading back at 3:30, to reach Nathon at about 5:00. The 9 hours shown on the listing appear to cover the boat day only. Several reviews mention getting back to the hotel between 6 and 7pm, so plan your evening for a late return.
Instructions are given over a loudspeaker, and several travellers found it hard to follow, especially from the lower deck. Before each stop, it helps to ask a crew member what happens next and when you need to be back.
The tour runs daily except from 1 November to 15 December, when the national park is closed every year. Reopening can slip a few days past 15 December if the sea is rough. October is the start of the northeast monsoon, and a couple of recent October reviewers described very rough crossings. Our best time to visit Ang Thong page has the month-by-month detail.
Pickups are generally on time. Breakfast is light: cereal, a muffin, bananas, tea and coffee. Several reviews describe it as minimal, so eat something at your hotel if you can.
Vegetarian and other dietary meals are available if you ask in advance. One vegan traveller said breakfast was only bananas for them, so it is worth confirming what you will get.
The crossing takes about 90 minutes. On a calm day, many reviews describe it as a pleasant ride from the top deck. It is slower and noisier from the lower benches, and on a rough day it can feel long from anywhere on the boat.
The boat can't dock at the islands. At each stop, passengers go ashore in longtail boats and step onto a floating pontoon, and then do the same in reverse. With a full boat, a few people describe waiting half an hour or more for their turn. If you use a stick or have trouble balancing, this is the part of the day to think about before you book. The listing states that the tour is not suitable for people with mobility impairments.
If the crossing time is what puts you off, consider a speedboat. The Ang Thong day tour with kayak, snorkel and lunch is rated 4.7 from more than 2,000 reviews, costs from $67 per person and is listed at 7.5 hours. It shortens the day, although its own lower-rated reviews also mention full boats and busy stops.
Koh Wua Ta Lap gets the best reviews of the day. It is the park's headquarters island, with a long beach and the trail to the viewpoint. The trail climbs about 500 metres, with five resting points on the way up. Fit walkers talk about 30 minutes to the top. Others say it took them closer to an hour in the heat.
From the top you can see most of the archipelago. Two recent reviews mention a crew member at the top taking photos of passengers.
The time here is about two hours and twenty minutes on the itinerary. That sounds generous, but if you climb to the top, you have little time left for the beach. Several reviews say they would have liked more time on this island. One traveller pointed out that you can stop at a lower resting point and still get a view.
Our Koh Wua Ta Lap guide covers the trail in more detail.
Lunch is a buffet served on the boat: rice, fried chicken, a curry, vegetables and fruit. It comes from KruaSavoey, a restaurant on Samui. Most reviews are positive about it, including some from travellers who didn't enjoy the rest of the day. A few describe it as cold or basic.
With a full boat, the lunch queue can be long, and there aren't tables for everyone. Some people end up eating with the plate on their lap while the boat is moving.
After lunch the boat passes Koh Sam Sao and its rock arch. This is a photo stop from the deck, not a landing. The highlights on the listing also mention Bua Boke Cave, and the itinerary shows an optional "secret stop". Several recent reviews say neither was part of their day, so treat them as a bonus if they happen.
Many of the lower-rated reviews mention this stop. The description promises snorkelling among tropical fish and coral in clear water. In practice, the snorkelling is from a small beach, inside a roped-off area that is shallow enough to stand in. Many reviewers found the water cloudy, with few fish, and on some days snorkelling isn't offered at all because of low tide or the season.
The viewpoint over Talay Nai is a short, steep climb of about ten minutes on the operator's figures, and reviews of the climb are generally positive. The lake is protected, so you can't swim or kayak in it. Our Blue Lagoon guide explains why.
If you booked kayaking, you paddle from here along the coast of Koh Mae Ko and nearby islands with a guide. If you didn't, you wait on the beach with the other passengers until the kayakers return. The beach is small and has little shade, and it is shared with other tour boats. Two recent reviews also mention a generator running near the beach.
For snorkelling, the water around Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan is usually clearer. Our Koh Tao day trip guide covers that trip, and our snorkelling spots comparison ranks the options around Samui.
The boat leaves the park at about 3:30. Snacks, soft drinks, tea and coffee are available on the way back, and beer is extra. Non-kayakers sometimes board first and then wait while the kayakers come back, which can make the return feel longer.
There are occasional reports of the boat breaking down or passengers being moved to a second boat part-way through the day. One recent reviewer said the crew handled a breakdown well, although they got back several hours late.
Keep exploring
If you have more days on Koh Samui, the island-hopping trips to Koh Madsum (Pig Island) and Koh Tan, snorkelling days to Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan, and smaller-group tours of Ang Thong are the ones travellers most often pair with this cruise. Live options are below.
There is also a private charter on a classic Thai yacht that visits the park. It costs about $1,676 for a group of up to six, which is about $279 per person with six on board. It currently has 11 reviews, which is not enough for us to recommend it, so we haven't linked it.
Yes, if the viewpoint is what you want and snorkelling isn't. At $39 plus the park fee, it is one of the lower-cost ways to see Ang Thong, and it includes transport, two meals, drinks and a guided climb to one of the park's best viewpoints.
Book this tour if you want to see the viewpoint and Talay Nai on a budget, you are happy to climb, and you would rather have a big boat with toilets, shade and lunch than a faster ride on a speedboat. Consider adding the kayaking option for the afternoon.
Book something else if snorkelling is the main reason for your trip, you want a small group, or you would rather not spend three hours on the water. Consider the small-group tour or a speedboat day trip instead.
If you do book it, confirm your pickup point the evening before, especially if you are staying up a hill.
FAQ
Nobody on our team has taken this tour or visited Ang Thong ourselves. This review is based on recent traveller reports, including many of the lower-rated ones, along with the GetYourGuide listing and the timetable Highsea Tour publishes on its own site. We checked the price and rating on 24 September 2026. Both change with the season, so check the calendar for your dates. We earn a commission if you book through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. See our disclosures.
From $39 per person plus the park fee, with hotel pickup, breakfast and lunch. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.