Koh Tao & Koh Nang Yuan from Koh Samui: the snorkelling day trip

Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan are the best snorkelling within a day of Koh Samui, and the trip runs daily, all year: hotel pickup at 7:30, speedboat from Bangrak pier at 8:30, on the sandbar of Koh Nang Yuan at 10:00, back on Samui at 16:30. The Koh Tao & Koh Nang Yuan snorkelling tour costs ฿2,600 per adult and ฿2,000 for children aged 3 to 9 — hotel transfer, guide, lunch, drinks and snorkelling gear included. The entry to Koh Nang Yuan, ฿250 (children ฿120), is paid on the island.

At a glance

• ·Price: ฿2,600, children (3–9) ฿2,000 · daily, all year · as of November 2026
• ·Times: hotel pickup 7:30 · boat leaves Bangrak pier 8:30 · back on Koh Samui 16:30
• ·Included: return hotel transfer, guide (English, German), lunch, water and soft drinks, snorkelling gear
• ·Not included: Koh Nang Yuan entry ฿250, children ฿120 · tips
• ·Good to know: transfer surcharge from the south and west of Samui · no plastic bottles on Koh Nang Yuan

How does the day run?

At 7:30 the minibus collects you at your hotel and drives to Bangrak pier, in the bay of the Big Buddha. The speedboat leaves at 8:30 and takes about an hour and a half, north past Koh Phangan. At 10:00 you step onto Koh Nang Yuan and have about two hours there. At 12:00 lunch is served in a restaurant on Koh Tao, right next door. The afternoon is for the reefs: snorkelling in Aow Muang bay — Mango Bay — at 13:00 and at Hin Wong at 14:00. Around 15:00 the boat leaves Koh Tao; at 16:30 you are back on Koh Samui.

What comes on top of the price?

Two things. The entry to Koh Nang Yuan is paid on arrival: ฿250 per adult, ฿120 per child. And hotels in the south and west — South Samui, Nathon, Taling Ngam, Lipa Noi, Hua Thanon — pay a transfer surcharge, which we tell you when you book. An example: two adults pay ฿5,200 for the tour and ฿500 on the island, ฿5,700 in all; with two children aged 3 to 9 it is ฿9,200 plus ฿740, so ฿9,940.

Koh Nang Yuan: sandbar, viewpoint and the one rule

Koh Nang Yuan is the picture everyone knows: three green islets and the strip of white sand that joins them. The two hours are yours — snorkel on either side of the sandbar, lie on the beach, or climb to the viewpoint; the climb is optional, short and steep, and sandals with grip help. One rule applies: plastic bottles are not allowed on the island. Leave yours on the boat — water and soft drinks are part of the tour.

Is the trip suitable for children and weak swimmers?

The tour has three snorkelling stops: off the beach of Koh Nang Yuan, then Aow Muang bay and Hin Wong on Koh Tao — "turtle island" — with the clearest water in the Gulf and the region's finest coral reefs. Nang Yuan is the easy start: you walk in from the sand, and children see fish within a few steps. At the afternoon stops, tell the guide if you are not a confident swimmer; life vests are on board, and nobody has to go in every time.

What families should weigh is the boat: an hour and a half each way on the open sea — fun when it is calm, bumpy in swell; anyone prone to seasickness takes a tablet beforehand. We advise pregnant guests and anyone with back problems against the speedboat.

Is a day trip enough, or should I stay on Koh Tao?

For snorkelling, a day is enough: two hours on Koh Nang Yuan, lunch on Koh Tao, two of its bays in the afternoon — and you sleep in your own hotel. Stay several nights on Koh Tao if you want to dive; the island is known for its dive schools.

When is the sea calm — and what if the weather turns?

The tour runs all year: Koh Tao has no closed season; only the swell decides. The dependable months in the Gulf are February to September. From October to December the north-east monsoon brings Koh Samui's rain, heaviest in November, and boat trips are cancelled more often. The operator decides in the morning; on a storm warning the speedboats stay in. We then tell you as early as possible and look for a new date — a tour that is paid for but does not run is not charged. More in Best time to visit and the rainy season.

Koh Tao or Angthong?

Same price, same pier, two different days. The speedboat tour to Angthong Marine Park also costs ฿2,600 (children 3–9 ฿2,000) and runs daily, pickup 7:00–8:00, with a crossing of about an hour. Angthong is the day for scenery: 42 islands, the climb to the Emerald Lagoon, kayaking — and one hour of snorkelling. Koh Tao is the day for the water: three snorkelling stops and the sandbar. Angthong's park fee is ฿300 (children ฿150) on site, and the park is closed from November to mid-December. Which boat to take there is in Angthong Marine Park from Koh Samui.

Other days on the water from Koh Samui

• ·Seven Islands, half day: ฿1,800, children (4–10) ฿1,350 · Tue · Fri · Sun · pickup 8:30 · minimum 8 guests · snorkelling, Koh Tan and Pig Island · see the tour
• ·Koh Phangan Explorer: ฿3,200, children (4–10) ฿2,200 · Tue · Thu · pickup 9:00 · minimum 4 guests · plus ferry ฿1,100 per person and land transfer ฿2,000 per vehicle · see the tour

Every tour with price and days: Tours from Koh Samui and the full list.

What to bring

Swimwear under your clothes, a towel, reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, sandals with grip, and cash: ฿250 per adult and ฿120 per child for Koh Nang Yuan, plus tips. No plastic bottles. All tour conditions are in Thailand from A to Z.