Ang Thong Marine Park Speedboat Day Trip with Kayaking Koh Samui

Ang Thong National Marine Park

Ang Thong National Marine Park protects a chain of jungle-covered limestone islands about 30 km west of Koh Samui. Declared a national park in 1980, it covers more than 100 square kilometres of sea and land, with sheer cliffs, hidden lagoons, sea caves and powdery beaches. The name means bowl of gold, and from the high viewpoints the islands really do look like scattered pieces of a golden necklace on blue water. There are no hotels inside the park apart from simple park accommodation, which keeps it wild and quiet.

An Ang Thong Marine Park day trip by speedboat is the fastest way to reach the islands, taking roughly an hour each way, so you have more time at the stops. The park is closed every year from 20 October to 20 December for nature recovery and the monsoon season. The best time to visit Ang Thong is February to September, when the sea is usually calmer and the water clearest.

Snorkelling at Koh Wao or Koh Tay Plow

The first stop is a snorkelling site, either Koh Wao or Koh Tay Plow depending on tide and weather. Both have shallow fringing reefs close to the rocks where you can float above hard and soft corals, giant clams and sea urchins, with parrotfish, butterflyfish, sergeant majors and schools of small silver fish around you. Koh Tay Plow also has a small beach and a cave-like arch in its cliffs.

Masks and life jackets are provided, so even beginners and children can join, and the guide stays nearby in the water. Expect about 45 minutes here. Visibility is usually best in the morning and in the drier months; after heavy rain the water can be a little cloudy. Use reef-safe sunscreen, and avoid standing on coral.

Koh Mae Koh and the Emerald Lake

Koh Mae Koh holds the park's most famous sight: Talay Nai, the Emerald Lake, a saltwater lake enclosed by cliffs and fed from the open sea through underground channels. A wooden staircase of a few hundred steps climbs through the forest to a viewing platform above the water, which shines jade green against the grey rock. The climb takes about 15 minutes at an easy pace and has handrails.

Swimming in the lake is not allowed, to protect it, but the view is one of the most photographed in southern Thailand. Allow around an hour for the island, including a little time on its small beach. Is the Emerald Lake worth the climb? Yes: it is the image most people picture when they think of Ang Thong.

Viewpoint Hike, Beach and Kayaking

After the Thai buffet lunch with fresh fruit, the afternoon is spent at a beach stop where you choose your pace. Energetic guests take the steep viewpoint trail, which rewards the effort with a sweeping panorama over the island chain and the deep blue channels between them. Sturdy shoes are a must, as parts of the path are rocky and roped.

Others stay on the white-sand beach to swim, snorkel in the clear shallows or paddle a kayak along the cliffs, past small caves and overhangs that cannot be seen from the speedboat. Kayaking is included, and it is the best way to feel the quiet of Ang Thong Marine Park before the ride back to Koh Samui in the late afternoon.

Koh Samui Departure and Practical Tips

The day starts with pickup from your hotel on Koh Samui by air-conditioned van and a light breakfast of tea, coffee, toast, fruit and juice at the pier, where the guide gives a short briefing. The speedboat ride can be bumpy when the sea is choppy, so guests with back or neck problems and pregnant women should choose a calmer activity.

Bring swimwear, a towel, a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and hiking shoes or sturdy sandals, plus cash for the national park entrance fee, which is not included and is paid on the day. The route can change with tide and weather, always for your safety. You are usually back at your hotel in the late afternoon.