How to visit Ang Thong Marine National Park from Samui and what you will see

What you will see at Ang Thong

Ang Thong (“golden bowl”) is a marine national park of 42 islands in the Gulf of Thailand. The DNP gives its area as 63,750 rai, about 102 km². The islands are almost all limestone, 10 to 400 m high, with caves and sheer cliffs. Visitors go on day tours from Samui, and you cannot go on your own: according to Thai Holiday Guide, access is only by licensed tour boat.

Ko Mae Ko and the Emerald Lake. On Ko Mae Ko (Ko Mae Koh) lies Thale Nai (“inner sea”), a saltwater lagoon ringed by limestone cliffs. Wooden paths and steps lead to a viewpoint above the water, about 15 minutes by TAT’s description. Swimming in the lagoon is not allowed, so this stop is for looking.

Ko Wua Talap. The park’s main island. Kha Bay on its northeast side has the park office, a ranger station, a restaurant and a campsite, and the viewpoint trail starts there. The trail is about 500 m, and TAT advises at least 30 minutes for the climb. From the top you see most of the 42 islands.

Snorkelling and kayaking. Itineraries stop for snorkelling at Ko Wao and Ko Wua Talap, with kayaks at Ko Mae Ko, in the Koh Samui Tours and Thai Holiday Guide programmes. The DNP rates the park’s reefs as only moderately intact because of sediment and monsoon waves, so expect more fish than coral.

A cave and lunch on the islands. Koh Samui Tours offers a stalactite cave (Bua Bok, “Lotus Cave”) at Ko Wua Talap. Lunch is on board, on the beach of Ko Sam Sao (Koh Samui Tours’ speedboat) or on Ko Phaluai (Thai Holiday Guide).

Wildlife. The DNP says the rare spectacled langur (ค่างแว่นถิ่นใต้) lives in troops only on Ko Wua Talap, and the Ang Thong lady’s slipper orchid (กล้วยไม้รองเท้านารีช่องอ่างทอง) is native to the park and grows on the rocks of Ko Wua Talap, Ko Sam Sao and Ko Phi.

What the day looks like, step by step

This is the day on Koh Samui Tours’ big boat from Nathon Pier, as published on 18 October 2026. The operator gives approximate times and adjusts them for the swell.

1. 7:00-8:00 a minivan picks you up and drives to Nathon Pier on the west of Samui
2. Around 8:30 the boat sails, with a light breakfast on board and about 90 minutes to Ko Mae Ko
3. Ko Mae Ko: wooden paths to the Emerald Lake, kayak for an extra fee
4. Around 12:00 a Thai buffet lunch on board, three dishes with salad and fruit
5. Around 13:00 Ko Wua Talap for about 2 hours: viewpoint climb, snorkelling, a cave or the beach
6. Around 15:00 the boat heads back, reaching Nathon around 16:30
7. 17:00-18:00 transfer to your hotel

Koh Samui Tours’ speedboat leaves from Bangrak Pier in the northeast: it sails around 9:00 and takes about 60 minutes to Ko Wua Talap, with 45 minutes of snorkelling, the Ko Mae Ko lagoon, lunch on Ko Sam Sao, kayaking, then about 90 minutes on Ko Wua Talap, and you are back at your hotel around 17:30. Thai Holiday Guide’s small group (Happy Samui) starts from Plai Laem Pier in the north and fits into 7 hours: Ko Wao, a kayak at Ko Mae Ko, the viewpoint above the lagoon, lunch on Ko Phaluai, up to 16 guests.

How long it takes and when to go

The trip runs from 7 hours (Thai Holiday Guide’s small group) to 10.5 hours with transfers (Koh Samui Tours’ speedboat, 7:00-17:30). The Koh Samui Tours big boat is about 8 hours on the water, 7:00-17:30 with transfers. The DNP calls February-August the best time to visit, when the sea is calmest for boats. Samui sits on the eastern side of the south, and its rain comes with the winter northeast monsoon (TMD).

Samui’s season differs from the Andaman Sea: Phuket gets 336 and 178 mm in October and November, and 82 mm in December. More in the Koh Samui guide and the November overview.

Getting there and how far it is

The park is 30-43 km from Samui as the crow flies: about 30 km from Nathon Pier to Ko Wua Talap and about 43 km from Bangrak Pier (a calculation from OpenStreetMap coordinates). The big boat takes about 90 minutes and the speedboat about 60. The DNP describes one tourist boat a day from Samui, leaving 08:00-08:30 with 1 hour 30 minutes at sea. You cannot arrange an independent visit: access is only by licensed tour boat (Thai Holiday Guide), so you pick a sailing with an operator.

If you stay in the northeast of Samui (Chaweng, Bophut), the Bangrak speedboat is closer. From the west (Lipa Noi) the big boat from Nathon is easier.

National park fee and what is included

Source: the DNP table of entrance fees for individuals, revision of 02.06.2023, checked 18.10.2026. Tours stop at Ko Wua Talap and Ko Mae Ko, so the second row applies. The DNP asks visitors to carry the fee card for checks after paying. We found no newer revision of the table on 18.10.2026.

The price of the tour covers transfers, a guide, lunch, mask and snorkel and insurance in the Koh Samui Tours and Thai Holiday Guide programmes. Thai Holiday Guide collects the park fee in cash at the pier and leaves it out of the price, and Koh Samui Tours lists it on a separate line next to “own expenses”. The Koh Samui Tours kayak costs extra and is chosen when you book.

Options: big boat, speedboat, small group, overnight

Times and figures come from the operators’ pages and the DNP on 18.10.2026. For other trips from Samui see the Samui excursions overview, and for Ko Tao with Nang Yuan the separate guide.

What to do in rain and swell

Boats are cancelled in heavy swell. Thai Holiday Guide says rough seas in September-November can cancel a trip outright and advises checking the forecast the evening before and keeping the booking flexible. Both operators refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before. On 18-19 November 2023 the park was closed for the weekend over forecast waves of 2-3 m (The Nation).

If the sea is shut, move the day: the Big Buddha and the Na Muang waterfalls are your fallbacks on Samui, and the falls carry more water after rain. Rain on the island with a calm sea does not cancel the tour, but Thai Holiday Guide says the viewpoint trail and the steps to the lake can close early when a storm is forecast.

Safety

• Trails. The Ko Wua Talap viewpoint trail is steep, with rope sections in places, and takes 25-45 minutes by Thai Holiday Guide’s description. Wear shoes with grip, carry water and go slowly. On Ko Mae Ko, keep to the wooden paths and steps
• Water. Swimming is forbidden in the Thale Nai lagoon, so do not get in. Snorkel near the shore with the guide and stay with the group
• Boat. The Koh Samui Tours big boat carries a life jacket for every participant; on the speedboat and with the small group, confirm this before you sail. A speedboat slams on the swell
• Insurance. Tours include the operator’s insurance, but look into separate traveller medical cover ahead of time: is it needed in Thailand
• Children. Koh Samui Tours does not take babies under one year; ask the operator about the child-fare age and the conditions for small children, bearing in mind 60-90 minutes on the boat each way
• Box jellyfish. Box jellyfish live around Samui and Phangan, and their stings can be fatal. In a review of cases from 1999 to 2015, six of the seven box jellyfish deaths in Thailand happened on these two islands, and stings were most frequent from July to October (Thaikruea et al., BMC Research Notes, 2016). The UK Foreign Office warns of jellyfish close to shore in the rainy season from May to October and advises swimming at beaches with lifeguards and following the flags (FCDO, 18 October 2026). If you are stung: leave the water, pour household vinegar (4-6 %) on the sting straight away for at least 30 seconds, do not rub the wound or rinse it with fresh water, call an ambulance on 1669 and do not wait for it to get worse. Ask your hotel or the lifeguards where the vinegar is kept on your beach.

Who it suits and who should skip it

• Suits anyone who wants limestone islands, a lagoon and a viewpoint in one day without arranging the logistics, with hotel transfers
• Suits couples and groups who like kayaking and snorkelling, and anyone ready for a 25-45 minute climb
• Skip it if you are pregnant or have a baby under one: Koh Samui Tours does not take them
• Skip it if you get badly seasick or want rich reefs: the DNP rates them as only moderately intact
• Skip it if you have one fixed day at the end of October or in November: swell can cancel the sailing, and the DNP page puts 31 October to 15 December outside the park season

Found an error or outdated fact? Tell the editors, we will fix it and update the check date.