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Off the coast of Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, the Ang Thong Marine National Park stretches over 42 islands and is a popular destination for day trips. It is one of the most favorite excursions on Koh Samui and offers great snorkeling spots, beautiful beaches and a beautiful lagoon.
Day trip from Koh Samui to the Ang Thong National Park
In our travel report to the Ang Thong Marine National Park from Koh Samui we give you an impression of our first trip there. More impressions of the Ang Thong National Park we have recently collected on a trip from Koh Phangan.
How to get to the Ang Thong National Park
On a tour to the Ang Thong Marine National Park, you will be picked up from your hotel early in the morning around 9.00 A.M. and taken to Bophut for the departure point. In our case it was from our hotel at Chaweng Beach, which was a drive of about 20 minutes including the pick up of other guests.
At arrival on the beach of Bophut, you must register yourself into a list with your name and pay the national park fee of 300 baht (as of 2019). After that there is a small complimentary breakfast with toast, fruits and coffee to shorten the wait a bit.
After a short wait, the speedboats will set off for the Ang Thong National Park. The trip to the first stop takes about an hour and is very pleasant, at least when the water is calm. You can enjoy the wind and the views of the north of Koh Samui.
The tour from Koh Samui to the Ang Thong Marine National Park can be booked in many hotels and travel agencies on the island or in advance online. Prices range from 1300 to 2000 baht, depending on whether you choose to go kayaking or not. It includes a small breakfast and a buffet for lunch as well as snorkeling equipment. Not included in the price is the aforementioned national park fee.
1. Snorkel stop in the north of the national park
After the initial ride of about 60 minutes to the north of the Ang Thong Marine National Park, the speedboat stops near some rocks. Now you can put on a snorkeling mask and jump from the boat directly into the sea to discover the lively underwater world.
Depending on the weather, the water is a bit more, sometimes a little less full of fish. But with luck, you should see lots of the little colorful, mostly yellow fish. They are located especially in the vicinity of the rocks and boats. A short stop, which can be nice especially for snorkel beginners.
2. Stop on Koh Mae Ko
After snorkeling we went again on the speedboat to continue our trip across the Ang Thong Marine National Park. Many of the islands are not inhabited and some are actually just rocks. One of the most famous of these is Monkey Rock (also sometimes called Monkey Island), which resembles the face of a monkey, depending on the viewing direction.
A short ride later, the boat will reach the “Mother Island”, as Koh Mae Ko translates. Every tour in the Ang Thong Marine National Park will stop here, because of the Talay Nai, the blue lagoon or also called Emerald Lagoon. It allegedly served as the inspiration for the secret bay in the movie The Beach.
To get to it, however, you’ll have to climb some steps to reach the 240-meter-high observation deck. The stairs start right on the beach and are feasible for almost everyone. After the first steps you already have a great view over the beach of Koh Mae Ko and at the top there is an even more fantastic view of some islands of the Ang Thong Marine National Park.
If you have some time left you can relax on the beach after the descent, buy some souvenirs or drinks at the on-site shop or just take a few photos. If you have booked a kayak tour, they often start on Koh Mae Ko right here on the beach.
3. Lunch on Koh Phaluai
After spending about an hour on Koh Mae Ko, you will continue to the south of the national park to Koh Phaluai. There the boat stops in a small fishing village, where a lunch buffet with various Thai dishes is served.
Since you will have some time to kill after lunch, you can take a little walk through the fishing village on Koh Phaluai. Here everything is still very original and natural.
4. Last stop at the beach on Koh Phaluai
One last time we went with the speedboat to another part of Koh Phaluai. The beach was very clean and quiet. In front of us the sea and islands, behind us only the jungle.
Now you will have about an hour to swim, relax and take pictures. Due to the small tourist rush it actually rather felt like a lonely island. A very nice last stop. Even though The Beach was filmed in Maya Bay and thus far away from this place, you can really feel how this National Park inspired the author of the book.
Conclusion
Unfortunately a nice day has to come to an end and so we went from Koh Phaluai in about 1 ½ hours back to Koh Samui. From the starting point in Bophut all guests were taken back to their hotels and in the late afternoon the whole trip is over. A really nice tour, which we can absolutely recommend.
Ang Thong National Park: Tours and tickets
Have you been on a trip from Koh Samui to the Ang Thong National Park? How did you like it and would you recommend it? We are looking forward to your feedback.
