Ang Thong Marine Park tour: speedboat or big boat?

Ang Thong National Marine park is a spectacle of nature. Forty-two islands rise up proudly from the turquoise sea. They’re home to abundant marine fish around the coral reefs, monkeys leaping through the jungle canopy and we were even lucky enough to spot pink dolphins on our way to the islands.

But can you visit a stunning tropical paradise like this without damaging it?

Quick verdict

A visit to Ang Thong Marine Park is highly recommended for an active day full of adventure, scenic views and fascinating wildlife. While we took the speedboat tour, travelling on a bigger boat is better for both the environment and your wallet.

What to know before you go

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  Departure: Most tours leave from Koh Samui, with hotel pickup between about 7am and 8:30am. Tours also run from Koh Phangan.
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  Journey time:

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    Speedboat: about 45 to 60 minutes each way
  • ◦
    Big boat: about 90 minutes to 2 hours each way
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  Price (per adult, group tours from Koh Samui):

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    Speedboat: around ฿1,800–2,800
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    Big boat: around ฿1,200–2,000
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    Private speedboat charter: from around ฿8,000 per boat
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  Park entry fee: ฿300 per adult and ฿150 per child aged 3 to 14. Many tours don't include it, so check before you book
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  Schedule: A 7 to 8 hour day, back at your hotel around 4:30–5:30pm

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    Typical stops include snorkelling, kayaking, the Emerald Lake viewpoint on Ko Mae Ko, the Pha Jun Jaras viewpoint on Ko Wua Talap
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    Some tours, like ours, have buffet lunch in the fishing village on Ko Phaluai with vegetarian options available
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  Fitness: The Ko Wua Talap viewpoint trail is about 500m of steep steps, with ropes on the hardest parts. It takes about 90 minutes to go up and back down, and you have the option of relaxing on the beach instead
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  When to go: January to April has the calmest seas. The park usually closes from 1 November to 15 December for the monsoon
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  Bring: A refillable water bottle, closed-toe shoes for the climb, a hat, reef safe sunscreen, a dry bag and cash for the park fee

We visited in May 2026 on a speedboat tour from Koh Samui. Prices and times above were checked in October 2026.

Speedboat or big boat: which is better for Ang Thong?

Speedboats are known to be disruptive to marine life, from dolphins to reef fish and can significantly harm their reproduction, as well as being a very fuel-intensive mode of transport. We estimated around 400 litres of fuel was burned for the 20-person day trip, especially as the 600hp boat was running near full speed.

There’s other options here and, if we’d known the difference, we likely would have taken a bigger, more comfortable boat. “Big Boats” use much less fuel per person and their larger, slower RPM engines produce a less disruptive sound underwater. The trade-off is that the bigger boats are slower than speedboats, so if you’re prone to seasickness, a speedboat is probably the more sensible option.

Not only is the big boat a more sustainable option, it’s also much cheaper thanks to the fuel cost being spread among more passengers - close to half the price(affiliate) per person compared to the speedboat.

Small changes like this are easier to discover by checking your activity using KindScore before you visit.

The Ang Thong viewpoint hike: is it worth the climb?

The best way to see Ang Thong Marine Park is from the top of its highest peak, at Pha Jun Jaras Viewpoint. It's a steep 500m trail from the beach to the top of Ko Wua Talap, the park's main island, with ropes to help on the steepest sections. It’s not an easy climb up, especially in the heat - we passed tourists drenched in sweat on our way up, and looked just as bad ourselves on our way down.

While the viewpoint lets you take in the majesty of the islands all around you, the climb up through the forest was equally special, with spectacled langurs (a species of monkey found in South East Asia) leaping between the trees overhead. Seeing these animals in the wild was a fascinating moment that felt vastly more real than seeing them in captivity, and was made even better by the effort we took to be there.

If that climb sounds a little too intense, you don’t need to go all the way to the summit. There’s multiple viewpoints along the way that are still worthwhile. If hiking isn’t your thing, you have the option to relax and enjoy the beach during this time.

Local lunch surrounded by hornbills

The tour takes you across five different stops, with the lunch stop serving up a delicious locally cooked buffet on the island of Ko Phaluai. We appreciated that a vegetarian option was offered here - that can sometimes be hard to find across Thailand. We won’t dwell on the point here, but reducing meat consumption, even if you don’t cut it out entirely, is almost always environmentally beneficial.

A highlight of Ko Phaluai was the presence of hornbills all around us while we were enjoying lunch. These are curious birds with long curved beaks that were quite happy to pose for a photo or two.

Plastic water bottles: a totally avoidable downside

Thailand’s commitment to reducing plastic waste seemed mixed at best. There were plenty of banners about caring for the planet, but most hotels and tours were all too happy to keep giving out new plastic water bottles rather than providing any way to refill them. When we took a scuba diving boat trip, they had a water cooler on board, so we know it’s possible. Disappointingly however, the tour to Ang Thong just kept handing out water bottles - at least five per person throughout the day.

There’s some small action we can take here - enough tourists asking tour operators and hotels to use a water cooler and encourage guests to reuse their bottles will go a long way in reducing plastic waste.

Should you visit Ang Thong Marine Park?

We’re all about making small decisions to travel better, rather than not travelling at all. We found this trip hugely enjoyable, and seeing monkeys and hornbills up close in the wild really gives us an appreciation for the special creatures that deserve our respect. So, we’d certainly recommend taking a tour to Ang Thong - but ask a few questions before you go to find the least impactful option. A bigger, slower boat, and one that encourages water bottle refills, would make a huge difference and you can book that here(affiliate).

What small changes have you thought about on tours that could improve their impact on the planet? Let us know in the comments below.