Island Hopping from Koh Samui — 8 Islands You Can Reach (2026)

Overview

Island hopping from Koh Samui reaches 8 islands within a 10-100 minute boat ride, from the scheduled ferries to Koh Phangan and Koh Tao to the tour-only clusters of Ang Thong, Koh Tan, Koh Madsum and the Five Islands. Two of the eight — Koh Phangan and Koh Tao — sit on public ferry routes you can book yourself; the other six have no scheduled service and are visited on an organized tour or a chartered longtail from a Samui pier, as of Sep 2026.

Every one of these eight is doable as a single day out of Koh Samui, though Koh Phangan and Koh Tao reward an overnight stay if your schedule allows it. This guide walks through how to reach each island, how long the crossing takes, what it costs this year, and what the island is actually good for, so you can pick two or three rather than trying to force all eight into one trip.

Key takeaways

• Koh Phangan and Koh Tao are the only islands on a public ferry (130-700 THB); the rest need a booked tour or private charter.
• Ang Thong Marine Park is the signature multi-island day out — 42 limestone islands, a viewpoint hike and a saltwater lake for ~1,200-5,000 THB plus a 300 THB (~8.50 USD) park fee.
• Koh Tan and Koh Madsum (Pig Island) are usually sold as one combined tour from Thong Krut Pier, 1,150-2,800 THB per adult.
• Koh Nang Yuan is reached via Koh Tao, not directly from Samui — budget a full day, not a quick add-on.
• Nov-Dec monsoon swells cause the most cancellations of the year across every boat route on this list.

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8 Islands from Koh Samui at a Glance

Eight islands cover everything from a self-guided ferry crossing to a guide-led snorkel tour — compare boat type, one-way crossing time and price before you commit to a route.

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Koh Phangan

Koh Phangan is the only island on this list you can reach on a scheduled ferry and explore entirely on your own without booking a tour. The Koh Samui to Koh Phangan ferry crossing takes 20-50 minutes and costs 130-400 THB (~3.50-11 USD) one way on Lomprayah, Seatran Discovery or Raja Ferry, departing from Bang Rak, Maenam or Lipa Noi piers — see the ferry piers guide for which pier suits your route.

The earliest boats leave Samui around 07:00-09:30 and the last ones back run 16:30-18:30, leaving roughly 7-9 hours on the ground — enough for a scooter loop of one side of the island (the north coast near Chaloklum and Bottle Beach, or the northeast toward Thong Nai Pan), not both in a single day. Rent a scooter at Thong Sala for 150-450 THB/day (~4.50-13 USD) or hire a driver for 1,500-2,500 THB (~43-71 USD) if you want to cover more ground without riding yourself. Phangan works as a day trip or an overnight — see the full Koh Phangan day trip guide for hour-by-hour routes, and Koh Samui vs Koh Phangan if you’re deciding whether to stay over.

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Koh Tao

Koh Tao is Thailand’s diving and snorkeling island, reached on the same Lomprayah and Seatran Discovery ferries that serve Koh Phangan but continuing on to Mae Haad pier. The crossing runs about 1.5 hours on Lomprayah from Maenam (650-700 THB, ~18-20 USD) or roughly 2 hours on Seatran Discovery from Bang Rak (600 THB, ~17 USD), each way, as of Sep 2026.

Because the round-trip crossing alone eats 3-4 hours, most visitors book an organized snorkel tour (1,800-3,500 THB, ~52-100 USD, including hotel pickup, gear and lunch) rather than travel independently, though the DIY ferry route is cheaper if you already plan to explore Sairee Beach or a dive shop on your own schedule. Sairee Beach and Shark Bay (Ao Muang) are the standard snorkel stops on any Koh Tao day tour. Full details, including an hour-by-hour itinerary, are in the Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan day trip guide; for a slower multi-day version of this route, see the Gulf islands 10-day route linking Samui, Phangan and Tao by ferry.

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Koh Nang Yuan

Koh Nang Yuan is not reachable directly from Koh Samui — it is a stop tacked onto a Koh Tao trip, via a short longtail boat from Mae Haad or Sairee Beach (15-40 minutes, ~100-250 THB each way, or included in most organized tours). The island charges a separate cash entrance fee, typically ~250 THB (~7 USD) per adult and ~100-120 THB (~3-3.50 USD) per child, as of Sep 2026, and bans single-use plastic bottles at check-in.

What Koh Nang Yuan is for: the postcard three-islet sandbar viewpoint, reached by a steep 15-25 minute climb with some rock scrambling, plus clear-water snorkeling around the sandbar itself. Because it rides on top of a Koh Tao trip, budget the same 1.5-2 hour ferry crossing each way and treat it as a stop within a full day, not a quick add-on. The Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan day trip guide covers the organized-tour-versus-DIY tradeoff in full.

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Ang Thong Archipelago (Koh Wua Talab and Koh Mae Koh)

Ang Thong National Marine Park is a cluster of 42 limestone islands reached by big boat or speedboat from Nathon, roughly 45-90 minutes each way depending on boat type. Standard big boat tours start at 1,200 THB (~34 USD) per adult; small-group speedboats run 1,700-2,850 THB (~49-81 USD); premium options reach 4,000-5,000 THB (~114-143 USD). The Thai Department of National Parks charges a separate 300 THB (~8.50 USD) entrance fee for foreign adults (150 THB for children), not always included in the tour price.

Every itinerary is built around two fixed stops: the Koh Wua Talab viewpoint hike — about 500 uneven stone steps, 30-45 minutes round trip — and the Emerald Lake at Koh Mae Koh, a saltwater lagoon you view from a short boardwalk rather than swim in directly. What Ang Thong is for: it is the most scenic single day out from Samui, combining a real hike, kayaking and a lagoon landscape used on Thailand tourism material for decades. Full tour comparisons are in the Ang Thong Marine Park guide.

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Koh Tan

Koh Tan, also called Coral Island, sits off Koh Samui’s south coast and is reached from Thong Krut Pier by longtail boat (~30 minutes) or speedboat (~10-15 minutes) — there is no scheduled ferry, so a tour or private charter is required. Shared join-in tours run 1,150-1,750 THB (~33-50 USD) by longtail or 1,595-2,800 THB (~46-80 USD) by speedboat per adult, as of Sep 2026; private longtail charters start around 2,700 THB (~77 USD).

What Koh Tan is for: it has the best coral reef snorkeling of the southern island cluster and a quieter beach than the more famous stops on this list, since it is almost always paired with Koh Madsum rather than visited alone. See the Pig Island and Koh Tan guide for the full longtail-versus-speedboat comparison and an hour-by-hour schedule.

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Koh Madsum (Pig Island)

Koh Madsum, better known as Pig Island, is a 10-minute hop from Koh Tan and is sold as part of the same tour from Thong Krut Pier — the same 1,150-2,800 THB per adult price range applies, plus a separate ~50 THB (~1.50 USD) island entry fee at Koh Madsum. Few operators sell it as a standalone stop, since the two islands are so close together.

What Koh Madsum is for: swimming with the semi-wild pigs that live on the beach, plus a stretch of white sand for a swim afterward — but it comes with a caveat. Animal-welfare groups have raised concerns about how the pigs are fed and handled by tour groups, so visitors who want to go should avoid operators that encourage rough handling or feeding junk food, and treat the visit as a brief photo stop rather than the centerpiece of the day. The Pig Island and Koh Tan guide covers the ethics question in more depth alongside the practical logistics.

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Koh Som and the Five Islands

The Five Islands — a cluster of limestone outcrops known locally as Koh Si Koh Ha, off Koh Samui’s southwest coast near Taling Ngam — are usually visited as a sunset cruise rather than a full day trip. Shared tours from Taling Ngam or Thong Krut run 1,200-1,800 THB (~34-51 USD) per person for about 4 hours; a private longtail charter costs around 3,500 THB (~100 USD) for up to four people. Crossing time from either pier to the islets is short, roughly 20-40 minutes, since they sit close to the southwest shore rather than out in open water like Ang Thong.

What this route is for: the most photogenic and least physically demanding trip on this list. Boats leave around 16:30-17:00 and return after dark, timed to end with the sun setting behind the islands and the Ang Thong archipelago beyond — a good pick for couples or anyone who wants a Samui sunset without hiking or snorkeling required. It appears as trip #6 in the day trips guide alongside the Red Baron sunset cruise, a similar-timed option from Bophut.

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Choosing Your Island Hopping Route

Picking a route comes down to how much time you have and whether you want a scheduled ferry or a booked tour. With one free day, pick a single island: Ang Thong for scenery and a hike, Koh Tao for snorkeling and diving, or Koh Phangan for a scooter loop you control yourself. With two islands paired in one tour, Koh Tan and Koh Madsum together make the easiest half-day, and Koh Tao paired with Koh Nang Yuan makes the fullest day on this list.

Anyone weighing a longer trip rather than a single day should read Koh Samui vs Phangan vs Tao for which island to prioritize first, or the 10-day Gulf islands route for a full itinerary linking all three by ferry. Whichever islands you choose, book with a buffer day in the September-November monsoon window — swells cancel or shorten more boat trips in these months than at any other time of year, and Ang Thong itself closes for a period in November most years for park recovery.

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FAQ

How many islands can you visit from Koh Samui?

Eight islands are realistically reachable from Koh Samui: Koh Phangan, Koh Tao, Koh Nang Yuan, the Ang Thong archipelago (Koh Wua Talab and Koh Mae Koh), Koh Tan, Koh Madsum and the Five Islands off Taling Ngam. Two — Phangan and Tao — sit on scheduled public ferries; the rest need a booked tour or chartered longtail, as of Sep 2026.

Which island near Koh Samui is best for a first-time day trip?

Ang Thong Marine Park is the best first choice — it combines a viewpoint hike, a saltwater lake and kayaking across 42 islands for as little as 1,200 THB (~34 USD) plus the 300 THB park fee. Koh Tan and Koh Madsum together make an easier half-day alternative if you want less hiking and more beach time.

Can you island hop from Koh Samui without booking a tour?

Yes, but only to Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, both served by scheduled Lomprayah, Seatran Discovery and Raja Ferry sailings from Samui’s piers. Ang Thong, Koh Tan, Koh Madsum and the Five Islands have no public ferry — visiting them requires a group tour or a private longtail charter from Thong Krut, Nathon or Taling Ngam.

Is Koh Nang Yuan worth adding to a Koh Tao day trip?

Yes, if you have the full day free. Koh Nang Yuan is not reachable directly from Samui — you reach it via a short longtail from Koh Tao’s Mae Haad pier (15-40 minutes) after the 1.5-2 hour ferry crossing, then pay a ~250 THB (~7 USD) entrance fee. The three-islet viewpoint and clear-water snorkeling are worth the extra step for most visitors.

What is the cheapest island hopping option from Koh Samui?

Koh Phangan is the cheapest, at 130-400 THB (~3.50-11 USD) each way on a scheduled ferry with no tour required. Every other island on this list costs at least 1,150 THB (~33 USD) as part of a shared tour, since none have public ferry service from Koh Samui.

Is Pig Island (Koh Madsum) ethical to visit?

It’s a mixed picture. Koh Madsum’s semi-wild pigs draw visitors for photos and swimming, but animal-welfare groups have raised concerns about feeding and handling practices at some operators. If you go, choose a tour that discourages rough handling or junk-food feeding, and treat it as a short stop alongside Koh Tan rather than the main event of the day.