Ang Thong National Marine Park is a protected nature area consisting of over 40 islands. All of the islands are uninhabited and
undeveloped except for one. This island, Koh Paluay, is inhabited by "sea-gypsies" who still earn a living from fishing. The island
looks like what Koh Samui used to look like 30 years ago, prior to the arrival of tourism and modern infrastructure. The Marine
Park is famous for its natural beauty untouched by development.
The islands range in size from mere rocks in the deep blue sea to little paradise islands with
white beaches and coconut trees. The movie 'the Beach' starring Leonardo Di Caprio was inspired by and partially filmed at this
location. Being in the Marine Park gives you the feeling of being an explorer, discovering the far ends of the world. The water is
clean, calm and inviting, creating the perfect conditions to explore the park's hidden treasures.
We believe the best option to travel to the Marine Park is by VIP speedboat. We are currently the only company on Koh Samui that uses VIP speedboats for the Marine Park tour. The VIP speedboats are very comfortable, safe and offer toilets facilities on board. The speedboat will take you to the Park in less than
an hour and on most days there are hardly any waves during the trip as the waters are sheltered protected by Koh Samui and Koh
Phangan.
Our speedboat will take you first to the north of the Marine Park, to Koh Wao. Koh
Wao consists of three islands with a shallow,
sheltered bay in between, making it well-suited for snorkeling. The underwater life is not as abundant as at Koh Tao, but it is refreshing to jump
into the water and swim around the beautiful bay. You will spend one hour snorkeling on this site, where you will get a good glimpse
of the Park's marine life.
After that you will land on the beach at Talay Nai, then an easy but spectacular climb through dense rainforest and narrow ravines will take you to a spectacular viewpoint which looks out over
the surrounding islands. Here you will have some time to enjoy the view and take some breathtaking pictures. A short stroll downhill
will take you to the famous Emerald Lake, also known as the Blue Lagoon from the movie 'the Beach'.
From here, all Ang Thong Marine Park tours go to the Park's Visitor Center for picnic lunch and kayaking. The visitor center is visited by many tour operators, making it
very crowded. We choose instead to travel a bit farther to eat lunch and do sea kayaking at Koh Paluay's sea gypsy village.
On Koh Paluay you will have a amazing Thai lunch in a restaurant at the fisherman's village. After that, the speedboat will take you to the south of the
island for an hour and a half of amazing kayaking along breathtaking cliffs and uninhabited islands with perfect beaches.
The tour includes hotel transfers, a light breakfast, soft drinks and fresh fruits, a buffet lunch, sea
kayaking, the use of snorkeling
equipment and a life jacket, and full insurance coverage. |
Schedule:
07:00 - 8:00* Transfer from your hotel to the pier.
(Pick up time is depend on your hotel / resort location. Chaweng, Bophut, Choemg Mon 7:45 - 8:00)
08:00 A light breakfast is served in the restaurant near the pier.
08:30 Board our speedboat and depart to Koh Wao.
09:30 Arrive at Koh Wao for snorkeling.
11:00 Cruising around the magnificent scenery of the Marine Park islands to Mae Koh island.
11:30 Land at Mae Koh Island, climb to see the Emerald Lake (Talay Nai) and the spectacular viewpoints.
12:30 Departure from Talay Nai to Koh Paluay
12:50 Thai buffet lunch is served at the sea-gypsy village restaurant on Koh Paluay.
13:30 After lunch sightseeing at the local fisherman village.
13:50 Guided kayaking tour along the coast of Song Pee Nong Beach and James Bond Island II..
15:30 Depart from Koh Paluay and head back to Koh Samui
16:30 Transfer back to your hotel.
Tour Price: 1,900 Baht per adults,950 Baht children up to age of 10 - All inclusive
Tour prices Include the admission fee to the marine park
(If you do not wish to do kayaking the speedboat will take you to the beach where you can relax or do some more snorkeling)
Ang Thong National Marine Park closing period
|