Honest verdicts on Koh Phangan, Koh Tao, Koh Nang Yuan, Ang Thong and Pig Island — from someone who’s done every one of these boat rides more times than he can count.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve stood on a pier in Bangrak or Nathon watching a boat fill up with people who clearly had no idea what they were actually booking. Some of these islands are worth every baht and every hour on a boat. A couple of them are worth exactly the photo you came for and not much else. Here’s the honest version, from someone who lives fifteen minutes from where most of these boats leave.
Koh Phangan
Thirty to forty-five minutes by ferry, and the one everyone’s heard of because of the Full Moon Party. Fair warning: if buckets of vodka on a crowded beach aren’t your thing, time your visit around the party dates rather than into them — they run on the lunar calendar, so check before you book, not after you land. Outside of Haad Rin on party night, Phangan is genuinely lovely: quieter beaches, proper jungle interior, a slower pace than Samui itself. I’d rate it as a real day trip or a couple of nights, not just a box to tick.
Klook.com
Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan
Islands near koh samui – Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan
Koh Tao is ninety minutes to two hours out, and it deserves more than a rushed day trip. This is Thailand’s diving island — Chumphon Pinnacle, Shark Bay, the John-Suwan Viewpoint. Doing it as a single day from Samui means roughly four hours on boats to get maybe three hours on the island, which is a poor trade if diving is even slightly on your mind. Stay two or three nights instead and it becomes a completely different, far better trip.
Next door is Koh Nang Yuan, three tiny islands joined by a sandbar, and yes, it’s the postcard photo you’ve already seen a hundred times. It’s also genuinely crowded. The viewpoint hike ends in a queue for the one decent photo spot, entrance runs somewhere around 100–250 baht depending on who’s collecting it that week, and single-use plastic bottles get confiscated at the pier — bring a reusable one. Day visitors are generally only let on the island from mid-morning to late afternoon, which is exactly when it’s busiest. Go early, or better, stay the night at the one small resort on the island so you get the beach to yourself before the day boats arrive. Genuinely worth it. Just don’t expect it to look like the photo when you get there at noon with three tour boats already parked.
Ang Thong National Marine Park
Forty-five minutes to ninety minutes by boat, and this one I genuinely rate without much hesitation. Forty-two limestone islands, hidden lagoons, a proper hike up to a viewpoint over the whole archipelago, and the Emerald Lake on Koh Mae Ko if your legs are up for it. Group tours run the show here and they’re perfectly fine, but a private boat changes the experience completely — kayaking a lagoon without forty strangers photographing the same rock is a different day entirely. Go December to April when the sea’s calm; outside that window, tours get cancelled more often than people expect, and you’ll want to know that before you plan your whole week around it.
Koh Madsum (Pig Island)
Twenty to thirty minutes out, and I want to be straight about this one because the internet’s opinion is genuinely split and both sides have a point. The origin story is real — a local named Mr Kitt rescued a family of pigs from a market and gave them the run of the island. That part’s genuinely sweet. What I’d flag is there’s no visitor cap and no organised welfare programme, and on a busy day with several tour groups landing at once, the pigs are dealing with a lot of strangers wanting the same photo. Go early, go with a smaller operator, and don’t force an interaction the pig isn’t asking for. Most tours pair it with a snorkel stop at nearby Koh Tan, which is honestly the better half of the day.
Quick Comparison
| Island | Travel time | Best for | Honest verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Koh Phangan | 30–45 min | Beaches, nightlife | Worth it — outside Full Moon nights |
| Koh Tao | 1.5–2 hrs | Diving | Worth an overnight; weak as a rushed day trip |
| Koh Nang Yuan | Via Koh Tao | The iconic photo | Worth it only if you time it around the crowds |
| Ang Thong Marine Park | 45–90 min | Scenery, kayaking | Worth it, especially private |
| Koh Madsum (Pig Island) | 20–30 min | A quick, quirky half-day | Worth it with realistic expectations |
Worth Knowing Before You Book Islands Near Koh Samui
None of this works if you haven’t sorted the basics first — the arrival card, the insurance, the international driving permit if you’re renting a scooter to get to the pier.
I’ve already written that up in full over on What to Pack for Koh Samui, and it’s worth five minutes before you book any of the above. Cash matters more than you’d think out on these islands too — entrance fees, longtail boats and the one restaurant on Koh Nang Yuan are all cash only, and there’s no ATM waiting for you on a sandbar.
So which ones are actually worth it? Ang Thong, without much argument. Koh Tao, if you give it more than a single day. Koh Nang Yuan, if you time it right. Phangan, if you know what you’re walking into. Pig Island, if you go in with your eyes open about what you’re actually supporting.
That’s the honest rundown of what’s actually out there past the ferry terminal. Which of these to pair together on the same week, which boat operators are worth the extra baht over the cheap ones, and the couple of spots near Samui itself that never make it onto lists like this one — that’s what’s in the Black Book Premium by MrPaparazziworld.
