Ang Thong National Marine Park is an archipelago of 42 islands in the Gulf of Thailand. It’s an incredibly beautiful paradise and definitely worth visiting if you’re staying in Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, or Surat Thani.
Ang Thong literally means ‘Golden Basin’. The entire national park covers 102 km², but when you take a tour to Ang Thong, you’ll mostly see the area where the islands are located, which covers about 18 km².
During such an excursion, you can visit different islands, hike to the viewpoint, snorkel among colorful fish, kayak, and visit the Emerald Pool. The islands are uninhabited, except for Koh Phaluai and Koh Wua Ta Lap. You can even stay overnight on Koh Wua Ta Lap if you’d like.
Did you know that Bryde’s whales also frequent this area? You can often spot them here!
In this travel blog, we’ll tell you all about the paradise that is Ang Thong: what the excursion is like, where to book it, and how to stay overnight.
How to get to Ang Thong?
Ang Thong – officially named Mu Ko Ang Thong National Marine Park – was the inspiration for the book The Beach by Alex Garland. This book was later adapted into a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and since then, the archipelago has become a popular day trip. I read the book during our trip to Thailand, and when I saw the islands from the deck – book in hand – I understood exactly where the inspiration came from.
Ang Thong is a great day trip, but you can also extend your day with an overnight stay. We’ll tell you more about that later. But first, let’s take you on this fun excursion.
From Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, you can book a day trip to Ang Thong. You’ll be picked up from your hotel and taken to the pier, where you’ll board the boat. We deliberately chose a large boat because speedboats all arrive at the islands almost simultaneously, making it crowded. The large boat, however, arrives last, giving you a quieter experience.
When booking the excursion, you’ll often have to decide whether or not you want to kayak. Kayaking costs an extra 200 baht (€5.40) per person. We chose this option.
Our adventure begins as we sail towards the Ang Thong islands, about 30-35 kilometers away. In the meantime, we enjoy a delicious breakfast on the boat.
Snorkeling at Koh Wao
We stop at a cliff near the island of Koh Wao. We’re given snorkels and allowed to jump into the water. Denis climbs up and jumps off the deck. We swim towards the rocks and discover the beautiful underwater world. It’s full of fish, and while the coral isn’t very colorful, it’s still quite stunning.
We float in the water for a while, and more and more fish swim past us. There are so many, and their colors are beautiful! We lose track of time, and when we look up at the boat, we see that most people are already heading back. We swim quickly back, grab a towel, and rinse off all our gear with fresh water.
Kayaking in Ang Thong
After a bit more sailing, those who opted for kayaking are transferred to a smaller boat. We’re taken to a small beach where we grab a kayak. We paddle between the rocks, enjoying the beautiful views.
We dock at Ao Ka Beach, and the guide tells us we can swim. We happily dive into the water—it’s definitely not a punishment! As we’ve come to expect in Thailand, the water is crystal clear and blue.
Thale Nai lagoon
Next, we hop back into the kayak and paddle to the next beach on Koh Mae Koh Island. This is where the Emerald Pool is located. The group that stayed on the boat has already arrived.
None of the kayakers knew we were heading straight to the Blue Lagoon. So, we didn’t have extra clothes (that was manageable), but we also didn’t have shoes. Luckily, we did have an iPhone in a waterproof case, so taking photos was no problem! The biggest tip I can give you if you do this tour: bring a waterproof bag with shoes for kayaking, or wear water shoes.
Barefoot, we start the climb up the stairs to Thale Nai Lagoon, also known as the Emerald Pool or Blue Lagoon. It’s 150 meters up, and the whole ‘trail’ takes about 30 minutes. The stairs are doable, even barefoot, but some parts are quite steep.
Once at the top, we enjoy the stunning view of Thale Nai Lagoon. Wow, it’s breathtaking.
This lagoon is a saltwater lake connected to the sea via underwater caves. It’s protected, so swimming is not allowed.
The path, or rather ‘the stairs,’ loops around, but you can also go further down to get a completely different view. There are plenty of viewpoints, and the guide happily takes photos of us.
After the hike, we have some time to relax on the beach. The sand is perfect—white and soft—surrounded by palm trees. Pure paradise.
Afterward, we head back to the main boat for a delicious Thai lunch. While we eat, we sail toward our final stop of the day.
Pha Jun Jaras Trail
We dock at the island of Koh Wua Ta Lap, the inhabited main island where you can also book a stay.
Here lies the famous viewpoint, Pha Jun Jaras. To get there, we must first tackle the trail—a long hike uphill, which again consists of stairs. Okay, maybe “long” is an exaggeration, but I definitely worked up a sweat. There are five levels, each with a viewpoint (or rest stop), each more beautiful than the last. My strategy was to rush to the top and then take my time coming back down to enjoy each viewpoint along the way.
I recommend only bringing the essentials so you can carry as little weight as possible. Water is essential (we were given a bottle on the boat), and sunscreen is also a must.
It’s a total of 500 meters uphill. It was a struggle and sweat, but the view is completely worth it. The panorama over the islands is absolutely stunning.
At the top, there’s a clock. Quite useful because you have limited—but enough—time. I had plenty of time left, so I decided to leisurely walk down and explore each ‘level.’
The best view, in my opinion, was of the little beach. I immediately dubbed it my ideal, perfect Thai beach. After sitting and staring at the view for a while, and spotting a few monkeys, I walked down to the beach to relax.
On the site, I saw a small shop and a campsite. Suddenly, I felt a pang of regret for not booking a night here. I consoled myself by buying an ice cream and eating it while taking in the view of white sand, palm trees, and islands. Life can be so sweet.
Bryde Whales
It’s time to head back. I’m sitting calmly on deck reading when the guide suddenly starts shouting.
He runs to the railing. I look over and have to swallow back tears. Oh my god. We’re seeing Bryde’s whales!
There’s pointing left and right, and we regularly see several whales surface in the distance with their mouths wide open. Then, they’re suddenly right by the boat. Wow, this is truly magnificent.
I knew they were spotted here often, but I didn’t expect to see them ourselves. This. Is. So. Cool. The day was already amazing, but now it’s absolutely perfect.
As we approach Koh Phangan, it starts to rain a little. But honestly, it doesn’t matter any more. This day couldn’t get any better. Although, maybe we’re a little relieved not to be stuck in a tent in the rain 😉
Where to Book This Excursion?
From Koh Phangan to Ang Thong
We booked through ‘Phangan Boat Tours’, which operates with Orion Cruise. You can reserve and pay online via their website.
We booked two days in advance, received an immediate confirmation, and were picked up from our accommodation in the morning.
Phangan Boat Tours also offers the ‘overnight stay’ option—more on that later!
From Koh Samui to Ang Thong
From Koh Samui, there are a few different day trip options to Ang Thong.
The ‘regular’ excursion we describe on this page can be booked from Koh Samui via GetYourGuide. This tour uses a large boat, which we recommend. You can view the excursion here. Want to stay overnight on Ang Thong? You can arrange that too, see the tip further below.
Prefer a speedboat instead of a large boat? You can book that here.
Want to snorkel and kayak longer than on the regular excursion? There’s a tour focused on snorkeling and kayaking to caves. Don’t worry, you’ll still have time for the hike to the viewpoint as well. Check out the kayaking and snorkeling Ang Thong excursion here..
Do you have a larger budget? Opt for a sunset cruise to avoid the crowds.
You can book all these excursions via GetYourGuide, and you can always cancel for free up to 24 hours in advance. We now book almost all our excursions through them, and we’ve never been disappointed. You can read the reviews and know exactly what to expect.
Of course, you don’t have to book this excursion online. You can also book it locally at one of the offices. We don’t have any experience with this for this particular excursion. After a previous, slightly less satisfactory experience, we decided to only book tours with good online reviews.
Watch the video
Sleeping on Koh Wua Ta Lap in Ang Thong
Before we arrived at Ang Thong, I already knew you could stay overnight on Koh Wua Ta Lap. I had done plenty of research, but for such a short trip (3 weeks), it seemed like too much hassle.
However, once we were on the island, I regretted not making the effort. We would have loved to watch the sunset here and relax on the nearly empty beach. Sleeping in a tent didn’t sound so bad anymore.
Want to stay here? Let me help you out!
Bungalows
There are several options for staying overnight on Koh Wua Ta Lap. You can rent a bungalow for 2 people for 600 baht (€16) per night. There are also bungalows for 6 people for 1,000 baht (€27) and for 8 people for 1,500 baht (€40). These bungalows can only be booked through the DNP website, which has unfortunately been down for months. To book, you would need to be in Thailand and transfer money in advance at a ‘7-Eleven convenience store’ or through a bank.
Since the website is not functional, you can call directly. It’s recommended to have a Thai person make the call, as English may not be well understood. The phone numbers are 064 642 5186 (Visitor Center) and 077 286 025 (HQ).
There are only 6 bungalows on Wua Ta Lap, and they tend to fill up quickly. You can book them up to 60 days in advance.
Tents
You can also rent a tent for just 150 baht (€4). These can be rented at the Visitor Center, and it doesn’t seem necessary to reserve in advance, though calling ahead (064 642 5186) might be useful. The tent includes a flashlight, mat, and sleeping bag. A pillow costs an additional 50 baht (€1.35).
Facilities
There is one restaurant on the island open until 22:00, and a small shop. The showers are cold-water only, and electricity is available from 18:00 to 23:00. If you bring your own tent, you can set it up on the grounds.
What to do during your stay on Koh Wua Ta Lap?
You can rent kayaks, hike to the caves, or head to the viewpoint. Or, simply relax in one of the hammocks on the almost deserted beach or take a swim in the sea. After 16:00, there are no more tours, and you’ll share the island with just a few other people.
Transportation
Only day trip boats go to Koh Wua Ta Lap—there are no ferries or other transfers. This means you’ll need to book a day trip that includes an overnight option. You’ll pay for the day trip and then stay behind at the last stop on the island, where you’ll spend the night. This is called the ‘overnight stay’ option and usually costs an extra 500 baht (€13.50). The following day, you’ll be taken back to Koh Phangan or Koh Samui around 15:00 / 16:00. The 500 baht is for the boat ride only; the taxi to your hotel costs an additional 100-200 baht. In the ‘How to Book This Tour?’ section above, I’ve mentioned two tour operators that offer this option.
For more information about staying on Ang Thong, visit this page.
