How to Get to Pig Island (Koh Madsum) from Koh Samui: Every Option, Prices and Timing

Pig Island (Koh Madsum) sits a few kilometres off Koh Samui’s south coast, and there is no ferry. Working out how to get to Pig Island therefore comes down to one choice: which boat. You can hire a longtail at Thong Krut, join a shared speedboat or longtail tour, or make it one stop on a full-day catamaran. A few people try to paddle across. This guide compares all four, with typical prices, timings and the mistakes we see visitors make.

Quick answer: Drive to Thong Krut on the south coast (roughly 35–50 minutes from Chaweng) and hire a longtail or speedboat. The crossing takes about 15–30 minutes. Agree the price before you board and carry about 50 baht per adult in cash for the landing fee. If you would rather not arrange transport and boats yourself, a tour with hotel pickup does it for you.

Quick facts

Island	Koh Madsum (also Koh Mudsum, Koh Mat Sum), known as Pig Island
Main departure point	Thong Krut, a fishing village on Samui’s south-west coast
Distance from Thong Krut	Roughly 3–4 km across open water
Crossing time	About 15–30 minutes by longtail, 10–15 minutes by speedboat
Landing fee	Commonly reported at about 50 baht per adult, paid in cash on the island. Included on the Samui Journey catamaran
On the island	A beach bar, toilets and shaded seating have been reported by recent visitors. Check locally
Best months	Generally January to August. Roughest seas usually mid-October to early December

How to get to Pig Island: the options compared

Prices below are typical ranges from operator listings and visitor reports in 2024–2026. They change with fuel prices, season and group size, so treat them as a guide and confirm on the day.

Getting to Thong Krut from Chaweng, Lamai and Bophut

Unless your tour collects you, the first leg is getting yourself to Thong Krut. The village is in Taling Ngam sub-district on the south-west corner of the island, about as far from Chaweng as you can get on Samui. Follow the ring road (Route 4169) and turn off towards the south coast; signs for Thong Krut and Laem Sor Pagoda lead the way.

Typical drive times, which depend heavily on traffic and the time of day:

• Lamai: about 25–35 minutes.
• Chaweng: about 35–50 minutes.
• Bophut and Fisherman’s Village: about 40–55 minutes.
• Maenam: about 40–55 minutes, via Nathon on the west side.

Taxis on Samui rarely use the meter. Published one-way transfer prices to Thong Krut run roughly 500–950 baht per car from the main beaches, so agree the fare before you get in, and book the return trip too. The south coast is quiet, and finding a ride back in the afternoon can take a while. Ride-hailing apps work on parts of the island, but cars can be scarce down here.

A rented scooter or car gives you the most freedom. Only ride a scooter if you hold the right licence and are confident on hilly roads; the UK government’s travel advice for Thailand is blunt about road accident risks and about checking that your insurance covers you. Songthaews (shared pickup trucks) run fixed routes around the ring road, but they will not reliably get you down to the pier.

Option 1: hire a longtail or speedboat at Thong Krut

This is the classic independent way. Longtails line the beach at Thong Krut, and boatmen wait near the pier and the seafood restaurants along the shore.

Finding a boat

Walk down to the waterfront in the morning and ask. Some restaurants and small tour desks in the village arrange boats too. If you want certainty, book a private longtail online the day before; listings usually leave Thong Krut at about 8:30–9:00 AM or about 1:45–2:00 PM.

What it costs

• Walk-up longtail: visitor reports put a few hours with a boatman at roughly 1,500–3,000 baht per boat, depending on how many islands, how long and how well you negotiate.
• Pre-booked private longtail: about 2,700–6,000 baht per boat. The top of the range usually includes hotel transfers and snorkel gear.
• Private speedboat: roughly 6,800–12,000 baht per boat.
• Landing fee: about 50 baht per adult, in cash, on arrival. One recent visitor reported children free.

Agree these points before you leave the beach

1. The total price, and whether it is per boat or per person.
2. Which islands are included. Most boatmen happily add Koh Tan next door.
3. How long you get on each island, and when you head back.
4. Life jackets for everyone, including child sizes.
5. Whether masks and snorkels are on board, and whether they fit.

Pay at the end, not up front, if you can. A short written note of what was agreed (a photo of a scribbled price works) saves arguments at the jetty.

Tides at Thong Krut

The south coast is very shallow, and at low tide the water can pull back a long way. Boats then load further out, and you may wade through ankle- or knee-deep water over coarse sand and shells. Wear water shoes and keep bags small.

Option 2: kayak or stand-up paddleboard

We get asked this a lot. On paper it looks close: roughly 3–4 km of water between Thong Krut and Koh Madsum. In practice we would not recommend it for most visitors.

• Open water. Once you leave the shallows, wind and current can push a kayak sideways, and the return leg into a headwind is far harder than the way out.
• Boat traffic. Longtails and speedboats cross this channel all day. A low kayak or a paddler on a board is hard to see from a fast boat.
• No support. There is no rescue service waiting. If someone tires or capsizes halfway, you are on your own.
• Rentals. We know of no reliable kayak rental set up for this crossing at Thong Krut. Check locally, but do not plan your day around it.

The safer way to paddle is at the islands themselves. Kayaks have been rented out on Koh Madsum, and on the catamaran you can take a kayak or paddleboard out at Koh Tan with the boat close by. If you are an experienced sea kayaker, go on a calm morning, wear a life jacket, tell someone your plan and ideally have a boat follow you.

Option 3: a shared or private tour

Many operators sell half-day trips to Koh Madsum and Koh Tan. Shared tours typically cost about 1,450–2,800 baht per person. The cheaper ones are boat-only from Thong Krut, and the dearer ones add hotel pickup and lunch. Private tours with transfers sit higher.

A tour removes the haggling and usually the transport problem. The trade-off is a smaller boat than a catamaran, a fixed schedule and, on speedboats, a bumpy ride if there is any swell. Before you book, check:

• whether hotel transfers are included or charged per van;
• whether the 50 baht landing fee is in the price;
• whether there is a toilet on board (on small boats there usually is not);
• whether the operator holds a TAT licence (ours is 44/00252).

Our Koh Samui boat trips comparison covers the differences between boat types in more detail.

Option 4: the catamaran from Bang Kao Pier

This is how we do it, so weigh our view accordingly. The Samui Journey 1-Day Catamaran collects you from your hotel between about 9:00 and 9:40 AM, depending on your area, and sails from Bang Kao Pier on the south coast. The day runs the Five Islands first, then a long swim and snorkel stop at Koh Tan, lunch on board, and Pig Island in the afternoon, at about 2:50 PM. You are back at your hotel around 4:30 PM.

If you are working out how to get to Pig Island without arranging a driver, a boatman and lunch, it is the simplest option: the landing fee, snorkel gear, life jackets (including child sizes), lunch and drinks are all in the ticket. The downsides are fair to point out. It is a shared boat with a fixed route, it needs at least 40 guests to sail, and you spend a set amount of time on the island rather than as long as you like.

Best time of day

Recent visitors report that most tour boats arrive around 9–10 AM and again around 2–3 PM, and that the beach can feel crowded at those times. If you are going independently, the quietest windows tend to be early morning (leave Thong Krut before 8:30 AM) or late afternoon. Our own catamaran lands in the afternoon, so we will not pretend you get the island to yourself on it.

Around midday the sun is fierce and the pigs often head for the shade. Morning light is also kinder for photos. If you go late, keep an eye on your boat’s return time; nobody wants to cross back in failing light.

Sea conditions by season

• January to April: usually the calmest, driest stretch. Good for any boat, including small longtails.
• May to September: generally fine, with some wind and the odd afternoon storm. Morning crossings are often smoother.
• Mid-October to early December: the north-east monsoon brings heavy rain and rough water to the Gulf of Thailand. Small boats are the first to cancel, and crossings can be wet and uncomfortable.

Strong wind can blow through in any month. Check the forecast the day before, and if the boatman says no, take it seriously. Our month-by-month weather guide has more detail, and if you are prone to it, read our tips on seasickness on a boat trip before booking a small boat.

Mistakes to avoid

• Not agreeing the price first. Per boat or per person, and for how long. Settle it on the beach.
• Forgetting cash. Expect to pay the landing fee and the beach bar in cash, and do not count on an ATM or card machine on the island.
• Bringing snacks for the pigs. Do not. Read our Pig Island rules before you land.
• No return taxi. Arrange your ride back from Thong Krut in advance.
• Planning the boat day for your last day. Leave a spare day in case the weather cancels.
• Expecting swimming pigs. They wade in the shallows. Any tour promising more is overselling.
• Skipping Koh Tan. It is a few minutes away and has the snorkelling. See our Koh Tan snorkelling guide.

For background on the island itself, the pigs and what to pack, read our full Pig Island Koh Samui guide.

FAQ