Boat Tours Near Me on Koh Samui: Which Pier, How Far, and How to Book for Tomorrow

If you are already on Koh Samui and typed “boat tours near me” into your phone, the map probably showed you a scatter of piers and agents with no clear answer. The short version: on Samui, which boat you can take depends on which coast the pier is on, not on which agent is closest to your hotel. Island day trips to Koh Tan and Pig Island leave from the south coast. Ferries to Koh Phangan and Koh Tao leave from the north and west. And most day tours collect you from your hotel, so the nearest pier matters less than you might think.

Below is what leaves from each pier, how far each one is from the main beach areas, and how to book something for tomorrow without getting caught out.

Quick answer: For Pig Island, Koh Tan and the Five Islands, boats leave from Bang Kao and Thong Krut on the south coast. For Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, use Maenam (Lomprayah), Bangrak or Big Buddha piers in the north-east, or Nathon in the west. If you book a tour with hotel pickup the evening before, you do not need to get to any pier yourself.

Quick facts

South coast piers	Bang Kao and Thong Krut: day boats to Koh Tan, Pig Island (Koh Madsum) and the Five Islands
North and north-east piers	Maenam (Pralarn), Bangrak and Big Buddha: ferries to Koh Phangan and Koh Tao
West coast piers	Nathon (ferries to the mainland and Koh Phangan, some Ang Thong trips) and Lipa Noi (car ferry to Donsak)
Furthest pier from Chaweng	Thong Krut and Nathon, each roughly 35–50 minutes by road
Book by	The evening before for most tours with hotel pickup
Ang Thong status	Open in October; closed 1 November to 15 December 2026

Boat tours near me: Koh Samui piers and what leaves from each

Operators do move sailings between piers from time to time, so always check the pier printed on your ticket or confirmation. As of October 2026, this is the general pattern.

Which pier for which trip

• Pig Island, Koh Tan and the Five Islands: Bang Kao or Thong Krut. These islands sit off the south coast, so a north-coast pier would mean a long sea crossing round the island. Our Pig Island guide covers the island itself.
• Ang Thong Marine Park: it depends on the operator. Several big-boat tours board at Nathon, the closest pier to the park; others use the north-coast piers. Check before booking, and remember the park closes from 1 November to 15 December.
• Koh Phangan: Maenam, Bangrak, Big Buddha or Nathon. Pick the one nearest your hotel and the Phangan pier you want (Thong Sala or Haad Rin).
• Koh Tao and Nang Yuan: Maenam or Bangrak by ferry, or a speedboat day tour with pickup.
• The mainland (Donsak and Surat Thani): Nathon or Lipa Noi.

How far is each pier from where you are staying?

Samui is small, but the ring road is slow in places, and Chaweng traffic in the late afternoon adds time. These are road distances from OpenStreetMap, rounded, with a realistic driving time rather than the fastest possible one.

The pattern is simple. If you stay in Lamai or on the west coast, the south-coast island boats are close. If you stay on the north coast, the ferries to Koh Phangan and Koh Tao are close, and the south coast is the far side of the island. Our where to stay guide explains the areas in more detail.

Hotel pickup or going to the pier yourself?

Most people searching for boat tours near me are mostly asking whether they can get to the boat easily. On Samui, the answer is usually to let the tour come to you.

Hotel pickup

• You do not need to know the pier, find parking or agree a taxi fare.
• The boat waits for the minibus. If you take a taxi and hit traffic, nobody waits for you.
• Pickups for a mid-morning boat often start around 9:00 AM on the north coast, so it is not an early start.
• The catch: pickup runs in a set order by area, so the first hotels on the list ride longest.

Going yourself

• It makes sense if your hotel is near the pier, or for a private longtail from Thong Krut, where you agree the price and route at the jetty.
• Taxis on Samui quote a fixed fare rather than use the meter. One local guide puts Chaweng to Nathon at about ฿300–500 each way, so a return taxi can cost more than the difference between a cheap no-pickup trip and one with transfers.
• If you ride a scooter, you need a licence that covers motorcycles and a helmet, and you will leave the bike at the pier all day. Check that your travel insurance covers riding.
• Ferries to Koh Phangan and Koh Tao do not pick you up unless you buy a joint ticket, so for those you will be getting to the pier anyway.

Last-minute booking: how to get on a boat tomorrow

Booking the day before works for most shared boat tours on Samui, as long as you do it early enough for the operator to add you to the pickup list. These are the checks that matter when you book at short notice.

1. Book by the early evening. Pickup lists are usually set the night before. A booking at 10 PM may not reach the driver.
2. Get your pickup time in writing. Ask for the time and where to wait (lobby, gate or main road), and save the operator’s WhatsApp number.
3. Look at the wind, not just the rain. A grey, calm morning is better at sea than a sunny, windy one. The Thai Meteorological Department posts warnings for the Gulf of Thailand.
4. Check the weather and cancellation policy. If the sea is too rough, do you get a new date, a refund or both? How late can you cancel without paying?
5. Ask about minimum numbers. Some boats only sail with a set number of guests. Find out what happens if they do not fill.
6. Check what is extra. Island landing fees, national park fees, drinks and towels are the usual ones. Bring some cash.
7. Read the recent reviews. Last month’s reviews tell you more than the overall score.

Same-day bookings are harder. Tours with a morning pickup have usually left by the time you are reading this over breakfast. If you want to go out today, a private longtail from Thong Krut or a ferry to Koh Phangan are the realistic options.

For what to pack, see our boat trip packing list, and if you are prone to it, our guide to avoiding seasickness.

The easy option: our catamaran with hotel pickup

If what you want from your search for boat tours near me is a day on the water without arranging boats yourself, the Samui Journey 1-Day Catamaran handles the transport end to end. We collect you from your hotel at about 9:00–9:40 AM depending on your zone: Choeng Mon and the north coast first, then Chaweng, with Lamai and the west coast last. The minibus takes you to Bang Kao Pier and brings you back to your hotel at around 4:30 PM.

The day covers the Five Islands, snorkelling at Koh Tan and Pig Island, with lunch, drinks, snorkel gear, the Pig Island landing fee and accident insurance included. Our guides speak English and Chinese. It sails with a minimum of 40 guests; if that is not reached, you choose a new date or a full refund.

It is not the right boat for everyone. It does not go to Ang Thong, Koh Phangan or Koh Tao, and if you only want a quick look at Pig Island, a half-day speedboat from Thong Krut is cheaper. Our boat trips comparison sets out the other choices fairly.

Good to know

• Weather moves boats. From mid-October to early December the north-east monsoon can make the sea rough. Book your boat day early in your stay so there is time to reschedule.
• Ferry timetables change. Check the current times on the operator’s own site, such as Lomprayah, before relying on an old blog post.
• Pier names vary. Maenam’s Lomprayah pier is also called Pralarn or Phra Lan, and Bangrak is often listed as Big Buddha. They can mean different jetties a short walk apart, so check the map pin.
• Bring cash. Small piers and island landings rarely take cards.

FAQ