- A private boat to Ang Thong is the Pearl, a 38 ft speedboat with two 200 hp engines, booked for 8 hours on any day with a captain, crew and guide.
- The charter costs ฿39,000 for up to 6 guests, plus ฿2000 for each extra guest, with a maximum of 15 guests plus the crew.
- Hotel transfer, fuel, insurance, soft drinks, fruit, snacks and snorkeling masks are included; lunch, kayaking and the park fee (฿300 per adult, ฿150 per child) are not.
- A typical day covers Koh Wao, the Emerald Lake, the Wua Ta Lap viewpoint, lunch on Koh Phaluai and Song Pee Nong beach, but the route is agreed with you.
- People choose the private boat for privacy and freedom, not to save money: on a budget, a group tour gives you the same islands for far less.
It is 09:30, the pier is quiet, and the only people stepping onto the boat are the ones you came with. Nobody is counting heads, nobody is waiting for the couple who are still buying sunscreen. That is the whole point of a private boat to Ang Thong: the same islands as the group tours, but the day bends around you instead of the other way round.
I have done this trip more times than I can count, on every kind of boat. Here is how a charter day on the Pearl works in practice, what it costs, what it does not cover, and when I would honestly tell a friend to book something else.
How does a private boat to Ang Thong work?
You book the whole boat for 8 hours, on any day the park is open, and agree the start time and the route in advance. A captain, crew and guide come with it, and a car picks you up at your hotel on Koh Samui and brings you back at the end.
There is no public ferry to Ang Thong, so the choice is always between a shared tour and a boat of your own. On a group speedboat you follow a fixed timetable with other guests, and in high season the big three-engine boats take well over 30 people. On the private boat the guest list is your family or your friends, and that is it.
The planning happens before the day. You tell the manager who is coming, whether there are small children or anyone who hates stairs, and what you care about most: snorkeling, the viewpoints or a long lazy beach. The captain then shapes the day around that and around the tide.
One thing does not change, private or not: the park is usually closed every year from 1 November to 15 December, and no boats go in during that time. If you are planning a December trip, read the piece on the annual closure and what it means for your dates before you fix anything.
What is the Pearl, the boat you get?
The Pearl is a 38-foot (12 m) fiberglass speedboat with two 200 hp Suzuki engines. It carries up to 15 guests plus the crew, so a group of six has a lot of room to spread out.
That space is the part people do not expect. On a full group boat you sit shoulder to shoulder in rows of life jackets. On the Pearl, with a small family on board, you can move between the shade and the sun, put bags down without stacking them, and let the kids lie on the seats on the way back.
A speedboat is still a speedboat. On a calm morning the ride is smooth and fun, but on a choppy day you feel every wave, especially at the front. Sit towards the back if anyone gets seasick, and remember that speedboat tours are not suitable for pregnant women, the private one included.
How much does a private boat to Ang Thong cost, and what is included?
The charter costs ฿39,000 for the boat with up to 6 guests, plus ฿2000 for each extra guest, up to 15. The price depends only on the number of people: adults and children count the same.
That last point surprises families. There is no child discount on the boat itself, because you are paying for the boat, not for seats. The only child rate in the whole day is the national park fee, which is paid separately.
| Included in the boat price | Paid separately |
|---|---|
| Captain and crew | Lunch (ordered in advance, paid on the spot) |
| Hotel pickup and drop-off on Koh Samui | Kayaking |
| Guide | National park fee: ฿300 per adult, ฿150 per child |
| Travel insurance | |
| Soft drinks, water, fruit and snacks | |
| Snorkeling masks and life jackets | |
| Fuel |
The park fee works the same as on the group tours: ฿150 for children aged 3-12 and under 130 cm, the adult fee for taller children, and nothing for children under 3. Bring it in cash.
Kayaks are not part of the charter, so if paddling under the cliffs is the thing you are dreaming about, say so when you book and ask what is possible. Also note that the park allows kayaking only from 5 years old.
The full list, the boat photos and the booking form are on the private speedboat charter page.
What does a typical charter route look like?
Most guests end up with five stops: snorkeling at Koh Wao, the Emerald Lake on Mae Ko, the viewpoint on Wua Ta Lap, lunch on Koh Phaluai and a long swim at Song Pee Nong. The times below are the usual plan, and you can move all of them.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | Hotel pickup and transfer to the pier (time can be adjusted) |
| 09:30 | Safety briefing and departure |
| 10:30 | Snorkeling at Koh Wao |
| 12:00 | Mae Ko: viewpoint and the Emerald Lake |
| 13:00 | Wua Ta Lap: climb to the viewpoint over the archipelago |
| 14:00 | Lunch at the fishing village on Koh Phaluai (paid separately) |
| 15:00 | Song Pee Nong beach: walk, swim, relax |
| 15:45 | Departure back to Koh Samui |
| 16:30 | Arrival on Koh Samui, transfer to your hotel |
Notice the start: pickup at 09:00, more than an hour later than the daily group speedboat, which collects people from 07:40. With children, or after a late dinner, that extra hour of sleep is worth a lot.
Koh Wao is a sheltered bay with hard corals close to the surface. Parrotfish, sea urchins and rays are the usual sightings. On a private boat nobody hurries you out of the water, so if the visibility is good, stay longer and cut time somewhere else.
The Emerald Lake comes next. A stairway with handrails climbs through the rock to a platform above Thale Nai, the green saltwater lake inside Mae Ko. It is short but steep in places, and swimming in the lake is not allowed. The Emerald Lake guide explains how the lake is joined to the sea.
Lunch is at the fishing village on Koh Phaluai, the largest island in the park and the only one with a real village. It is ordered in advance and paid there. The seafood is simple, fresh and local, and eating with fishing boats in the bay feels a long way from the hotel buffet.
The day ends at Song Pee Nong, a quiet stretch of sand where the plan is simply: swim, walk, do nothing. Then it is back to Koh Samui around 16:30.
Wua Ta Lap on your own clock
Wua Ta Lap, the park headquarters island, is where the private boat earns its money. The trail to the top is about 500 meters and steep, partly over rocks with ropes and rails, and the view at the end is the one on every Ang Thong postcard.
On a group tour you get a fixed window and a guide calling time. On your own boat, the slowest walker in your family sets the pace, and if half the group wants to climb while the other half stays on the white beach, nobody minds.
Down below there is more than the climb:
- a long white beach, good for a swim after the trail;
- dusky langurs in the trees behind the beach, often close (please do not feed them);
- Bua Bok cave, named for its lotus-shaped stalactites, reached by a path from the beach;
- the park restaurant and the ranger station next to the sand.
My honest advice: if anyone in the group struggles with heat or stairs, skip the summit and keep the beach. You lose a photo, not the day. There is more on the trail in the Koh Wua Ta Lap guide.
What can you change on a private charter, and what can't you?
You can change almost everything about the plan: the start time, the order of the stops, how long you stay, and which places you skip. The one thing you cannot override is the captain's call on safety, tide and weather.
Some changes guests often ask for:
- a later start, to sleep in or to avoid the busiest morning hours at the stops;
- more snorkeling and less walking, if the group came for the water;
- skipping the stairs completely with toddlers and spending the afternoon on one beach;
- leaving out the lunch stop and eating the included fruit and snacks on board, if you would rather stay moving.
Remember that the day is 8 hours in total, so every extra hour on the reef comes out of something else. The captain may also swap stops if the tide is wrong for one bay or the wind makes one side of the park rough. Trust that: the crew sees these waters every week.
Private boat or group tour: who should choose something else?
The private boat is the right choice when privacy and freedom matter more than the price. If you mainly want to see the islands at a fair cost, a group tour does the job very well.
Here is how I would match people to boats. The daily speedboat (฿1890 per adult) suits most first-timers who want four stops, lunch and kayaks. The VIP speedboat (฿3890, max 16, park fee included) suits couples who want a smaller group without paying for a whole boat. The big boat (from ฿1100) suits budget travellers and anyone who gets seasick. The Red Baron suits people who want a slow day under sail. The private charter suits families, groups of friends and anyone who wants nobody else on board.
Families with small children are the clearest case for going private: no early pickup, no group waiting for a nap to end, and the freedom to drop a stop. The article on Ang Thong with kids covers ages and the kayak rule in more detail.
Who should not book it? A couple on a tight budget who just want to tick off the Emerald Lake. You would be paying for a boat you do not need.
How to book and what to sort out before the day
Send the request on the tour page: it is free and no payment is taken. A manager contacts you by WhatsApp or email, confirms the details and sends a payment link for a prepayment, usually 50%, and the rest is paid on the day.
Card payments go through Stripe with a 6% card fee added. If you cancel 5 days or more before the trip, the prepayment is refunded minus that card fee; later than that, there is no refund. If the tour company cancels for weather, you get a new date or a full refund including the card fee. The details are in the cancellation policy.
Before the day, have these ready:
- the number of guests, including children, since every person counts towards the boat price;
- a photo of each passport: the number is needed for the insurance;
- cash for the park fee, ฿300 per adult and ฿150 per child;
- your lunch choice, so the restaurant on Koh Phaluai can be told in advance;
- swimwear, a towel, sunscreen, a hat and shoes with grip for the viewpoint trail.
Questions and answers
Can guests bring their own food and drinks on the private boat?
Soft drinks, water, fruit and snacks are already on board. If you want something specific, ask the manager when you book what is possible.
Is the private boat to Ang Thong worth it for just two people?
Only if privacy is what you are paying for. The price is ฿39,000 for the boat whether two or six people come, so for a couple the VIP speedboat with a small group is usually the more sensible middle ground.
Can the private boat pick us up from Koh Phangan?
Hotel transfer is included for hotels and villas on Koh Samui. If you are staying on Koh Phangan, write before booking and the manager will tell you what is possible on your date.
What happens if the weather is bad on the charter day?
Only the tour company and the captain decide about weather, and they may change the route or the order of stops. If they cancel the trip, you get a new date or a full refund including the card fee.
Can we start very early to beat the group tours?
The start time is set to suit you, so ask for an early pickup when you book. The captain will tell you what makes sense with the tide on that day.
Do children pay less on the private boat?
No. The boat price counts people, not ages: ฿39,000 for up to 6 and ฿2000 for each extra person. The only child rate is the park fee, ฿150 for children aged 3-12 and under 130 cm, free under 3.
Is a guide included on the private charter?
Yes. The guide, captain and crew come with the boat, along with insurance, snorkeling masks and life jackets.
Facts checked against our tour pages on 5 November 2026. Prices and days can change: your manager confirms them when you book.
