Which Pig Island Tour Is Right for You?
More than fifty Koh Madsum trips describe the same two islands. Here is what actually separates them, with prices, review counts and a pick for each kind of traveller.
There are more than fifty bookable Pig Island trips from Koh Samui and most of them describe the same two islands in almost the same words. Prices run from about $26 a head to several hundred dollars, which looks arbitrary until you know that four things account for nearly all of it: how long the trip is, what kind of boat it uses, whether a meal is included, and whether you are buying a seat or the whole boat.
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The Four Variables That Set the Price
Duration is the largest. A half-day trip runs three to four and a half hours on the water; a full day runs six to seven. The extra hours go into a longer, quieter stretch at Koh Tan rather than into more pig time, because Koh Madsum is a forty-five minute stop on any itinerary.
Boat type is second. A speedboat crosses to Koh Tan in about twenty minutes and a longtail takes forty or more, and the speedboat costs more for it. Our boat comparison has the full picture.
Meals are third, and they move the number more than people expect. A buffet lunch on Koh Tan or a Thai set-menu dinner back on the mainland is a real cost the operator is passing on.
Shared or private is fourth, and it is the one that changes the arithmetic rather than just the total. Private longtails are quoted per boat, not per seat.
Everything else — the island entrance fee, kayaks, an elephant stop, a viewpoint walk — moves the price by a few dollars either way.
The Comparison
| Trip | Format | Price | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pig Island & Koh Tan with viewpoint hike | 6 hrs, longtail, no meal | $28 pp | 4.3 | 752 |
| Pig Island & Koh Tan by speedboat | 3 hrs, speedboat, lunch | $42 pp | 4.5 | 5,483 |
| Elephant, Pig Island & snorkel by longtail | 4 hrs, longtail, no meal | $42 pp | 4.6 | 168 |
| Pig Island & Koh Tan speedboat with kayaks | 4.5 hrs, speedboat, lunch | $42 pp | 4.2 | 2,208 |
| Sunset Pig Island with dinner | 7 hrs, afternoon, dinner | $46 pp | 4.2 | 721 |
| Coral & Pig Island full-day hopping | 7 hrs, full day, lunch | $51 pp | 4.6 | 3,643 |
| Viewpoint, elephant, Pig Island & lunch | 6 hrs, four stops, lunch | $52 pp | 4.7 | 517 |
| Private longtail to Pig Island | 4 hrs, private charter | not per person — $101 per boat, up to 2 | 4.3 | 656 |
Prices are the current starting price from each operator’s live GetYourGuide listing and move with season and demand. Ratings are the operators’ own live averages. Note the last row carefully: it is the only one that is not priced per person — the charge is for the boat.
Picks by What You Actually Want
On the tightest budget: the longtail with the viewpoint hike at $28. It is the cheapest trip that still includes transfers, guide, snorkel gear and both islands’ entrance fees, and it is the only itinerary here offering the walk up to the Koh Madsum lookout. No meal, so bring cash for food on the island. Our breakdown →
Short on time: the three-hour speedboat trip at $42. It is the shortest Pig Island format sold from Koh Samui and it carries 5,483 reviews, which is more than double any other listing in the catalogue. Buffet lunch on Koh Tan is included. Our breakdown →
One full day, no compromises: the full-day island hopping trip at $51. Seven hours, both islands with real time at each, lunch on Koh Tean, and a GSTC-certified operator running glass bottles and offsetting emissions. It visits Pig Island first, before the heat and before the half-day boats. Our breakdown →
Most in one day: the viewpoint, elephant and Pig Island trip at $52 — the highest-rated trip in this table at 4.7 across 517 reviews. Heaven Gate viewpoint, lunch at The Roof Samui, an observation-only elephant nursery, then Koh Tan and Koh Madsum. The recurring theme in the reviews is that four stops in six hours somehow do not feel rushed. Our breakdown →
A couple who want the beach quiet: the private longtail charter — not priced per person, but $101 for the boat, covering two. That is close to the price of two shared speedboat seats, and it buys your own captain, your own schedule, and an afternoon slot when the shared fleet has gone home. No hotel transfer and the captain’s English is basic. Our breakdown → or read the full case on private Pig Island tours.
Better light and fewer people: the sunset trip with dinner at $46. Afternoon pickup, kayaking around Koh Madsum, sunset from the water and a full Thai set menu afterwards. It is also one of the few tickets that includes the 50-baht landing fee. Our breakdown →
Things That Should Not Sway You
A high star rating on a listing with 20 reviews is not evidence. Several tours in this catalogue sit at a perfect 5.0 on fewer than ten reviews, and one of the best-rated products overall is a jetski safari with 190. Weigh rating and volume together, which is why the table above shows both.
“Lowest price” is not the same as cheapest. A $26 ticket that excludes the transfer and the island fee costs more in practice than a $28 one that includes both, once you have paid for a taxi to Thong Krut.
And the pigs are the same pigs on every itinerary. Nobody has better access, nobody gets a private beach, and no operator can promise the animals will be doing anything in particular. What you are choosing between is the shape of the day around them — what to expect on a Pig Island tour sets out honestly what that day contains.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest Pig Island tour from Koh Samui?
The catalogue floor is about $26 per person, but the cheapest trip that still includes hotel transfers, a guide, snorkel gear and both islands’ entrance fees is the $28 longtail with the viewpoint hike. Read the inclusions rather than the headline price.
Which Pig Island tour has the most reviews?
The three-hour speedboat trip at $42, with 5,483 reviews at 4.5 stars. That is more than double the next-busiest listing, which is the full-day island hopping trip at 3,643.
Is a full-day Pig Island tour worth the extra money?
If you want a real afternoon at Koh Tan, yes. The extra hours go into reef and beach time rather than more time with the pigs, because Koh Madsum is a forty-five minute stop on every itinerary. If the reef does not interest you, the half-day trip covers the same ground.
How much is a private Pig Island boat?
Private longtails are not priced per person: the boat starts at $101 for a group of up to two. Because the charge is not per seat, two people pay roughly what two shared speedboat tickets cost — but the price climbs with capacity, so shared seats usually win again from about four to six people.
Which tour includes the Pig Island entrance fee?
Most exclude it and expect 50 baht in cash on the beach. The sunset and dinner trip includes it, and several longtail tickets fold both islands’ fees into the price.
What is the highest-rated Pig Island tour?
Among trips with meaningful review volume, the viewpoint, elephant and Pig Island day trip at 4.7 across 517 reviews. Listings with perfect scores on fewer than twenty reviews are not comparable evidence.
Pig Island, Koh Tan and a Boat Back Before Dinner
Half-day and full-day trips from Koh Samui's south coast, with snorkelling gear, hotel transfers and free cancellation up to 24 hours before you go.
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