On some listings, yes — carried on the boat and used around Koh Madsum at no extra charge. They are cancelled outright in low tide, big waves or strong wind while the rest of the trip runs. Check the inclusions on the specific tour, because it is not standard.

On most speedboat trips, yes, served on Koh Tan or during the trip. Some cheaper listings include no meal at all. It is one of the four things that explain almost the whole price spread, along with duration, boat type and whether the boat is shared.

Koh Madsum · Speedboat

Pig Island Speedboat Tours

Q: How long is the speedboat crossing to Koh Tan?

About twenty minutes in normal conditions, then a short hop from Koh Tan to Koh Madsum. A longtail takes roughly twice as long on the same route, and that hour is the main thing you are buying.

Q: How much does a Pig Island speedboat tour cost?

From about $42 per person for a well-reviewed half-day trip with transfers, snorkel gear and lunch. The spread between the cheapest and dearest speedboat listings is mostly inclusions — kayaks, meals, the island fee — rather than the boat itself.

Q: How long is the whole day?

Roughly four and a half hours on the water for a half-day trip, and about five to six hours door to door once the hotel transfer is counted. Every boat leaves from the south coast, so the drive from Chaweng or Bophut is 40 to 50 minutes each way.

Q: Do I need to be able to swim?

No. The reef at Koh Tan is shallow and close to the beach, and life jackets are carried for every passenger. Plenty of guests stay in waist-deep water or skip the snorkelling and spend the time on the sand.

Q: Morning or afternoon departure?

Morning gets flatter water and livelier pigs; the afternoon departure reaches an emptier beach because the morning fleet has gone home. Both are sold on most speedboat itineraries. See our afternoon and sunset page for the longer version.

Q: What if the sea is rough?

A rigid hull handles a short sea far better than an open wooden boat, so speedboat trips often run on mornings when longtails are reconsidering. Operators still adjust or shorten the itinerary in bad weather, and the reef stop is usually the first thing to go. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before.

Twenty minutes across sheltered water to the reef, then a short hop to the pig beach. The fastest way to fit both islands into half a day.

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From $42 per person Free cancellation

4.2 / 5 2,208+ Reviews
4 hours 30 minutes Duration
2 Islands
20 min Crossing
Free Cancellation

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The Experience

Why Most People End Up on a Speedboat

Less time crossing, more time in the water, and a hull that handles a choppy Gulf morning.

Highlights

Two departures a day — morning or afternoon
Twenty-minute crossing to Koh Tan’s largely intact coral reef
Kayaks carried on the boat and included in the price
Beach time on Koh Madsum with the island’s pigs
Lunch, transfers, snorkel gear and life jackets all included

What's Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off by air-conditioned minibus
Tour guide
Snorkelling equipment
Kayaking
Life jackets
Lunch
Drinking water
Accident insurance

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How a Speedboat Trip Runs

Pickup, pier, reef, pig beach — and the timing that decides which you enjoy more.

Minibus Collects You in Stages
Morning departures pick up between roughly 08:30 and 09:30, afternoon ones after lunch. The group is gathered hotel by hotel, so the window on your voucher is wide by design. Be in the lobby early.
Board at Bang Kao or Thong Krut
Both are working fishing harbours on the south coast, 40 to 50 minutes from the northern beaches. Gear is handed out at the pier and life jackets are carried for everyone aboard.
Twenty Minutes to Koh Tan
In normal conditions the crossing takes about twenty minutes. Koh Tan holds the most accessible coral around Koh Samui and the reef sits shallow and close to the beach, so non-swimmers can stay in their depth.
Short Hop to Koh Madsum
The pigs come down to the water line as the boat arrives. Landing costs 50 baht per person in cash. Kayaks, where the operator carries them, are used here — and are cancelled outright in low tide or strong wind.

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Photo Gallery

Koh Tan & Koh Madsum by Speedboat

Shallow reef, white sand, and the two islands every boat from the south coast visits.

A spotted pig standing chest-deep in clear shallow water, photographed at eye level from the surface — The pigs wade out to meet arriving boats — this is as close as most visitors get to swimming with them.

Coconut palms leaning over an empty white-sand beach with a catamaran anchored offshore — Koh Tan and Koh Madsum are both undeveloped: sand, trees and very little else.

Four pigs wading out from a white-sand shoreline into clear shallow water, with deep blue sea beyond — Shallow, calm water is why the pigs go in at all — and why non-swimmers manage the snorkelling stop.

A pig with sand on its snout swimming in turquoise shallows, half above and half below the waterline — They swim readily in water this calm, and they come out again the moment the food does.

Underwater view of a pig paddling through clear turquoise water, its snout breaking the surface — Visibility like this is a good day. It swings with the weather, and no operator guarantees it.

Two pigs walking along the water's edge on a white-sand beach with boats moored in the bay behind — Late morning, once the first boats have arrived and the herd has come down to the shore.

Two pigs swimming in flat turquoise water with a tour boat and a moored yacht in the distance — Boat traffic peaks between ten and midday, which is the argument for an afternoon departure.

Sunset behind coconut palms over a tropical beach, with the sun low through the fronds and wet sand reflecting the light — The afternoon trips end here — sunset from the water off Koh Madsum, then dinner back on the mainland.

Speedboat, Longtail or Jetski

Three ways to cross the same five kilometres, and what each does to your day.

Feature	FASTEST CROSSING Speedboat Tour	Longtail Boat Tour	Jetski Safari
Crossing Time to Koh Tan	✓ About 20 minutes	40 minutes or more	Varies — you are driving, in convoy
Starting Price	From $42/per person	From $28 per person	Not per person — $208 per group of up to 2
Ride in a Choppy Sea	✓ Rigid deep-V hull takes a short sea well	Open wooden hull, low in the water, wet	Exposed and physical — the first thing cancelled
Snorkelling at Koh Tan	✓ Gear included, full reef stop	✓ Gear included, full reef stop	Brief stop — the ride is the product
Lunch	Included on most listings	Often excluded — food for sale on the island	Varies, usually excluded
Kayaks	✓ Carried and included on some listings	Rare	✗ Not applicable
Group Size	Mid-size, collected hotel by hotel	Small to mid-size	Small — you are on your own machine
Best For	Anyone with one free day who wants maximum water time	Travellers who want the crossing to be part of the trip	Confident riders who came for the ride, not the reef
	Check Availability	Browse Longtails	View Options

More Options

Compare Pig Island Trips

Speedboat, longtail, full-day or private — every format that reaches Koh Madsum, side by side.

BUDGET PICK

Speed Buys Water Time

What You Actually Gain by Taking the Fast Boat

The crossing is the only part of the day a speedboat shortens — which turns out to be the part worth shortening.

A speedboat does not make the day shorter. It makes a different part of the day longer.

The fixed costs are the same whichever hull you book: the transfer down to the south coast, the wait at the pier while the group assembles, the 50 baht at the Koh Madsum beach. What changes is the crossing. Twenty minutes each way on a speedboat against forty or more on a longtail, twice, across two island moves. That hour goes back into the water at Koh Tan and onto the sand at Koh Madsum, which is the whole point of coming.

There is a second thing speedboats buy, and it matters more than the brochures admit. The Gulf gets choppy. A rigid hull with a deep V takes a short sea far better than an open wooden boat sitting low in the water, and on a marginal morning the speedboat trips run when the longtails are reconsidering. If your dates are tight and the forecast is uncertain, that is worth something.

What you give up

Atmosphere, mostly. A longtail crossing is part of the experience in a way a speedboat crossing is not, and plenty of people finish a Pig Island trip saying the boat was their favourite part. You also give up a little money: the cheapest trips that still include transfers and island fees are longtails, and the gap is real.

Speedboats also tend to run bigger groups. Mid-size is the honest description — enough people that the pier wait is long and the beach lands as a crowd, but not a coach party. If that is the objection, the answer is not a longtail, it is an afternoon or sunset departure or a private charter.

Kayaks, lunch and the things that vary

Speedboat itineraries differ more than they look. Some carry kayaks on board and include them at no extra charge, used around Koh Madsum. Some include a buffet lunch on Koh Tan; some include no meal at all. A handful include the Koh Madsum landing fee, and most do not.

Read the inclusions rather than the headline, because the price spread between the cheapest and dearest speedboat trip is mostly these items rather than the boat itself. Our which tour guide lines them up with the numbers, and the boat comparison has the honest version of what each hull is like for four hours.

Guest Reviews

What Speedboat Guests Say

4.2/5 from 2208 verified guests

Ratings and review counts are the tour operators' live figures on GetYourGuide and may shift slightly day to day.

"My family enjoyed this tour, thank you for unforgivable emotions!!!!"

"Great experience on Pig Island with a stop beforehand at Koh Tan for snorkeling, although the seabed is not very remarkable. Mr. Eleven was very nice! The island is highly recommended, with its unusual "inhabitants," 2.5 hours of relaxation, and the option of kayaking."

"We did this tour twice with different family members. It was excellent. The crew were friendly and helpful. Mr Eleven remembered us from our first trip. Enough time for snorkelling on the coral reef followed by a few hours on Pig Island itself. Air conditioned Minibus collected us on time from our villa. A very well organised trip, thank you"

"The excursion was great. Everything was very well organized. Our young children, aged five and two, also enjoyed it very much."

"A very good tour. Everything was superbly organized. The lunch was also very good and tailored to everyone."

"A worthwhile excursion. First stop: snorkeling. They give you enough time to snorkel. Second stop: Pig Island. For my taste, too much time on Pig Island, but in the end, it's nice to be with the little pigs. Our tour guide was very attentive at all times."

"It was great, its better to spend more and get ti the island faster rather than save 15€ and spend 2 hours on the boat. We actually spent a lot of time in the beautiful islands, free water, lunch"

"Super fun day out. The boat was very clean and well organised. The snorkelling was fun - we saw some fish! And when we got out of the sea there was a shower spray provided to get the salt off. Pig island was really nice - the pigs were hilarious. The lunch was tasty and plentiful."

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Both Islands, Half a Day

Snorkelling gear, kayaks, lunch and hotel transfers included, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure. Starting from $42 per person.

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