Snorkeling Koh Tao: five hidden bays and Nangyuan viewpoint

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/12

Duration7h

GroupUp to 120

LanguagesEN · TH

PickupAt your hotel

The Japanese Reef Garden holds schools of parrotfish and angelfish in water so shallow you see every coral head.

A full-day snorkeling boat trip from Koh Tao that stops at five hard-to-reach bays and includes a 15-minute hike to Koh Nangyuan's viewpoint. The boat Oxygen picks you up from your hotel, serves Thai lunch onboard, and a professional English-speaking guide leads the day. You choose between a morning departure for early light or an afternoon trip that starts later and draws fewer crowds.

Step-by-step itinerary

Snorkeling and sightseeing around Koh Tao

Hotel pickup on Koh Tao
Meet boat crew at Mae Haad Pier
Depart to Nangyuan Island
Hike to viewpoint on Nangyuan Island
Relax and swim at Nangyuan Island
Snorkel at Japanese Reef Garden
Enjoy Thai lunch box on board
Snorkel at Mango Bay or Lighthouse Bay
Snorkel at Hin Wong Bay
Swim at Ao Leuk
Snorkel at Shark Bay
Return to Mae Haad Pier and transfer to hotel

The Experience

The day runs seven hours from hotel pickup to return. You meet the Oxygen crew at Mae Haad Pier, then head straight to Koh Nangyuan—a few minutes by boat from Koh Tao. The 15-minute hike to the island's highest point lands you at the viewpoint that appears on postcards across Thailand: three islands connected by sandbars, the water between them turning from turquoise to deep blue. After time to swim and rest, you drop into the Japanese Reef Garden, where the corals sit so close to the surface that the water barely covers them. Parrotfish and angelfish move through the soft and hard coral in schools.

Lunch is a Thai box served onboard while the boat cruises to Koh Tao's east coast, where the bays sit too far from the road to reach any other way. Four snorkel stops follow: Mango Bay or Lighthouse Bay first, then Hin Wong Bay with its dense schools of small colorful fish, then Ao Leuk—famous for water so clear you see the bottom at depth—and finally Shark Bay, named for its fin-like rock formation. Each stop runs 40 minutes to an hour, giving you time to move through the reef instead of rushing between sites. The boat carries life jackets, drinking water, coffee, tea and fresh fruit throughout the day.

Morning and afternoon departures run the same route and stops; the afternoon trip typically draws smaller crowds and suits anyone who prefers to sleep past dawn. Hotel pickup is included for most Koh Tao locations (Mango Bay and Lighthouse Beach pickups are available as an option at checkout). A professional guide speaks English and Thai, and the operator includes basic accident insurance in the price.

What’s included

Hotel round-trip transfer on Koh Tao (except from Mango Bay and Lighthouse Beach, available as an option).
Thai lunch box served onboard.
life jacket.
professional English-speaking guide.
drinking water, coffee, tea and fresh fruit throughout the day.
basic accident insurance.

Good to know

Easy physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Trip Store Krabi

Is this one for you?Choose the morning departure if you want the best light and don't mind an early start; pick the afternoon trip if you sleep late and prefer smaller crowds at the snorkel stops. Either way, the fixed schedule and included transport mean the day holds together without you arranging pickups, timing or meals between sites.