大型ボートで行くアーントーン国立海洋公園ツアー

Where to start. You arrive by van and dozens of people are already swarming. Expecting to receive a briefing is definitely too much to ask. If you have paid the extra 300 THB for the national park you get a life jacket in your hand and go on the tour boat. This is basically nice, but with about 100 people a bit tight. We couldn't believe our eyes on the first stop at the national park. From the tour boat we had to board a longtail boat which was supposed to take us to the island. There it has only one movable plastic container web. Since the weather was not very good, the sea was also very unsettled. It was hair-raising. Through the waves you could not take a straight step on this “bridge”. People almost fell over, others walked on all fours. It cannot be that such a large amount of money is raised for the national park and it is not feasible to make a fixed and permanently attached jetty. After all, hundreds of tourists come to this island every day. You don't have to have studied mathematics to calculate this. Lunch was okey. Continuing we went by kayak - we left this out. Again with so many people in a longtail boat we did not want. We also forgot to swim on a tiny stretch of beach. They also tout that they can go snorkeling wonderfully and that they will receive the equipment. Snorkeling was not mentioned or offered in any way. This excursion is simply not recommended.

The boat leaks huge amounts of heavy black oil into the sea! But you should only use reef-safe sunscreen for snorkeling?

I probably would actually give this 4.5 stars, if it allowed me to. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars was because the description wasn't exactly accurate. Here is how the day goes... The pick up from the hotel was smooth, about a 30 minute trip to the port. Get on the boat and there was coffee, muffins, bananas and cereal waiting for us, that was nice. About 80-100 people on the boat. Then we head to the Marine Park. It's a 2 hour boat ride. Honestly, I guess your only other option would be to pay more and take a motorboat but considering I paid less than 40 bucks, this was worth it. Just bring a book or something to watch on your phone during the long boat rides. Once you get to the first island it's a 500m climb to the top. it is not mandatory, but well worth the effort. By the time you are at the top, you are tired and sweating big time. The hike to the top and down takes a good hour. You have about 30 minutes once you come down to take a dip in the beautiful ocean. Then lunch aboard the boat at 12:15pm. It was quite good actually, 2 types of chicken, rice, some veggies and watermelon. Then about a 20 minute boat ride to the second island. Get there around 2pm Time for kayaking. It's around a leisurely 30 minute kayaking journey in the most beautiful of settings. You end on a cute beach and have about an hour to swim, snorkel (although no fish to be seen), take a hike and see a lagoon or just buy a coconut or ice cream and chill. At 3pm it is back on the boat for the 2 hour ride back to Koh Samui. Once you get back to port, your driver was waiting to take you back to the hotel. From pick up to drop off, it was just over 11 hours. Long day but enjoyable.

It's good experience overall but a bit rushed if you are with family and not very fit especially for the hike in the hot sun. It is very well managed with activities and good food as well as very courteous staff

The food was Great for the price but the experience with the Island hopping were less so. Not being able to swim when arriving on an Island for example and it was very hot.

It was a really long trip to the national park, just to climb a steep hill to a viewpoint. Really good views from the top but the climb was hard and not for the feint-hearted. The snorkeling was terrible (or rather - non-existent). The water was filthy from all the boat debris and it was very shallow. The coral was dead and broken. It was far too difficult to see anything, probably there are no good fish that would be found in that over-traded dirty snorkeling area. The beach area was incredibly small. The staff on the boat were friendly and inviting but the trip was a waste of a day.

I booked the option with kayaking. The whole experience was fantastic On-time pick up, great communication. A nice big boat, greeted with drinks and snacks (nice) Everything was explained, got to first stop, we took the choice of the gruelling climb up 2,500 uneven, tricky steps. There are a few stopping places and views on the way up there. Sadly we only got to 2nd to top, the last 50 or so steps where in the sun and beyond us. The view from our bit was brilliant, back to the boat, next island an apparent leisurely stroll to the lagoon. Not a stroll, almost vertical steps but worth the effort, a stunning view. Lastly the kayaking our guide stayed near us he took photo's and a video with my phone. Nearly forgot the lunch..... it was really nice. This was our seventh trip out of eight booked and by far the best. Take good walking shoes or trainers with grip.

This day trip was a well organised experience. The staff were very helpful and friendly and stayed with us through all of the activities food at lunch was good quality and plenty of soft drinks and snacks through the day. Beer was 70bht

It was not a bad experience. I want to warn that there is a lot of hiking to see the viewpoints mentioned. So be physically prepared. You can chose not to partake and relax on the beach, but with the time alloted you may miss that beach time. But make sure you bring gear to assist you on the hike, especially if you're not a seasoned or expert hiker. The lunch was great. The boat ride to the islands were relaxing. The staff was good. Not all was friendly but that just might be their personality. For the price, i recommend this tour

Meeting point was packed with people from 2 cruise ships, and we could not locate the rep in the chaos. Managed to contact the rep 10 mins after the meeting time to be told that the boat had already left. Completely spoiled our day. The travel co must know how chaotic it is when cruise ships dock especially as ships have to tender guests ashore, and should have some leeway on arrival time and be much easier to locate amongst the hoards of ticket venders at the meeting point. For us, we would not book a shore excursion privately when shore tenders ate involved.