Half Day Koh Samui Island Tour with Highlights

  • Duration: 5 hours
  • Max People : 8
  • Daily
  • Min. age: 0+
  • Mobile ticket

Description

Are you visiting Koh Samui on a budget? Or do you simply not have enough time to do all the popular Koh Samui tours on and around the island? Then this budget Koh Samui island tour by minivan is a good choice for you! This half day tour runs every day and you’ll pay a visit to the most famous sights of Koh Samui. Think of Grandfather and Grandmother rock, the Big Buddha, Wat Plai Laem and the viewpoint in Chaweng. We will also visit Nathon town, which is Koh Samui’s ‘capital’, the Mummified Monk and Namuang waterfall.

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The Koh Samui island tour includes a pickup by minivan from your hotel or villa on the island if you are staying in the area between Maenam and Lamai. A THB 100 fee per person is added on top if you stay in the south or west of the island. In about 5 hours we’ll cruise past the famous sights of Koh Samui. At each stop you have the opportunity to walk around, take photos and enjoy the surroundings. This tour starts at around 09:00. The number of stops is the same, but the visiting order can vary based on how busy it is at any of the stops. You’ll get to know a bit about the history of the sights in Koh Samui.

For example the story behind the mummified monk, who has been sitting there since 1973 and didn’t eat, drink or speak while meditating. Another interesting stop is Hin Ta & Hin Yai, the famous rocks close to Lamai beach. Hearsay has it that a grandfather and grandmother died on a boat trip to Prachuap Khiri Khan. Their bodies washed ashore and created the famous rocks on the island.

The Koh Samui island tour also includes stops at Namuang waterfall (bring a swimming suit and towel if you want to swim in it), and 2 temples in the northeast of Koh Samui. The first one is Plai Laem temple, with its famous Guanyin with eighteen arms. Explore the area and feed the fish before we move on to the Big Buddha, the last stop of the day. Here you can walk up the stairs for a beautiful view over Bangrak beach and onto Koh Phangan. This island tour has all the sights you don’t want to miss on Koh Samui. Reserve your seat online here!

Departure & Return Location
Your hotel or villa on Koh Samui

Pickup time
08:30 – 09:00

Price includes
Hotel transfers (free between Maenam and Lamai)
Koh Samui island tour
English & Thai speaking friendly guide
Entrance fees (if any)
Accident insurance

Price excludes
Personal expenses
Alcoholic & soft drinks
Lunch or dinner

What should you bring?
Shoes or trainers
Drinking water
Sunscreen
Swimming suit & towel (if swimming at Namuang waterfall)
Sunglasses
Camera

 

What to Expect during the Koh Samui island tour

An air conditioned minivan will take you around the highlights of Koh Samui. Please note that this is a budget tour without any perks: please bring your own drinks. The trip takes around 5 hours and includes hotel transfers. Close to the planned stops you can find carts with streetfood and snacks, so don’t worry about getting hungry on the way. The Koh Samui island tour brings you to all the important sights on Koh Samui!

Chaweng Viewpoint
Mummified Monk & Hin Ta, Hin Yai
Namuang waterfall
Big Buddha & Wat Plai Laem
Small groups per van

 


Itinerary

Our driver will pick you up at your hotel or villa at 09:00 depending on your location.

Depending on the itinerary of the day, we visit the Big Buddha on the northeast tip of Koh Samui first. You can walk up to the viewpoint with beautiful views over the bay or buy some souvenirs downstairs.

Our next stop is Wat Plai Laem, a beatiful temple complex with large statues. The lake around it is full of fish. You can visit the temples or feed the fish here. Fish food can be bought at one of the stalls for a small fee.

On the way to the east, the Koh Samui island tour continues past Chaweng. We stop here at the viewpoint, from where you can see all of Chaweng beach. Take photos, enjoy a nice coconut ice cream (not included but very tasty) and we are on our way to the south.

This beautiful rock formation is located close to Lamai beach and is one of the most famous sights of Koh Samui. Enjoy the beautiful scenery here.

Our next stop is Wat Khunnaram, the location of the mummified monk. You can see him in the temple.

In the south we visit Namuang waterfall 1 or 2, depending on which one has more water. During and after the rainy season the waterfalls will be flowing rapidly. In dry season there is a lot less. If you want, you can take a swim here. Please bring a swimming suit and towel if you intend to.

Our air conditioned minivan brings you back to your hotel or villa on Koh Samui. The half day island tour comes to an end. A day full of sights to remember!

Location

Faq

The Koh Samui island tour does not include breakfast or lunch. It is smart to have breakfast or lunch at your hotel before pickup. On the way you will find numerous food stalls where you can buy some amazing Thai street food, snacks or fruits. Please bring a water bottle per person as well.

Yes, we can pick you up from locations that are a bit furter away, but please note there is an extra THB 100 fee per person for pickups outside of the Maenam - Lamai area. You can book the tour online, please leave a note on checkout that you want to be picked up from your hotel location. Another option is to come to the hotel pickup area before the tour starts. We can pick you up from a set location.

The best time to visit Namuang waterfalls is between October-March. During the wet season the waterfalls have enough water to enjoy a refreshing waterfall shower and dive in the natural pool below. Outside of these months the waterfalls are flowing less rapidly, except after a couple of rainy days.

Yes, the viewpoint and Big Buddha can easily be reached on foot by anyone in reasonable condition. The viewpoint in Chaweng has just a few stairs down, while the stairs to Big Buddha are steep but not too far up. The view from the top is worth the climb up.

Thailand has a basic dress code for visiting religious sites. The basic rule is to cover your shoulders and knees (both sexes), but short pants are allowed when men visit the temple. At any religious site there will be pashminas or scarfs available to make yourself temple-worthy.

This tour runs daily, also during rainy season. If the situation on the roads permit, the tour will happen during rainy days. Please bring a rain coat (or poncho from 7/11) to enjoy this trip on a rainy day.

You can cancel your booking for free up until 24 hours in advance of the tour start date, no questions asked. We’ll refund you the deposit or you can choose to use it as an advance to a different booking or tour.

Average Reviews

4.7/5

Exceptional
From 3 Reviews
Itinerary
7.0
Transport
7.5
Food
7.5
Service
7.0
Value for money
7.5
Guide
7.5

Showing 3 reviews

  1. ML
    This website is not entirely honest

    If you only have a couple days to see the main attractions of Koh Samui, this tour is a good idea. Especially considering how insanely expensive taxis are on this island, the hotel pickup/dropoff alone is worth the price. The tour guide was both informative and amusing.

    My complaint is with the listing of this tour on this particular website, which is the main reason it doesn’t get 5 stars. It claims “8 people maximum”, however there were 11 guests in our van, AND the tour consisted of 3 entire vans. So more like 30 people.

  2. Timo kuntz

    We enjoyed this itinerary with a private group of 4. Staff helped to book it for us last minute, thanks so much for your swift reply.

  3. Simon

    Perfect trip for an introduction to Samui. Its quite packed but we had only half a day so it was worth it. Especially considering the price.

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From: ฿995

Why Book With Us?
Customer care available 24/7
Hand-picked Koh Samui Tours
No animal shows or elephant trekking
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Pay cash on tour available during checkout
Why Book With Us?
Customer care available 24/7
Hand-picked Koh Samui Tours
No animal shows or elephant trekking
No-hassle low price guarantee
Pay cash on tour available during checkout
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