Pig Island Koh Samui

What Pig Island is

Pig Island is the name everyone uses for Koh Madsum, a small island off the south of Koh Samui where pigs wander the beach and sleep in the shade.

It lies about 4 to 6 km off the south coast, next to Koh Tan in Surat Thani Province, and two licensed Samui boat operators put the speedboat crossing at 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the pier (checked November 2026).

It's a short, easy boat trip, which makes it the best half-day trip from Koh Samui for a group.

Most boats pair it with snorkelling at Koh Tan, right next door.

Send Tanner your dates, and he holds the boat.

How to get to Pig Island, Koh Samui

Every Pig Island Koh Samui trip leaves by boat from the south coast, and there are three ways to do it.

• Shared speedboat tour: a set route with other people, often with Koh Tan and lunch.
• Longtail from Thong Krut: the local way, short and slow.
• Your own boat: your group only, your timing, and the party on deck.

There's no bridge and no scheduled public ferry, so every visit is by boat, from Thong Krut and the other piers on the south coast.

Pig Island Samui tours usually run twice a day, morning and afternoon, weather permitting.

Ask Tanner which pier is closest to your villa.

The pigs, and how to behave

The pigs are the reason you go: they come down to the water, root around the sand and nap under the trees.

One operator's visitor guide asks you to feed them only the food your guide gives you, never your own snacks.

Watch and take photos, but don't chase, lift, ride or corner them, and keep children close.

Take your rubbish back to the boat.

Ask Tanner to brief the crew before you land.

The island fee and what it costs

There's a small fee to land on Koh Madsum, about ฿50 a person, paid in cash, and there's no ATM on the island.

On most shared tours the ฿50 fee is already in the price, and the seat price covers a fixed route.

On your own boat, Tanner prices it for your date, and the DJ and the bar go on top if you want the party.

See the boats on Koh Samui yachts.

Ask Tanner to price the boat for your date.

Snorkelling at Koh Tan next door

Koh Tan is the island next to Pig Island, and its reef is the snorkelling stop on most trips.

Do the pigs first, while it's quiet, then the reef, then lunch on the boat.

It turns a one-hour visit into a proper half day on the water.

Tell Tanner if anyone wants to snorkel, and the crew brings the gear.

When to go

Go in the morning: that guide says the pigs are most active then, and the sea is usually calmer.

The best months are February to April, the driest stretch on Samui's side of the Gulf.

Thai Meteorological Department station normals for Koh Samui put the wettest weeks from October to December, with November the peak at about 445 mm of rain.

Month by month for the island: see the best time to visit Koh Samui.

Send Tanner your dates, and he picks the calm morning.

Your own boat: the private half day

Here's the half day we plan most for a group on Samui:

• 8:30am: the car collects you from the villa.
• 9am: the boat leaves the south coast for Pig Island.
• 9:30am: the pigs on the beach, before the tour boats.
• 11am: snorkelling at Koh Tan.
• 12:30pm: lunch on board, music on, back by mid-afternoon.

Plan it with Tanner, and the boat waits for you.

Pig Island or Ang Thong?

Pig Island is the easy half day; Ang Thong Marine Park is the big full day. Ang Thong is closed from 1 November to 15 December 2026, so in that window Pig Island and Koh Tan are your boat day.

Ang Thong is a national park of 42 islands, the Department of National Parks says, with a park fee of ฿300 for foreign adults at Koh Wua Talab and Koh Mae Koh.

See the full day in Ang Thong from Koh Samui, and the rest of the island in things to do in Koh Samui.

Ask Tanner to fit both into one week.

After the boat

Back on land, the evening is Samui's: sunset at a beach club, dinner, then Chaweng.

We get you in: we arrange the host, the car, the door and the VIP table, and the club bills the table.

For every bar and club, see the Koh Samui nightlife guide.

Ask Tanner to line up the night after the boat.

Pig Island in short

• What: Koh Madsum, the island with pigs on the beach.

• Where: about 4 to 6 km off the south coast, next to Koh Tan.
• Boat: 15 to 30 minutes by speedboat; no public ferry.
• Fee: about ฿50 a person, cash.
• Best time: mornings, February to April.

Checked November 2026.