Koh Nang Yuan is a unique set of three little islands connected by two white-sand strips and surrounded by gorgeous corals and different kinds of sea life. As it looks like a paradise place secluded in the middle of nowhere, the fact is just the opposite. Koh Nang Yuan is located just a 15 minutes long tail boat ride from Koh Tao – even you could almost swim from the closest point of Koh Tao to Koh Nang Yuan… but never try it since there are strong currents!
Considering that it’s so small and so close to Koh Tao, Koh Nang Yuan is ideal for a day trip. However, our recommendation is to stay there overnight to enjoy the island at its best.
The best way to arrive at Koh Nang Yuan from Phangan is to experience a snorkel tour and take a speedboat. We can arrange for you a whole day snorkeling trip from Phangan by speedboat. You can not only visit Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan, but also snorkel, swim and sunbath during daytime. According to the package you choose to book, services like an authentic Thai lunch and hotel transfers can also be included. Otherwise, consider taking a ferry from Koh Phangan to Koh Tao an, and then taking a long tail taxi from Sairee beach.
Snorkelling on Koh Nang Yuan
The easiest way to get there is by traveling to Koh Tao – which is located on the Gulf of Thailand– and from Koh Tao take a 15-minute ferry or long-tail boat ride, or arrange a day trip tour. Normally, you can see several advertised speedboats and catamarans to Koh Nang Yuan, but the cheapest option is the long-tail boat. You’ll see several long-tail boat drivers looking for customers right at the beach (Sairee Beach is a popular one), or you can also head to Lotus Bar, which sort of has a boat-taxi stand. Their rides are at 300B for roundtrip. When taking a long-tail boat, you must settle your return time (if going just for the day), so they can pick you up at such time – at or before 5:00 pm. If you’re staying there overnight, you can take it easy.
Take the distance into account, day trips from Koh Samui are a lot more expensive so making use of Koh Tao as home base to enjoy Koh Nang Yuan is a better idea. You can choose among a large number of tour operators for snorkeling trips to Koh Nang Yuan, roughly costing about 2000-2500 Baht every person. The boat transfer, snorkeling equipment, the entrance fee to the island, and lunch are included in the cost.
Pay attention: no plastic bottles are allowed on the island. plastic bottles are even confiscated when they arrive on the island. So you will have to buy water from the resort’s restaurant. The best way to solve this problem is to bring your own reusable water bottle which prevents you from buying water from the resort. Besides, many places in Asia nowadays, including Koh Phangan and Bali, encourage you to refill your reusable water bottle for only 10 baht, or even for free if you order some food at the restaurant.
Koh Nang Yuan Island has become one of the main reasons tourists flock to Koh Tao every year with Entrance Fee to the island – 100 Baht per person. The island is open from 10am – 5pm, 7 days a week. Just be sure to check for public holidays! Many people are wiling to get the early taxi boats from Sairee Beach and spend the whole day enjoying the sun in paradise.
Koh Nang Yuan Island opens its gates at 10am but the taxi boats are moving people over from 9:00. You will have to let your boat taxi know the time that you head back to Koh Tao so they can arrange the pick-up for you. Koh Nang Yuan Island closes at 5pm rewarding the guests of the islands resort with the privacy of sunset all to themselves.
The island does allow promote plastic so upon entrance you will have to leave your plastic bottles at the gate. You also cannot take swimming/wet shoes onto the island as they don’t want damage doing to the underwater world.
Throughout the day it does get busy along the beach although that doesn’t impact the beautiful scenery of the island. There is currently just one resort on the island, Koh Nang Yuan Island Dive Resort.
Koh Nang Yuan
For many people, as soon as they arrive on Koh Nang Yuan, the first thing they want to do is hiking to the top of the incredibly well-known Koh Nang Yuan viewpoint. It takes around 15 minutes to get to the top and we recommend hitting it as early as possible to avoid the big crowds. Remember to bring water, as it can get really, really sweaty! And please be careful on the way down the small area at the top because it can get pretty overcrowded when you are leaving but the views are amazing and rewarding so definitely don’t miss it out!
Koh Nang Yuan Viewpoint
There is only one resort at Koh Nang Yuan –since it is a private island– but the price for a budget cabin is not that bad, given the location. One of the important reasons for staying there outweighs the accommodation price is the fact that you can enjoy the island at its best.
You can be there with just a handful of people in the early morning or late in the afternoon. This is before and after the hoards of day tour tourists/snorkelers/divers arrive and overrun the small beach.
In fact, these are the best times to enjoy the beach since it’s low tide, there’s not such a strong current, and you can just lie on the sand, sunbathe, relax, and read before the sandy strips are submerged by the high tide. If you’re staying at the resort, you get a free beach chair and umbrella to relax all day by the beach!
Beach of Koh Nang Yuan
The snorkeling and diving are also great! You can often see day tour dive boats surrounding Koh Nang Yuan to visit popular dive sites such as Twin Peak and Japanese Gardens. These spots are just off the island, so they are shallow enough and close enough for snorkelers on the island.
At the pier in Koh Nang Yuan, you can see some of the snorkeling and diving boats from here. As well as some divers. Besides, the deeper you swim, the nicer the corals. But be cautious with the currents! After all, safety is the priority.
If you don’t have your own snorkeling gear, you can rent it on Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan as well.
Diving at Koh Nang Yuan
For travelers who seek more adventure, we have the information that there is a zip lining on the island. We are not sure whether this activity is still in operation, but we believe that if this activity can meet your needs, the staff of the resort will be very happy to help you.
Therefore, although the island itself is very suitable for tourism (as we mentioned it many times in the article!), it is still a beautiful day for all of us. We were lucky since the beach was not as crowded as expected. In general, if you want to have a refreshing opportunity to enjoy the scenery, go to Koh Nang Yuan Island and spend a day or two relaxing and enjoying the beautiful clear water paradise!
Koh Nang Yuan Zipline
When you have hiked to the viewpoint or viewed the beautiful underwater scenery, you may want to have a lunch! As mentioned earlier, you can only find one restaurant and one beach bar on the island. The options on the menu are limited, and the price is a little higher compared with what you can buy on Koh Tao. You may consider bringing your own lunch or some snacks. It depends on when you leave the island.
It is the island’s only resort, but it is expensive and seems to mainly meet the requirement of Asian tourists. However, before the day's visitors arrive, you will wake up and find a completely abandoned beach, which gives you the opportunity to dive in the morning without disturbance.
The best time to pay a visit to Koh Nang Yuan is between November to March. The only time to avoid coming to this island would be during the rainy season from September to November. Apart from these months, the island can be visited anytime although the summer months of April to August can get quite hot and humid.
Our creative itinerary ideas will give you some travel inspirations. We will definitely tailor make unique trip for you and there are many more options available.