Koh Kood Snorkeling: Best Spots, Trips & Costs

Featured image: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Quick answer: where and how to snorkel on Koh Kood

Most snorkelers book a half-day speedboat trip through their resort. Local trips head to Koh Raet and the beaches on the northwest coast. Longer trips cross to the islands of Koh Rang marine park. Pick by group size, budget and how much sea you are comfortable with.

• Groups of 6 or more on a budget: join the local half-day trip at about ฿900 to ฿1,000 per person.
• Strong reefs and clear water: join the Koh Rang trip at about ฿1,200 per person.
• Couples or families of 2 to 5: price a private boat, from ฿4,500 for 2 people locally.
• Weak swimmers or no boat day: rent a kayak at your resort for ฿200 to ฿300 per half day.

Best snorkeling spots on Koh Kood

Koh Raet is the main local snorkeling area. It is a small island off the northwest coast, and the reef there is known for large table corals and an underwater sculpture park. Dive operators call it the most popular dive and snorkel site on Koh Kood. Boats usually pair it with Klong Rahan, also called Secret Beach, on the coast opposite. Some trips add Palm Beach near Captain Hook Resort. Selected trips run further north to Koh Maisi Lek and North Beach. Beyond that, Koh Yak Yai and Koh Yak Lek in the Koh Rang group are the other two names snorkelers hear most. Plenty of famous Koh Kood dive sites are not for snorkelers. Neverland, Hin Loy, Ao Toom and Hin Chedi sit at roughly 3 to 15 m, and Ao Lak Uan and Mikes Secret Reef go to 21 m. Treat those as dive-only unless a boat crew says otherwise. Certified divers can read about diving around Koh Kood instead. Curious snorkelers who want to go deeper can browse the PADI course overview for entry-level options.

Koh Rang marine park trip: what to expect

Koh Rang belongs to Mu Koh Chang national park, which was established in 1982. The islands are uninhabited. Join boats moor at Koh Yak Yai and Koh Yak Lek, just offshore from Koh Rang itself. One operator reports visits to 3 snorkeling spots and lunch on the beach. Join trips typically leave at 09:30 or 10:00 and return at 13:30 or 14:00. Expect about ฿1,200 per person with transfers, lunch, mask and snorkel. Children over 10 pay the adult price. Children aged 3 to 10 pay half. The marine park fee is normally included. It is ฿200 for adults and ฿100 for children, and Thai nationals pay ฿40 and ฿20. The crossing is more exposed than the northwest coast. In rough seas, at least one operator swaps the trip for a local speedboat run at ฿900. Read more on the Koh Rang islands.

Local half-day trip vs Koh Rang vs private boat

Use this table to match the trip to your group. Private local prices rise by ฿500 for each extra person, from 2 to 6 people. At 6 people, a private local boat works out to about ฿1,083 each. That is close to a join trip, with your own timing. At 4 people it is ฿1,375 each. A private Koh Rang trip for 2 starts at ฿8,500 to ฿9,000, so ฿4,250 to ฿4,500 each. Extra time costs about ฿1,000 per hour.

Costs and what's included in a Koh Kood snorkeling trip

Prices and hours checked November 2026. Operators call these figures guides, and they can rise in peak season. Local join trips include transfers and a light lunch of fried rice, fruit and water. Private local trips add snorkeling gear, fishing gear and insurance. Private Koh Rang trips include the park fee. Dive boats also take snorkelers, at about ฿1,000 locally and ฿1,200 to Koh Rang, with park fees extra. Check the list below before you pay.

• Marine park fee: included on most Koh Rang trips, so ask for confirmation.
• Transfers: resort pickup is normally included.
• Mask, snorkel and vest: ask about vest sizes for children.
• Lunch and water: included on join trips.
• Child rate: half price for ages 3 to 10 on Koh Rang trips.
• Extra hours on private boats: about ฿1,000 per hour.

When to go

Dive operators report the best visibility between December and February. Water stays between 27°C and 31°C all year, and currents are mild. Rough seas matter more than water temperature. Koh Rang crossings are the first to be swapped for local runs. Join trips also need roughly 6 sign-ups, so low-season availability is uneven. Ask your resort what is running before you commit a single free day. Seasonal context for the wider region sits in our dive season notes.

Getting to the boat

Most trips collect you from your resort, so the pier is only a factor on arrival. Ferries to Koh Kood leave from Laem Sok Pier. Private car or minibus transfers run door to pier from Bangkok, the airports, Trat Airport and the Koh Chang resorts, with boat tickets extra. Ferry schedules change by season. Check the current timetable with the ferry operator or your resort.

Kayaks, SUP and other water activities

Resort kayaks are free at some places and ฿200 to ฿300 per half day at others. They suit mangrove-lined canals and calm coastline paddling. SUP Point near the night market at Klong Chao Beach rents kayaks from ฿400 for 2 people for 1 to 2 hours. Its stand-up paddleboards start at ฿500. Kayaks are for paddling and exploring, not a replacement for a reef trip. Squid and rock-fish fishing trips are another half-day boat option, at about ฿900 per person on a join trip.

Mistakes to avoid and a one-day sample plan

Booking Koh Rang on your last day is the most common error. Seas can cancel the crossing, and you may be left with the local trip. Assuming a join trip will run is the second. Another is skipping reef-safe sunscreen. A rash vest covers your back and keeps the coral cleaner. Sample plan: take a 09:30 pickup, snorkel Koh Rang until about 13:30, then rest at your resort. If the crossing is off, take the local ฿900 trip and keep the next morning free. Nearby islands offer alternatives, and snorkeling on Koh Chang is the largest option. Also compare Koh Mak's reefs and Koh Wai's reefs. The HTMS Chang wreck sits off Koh Chang, not Koh Kood, and is a diver's site.

See our Koh Chang tourism attractions guide for the broader city overview.