Group Trips Worth Planning in Surat Thani
A group of twenty can charter an entire catamaran for a day in Ang Thong for less per head than a single hotel room on Koh Samui costs in high season, which changes the math on how a big trip here should be planned.
Catamaran charters to Ang Thong
Renting a 40 to 50 foot sailing catamaran for a group of 8 to 20 gets you a private run through the Ang Thong archipelago, with paddleboarding stops and an onboard barbecue instead of a shared tour boat schedule. It’s the version of the marine park trip that scales well for groups, since you’re not splitting off into smaller boats to fit everyone.
Floating raft houses, booked as a cluster
On Cheow Lan Lake, groups of friends can book adjoining floating bamboo bungalows and spend the stay swimming, playing deck games, and joining a shared longtail boat safari at dawn. It works better as a group trip than a couples trip: the raft houses sit close enough together that everyone ends up on the same dock by evening anyway.
Koh Phangan’s Full Moon Party
Tens of thousands of travelers gather monthly on Haad Rin beach for the Full Moon Party, dancing to international DJs under neon paint. It’s a legitimate group draw for a certain kind of trip, but keep valuables in the hotel safe rather than on the beach, and agree on a meeting point with your group before the crowd builds, since phone signal on Haad Rin gets unreliable once the beach fills up.
Splitting the cost across a group
A 40 to 50 foot catamaran charter and a cluster of adjoining raft houses both work on the same principle: the per-person price drops fast once the group grows past eight or so, since you’re splitting one boat or one block of bungalows rather than paying for individual tour seats. Groups smaller than eight are usually better off joining a shared Ang Thong boat tour instead of chartering, since a half-empty private catamaran costs more per head than the shared option.
Verdict: for a group that actually wants to spend time together rather than split into sub-groups, the Ang Thong catamaran charter and the Cheow Lan raft house cluster both beat booking individual day tours and hoping everyone ends up on the same boat.
Book the catamaran charter through your accommodation on Samui or Phangan at least a few days ahead in high season, since boats large enough for a group of 15 or more are limited in number. For the version of these same spots as solo day trips instead, see the day trips guide .