Island Gem Tours
Island Gem Tours
5
Cultural ToursScuba & SnorkellingPrivate ToursWine Tours & Tastings Speed Boats Tours
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Full view
About
Offering the best tours on Koh Samui. Here, you will find activities on Koh Samui that are truly unique! Awarded as 2017 Destination Specialist for Koh Samui by Luxury Travel Guide, Island Gem Tours will ensure you get the best experiences on the island. We strictly observe NO animal cruelty. Therefore none of our tours involve visits to any animal camps. The PRIVATE Island Gem Picnic offers a rustic boat trip to Koh Samui's nearby islands, Koh Tan and Koh Mudsum. On board the traditional long tail boat, we will take you on a snorkeling trip and a beach picnic experience that no other tour on Koh Samui offers. Private transfers, family and kid friendly getaway is our promise to you. Drinks Tasting Tour is a unique and exciting tour recommended to those who wants to try something new! Taste and enjoy Koh Samui's own alcoholic beverage produces. You are treated to a day of new cultural experience. Be prepared to take home a few bottles of wine or rum with you. Highly recommended to kick off a hen's or stag do. This tour is more than just drinking. You will go away packed with more knowledge about Thailand. Photographer's Tour is a the perfect tour for those who are in love with their cameras. We've spotted the best places for you to take memories of the beautiful Koh Samui. Commencing in the afternoon, you will not miss the best opportunities to enhance your talent.
Ko Samui, Thailand
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
5.0
250 reviews
Excellent
219
Very good
22
Average
5
Poor
0
Terrible
4
TT028
Horsham, UK48 contributions
Jun 2017 • Couples
We booked this tour through our resort, the pick up from the resort was on time and drove us to the other part of the island in an air conditioned mini bus. On arrival we met Gavin (our host) and set out on the long boat to the first point Koh Tan. This we met up with other tour groups and after a brief spell of feeding the fish to bring them along side the boat, we set of snorkelling amongst the various schools around us and the coral reef, there is no set amount of time set for snorkelling. Unfortunately, due to the inclement weather that set in, this was cut short before heading out over to Mud Sam Island for our beach picnic. Gavin sets up the picnic away from the main tourist area under a large tree and close to the fisherman's village before cooking the gourmet lunch, we opted for the Thai and it was tailored to our tastes. Plentiful drinks of beer, wine, soft drinks he supplied for us, and enjoyed this lay'd out on the open beach before heading back to Koh Samui. Unfortunately our day was hampered by the change in the un forecast weather conditions, but after this had passed the ride back in the long boat gave to a 'Roller Coaster' style ride in a Long Boat, that I thoroughly enjoyed as to a calm tranquil ride. Gavin recovered the day as best he could, against the weather conditions. This is a great day, he is a great host and good cook, would thoroughly recommend this tour and look forward to booking again on our next visit.
My only comment to the tour would be, the option to purchase an underwater camera as ours had broken, this would have been the icing on the cake, as the fish swim so close to you.
My only comment to the tour would be, the option to purchase an underwater camera as ours had broken, this would have been the icing on the cake, as the fish swim so close to you.
Written June 12, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MRVAust
Caringbah, Australia230 contributions
Dec 2017 • Friends
What a fantastic day! This was an absolutely brilliant experience. Megan (owner) handled all my email queries promptly, the price was extremely reasonable. Everything that we were told we were to receive happened. Doug our guide for the day was a wonderful young man who looked after us so well. Our long boat driver very experienced. The snorkeling was great, water was sparkling clean, our private section of island was magical, sand was white and soft, lunch (we selected the thai traditional option) was mouth watering, drinks were in abundance. I could not fault anything about this. Snorkel equipment provided. If you have reef shoes they would be handy but not mandatory (some shells on the shoreline).
If I ever get back to Koh Samui will be doing this again. If there's only 1 thing you can do in Koh Samui, use your time on this. Well done to all concerned.
If I ever get back to Koh Samui will be doing this again. If there's only 1 thing you can do in Koh Samui, use your time on this. Well done to all concerned.
Written January 23, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your great detailed review which is really helpful to us and our customers. Our company motto is to strive hard to enable great memories not only of your day with us but also of our wonderful Island Samui. Doug was beaming from this feedback, he was really happy to receive. Please do make sure you remind me when you next come as you will receive our returning guest discount:)
Have a GEM of a Day,
Megan
Island Gem Tours
Written January 24, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
LindiweLondon
London5 contributions
Mar 2016 • Friends
I have honestly had the most memorable day with Lorraine and Gavin from Island Gem tours. Thank you for a great day!! The food was amazing and the traditional long tail boat ride over there was really such a great experience too. :-)
Written March 13, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Liz D
27 contributions
Jun 2019 • Couples
This tour is unmatched for value. We were picked up at our hotel and taking to our boat. You should use the one on site before going on the boat. The snorkeling is not the clearest but the water is lovely to swim in. We still saw don’t cool stuff and you have a long time to swim. Then you take a shorter ride to the beach with a gorgeous view, no other people, to eat your meal. We had a bottle of wine to share and the food was delicious. We are vegetarians and had plenty to eat. If we come back to Koh Samui, we will use this tour again.
Written June 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Great review we appreciate your feedback and yes its all nature out where we take our guests:) yes we hope you will come back to us again and don't forget to ask for our returning guest discounts.
Cheers
Megan
Written September 1, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
kellyblili
Stalybridge, UK15 contributions
Apr 2019 • Friends
Had a lively day with island gem tours. They picked us up from Bophut and took us to the other side of the Island to Koh Tan pier. Very friendly guide Dai welcomed us.
A quick trip of 20 mins on our own boat to a snorkelling spot. It was full of fish but it is not at impressive as any of the sites on Koh Tao if you are really in to diving and snorkelling. It was still a lovely opportunity to get in to the Sean be very careful not to burn your back.
Then the best part. A fantastic picnic on the deserted beach. dai oroducied the most fantastic Thai meal and fresh fruit with chilled wine and beers. We felt very spoilt. The water was clear and calm and we enjoyed lazing about.
About 2:30 we headed off home, full and ready for a snooze.
We enjoyed the trip and would teccommend it to someone looking for a private tour, with no crowds and excellent food.
A quick trip of 20 mins on our own boat to a snorkelling spot. It was full of fish but it is not at impressive as any of the sites on Koh Tao if you are really in to diving and snorkelling. It was still a lovely opportunity to get in to the Sean be very careful not to burn your back.
Then the best part. A fantastic picnic on the deserted beach. dai oroducied the most fantastic Thai meal and fresh fruit with chilled wine and beers. We felt very spoilt. The water was clear and calm and we enjoyed lazing about.
About 2:30 we headed off home, full and ready for a snooze.
We enjoyed the trip and would teccommend it to someone looking for a private tour, with no crowds and excellent food.
Written April 17, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wonderful review thank you very much and that you had a great time, yes the snorkeling is not as impressive as Koh Tao which being a longer journey to get to is known as the dive spot of Thailand. Its great that you enjoyed the picnic and that you felt very spoilt, that's exactly what we are trying to achieve for our guests:)
Regards,
Megan
Island Gem Tours
Written May 29, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
jpd43
Atwater, CA97 contributions
Feb 2019 • Friends
We took a shore excursion and could not be more pleased. We were met at dock side by our guide who was waiting with a sign. We then boarded a nice small group van that seated the 8 of us very comfortably. The guide and driver were great! finished the day with lunch at a very nice restaurant and then a roadside stand for dessert. I highly recommend this company. The whole process from sign up to drop off back at the dock was great. Thank you so much for your professionalism.
Written February 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your great review and that you enjoyed our shore excursion tour of Koh Samui. We hope you had a great ongoing cruise and hope to see you back here one day.
Regards,
Megan
Written March 9, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Angel2707
United Kingdom192 contributions
We were picked up from our hotel at Fisherman’s Village and taken to the pier on the South of Koh Samui. Our guide Dai was waiting to escort us onto the traditional long tail boat. Life jackets were available and we were in very safe hands with the captain of the boat. We travelled over to Ko Tan where we got to walk along the beach and paddle while Dai set up our picnic. We got to sit back and relax and then the food came....and kept coming!! It was a feast! We picked the Thai option and so glad we did. The dishes were all lovely and then came the deserts...mango and sticky rice and fresh fruit all washed down with beers and soft drinks. The setting was picture postcard perfect. We’ll never forget how beautiful it was there. After relaxing and paddling some more the boat took us round to see the mangroves before heading back for our driver.
Dai was an absolutely lovely guide. So friendly and answered all our questions.
An exceptional day - thank you!
Dai was an absolutely lovely guide. So friendly and answered all our questions.
An exceptional day - thank you!
Written February 24, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dai was thrilled to read your review and thank you so much for your great feedback. Yes we love to make sure everything is perfect for your day and our beach picnics are special for sure. We love that you enjoyed our picnics which are freshly cooked for you and Dai always adds something special as a surprise. We wish you all the best and hope to see you back here one day.
Regards,
Megan
Written March 9, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ewtc82
1 contribution
Tour cancelled early in the morning, on the same day of the tour itself. Ruined my entire holiday plan, with no chance for an alternative plan due to last minute cancellation. So, don’t bother booking this tour as the operator can’t be trusted to keep up to their commitments.
Written September 1, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello, I am sorry the read your feedback and want to respond with the actual details so others can read what the real situation was for you as I do believe your rating is quite harsh and unfair but do understand that you obviously were feeling angry.
When you made your booking for one person, we advised you that for the tour to run we require a minimum of two people, a standard practice across the industry, but we can wait to see if any other people booked for that day you requested. You responded that you understood. This wasn't a last minute cancellation either, as we advised you 8 hours before the tour starts. At 6am the day of the tour which starts at 2pm, when we saw no further bookings arrive overnight, we advised you immediately that as no further bookings were received the tour would not operate and your refund would be processed immediately, which it was.
I understand that it is difficult at times for solo or single travelers booking on joint tours as there is always a minimum of 2 for tours to operate so I try hard to accommodate by offering the same tour as a private tour when they book directly, in your case your booking was via an online travel agent so I was unable to do so.
I do hope that you managed to enjoy your stay on our beautiful Island Koh Samui.
Regards
Megan
GM
Written September 8, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Judy H
Melbourne, Australia65 contributions
Jun 2018 • Friends
We found this tour on the internet and so glad we did. Megan our tour guide was a New Zealander and perfect for the job. We all Had a great Day. Making our own cocktails was soo much fun and trying all the different drinks they make was intoxicating. All and all it was an interesting and fun day would highly recommend it.
Written June 28, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It's really lovely to have received your review Judy and thanks so much for the great comments. I was pleased to see you had fun making your own cocktails and you had a great day. Hope to see you back soon on Samui:)
Cheers
Megan
Written July 11, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Michelle J
Rothbury, Australia28 contributions
We booked the beach picnic cruise for my husband and I. The moment we met Megan we knew we were going to have a great day! It was like catching up with an old friend!
The snorkelling was fantastic, and lunch - authentic Thai, cooked on the beach and washed down with cold beers and wine was terrific and filling! The deserted beach felt like it was our own piece of paradise!
Our long tail boat captain Tott (hope that was correct) was also great and always smiling & helpful.
Will look to see if we can fit in the rum tasting tour with Megan before we go. Such an awesome and attentive host!
Highly recommend to everyone!
The snorkelling was fantastic, and lunch - authentic Thai, cooked on the beach and washed down with cold beers and wine was terrific and filling! The deserted beach felt like it was our own piece of paradise!
Our long tail boat captain Tott (hope that was correct) was also great and always smiling & helpful.
Will look to see if we can fit in the rum tasting tour with Megan before we go. Such an awesome and attentive host!
Highly recommend to everyone!
Written May 2, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your great feedback and review. It was lovely to have spent the day with you and yes this tour is unique and a wonderful experience, however I do also believe it is made even better by lovely interesting guests like yourselves. It was wonderful to read that you enjoyed your Thai picnic and the beer was cold and the wine also hit the spot! Looking forward to seeing you back on Samui soon, and geting your Drinks Tasting tour at discounted rate for returning guests:)
Regards,
Megan
Island Gem Tours
Written May 15, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I am thinking of booking your your beach picnic tour for a 60th birthday in August 2019. There will be 10 adults. What are the menus we can choose from ? Thanks
Written January 15, 2019
Hi .. Yes we have provided some great celebrations for our guests and 10 adults we can easily cater for. We cook a freshly prepared buffet which includes lovely Thai dishes and we prepare with spice on the side..lit includes Thai desserts and fresh seasonal fruits.We cater for any dietary requirements.
Megan
Island Gem Tours
Written January 16, 2019
graziii1029
Hong Kong, China
Hi, my husband and I will go to stay at Samui from 15-16 June. We would like to go snorkeling for one whole day and then quad bike and bungee jump on another day. Do you provide these and how much is it? Thank you very much!
Written June 12, 2018
Hello and great that you are coming to our beautiful Island Samui. Yes, we can provide you with a great snorkeling and beach picnic day, if possible please visit our website for the latest prices. We also partner with a wonderful quad bike tour operator that we would love to organise for you. Again, if you can contact us we can give you the most current prices for this, including return transfers from your resort you will find its a great deal. Here on Samui there is a bungee jump from a crane and over water, I promise its just a little dip but very exciting:) Please do contact us via our website and we can work out a great package deal for you.
Regards,
Megan
Island Gem Tours
Written June 12, 2018
Hi
We are visiting Samui between the 2nd and 8th September and we would like to charter your boat. We would like to visit the emerald lake, marine park etc... there will be four adults. Could you please let me have a price?
Many thanks
Jan
Written March 17, 2018
Hi, what are the six locations you go to on the photography tour? Does it.include the secret garden and any of the waterfalls? Thanks, Patrick
Written December 28, 2016
Sorry for the late response. It does not include the waterfalls, but I did like the tour.
Written March 18, 2017
Hi Gavin
We are looking at a short boat trip with the intention of introducing our 7 year old to snorkelling. She's a little nervous of the sea but a good swimmer but wondered if you think this would be a suitable trip? Also it's in August we are coming. Would the sea be choppy at this time?
Dawn
Written June 3, 2015
Hi Dawn,
Thanks for the inquiry and my apologies for the late reply. Island gem picnic is the perfect tour to introduce your daughter to snorkeling. Because it is a private trip, you have the whole boat to yourselves. It will give you and your family a much convenient time to get settled in. You don't have to worry about other people around you as there wouldn't be any! When we get to the snorkeling site, we can take it easy and let her get her confidence to get in the water. You can take as much time as you want to snorkel and let her enjoy the beautiful ocean. August is generally a dry month but sadly, I can't guarantee the condition of the current as well as the weather. We can see the forecast a few days before and if it looks choppy, we can reschedule. I hope this helps and please let me know if you need any further information.
Kind regards,
Gavin
Written June 19, 2015
hi, we are going to koh samui soon and i just wanted to ask you, if the private beach was only for you guys? like you didn't share it with anyone else? if not can you tell the company of gem picnic to do that for you? thanks
Written May 15, 2015
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.