Sun Island Tours
Sun Island Tours
4.5
Scuba & SnorkellingBoat ToursPrivate ToursNature & Wildlife Tours
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About
The oldest and best personalized Longtail Boat Tours of Lanta's Archipelago. Located in charming Lanta Old Town; Discover magical Ko Lanta, Ko Bubu, Ko Ngai and many more. Private charters, 4 Island Tour, Beach camping and Fishing trips. Getaway from the crowds and become a part of a real Thai fishing community.
Ko Lanta, 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.
4.5
111 reviews
Excellent
88
Very good
12
Average
3
Poor
3
Terrible
5
Peter B
Ubud2 contributions
May 2013 • Couples
THE OTHER 4 ISLAND TRIP.
My girlfriend and I visited Koh Lanta this May, our 1st time in Thailand and we were very impressed with the local people and their hospitality. We had wanted to experience a traditional longtail boat ever since we booked our flight way back last year. The tour shop told us there were no boats to the 4 islands due to the time of year, so we checked our lonely planet guide for confirmation…. not so. We found “Sun Island Tours” were still running tours to the East coast 4 islands. Booking online was fast and efficient.
We were picked up at our hotel and driven to the quaint fishing village of Old town where we were invited into the boat captain’s house. I felt very lucky to experience 1st hand how this local family lived. A house on stilts over the sea with fishing nets, lobster and crab cages, pots and pans strewn everywhere, truly amazing. We were introduced to ‘Mamma” who was finishing off cooking our lunch, and the younger brother of captain Meow who was to be our guide.( I forgot his name ) We boarded our boat that was moored next to the house and had a leisurely journey to the 4 islands off the East coast. 1st stop was to see the wild monkeys in the mangrove forest. We could not believe our eyes when a few dived from the trees into the sea and swam to the boat for some fruit the guide was waving around. They were not aggressive at all, just the opposite, stuffing their cheeks full of bananas. Next stop was a tiny deserted island where we could cool off with a swim, and quench our thirst with some delicious tropical fruit and water. It was so very peaceful, not a sole about. The surrounding islands( Karsks) jutted up from the sea to huge heights. The captain skillfully drove the boat into a cave, where we were able to explore the huge cave by foot.
Lunch was served on a beach in the shade, delicious home made curry, fish, vegetables, rice and ice cold beer. Again we were the only people there, a truly private experience. Our last island was called “Bubu” where there is a nature trail that circles the island, white sandy beach and a chance to snorkel.
A fantastic day with friendly hosts.
My girlfriend and I visited Koh Lanta this May, our 1st time in Thailand and we were very impressed with the local people and their hospitality. We had wanted to experience a traditional longtail boat ever since we booked our flight way back last year. The tour shop told us there were no boats to the 4 islands due to the time of year, so we checked our lonely planet guide for confirmation…. not so. We found “Sun Island Tours” were still running tours to the East coast 4 islands. Booking online was fast and efficient.
We were picked up at our hotel and driven to the quaint fishing village of Old town where we were invited into the boat captain’s house. I felt very lucky to experience 1st hand how this local family lived. A house on stilts over the sea with fishing nets, lobster and crab cages, pots and pans strewn everywhere, truly amazing. We were introduced to ‘Mamma” who was finishing off cooking our lunch, and the younger brother of captain Meow who was to be our guide.( I forgot his name ) We boarded our boat that was moored next to the house and had a leisurely journey to the 4 islands off the East coast. 1st stop was to see the wild monkeys in the mangrove forest. We could not believe our eyes when a few dived from the trees into the sea and swam to the boat for some fruit the guide was waving around. They were not aggressive at all, just the opposite, stuffing their cheeks full of bananas. Next stop was a tiny deserted island where we could cool off with a swim, and quench our thirst with some delicious tropical fruit and water. It was so very peaceful, not a sole about. The surrounding islands( Karsks) jutted up from the sea to huge heights. The captain skillfully drove the boat into a cave, where we were able to explore the huge cave by foot.
Lunch was served on a beach in the shade, delicious home made curry, fish, vegetables, rice and ice cold beer. Again we were the only people there, a truly private experience. Our last island was called “Bubu” where there is a nature trail that circles the island, white sandy beach and a chance to snorkel.
A fantastic day with friendly hosts.
Written July 27, 2013
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.
tommyweb
St. Albans, UK15 contributions
We booked with Sun Island Tours for a 4 Island tour including a trip to the Emerald Cave and to Koh Ngai beach. What a truly unforgettable experience!! Unlike anything else we’ve done, the whole day was a very personal experience not like other tours we’ve been on with hoards of other tourists.
Susanna and Sun were really very generous hosts. Sun has amazing culinary skills and Susanna’s professional approach to our booking and her vast knowledge of the local area made the trip really easy to organise and very informative. The locations we visited were off the beaten track and breathtaking in their beauty!
We felt like we had known Susanna and Sun for much longer than the few hours we had spent with them by the end of the day.... we had such a great laugh with them and it was lovely to spend a day with tour guides who you can tell genuinely love their job and their life in the sun ... (who can blame them!) Thank you for this truly awesome experience! A real highlight of our holiday !
Susanna and Sun were really very generous hosts. Sun has amazing culinary skills and Susanna’s professional approach to our booking and her vast knowledge of the local area made the trip really easy to organise and very informative. The locations we visited were off the beaten track and breathtaking in their beauty!
We felt like we had known Susanna and Sun for much longer than the few hours we had spent with them by the end of the day.... we had such a great laugh with them and it was lovely to spend a day with tour guides who you can tell genuinely love their job and their life in the sun ... (who can blame them!) Thank you for this truly awesome experience! A real highlight of our holiday !
Written June 7, 2010
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.
Vacation-Vancouver
Vancouver69 contributions
Dec 2014 • Family
We took the 4 Island tour the same day as katie_dibb (see review below), and I can only second her praise of Susanna, the captain and our day on the water. Loved the snorkelling, the fish, the bats, swimming through the cave, the lunch on the beach. Wish we had time to another tour. We also stayed in one of Susanna's pole houses - see our review of Lychee House.
Written January 19, 2015
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.
sof162
Aarhus, Denmark3 contributions
Feb 2017 • Family
Booked for transfer and tour for two days and they did not show up did not answer phone SMS nor mail lucky for me i managed to find someone else at a much smaller price and had two fantastic days on the sea
Written February 10, 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.
We are sorry to hear of your experience. I’m afraid we don't make 2-day trips (only 1 day trips) so we are cautious and it sounds like you booked with some one called "Lanta Longtail” Perhaps imposters of Sun Island tours.
In 10 + years we have never NOT picked up our guests.
Last year we had some guests tell us they thought they book with us and it was another boat company using our good name. Please see the review “Total confusion using another company's brochure to sell their trips” from Lanta Garden Hill.
We truly hope if you come back and give us a try. Thank You.
Written June 21, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Alex M
New York City, NY41 contributions
We inquired about this tour over a month before we planned our trip after reading the excellent reviews of the company. The main reason we decided to go to Lanta during our vacation was to visit the Emerald cave. I stressed this to Susanna who said she would pencil us in and to inquire the day before we were planning on taking the tour. This made me a little nervous, but after seeing the reputable reviews, I decided to take a chance. Two days before our anticipated tour, I reached out to Susanna to confirm which is when I was told that the boat was being repaired and would not be able to make the trip. I understand things happen, however the proper thing to do would have been to reach out to prospective clients as soon as you know a service cannot be delivered. Extremely unprofessional and unorganized. We ended up booking with the Green Tour company at the last minute and had a wonderful day. I guess things happen for a reason.
Written December 11, 2014
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 review. We are sad to read such a bad review for running a tour company that puts our guests safety as our top priority.
We reached out to these guests two (2) full days days to warn them we couldn’t go out due to some engine work. We also suggested another tour provider and gave them their contact details. We gave them, what we feel , ample time to sort out another tour. No deposit was paid by the guests. We do our best to pre-arrange tours, but it’s the nature of boats and the weather that sometimes things come up.
Unlike most of our competition we pride ourselves that our trips are always 100% safe and comfortable.
We don’t overcrowd, are never impersonal and pride ourself on our safety record. We believe our reviews speak well for our business. Thanks for letting us have the opportunity to reply.
Written November 20, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
sd122
san diego, CA95 contributions
This is a tiny outfit. Susanna runs the operation, deals with customers, books trips, and pickup people at their hotels. The company only has one boat, which is skippered by Meow assisted by Kay. Normally, there is a Western, English-speaking guide on board. For my trip, only Meow and Kay. Their English is less than limited but communication was fine, especially since I tried to learn a few Thai words from them. Meow's is a decent size long tail that he uses during the low season for fishing. In the high season, he installs a roof, side panels, and benches so he can take people on these trips. Meow's mother cooks the Thai lunch. I had red curry with chicken, stir fried squids, steamed rice, and cucumbers. The meal was truly delicious, probably better than at most of the tourist restaurants in Thailand.
Susanna picked me up at my hotel on the west side and drove me to Lanta Old Town on the east side. I boarded the boat at Meow's house, right from the front porch. As soon as we set off, I was offered two kinds of sweet Thai snacks and three kinds of fruits. Drinking water was abundantly available throughout the trip.
I booked a private trip to the Trang islands. First stop was a snorkeling spot. Our boat was the only one around. The corals and fish in this area seem better preserved than in the area around Phuket. Then on to a cave, must be Emerald cave. Meow and I swam in. Again, there was no one but us. This must be a rare event because judging from the graffiti on the walls, this place must be heavily visited. Then on to a hong called Morakot. This place is magical. One has to swim in the dark through a tunnel of about 80 meters long. Then suddenly one emerges into a pool of blue green water fringed by a soft sand beach, the whole thing surrounded by sheer cliffs from which hangs a profusion of plants. Again, this place must be heavily visited. As we we arrived, there was a large group of Chinese tourists being towed out on a line, on account of them not being able to swim. The standard procedure is for the guide and his clients to don life vests and swim in aided by fins. The guide wears a head light. Again we were lucky as when Kay and I were inside, there were no more than 10-15 people. But on our way out, we ran into a large group of Scandinavians coming in. Next stop was a very nice beach on Koh Ngai where we had lunch. Meow beached the boat, spread out a clean sarong, and served his mother's delicious lunch. Afterwards, we went to a spot off of Koh Ngai where I did some snorkeling, again all by myself. I think of all the snorkeling places I have seen so far in Thailand, this one is the best. (I hear Koh Rok Nok is great but have not been there.)
After this last bit of snorkeling, we headed back. Instead of taking me back to Lanta Old Town, Meow took me back to my hotel, which is located on Klong Jark beach, on the west side of the island. Just then it started to rain pretty hard. Meow steered the boat to avoid as much of the rain as possible even though at one point it was pouring down pretty hard. Nevertheless, he expertly piloted the boat around the southern tip of the island and back up on the other side. As we got into Klong Jark, it was still raining fairly hard. Under Meow's guidance, Kay rummaged around to find a plastic bag, emptied its content,and gave to me to put my day pack in. They did not want my day pack to get wet! I was floored - I would have been fine with a bit of rain on my gear, no big deal. Klong Jark beach in the afternoon low tide is covered with boulders. But Meow landed the boat at a sandy spot right in front of my hotel.
What else can I say? A great little outfit, a nice bunch of people.
Susanna picked me up at my hotel on the west side and drove me to Lanta Old Town on the east side. I boarded the boat at Meow's house, right from the front porch. As soon as we set off, I was offered two kinds of sweet Thai snacks and three kinds of fruits. Drinking water was abundantly available throughout the trip.
I booked a private trip to the Trang islands. First stop was a snorkeling spot. Our boat was the only one around. The corals and fish in this area seem better preserved than in the area around Phuket. Then on to a cave, must be Emerald cave. Meow and I swam in. Again, there was no one but us. This must be a rare event because judging from the graffiti on the walls, this place must be heavily visited. Then on to a hong called Morakot. This place is magical. One has to swim in the dark through a tunnel of about 80 meters long. Then suddenly one emerges into a pool of blue green water fringed by a soft sand beach, the whole thing surrounded by sheer cliffs from which hangs a profusion of plants. Again, this place must be heavily visited. As we we arrived, there was a large group of Chinese tourists being towed out on a line, on account of them not being able to swim. The standard procedure is for the guide and his clients to don life vests and swim in aided by fins. The guide wears a head light. Again we were lucky as when Kay and I were inside, there were no more than 10-15 people. But on our way out, we ran into a large group of Scandinavians coming in. Next stop was a very nice beach on Koh Ngai where we had lunch. Meow beached the boat, spread out a clean sarong, and served his mother's delicious lunch. Afterwards, we went to a spot off of Koh Ngai where I did some snorkeling, again all by myself. I think of all the snorkeling places I have seen so far in Thailand, this one is the best. (I hear Koh Rok Nok is great but have not been there.)
After this last bit of snorkeling, we headed back. Instead of taking me back to Lanta Old Town, Meow took me back to my hotel, which is located on Klong Jark beach, on the west side of the island. Just then it started to rain pretty hard. Meow steered the boat to avoid as much of the rain as possible even though at one point it was pouring down pretty hard. Nevertheless, he expertly piloted the boat around the southern tip of the island and back up on the other side. As we got into Klong Jark, it was still raining fairly hard. Under Meow's guidance, Kay rummaged around to find a plastic bag, emptied its content,and gave to me to put my day pack in. They did not want my day pack to get wet! I was floored - I would have been fine with a bit of rain on my gear, no big deal. Klong Jark beach in the afternoon low tide is covered with boulders. But Meow landed the boat at a sandy spot right in front of my hotel.
What else can I say? A great little outfit, a nice bunch of people.
Written March 1, 2013
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.
BELLIFONTAINE
Bernay, France4,759 contributions
We made reservations weeks before by email and booked a day out with this Longtail tour company in Ko Lanta in May and received back confirmation.
Of course, as usual in this case, I always contact the tour guide and/or compagny the day before the tour to finalize the schedule.
Then I tried to call many times on the number that was provided to me but no answer and no way to leave a message as there was no answering machine.
I then emailed Susanna , the person I was in contact with,on the morning the day before the tour and was a bit surprised not to get a response.
By 3 pm on the day before our tour, I just received a 2-lines email stating that our tour was cancelled due to an engine problem on the boat the day before and that we must check with our hotel for other alternatives ! Thanks I had my Iphone with me and could retreive my emails.
This kind of technical problem is nobody's fault I admit but on the other hand this type of communication is totally unprofessional. I would have appreciated at least a phone call. Being low season in Ko Lanta while we were there, it was clear we would not find any equivalent tour as lots of businesses were closed for that period.
We were really disappointed and considering the short notice and means of communication used to let us know that excuse, sorry but this is not the way to run a business professionally and focused on guest service !
Of course, as usual in this case, I always contact the tour guide and/or compagny the day before the tour to finalize the schedule.
Then I tried to call many times on the number that was provided to me but no answer and no way to leave a message as there was no answering machine.
I then emailed Susanna , the person I was in contact with,on the morning the day before the tour and was a bit surprised not to get a response.
By 3 pm on the day before our tour, I just received a 2-lines email stating that our tour was cancelled due to an engine problem on the boat the day before and that we must check with our hotel for other alternatives ! Thanks I had my Iphone with me and could retreive my emails.
This kind of technical problem is nobody's fault I admit but on the other hand this type of communication is totally unprofessional. I would have appreciated at least a phone call. Being low season in Ko Lanta while we were there, it was clear we would not find any equivalent tour as lots of businesses were closed for that period.
We were really disappointed and considering the short notice and means of communication used to let us know that excuse, sorry but this is not the way to run a business professionally and focused on guest service !
Written May 16, 2010
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.
I'm sure you will understand we must always put our passengers safety first. On the day of your tour, we were not happy to take clients out in our boat as there were engine problems.
On the making of any booking, we are always clear to set out in the confirmation email that we will contact clients by sunset the day before their tour to confirm the schedule. On this occasion our engineers were working hard throughout the day before your tour to try and make your trip possible. When it became apparent that this would not be possible we let you know at 3pm, three hours before our stated contact time in order to give plenty of opportunity for another of the many available tours on Ko Lanta that are available (even in off peak season), to be booked. We are a small local company and unfortunately cannot always contact our clients on international mobile phone numbers due to the costs involved, we do however, endeavor to always respond very promptly to emails.
The very nature of our tours is that they offer a very personal and intimate view of Thai life. Sometimes, inevitably there will be situations beyond our control, however, we pride ourselves on our reliability and we think our other reviews will speak for themselves.
Written May 20, 2010
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Carl W
11 contributions
Apr 2017 • Couples
Just returned from an amazing couples 4 island tour, the entire experience has been profesionaly handled from start to finish, Angie organized the entire thing from just 1 email! No faf and even ordered us in some champagne!
Peter, our guide for the day, was so chill with us, never once rushed us, and really made us feel at home on the longtail, unlike the many larger tour boats in the area that we could see being hurried and shouted at from our tranquil corner of the sea.
A fantastic experience zipping about the sea just soaking up the beauty of the islands, stunning lunch on a white sand beach and the unforgetable green of the Emerald Cave. Its well worth your time if your on the island and more than worth the Baht.
Peter, our guide for the day, was so chill with us, never once rushed us, and really made us feel at home on the longtail, unlike the many larger tour boats in the area that we could see being hurried and shouted at from our tranquil corner of the sea.
A fantastic experience zipping about the sea just soaking up the beauty of the islands, stunning lunch on a white sand beach and the unforgetable green of the Emerald Cave. Its well worth your time if your on the island and more than worth the Baht.
Written April 27, 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.
Nadège C
25 contributions
Oct 2016 • Family
We spent a day with the guide Peter and it was just perfect.
We went to the 4 islands, swam through the Emerald cave with our 3 boys aged 3, 9 and 13 years old, and had lunch on a dream beach.
Peter and the 2 thaï boys were just great. It was magnificent.
We can only recommend this tour.
What a day!!!
We went to the 4 islands, swam through the Emerald cave with our 3 boys aged 3, 9 and 13 years old, and had lunch on a dream beach.
Peter and the 2 thaï boys were just great. It was magnificent.
We can only recommend this tour.
What a day!!!
Written October 27, 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.
Diane B
Montreal, Canada2 contributions
Jan 2015 • Solo
I was in Lanta in January of 2015 and had the great pleasure of meeting Susanna.
She has a genuine care for people and will always prioritize people’s safety as well as ensure people are having a good time while under her care. You can truly see she loves what she does and transfers her passion in everything she does, which is contagious.
I know I was inspired.
Thank you Susanna for everything you did for me, you are some one special and I recommend any one who is looking for a long boat trip to reach out to you.
She has a genuine care for people and will always prioritize people’s safety as well as ensure people are having a good time while under her care. You can truly see she loves what she does and transfers her passion in everything she does, which is contagious.
I know I was inspired.
Thank you Susanna for everything you did for me, you are some one special and I recommend any one who is looking for a long boat trip to reach out to you.
Written January 19, 2015
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.
27prip
United Kingdom
58 contributions
Hi, I am a little confused as the website link is for Lanta long tail, one of the reviews has a response from sun island tours saying that Lanta long tail is not sun island tours.
Written February 10, 2019
Hi, apologies for very late response. Form talking with Susanna the owner, it looks like some other outfit has been using their name. This practice, unfortunately is quite common in Asia. Try contacting Susanna at the address provided in Old Town on Lanta.
Written March 30, 2019
Hola! Somos dos personas, hacen el tour a las 4 islas Phi Phi? Cuantos bath por persona?
Written February 26, 2018
Hola! Somos dos personas, hacen el tour a las 4 islas Phi Phi? Cuantos bath por persona?
Written February 26, 2018
karintaylorswe
Stockholm, Sweden
Hello!
My husband and i would like to go to some ilands, and also see the emerald cave. How much is would it cost? Private vs with others?
Kind regards Karin
Written November 10, 2017
Se puede hacer la excursion de las 4 islas de koh lanta en el mes de agosto?
Written June 30, 2017
We wish to visit some islands by Longtail boat departing from Lanta Old Town. Which islands are most easily accessed and not too far away? We are not divers so just looking for beaches where we can enjoy a good seafood lunch. Is anyone able to list the possibilities? Thank you.
Written February 21, 2016
Ko Nui, Ko Por, Ko Bubu, Ko Talabeng and Ko Kam are all on the East Coast and easy to reach. Look at Lantalongtail for a full description.
Written March 11, 2016
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