Koh Samui's cruise port
Nathon, the anchorage, tender boats — and why they decide how you plan your day ashore.
- Port of call
- Nathon
- Berth
- at anchor
- Distance to the pier
- approx. 3 km
- Tender ride
- approx. 20 min
Small, easy to navigate — and no cruise berth
The port lies on the west of the island in the town of Nathon, and it's small enough that you can't get lost. There is no berth for cruise ships, though: ships lie at anchor about three kilometres offshore and passengers are brought in by tender, a crossing of roughly twenty minutes. Koh Samui is a weekly call for several months of the year, among others for TUI Cruises, AIDA and Costa.
Nathon itself is the island's administrative centre and its oldest town — much quieter than the tourist hubs in the east. If you have a few minutes after coming ashore, you'll find exchange offices, a handful of cafés and the local market within walking distance of the pier. The island's actual sights all lie further out, between fifteen minutes and just under an hour's drive away.
Why your arrival time is never exact
Because tenders run in intervals and bring everyone ashore one after another, you can't know in advance exactly when you'll be standing on the pier. For a tour, that means the start has to be a time window, not a fixed time. That's precisely why the tours here work with pickup windows of about 45 minutes instead of a set hour — and plan the way back with a reserve before the last tender.
There's a second point: on many ships the order of going ashore depends on tickets or groups, and guests who booked a ship's excursion go first. As an independent guest you therefore often aren't in the first tender wave. A tour that is meant to start at nine sharp is rarely realistic — a tour with a start window between nine and a quarter to ten, on the other hand, is.
The difference from hotel excursions
By far the largest part of the tours on offer on Koh Samui is made for hotel guests. They're picked up in the morning at a fixed address at a fixed time — logistics that simply don't work for passengers coming ashore by tender. If a tour starts too early or ends too late, it's out for cruise guests: tours starting before about nine are out of reach for most, and tours with a late return are ruled out anyway.
What's left is a narrow time window. The tours on this page are built for exactly that — with pickup at the pier, a calculated return and a programme that fits the time you have instead of stretching it.
Frequently asked questions about the port
Do I have to pay for the tender separately?
No. The tender between ship and pier is organised by the cruise line and is part of your cruise. You only pay for the tour itself.
Where exactly will I be picked up?
At the meeting point right at Nathon port, a few steps from the end of the pier. You receive directions together with your booking confirmation — the way is short and signposted, so it's hard to get lost.
What happens if my tender is late?
That's why we work with pickup windows instead of fixed times. Within that window we wait for all participants. If there's a longer delay on board, call the phone number on your confirmation — as a rule, it can be absorbed.
Will I definitely be back in time for the last tender?
Every tour is calculated so that a reserve remains between the planned end and the last tender. That's why the programmes are shorter than comparable hotel excursions — the time reserve is planned in, not guessed.
Is a tour worth it with only six hours ashore?
Yes, but then choose a half-day tour. Four to five hours of programme fit into a tight window; a full-day tour of six to eight hours requires your ship to stay long enough. The duration is shown with every tour in the facts bar.
