ORION TOURS / Phangan Boat Trips

Unfortunately not everything was going as described on website/leaflet that we saw and booked based on it.
Guide wasn't speaking English almost at all and we didn't get any information about National Park or something else. The whole communication was not easy because of strong accent of our guide that was hardly understandable.
Meals that we were so excited of, weren't as promised:
instead of breakfast on board, we had breakfast at the Orion office and then nothing to eat later on board. On top of that lady in the office said to us that there is a toilet on a board.and there weren't!
For lunch we received cold vegetables and chicken, no fruits.

Views were breathtaking, but the whole trip could improve a lot (also shorter about 1 hour than described).

Nice trip, with wooden boat, kind and cheerful crew. My girls had a lot of fun. The kayaking and climbing to the viewpoint part is a little challenging, but it's worth it.
They give them masks and snorkels, towels and food, simple, but tasty

Thoroughly disappointed with the experience.

Boat - 1/5
Food & hygiene - 1/5
Crew - 4/5
Viewpoints/hikes - 4/5
Safety - 2/5
Price - 2/5 (way too expensive)

Worst experience: old - awful food- dirty!

this review is for the owner, not the team running it, clearly money earned is spent somewhere else then on maintaining the boat or providing a pleasurable experience to the guest:

The route of tour to marine park is everywhere the same

Yet here, while you pay 1700 baht for the service:

1) boat extremely old and not designed to accommodate a pleasant journey
- this one is survivable

2) food: tasteless. But it isnt even served properly to make it a nice break.
Big pans were opened and everyone just grabbed to get it themselves. This was done in front in narrow corner of the boat. Food was cold (cold fried chicken)
To get the fruit every guest was touching the box they put it in with hands, imagine the party of bacterias happening there after 35 people. Nothing was managed by the staff, so imagine the chaos.
Same goes for getting drinks
After I saw how they cleaned the plates.
I decided to stop eating anything there since I didn’t want to risk becoming sick.
Hygiëne big big issue.
1700 isnt little money. And what they do in return for you is a shame.

If you survive the trip you are lucky.

The Ang Thong Marine Park is beautiful and a must see! But don't do that with this organization the website looks sleek, but that's about it. An old overcrowded boat and poor service. I've done much better trips in Thailand for less baht. This is not worth it.

Good tour all in all,
Pick up, food and hike great, but the snorkeling was done in an inconvenient place with little visibility and no spectacular fish. In addition, there were 50 of us in a small bay, which was very narrow.
A leak on the boat from which oil or fuel flowed was shocking. Bad for the preservation of this excursion destination. The penetrating engine stench is also to be noted negatively.
But the staff was very friendly and took care of you

So, I recently went on this Phangan Boat Trip. First off, if you're expecting a luxury yacht experience, brace yourself. The boat seemed to have been around during the Titanic era and might’ve been its less glamorous cousin.

Now, the islands? *Bloody brilliant*. Especially that Wua la Lap Island in the Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park. It's like nature decided to show off and did a bloody good job. If you’re the kind of person who appreciates natural beauty while sipping on a beer, it’s a win.

Snorkeling? Absolutely out of this world. The underwater world there is like an aquatic rave party, full of colors and life. The corals look like nature's version of disco lights and the fish? It's like they've attended a few too many of these parties, gliding around in all their technicolor glory.

Then there’s the sea kayaking. Let me tell ya, if you want to test your relationship, get in a kayak together. It's like a pre-marriage counseling session but wetter.

However, let's address the elephant in the room - or rather, the many elephants packed onto an ancient boat. The boat was so crowded, I half expected a Titanic reenactment with fewer lifeboats. You spend half your day just sailing, and the fun bits? They last about as long as a British summer, which is, spoiler alert, not very bloody long.

All in all, go for the islands, the fish rave, and the relationship-testing kayak experience. But if you're claustrophobic or have a thing against old boats, maybe just stay on land and hear about it from a mate who went. Cheers!

Orion: great boat, friendly and kind staff, they gave us breakfast as soon as we got on the boat. Two hours of travel before arriving at the snorkeling stage, which lasted 30 -40 minutes. The tour provided us with towels and snorkel gear. Then excellent lunch on board, while we were directed to angthong, followed by two stages of trekking to see the islands from above, without kayaks; with kayaks, just a trek to see the islands from above. Return trip to Koh phangan for 2 hours. In general it was nice because the place is breathtaking, in our opinion two and a half hours on the way and two on the way back by boat is too much, compared to the indications of the tour which were one hour and fifteen minutes.
In addition, those who do not kayak waste time (about 45 minutes) waiting for the others. We did not use the pick-up service

A little bit rushed at times, but overall a very nice experience! Amazing landscapes and a nicely varied programme between snorkerling, hiking and enjoying the beach.

We did the boat tour to Ang Thong national park and it was amazing! The staff is great and take good care of you. Very nice views and lots of great activities. Would definitely recommend!

SCAMMERS. I COMPLAINED TO LOCAL POLICE. 1 day of horror with Orion.
Guys don't board the Orion Boats (aka Phangan Boats) to the Ang Thong Marine National Park day trip. The speedboat they got us into, we literally risked our lives.

(The SCAM part)
1. They do marketing for slow and big boat. But on the day, just before 30mins before the trip they change it to speed boat. With that short notice you won't have time to react.
2. The speed boats are very small. And gets very dangerous in rough seas.
3. Our speedboat experience was horrific. On multiple occasions we thought the boat would turn over in deep sea and we all would die.

(The POLICE part)
4. The boat didn't have a radio. Unbelievable. There was a gps tracker, but if your boat stops or there happens any accident there is no communication means. Mobile network won't work in the deep sea.
5. One of the tourists got a bad spinal injury due to the boat. The sea was so rough, and especially in a speedboat, he literally jumped from seat and thrown onto the deck. Had it been the other side, he would have drowned and DIED. He could have got concussion also.
6. Almost all passengers vomited, such was the situation.

The point is safety is non-negotiable. If the sea is rough you should not even run the boat, forget about a small speed boat. They do it recklessly for money. Even in the boat there was no radio, meaning the tourists are totally at the mercy of the unknown. This to my best belief is ILLEGAL. And do remember, speedboat accidents usually won't get covered under travel insurance, it gets considered under adventure sports. Bloody they don't even provide SAFETY JACKETS during the trip.
This was horrible, and the worst boat experience in my lifetime.

If you are reading this my suggestion would be to: AVOID ORION / PHANGAN BOAT TRIPS. For others too, ask as many questions as you want and don't take your safety for granted. This was perhaps my only bad experience in Thailand, where I got scammed and then had to put my life at risk. I complained to the local police but I'm not sure whether that would mean anything.

Nice light breakfast in the Orion office before getting on the Orion speed boat. There were about 24 people on the boat, and we were looked after very well by the guide, even though the sea was a little rough, I was able to do all the parts of the trip offered. The sea wasn't great visibility due to the recent bad weather. I loved the views from the view point and the walk to Talay Nai. Food in the marine park was provided in four tiered box, and it was curry with tofu, and chicken, rice and vegetables. It was really good. The pick up and drop off was convenient, and as I had checked out of my resort in the morning, I was taken to a different resort in the evening.

ATTENTION LOTS OF BAD COMMENTS POST COVID.

Not good at all.

Pay attention before booking with them.
Arriving at the pier, we embarqued on a very small speeboat instead of the advertised big woden boat.

Speedboat was overcrowded, no place at all to enjoy and relax as they mention it on the website and flyer.

We entered the boat, we saw a similar comment and decided to disembarqu immediately.

They was even drunk guys not able to walk properly, would surely have been sick during the trip.

A very pleasant trip. Once on board you’re offered a light breakfast and coffee. The day is full of activities and the boat was very comfortable. Lunch was also very nice. Would recommend.

HORRENDOUS EXPERIENCE.
Today I had to cancel the trip on arrival for two reasons and they angrily refused to give the full refund to my hotel who already paid the tour for me.
1) first of all, THEY DO NOT OFFER WHAT THEY ADVERTISE. They advertise everywhere on the Web a big magnificent boat like the one in the first picture attached to this review. But in reality, to my horror and shock I found being told to get crammed myself like a mackerel fillet along with other 20 people in a tiny speedboat like the one in the second photo. Felt TOTALLY SCAMMED!
2) I was feeling slightly unwell with upset stomach and kindly told them I would feel dizzy and sick very if I spent the day easily crammed in a narrow speedboat which was totally covered, leaving no room for ventilation and fresh air!

Despite this, they did not understand and regrettably demonstrated what many Thais do demonstrate in touristic islands like Koh Phangan: that they only care about the money not about the people. Zero humanity, zero empathy. Before covid, in 2019 visit to Koh Phangan, people generally felt like more human, friendly and not so overly money driven. Now (with a very few exceptions), most of them behave towards foreigners like eager money-making despots!

BY ALL MEANS STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY, MAY YOU GET THE KHARMA YOU DESERVE AT SOME POINT IN LIFE

PS: perhaps I should have read beforehand the other recent negative - and pretty well-justified - reviews about the boat type scam and the life-threatening dangers on board. I’m glad I didn’t take on that horrible boat

Es ist eine tolle Tour, die uns sehr viel Spaß gemacht hat. Gut organisiert, alles sehr unkompliziert. Es gibt drei Mahlzeiten an Bord (Müsli zum Frühstück, Curry zum Mittag und ein Sandwich auf der Heimfahrt), einfache Küche, aber sehr lecker. Wasser und Soft Drinks stehen stets bereit. Die Stops sind abwechslungsreich mit Schnorcheln, Kajak fahren und einem Hike und dies in dieser eindrucksvollen Umgebung. Die Crew war sehr nett und hilfsbereit. Die Tour und Orion ist auf jeden Fall zu empfehlen, für uns war Schnorcheln ein bisschen zu kurz, aber das ist Geschmacksache.

Amazing tour to Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park - 42 islands with Orion!
The guide was amazing, made this day to be so much fun. The place was beautiful and they took care of everything perfectly: nice speed boat, amazing lunch, a lot of drinking water, all the best equipment for snorkeling and kaiaking and comfortable ride from and to the hotel.
We had the best day and I recommend them a lot!

Cons:
- NO INSURANCE! No matter how I tried, I couldn't make them sign an insurance contract. On reception while booking they said that they will provide insurance in a day of tour right before departure. On a day of tour they showed the text of it but didn't sign. I signed some other paper with list of attendees and their details, and they said that it is somehow linked with that contract they showed me which is nonsense;
- They don't provide fins. However stated that they had all snorkeling equipment;
- Boat engine is a bit noisy, but you can hide in a bow;

Tips:
- Take your own fins with you;
- Don't leave your slippers on a beach before kayaking, because boat is not coming back;
- Check if water is transparent one day before booking a tour (for great snorkeling and kayaking experience visibility should be at least 10 meters) ;
- Demand to sign insurance contract, otherwise it will never change;
- Better choose this big slower boat rather than smaller speed boats. Less accidents during ride and more time to enjoy sun and sights.

Pros:
- They fed us well, I have never felt hungry or thirsty during trip;
- Timing was perfect, little bit of this and that, not too much, not too short;
- Sights are amazing;
- Toilet on the boat is present;
- Boat is quite big, plenty of space for everyone: for those who wants to sleep - cabin in first floor, for those who wants to get some tan - second floor;

Conclusion:
Overall great experience, I would rate 5 stars if they would actually sign insurance contract and I knew about fins beforehand.

Great tour. Really wonderful staff. Could be more eco friendly (refillable bottles, picking up trash, not giving plastic bracelets that fall off). They do make an effort to be zero footprint but it isn't enough. Food was good with vegetarian options. Recommend it. But I can't give 5 stars until a nature operator makes every effort to be plastic free.

Did the Tour to the ang thong national parc. The Organisation was really good and we got picked up at 8.00am in Haad Yao as they said and got back at 6.30pm as per schedule. The staff was friendly. Lunch was nice for being on a boat trip with green Curry and fried chicken. The Breakfast however like other people already said is just fruits and cerials. We read that and had Breakfast at the hotel before leaving. The first stop is a snorkeling one which was really nice with plenty of fish and people jumping of the boat. The second stop was the emirald Pool where you have to climb up many stairs to get there or you stay at the beach. The last stop is the longest one and there you can either hike up a Mountainbikes or go into some caves. Please be advised that the hike is so hard and difficult that this is for very fit people only. I am 30 and have an average fitness Level and I turnen around Half way through.
In general its not a relaxing day out. Its all about walking and kayaking. We did the kayaking and had to pay 400 baht extra for the 2 of us.