Book a southern-islands tour from An Thoi port and expect three to four islands in roughly six hours: Gam Ghi or Buom for snorkeling, May Rut or Mong Tay (Fingernail) for beach time and lunch. Prices run from about 470,000 VND (roughly $18) per person on a budget wooden boat up to $51-$68 for a speedboat tour with hotel transfer and lunch, and a speedboat day with pickup takes closer to 8 hours door to door.
Which Islands Do Phu Quoc Island-Hopping Tours Actually Visit?
Almost every island-hopping tour on Phu Quoc runs through the An Thoi archipelago in the south of the island, because that is where the water is calmest, visibility is best and the boat rides are shortest. The standard southern route goes from An Thoi port to May Rut, Mong Tay (Fingernail) and Dam islands, plus the foot of Hon Thom, and most operators add one or two dedicated snorkeling stops such as Gam Ghi or Buom. In practice, tours commonly cover 3 to 4 islands and combine snorkeling with lunch and beach time.
Names are the biggest source of confusion when you compare listings. International booking platforms use alternative spellings or translations, so the same stop can appear under two different names on two different tours. Viator's 3-island hopping trip, for example, lists Gam Ghi Island, Fingernail Island and May Rut Island, while the Trip.com island-hopping tour at US$64.27 per person lists "Meru", "Mengtai" and Gam Ghi - Meru and Mengtai being alternate renderings of May Rut and Mong Tay. Some itineraries even list a stop as "Hon Thom Island or Buom Island", which strongly suggests operators are using different names for the same patch of reef.
| Island / stop | Other names you will see | What tours do here | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gam Ghi | Gam Ghi Island, Hon Gam Ghi | Snorkeling in clear water; on nearly every Klook, Viator and Trip.com itinerary | First-time snorkelers, coral and fish |
| Buom | Sometimes listed as Hon Thom or Buom Island | Coral-reef snorkeling; guides describe soft corals in purple and gold | Snorkelers who do not need facilities |
| May Rut | May Rut Island, "Meru" | Swimming, beach time, often the lunch stop | Beaches, photos, families |
| Mong Tay | Fingernail Island, "Mengtai" | Swimming and white-sand beach stop | Beach time on the way out |
| Dam | Dam Island, Hon Dam | Swim stop on the classic southern wooden-boat route | Budget southern-islands tours |
| Roi | Roi Island | Sea-walking park, usually at your own expense | Non-swimmers who want to walk on the seabed |
| Xuong | Xuong Island | Weather substitute for Buom | Rough-sea days |
| Hon Thom | Foot of Hon Thom, Sun World Hon Thom | Cable-car island; many boat tours pass the foot of it | Cable car and theme-park visitors (separate ticket) |
If snorkeling is the whole point of your day, prioritise an itinerary that names Buom and Gam Ghi. If you mainly want a beach with somewhere to sit, eat and buy a drink, prioritise May Rut, which is noticeably more developed than Buom. And if you are travelling with people who cannot swim, check whether the tour stops at Roi Island's sea-walking park - just remember it is charged separately on most itineraries.
How Much Does a Phu Quoc Island-Hopping Tour Cost?
The honest answer is that prices on Phu Quoc range from about $18 to $68 per person for what sounds like the same day out, and the gap is almost entirely boat type, group size and inclusions. VietnamSpot lists a southern-islands budget tour from 470,000 VND - roughly $18 per person - with a duration of 6-8 hours, including snorkeling, a seafood barbecue lunch and swims in turquoise lagoons. At the other end, a speedboat day tour covering Buom, Gam Ghi and May Rut is listed at $68 per person on one tour page, and GetYourGuide lists a Phu Quoc snorkeling and island-hopping by speedboat tour from $51, down from $54.
| Tour type | Indicative price per person | Duration | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget southern-islands tour (wooden boat, shared) | from 470,000 VND (about $18) | 6-8 hours | Snorkeling, seafood barbecue lunch, swims in turquoise lagoons |
| Mid-range 3-island tour (Buom, Gam Ghi, May Rut) | $25.49 | Full day | Three named snorkeling and beach stops |
| Speedboat snorkeling and island hopping | from $51 (was $54) | Full day | Faster crossings, more time in the water |
| Speedboat day tour (Buom, Gam Ghi, May Rut) | $68 | Full day | Three-island speedboat itinerary |
| Trip.com island-hopping tour | US$64.27 | Full day | Meru, Mengtai and Gam Ghi islands |
| Viator shared 3-island speedboat tour | Shared speedboat pricing | About 8 hours | Hotel transfer, snorkeling equipment, local lunch, drone filming |
| Klook 3 Islands Hopping by Speedboat | Speedboat pricing | 08:00-15:00 | Swimming at Fingernail or May Rut, snorkeling at Gam Ghi, lunch, Roi Island sea-walking park at own expense |
What actually drives the price up is not the number of islands - almost every tour claims three. It is the hull, the group size and the extras. A speedboat cuts the crossing time, which means more minutes in the water and less time bobbing on a slow wooden boat. A hotel transfer in both directions, snorkeling equipment, a sit-down local lunch and drone footage all add cost, and Viator's shared 3-island speedboat tour bundles exactly those into a roughly 8-hour day.
The cheapest tier is a poor fit if you dislike waiting for large groups to re-board, if you want a guaranteed pickup from your hotel rather than meeting at a pier, or if you have limited time on the island and cannot afford a slow crossing. It is a good fit if you are paying for several people, are flexible about which islands you get, and accept that the boat and the lunch will be simple. Conversely, the $51-$68 speedboat tier is a poor fit for anyone hoping for an empty beach - you will be sharing these stops with other boats, especially in high season.
What a Typical Island-Hopping Day Looks Like, Hour by Hour
A standard island-hopping tour from Duong Dong takes about 6 hours in total on the water and on the islands. Broken down, that is roughly 30-40 minutes at the first stop, 90-120 minutes of snorkeling spread across two stops, and about 60 minutes to relax at the final stop. The rest of the time is transfers, boarding, lunch and the ride back to port. Klook's Phu Quoc 3 Islands Hopping Tour by Speedboat runs 08:00-15:00, which is a useful benchmark for a full but not exhausting day.
The order varies by operator and by weather, but a very common shape is: morning pickup between 07:30 and 08:30, transfer to An Thoi port in the south, first swim or snorkel stop around 09:30, a second snorkeling site before or after lunch, lunch served either on board or on an island, then a longer beach stop to swim and dry off before the return crossing and drop-off between 15:00 and 17:00.
Where the day quietly gets longer is the transfer. A boat-only tour of about 6 hours becomes a roughly 8-hour day once you add hotel pickup and drop-off, which is exactly the difference between Klook's 08:00-15:00 itinerary and Viator's shared 3-island speedboat tour listed at about 8 hours. If you have an evening flight or a dinner booking, plan on the longer figure, not the shorter one. If you are staying in the north of the island, add another 45-60 minutes each way to reach An Thoi, and ask whether pickup from your area is included or surcharged.
Timing tip: the snorkeling windows matter more than the island list. 90-120 minutes across two stops is the realistic snorkeling allowance on a shared tour, so if you want more time under water, choose a speedboat, a small-group departure, or a private charter rather than chasing an itinerary that claims five islands.
Speedboat, Wooden Boat or Private Charter: Who Each One Suits
There is no single best boat. The right choice depends on how much you value time in the water versus money saved, and on who is travelling with you. Here is the honest breakdown, including who each option suits least.
Speedboat shared tour
Best for: travellers with limited time, small groups who want maximum snorkeling minutes, and anyone willing to pay $51-$68 rather than about $18 to cut crossing time. Typical inclusions: hotel transfer, snorkeling equipment, local lunch, sometimes drone filming.
Less suited to: tight budgets, travellers who get seasick on fast small boats, and anyone expecting a quiet, uncrowded reef - speedboat tours are the most heavily booked product on the island.
Wooden boat budget tour
Best for: backpackers, families paying for four or more seats, and travellers who genuinely enjoy a slow, sociable day with a seafood barbecue lunch. Southern-islands trips start from 470,000 VND (about $18) for 6-8 hours.
Less suited to: anyone with a flight the same evening, travellers who want guaranteed small groups, and strong snorkelers - the crossings eat into water time and the reefs visited are the busiest ones.
Private charter
Best for: groups of 6-12 who want to set their own order of stops, avoid strangers, and stay longer at Gam Ghi or Buom when the water is good. Cost per person falls sharply with a full boat.
Less suited to: solo travellers and couples, who will pay far more per head than a shared speedboat seat costs, and anyone who prefers the fixed, guided structure of a scheduled tour.
Northern or Southern Islands: Which Side Should You Choose?
Nearly all the famous island-hopping itineraries - Gam Ghi, Buom, May Rut, Mong Tay, Dam, plus the foot of Hon Thom - sit in the south, reached from An Thoi port. That is also where the cable car to Hon Thom departs and where the largest concentration of tour boats operates. If your mental image of Phu Quoc island hopping involves snorkeling over coral and lunch on a white-sand beach, you want a southern tour.
The north of the island works differently. It is better known for beaches, fishing villages and quieter coastal scenery than for organised three-island snorkeling circuits, and northern boat trips tend to be shorter and more weather-dependent. If you are based in the north and your priority is a beach day rather than reef time, budget for the transfer south if you still want the classic tour - or accept a simpler local boat trip closer to where you are staying.
Practical rule: staying in Duong Dong, An Thoi or anywhere in the south makes a southern island-hopping tour a half-day commitment. Staying in the far north turns the same tour into a full-day operation. Ask your accommodation or rental provider to confirm pickup coverage before you book, because transfer inclusion is one of the main differences between the $18 and $68 tiers.
Best Time of Year for Island Hopping, and How Weather Changes Your Itinerary
Sea conditions, not price, decide what you actually see. In the dry, calm months the crossings are smooth and Buom, Gam Ghi and May Rut are all reachable as advertised. In rougher periods, operators swap stops - Buom Island is often used as a snorkeling and swimming stop but tours may substitute Xuong Island depending on the weather, and that substitution can be announced on the morning of departure rather than at booking.
Two things follow from this. First, do not treat the island list on any booking page as a contract; treat it as the intended plan. Second, if a specific island is the reason you are booking - Buom for its soft corals in purple and gold, or May Rut for facilities - say so before you pay and ask what happens if it is swapped. A good operator will tell you the likely alternative. A rushed one will not.
Morning departures are also generally the better bet: the water is flatter and the light is better for snorkeling, which is why so many speedboat itineraries start at 08:00. If you have only one clear day on the island, spend it on the earliest departure you can get.
What Is Usually Not Included (and the Traps to Check Before Paying)
Island-hopping tours on Phu Quoc are rarely all-inclusive, and the gap between the headline price and your final bill is where most complaints come from. Klook's 3 Islands Hopping Tour by Speedboat, for example, includes the visit to Roi Island's sea-walking park only at your own expense. Use this checklist before you book.
Island-hopping booking checklist
- Hotel transfer - included on tours such as Viator's shared 3-island speedboat trip, but often excluded or surcharged on budget departures and for northern hotels.
- Snorkeling equipment - usually provided, but check whether mask, snorkel and fins are all included or fins cost extra.
- Entrance and island fees - some islands charge landing or conservation fees payable on the day.
- Sea-walking park at Roi Island - listed at your own expense on Klook's speedboat itinerary.
- Drinks - lunch is commonly included; bottled water, soft drinks and beer frequently are not.
- Which islands, exactly - confirm whether your tour goes to Buom, Gam Ghi, May Rut, Mong Tay or Dam, and what the weather substitute is.
- Insurance and medical cover - not standard on shared tours; check before you rely on it.
- Cancellation policy - rough seas cancel trips, so know whether you get a refund or a rescheduled date.
Two more checks save real money. First, ask the group size - "3 islands by speedboat" can mean 12 people or 40. Second, compare like for like: the $25.49 three-island tour covering Buom, Gam Ghi and May Rut and the $68 speedboat day covering the same three names are not the same product, even though the island list looks identical on screen.
Which Island for Which Traveller: A Quick Verdict
Gam Ghi Island
Appears on virtually every three-island itinerary, from Trip.com to Viator to Klook. Reliable clear water and coral, good for first-time snorkelers. Poor fit if you want a sandy beach to lie on - it is primarily a snorkeling stop.
Buom Island
Described by several tour operators as a coral-reef snorkeling site, with soft corals in purple and gold. A worthwhile stop if you want mostly snorkeling. Less suited to travellers who want facilities, since Buom is less developed than islands such as May Rut.
May Rut Island
The most developed of the usual stops and the one that appears as "May Rut" on Viator, as a swimming stop on Klook, and as "Meru" on Trip.com. Best for families, photos and lunch. A poorer fit for travellers who specifically want untouched, empty scenery.
Mong Tay (Fingernail) Island
White-sand beach stop on the classic southern route from An Thoi to May Rut, Mong Tay, Dam and the foot of Hon Thom. Ideal for swimming and beach time; not the strongest snorkeling of the group.
If you can only take one tour, the safest all-round choice is a three-island speedboat itinerary that names Gam Ghi and Buom for snorkeling and May Rut for beach time and lunch. If your budget is about $18 per person, take the southern wooden-boat tour and accept that you will spend more of the day travelling and less of it in the water.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a Phu Quoc island-hopping tour take?
A standard tour from Duong Dong takes about 6 hours, including 30-40 minutes at the first stop, 90-120 minutes of snorkeling across two stops and roughly 60 minutes at the last stop. Once hotel pickup and drop-off are added, plan for about 8 hours, as on Viator's shared 3-island speedboat tour.
How much should I pay for an island-hopping tour in Phu Quoc?
Expect 470,000 VND (about $18) per person for a budget southern-islands wooden-boat tour, $25.49 for a mid-range three-island trip, and $51-$68 for speedboat tours. Trip.com lists its island-hopping tour at US$64.27 per person. Hotel transfer and drone filming push prices towards the top of that range.
Which islands are best for snorkeling?
Gam Ghi and Buom are the strongest snorkeling stops. Gam Ghi appears on nearly every itinerary, including Klook, Viator and Trip.com departures, while Buom is described by several operators as a coral-reef site with soft corals in purple and gold. May Rut and Mong Tay are better for beach time than for reef.
Is Buom Island the same as Hon Thom?
Not officially, but some itineraries list a stop as "Hon Thom Island or Buom Island", which suggests operators use different names for the same area. Treat the island list as an intention rather than a guarantee, and ask your operator directly which reef you will actually snorkel.
What happens if the weather is bad?
Stops get swapped rather than cancelled where possible. Buom Island is often used as a snorkeling and swimming stop, but tours may replace it with Xuong Island depending on weather. Confirm the refund or rescheduling policy before paying, since rough seas can cancel departures entirely.
What is usually not included in the tour price?
Common exclusions are hotel transfer on cheaper departures, island landing fees, drinks, insurance, and the sea-walking park at Roi Island, which Klook lists at your own expense. Lunch and snorkeling equipment are included on most mid-range and speedboat tours, including Viator's shared 3-island speedboat trip.
Can non-swimmers join an island-hopping tour?
Yes. Life jackets are standard, snorkeling takes place in relatively shallow water, and Roi Island's sea-walking park is designed for people who would rather walk on the seabed than swim. Note that the sea-walking activity is normally charged separately on top of your tour price.
Which port do Phu Quoc island-hopping tours leave from?
The southern tours leave from An Thoi port, which is why the standard route runs to May Rut, Mong Tay and Dam islands plus the foot of Hon Thom. If you are staying in the north of Phu Quoc, add roughly 45-60 minutes each way and confirm whether pickup from your hotel is included.
Need help choosing between the $18 wooden-boat trip and a $51-$68 speedboat day - or want a private charter that fits your group and your hotel? Sabrina Rental is based on Phu Quoc and can book your island-hopping tour, sort out a motorbike or room for the rest of your stay, and tell you honestly which islands are worth your one clear day.
Ask Sabrina about island-hopping tours
