Phu Quoc Three-Island Boat Tours: Which One Is Worth Booking?
6 min read
Almost every boat day in the south of Phu Quoc visits the same handful of islands. The difference is the boat, the group, the lunch and how much of the day is spent in the water. For most people who want to snorkel: the Pro Snorkeling Tour by speedboat, max 12, €56.65, 4.9 stars from 726 reviews, as long as nobody in your party is under 4, over 65 or pregnant. On a tight budget, lunch included: the 3-Island Adventure Guided Boat Tour, €32.52, with 801 reviews.
The four boat days side by side
| Tour | Duration | From | Rating | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Island Adventure Guided Boat Tour | 8 hours | €32.52 | 4.0 stars, 801 reviews | Tight budgets, lunch on board, a relaxed day rather than serious reef time |
| Phu Quoc Speedboat Trip: 3 Islands | 8 hours | €34.75 | 3.8 stars, 174 reviews | Only if you specifically want the drone clip, which is filmed at May Rut Trong, a stop currently replaced because of rough seas |
| Real snorkel & island hopping by speedboat (max 12) | 6 hours | €49.89 | 4.3 stars, 677 reviews | Snorkellers who want an afternoon start and a smaller group |
| Pro Snorkeling Tour by speedboat (max 12) | 6 hours | €56.65 | 4.9 stars, 726 reviews | Most snorkellers; not for children under 4 or people over 65 |
All four visit islands off the south coast, three of them name An Thoi as the harbour, and all include hotel pick-up in central Duong Dong; further out you pay a surcharge or the area is not served. The longer pair run eight hours with a harbour transfer on either side; the shorter pair are six hours and are built around the snorkel stops.
The big boat: what you get and what the rating says
The 3-Island Adventure Guided Boat Tour is the island’s classic. Pick-up in central Duong Dong is around 8:15 am to 8:30 am, you board at the harbour, snorkel at Xuong Island (also called Buom Island) and at Gam Ghi, eat lunch on board, then finish at the white-sand lagoon of May Rut Trong. You are back at the hotel at about 5 pm. Mask, snorkel, fins, life jackets, lunch and a bottle of water are included. The booking page notes that fins are not available in children’s sizes, which matters if you are travelling with small children who like to kick about.
The 4.0-star rating is not a mystery. Travellers praise the guides and a plentiful lunch and say the first two snorkel stops are the best. The complaints are about logistics: long waits and a pick-up round that one reviewer put at an hour, going from hotel to hotel in a crowded vehicle. That is what a large tour costs.
The operator also warns that the itinerary changes with the weather. At the time of writing, the operator’s notice says May Rut Trong has rough waves and that all tours go to Xuong Island (Dugong Bay) instead until further notice, so the lagoon is not guaranteed.
See availability for the 3-Island Adventure Guided Boat Tour
The speedboat: not the upgrade it sounds like
The Phu Quoc Speedboat Trip: 3 Islands comes from the same operator and uses a speedboat from An Thoi Harbour instead of the tourist boat; it costs €34.75, against €32.52 for the big boat, and has you back at the hotel at about 4 pm. The same three islands appear in the itinerary, with lunch on May Rut Trong, but the same rough-sea notice applies, so at the moment the tours go to Xuong Island (Dugong Bay Restaurant) instead. A short drone clip (45 seconds) and three drone photos from May Rut Trong are listed on the booking page; while that stop is being replaced, ask whether the drone footage is still made.
Its rating is 3.8 stars from 174 reviews, against 4.0 stars for the big boat. A 10% surcharge applies at New Year and Lunar New Year, payable on site. Read the headline carefully: one of the bullet points on the booking page promises four islands, while the itinerary beneath it lists three. Count the stops in the itinerary rather than the title.
A “seawalker” near Hon Thom Island is mentioned as an optional extra at your own expense. If you want that, ask the operator how it is arranged.
The six-hour snorkel boats
The Real snorkel & island hopping by speedboat (max 12) is run by Pacific Boat; the title caps the group at twelve, but the same page lists groups of up to 14, so ask before booking if the size matters to you. The page lists two start options, about 8 am or 1 pm, which is useful if you want to sleep in. The day is built around three stops of roughly an hour each: Kim Quy Island for hard coral, then May Rut or Gham Ghi depending on the weather for fruit, a drink and time on the beach, and Coconut Island for soft coral and fish.
Lunch is not included. The package covers fruit or a sandwich, water, snorkelling gear and entry fees. If you want a sit-down lunch, budget for it. Pick-up outside the town centre is charged per group, not per person: 200,000 VND for Ong Lang, 300,000 VND for Movenpick, 500,000 VND for Vinpearl, and Ham Ninh is not served. Pregnant women are not accepted.
One reviewer who bought all twelve places so that their party of four had the boat to themselves reported a perfect day. It is a way of making a small-group tour private, at the cost of paying for every seat.
See availability for the real snorkel and island hopping speedboat day
The Pro Snorkeling Tour is the stronger of the two. It is run by OnBird with a cap of twelve guests and an English- or Vietnamese-speaking instructor: one safety stop, two coral spots chosen each day by water conditions, with about 1.5 to 1.8 hours of snorkelling, then an island for fruit and juice. Lunch is not included. The operator picks a morning or afternoon slot depending on the sea. Free pick-up covers Duong Dong centre, Bai Truong and An Thoi town; Ong Lang costs 250,000 VND, Cua Can 350,000 VND, Vinpearl 450,000 VND and Chuong Vic 500,000 VND per group, and Ham Ninh may not be served. A holiday surcharge of 150,000 VND per person may apply on Vietnamese public holidays, at Christmas, New Year and Lunar New Year. Children from 155 cm pay the adult price. We looked at how it works, which reefs it uses and why group size matters in Snorkelling in South Phu Quoc.
What the extra money buys
Between the big boat at €32.52 and the Pro Snorkeling Tour at €56.65, the extra money mainly buys a smaller group and a day built around snorkelling. A boat capped at around a dozen people means fewer people in the water at each stop and, on the Pro Snorkeling Tour, an instructor who takes everyone from beginners to free divers. The big boat means lunch included and a more social day.
Neither is the wrong choice. What matters is knowing which one you are buying. If you have never snorkelled and are nervous, the small boat is worth the money, provided nobody in your party falls under its exclusions: children under 4, people over 65, pregnant women, people over 125 kg, wheelchair users, and people with heart problems, respiratory issues, epilepsy, diabetes or high blood pressure. If you mainly want a day on the water with a beach, lunch and a swim, the 3-Island Adventure boat does exactly that.
When none of these is right
If you want the cable car to Hon Thom as well as the islands, that is a ten-hour combination day, covered in the Hon Thom cable car and the three-island day. If you are dive-curious rather than snorkel-curious, see learning to dive on Phu Quoc. To see everything that runs from the south, the island-hopping category lists every boat day.
In the rainy season, roughly May to October, any of these can be moved or cancelled for weather. Pick a booking with free cancellation, and see the best time to visit for what the months actually look like.
Our recommendation
For most people: the Pro Snorkeling Tour by speedboat (max 12) at €56.65. It has 4.9 stars from 726 reviews and a cap of twelve guests; the other small boat costs €49.89. Children under 4 and people over 65 cannot join.
On a tight budget, or with a group that mainly wants lunch and a beach: the 3-Island Adventure Guided Boat Tour at €32.52, accepting the long pick-up round and the larger group.
Skip: the speedboat trip rated 3.8 stars, unless the drone clip is the point, and check first that the clip is still being made while May Rut Trong is replaced. It costs €34.75 against €32.52 for the big boat, and its rating does not reflect the upgrade.
