Ang Thong National Park (10.5 h)

There is something quietly compelling about setting out from Koh Samui aboard Poseidon, a Shuttleworth / Floeth 44-foot sailing catamaran, and watching the island's familiar coastline slowly give way to open water.

This full-day XL tour runs 10.5 hours and carries up to 18 passengers toward one of the Gulf of Thailand's most celebrated destinations: Ang Thong National Marine Park, known to many as the Golden Bowl. Ang Thong is a protected archipelago, and arriving by sailing catamaran feels like the right way to approach it.

Poseidon's design suits these waters well, offering a stable and spacious platform from which to take in the scenery that defines this part of the marine park. The 10.5-hour duration reflects the genuine distance and scope involved in reaching and exploring Ang Thong properly from Koh Samui — this is not a rushed circuit.

With a maximum of 18 passengers, the experience remains unhurried. Poseidon is a vessel worth knowing by name, and Ang Thong National Marine Park is a destination that rewards the time invested in getting there.