Koh Samui ATV Tour: What’s Included & What to Wear
You have decided to ride. What is left is the part nobody tells you until you are standing at the camp in the wrong shoes: a Koh Samui ATV tour throws red dirt, mud, and water at you for two hours, and the difference between a great morning and an uncomfortable one is almost entirely down to what you turned up wearing.
Here is what the ticket covers, what it does not, and exactly what to have on and in your bag.
What a Koh Samui ATV Tour Includes
Inclusions are consistent across the main operators on the island, but they are not identical, so treat this as the shape of a standard booking and check your own confirmation for the details.
- The quad bike itself. Automatic transmission, no gears to learn, and a briefing and short practice loop at the camp before you set off.
- Helmet and safety equipment, provided at the camp and included in the price.
- A guide, usually with one rider leading the group and another at the back. Group sizes are capped – the two-hour Samui safari runs a maximum of around twenty quads.
- Hotel pickup and drop-off from the main areas of the island, with an extra charge for pickups further out.
- Accident insurance covering the rider and passenger.
- Drinking water and, on some bookings, seasonal fruit at the camp. Toilets and a changing area are available at the base.
- First aid kit and trained staff on site.
What Costs Extra
- Vehicle damage: Insurance covers riders, not the quad. You may be responsible for repair costs if the bike is damaged, so it’s best to check the policy beforehand.
- Pickups from outlying areas are charged per person.
- Anything you buy at the camp or on the route – drinks, snacks, photographs.
Prices start from around ฿1,700 per person for the two-hour ride at the time of writing, though rates change with the season. Check the current figure and the full inclusion list on the booking page rather than relying on a number in an article.
What to Wear
Must-Haves
- Closed-toe shoes: Proper trainers or sneakers are required for safety. Flip-flops, sandals, or open-back shoes are not allowed due to hot engine parts and footpegs.
- Long trousers or long shorts: Protect your legs from flying mud, debris, and heat from the quad engine and exhaust.
- Sunglasses or helmet visor: Essential to protect your eyes from flying dirt, dust, and grit along the trail.
Good-to-Haves
- Breathable long-sleeved shirt: Helps block the sun and flying dirt without overheating. Quick-dry fabric is ideal.
- Buff or face covering: Keeps dust out of your mouth and nose on dry, dusty trails.
What to Bring
Keep it in a small bag you can leave at the camp. Nothing loose travels well on a quad.
- Change of clothes & towel: Useful if you get muddy or wet during the ride.
- Waterproof pouch/bag: Protects your phone and electronics from dust and splash water.
- Sunscreen: Best applied before putting your helmet on.
- Small cash: Handy for drinks, snacks, or optional photos/tipping.
- Personal medication: Bring along any essential items you might need during the tour.
Who Can Drive (and Who Can’t)
- Who can drive: Anyone aged 12 and older can drive (no driver’s licence required). Quads are fully automatic, and beginners are welcome after a short safety briefing.
- Who can ride as a passenger: Children from around age 5 can join as passengers behind an adult rider.
- Who should skip this activity: Pregnant women, people with back, neck, or severe joint issues, and anyone who has consumed alcohol or drugs.
What the Route Is Like
The two-hour ride heads inland and upward. You leave the camp on farm tracks through coconut and rubber plantations, pick up dirt trails that climb into the hills, cross at least one shallow river, and stop at a mountain viewpoint looking back over the island and the sea. On the longer ride, there is a waterfall stop, which is seasonal and depends on how much water is running.
Expect the surface to change constantly – packed dirt, loose gravel, ruts, and mud where the shade keeps it damp. Guides set a pace the slowest rider can hold, and they stop to regroup, so you are not chasing anyone. Photo stops are built into the route rather than squeezed in.
Riding is straightforward quads are fully automatic with simple controls (thumb throttle, steer, and brake). Guides will demonstrate basic trail techniques during the briefing before you set off.
The one-hour version covers the plantations and a viewpoint without the deeper jungle section. If you are still deciding between the packages, our guide to the jungle quad bike routes compares what each one covers.
Best Time of Day and Season
Two decisions here, and both make a real difference to the ride.
- Morning departures are cooler, the light is better for photographs, and the trail has not been churned up by earlier groups. They are the ones that fill first.
- Afternoon rides are hotter and dustier in the dry months, but the trail is quieter and the viewpoint light is warmer.
- The rainy months make the trail slippery, muddier and, for most riders, considerably more fun. Nothing is cancelled for ordinary rain – only genuine storms stop a departure.
- The dry season means dust rather than mud, which is the argument for the face covering above.
- Book two or three days ahead in high season. Morning slots on the two-hour ride are the first to go, and camps cap group sizes.
FAQ
No. The quads are automatic, and no licence is required. What the camp does ask is that drivers meet the minimum age for the package and pass a short ability test on a practice loop before the group sets off.
You pay for it. The accident insurance included in these tours covers the rider and passenger, not the machine, so ask what the liability or excess is before you set off – it is the single most common surprise on the bill.
As a passenger, usually from around age five, seated behind an adult. Driving has its own minimum age, which differs between the one-hour and two-hour packages, so check the tour page for the exact ride you are booking.
Ready to Ride?
None of this is complicated. Closed shoes, long sleeves, a face covering, a change of clothes in a bag at the camp, and a clear answer about what happens if the quad gets scratched. Do those five things and the only thing left to think about is the trail.
Koh Samui ATV Adventure Safari 2 Hours covers the full jungle route with hotel transfers, helmet and safety gear, a guide front and back, and accident insurance included. Turn up in the right shoes and the rest is handled.