Koh Samui ATV & Buggy Tours

Koh Samui’s off-road operators run the same trails with two quite different vehicles, and most visitors pick between them on a vague sense of which looks more fun. There are five differences that actually change the day, and one of them will make the decision for you whether you like it or not.

Start with the licence, because it settles it

Every buggy operator on Koh Samui requires a car driving licence. No ATV operator asks for one.

X Quad list it plainly under exclusions on their buggy tour, and again on the beginner buggy. Quads are ridden on private trails and are treated differently: Jungle Quad and Lexi Adventures both state that no licence or previous experience is needed.

So if your licence is in the hotel safe, at home, or you do not hold one, the buggy listings are closed to you and the quad listings are not. Full detail in our licence guide.

What you actually get on a buggy

X Quad’s four-hour buggy tour ($273 for two) runs out of the Maenam area with the same remote dirt tracks and the same included lunch as their ATV programme. Three vehicles are available:

• Z8 — the standard two-seat CFMOTO UTV, and the base price.
• Z10 — a larger, more comfortable two-seater, around 1,000 THB more.
• Z950 — four seats, around 3,000 THB more, and the reason most families choose a buggy at all.

The Z950 is the only vehicle in Koh Samui’s off-road catalogue that carries a family of four in one unit. For a family that usually works out cheaper than two quads with two passengers, and considerably simpler.

There is also a beginner buggy programme ($196 for two) built around a deliberately moderate pace, aimed at families with young children and first-time off-road drivers. Same vehicles, gentler day, and it reaches the island’s highest point at 630 metres with drinks and fresh fruit included.

The five differences that matter

Mud in your face. A quad throws everything it rides over straight back at you. A buggy has a roof and a screen. In the wet months this is not a small difference.

Sitting together. On a buggy you sit side by side and can talk. On a quad the passenger sits behind the driver and mostly holds on.

Seat count. Quads carry one or two. Buggies carry two or four. That is the whole argument for families.

Physical effort. Four hours on a loaded quad is genuinely hard work — X Quad sell a CFMOTO X520 power-steering upgrade on their two-rider ATV for about 1,000 THB for exactly this reason. A buggy has a steering wheel and does the work for you.

Involvement. This is the one that goes the other way. A quad is more exposed, more physical and more of an event. Riders booking for the adrenaline consistently prefer it, and the island’s best-rated tours are quad tours.

The ATV side, briefly

If a quad is the answer, the choice within it is solo or shared. A solo machine per person is the better ride and the higher price. Sharing costs less — X Quad’s driver-plus-passenger listing at $225 covers both of you against $143 for a single solo seat — with the caveat that most operators cap the combined load at 140 kg per quad and ask heavier pairs to book two solo spots.

Full pricing for every combination on our ATV tour prices page.

So which?

Book a buggy if there are more than two of you, if there are young children in the group, if anyone is nervous about driving, or if you would rather not spend four hours being sandblasted. Check that someone in the party has their licence on them first.

Book a quad if you want the ride rather than the sightseeing, if you are one or two adults, or if nobody has a licence to hand. Start with 2-hour ATV tours for the shorter options or 4-hour tours for the half day.

Either way, check availability above — free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.