Four Phuket ATV tours compared by ride length, price, age rules and what you really see at the Big Buddha, from a $25 half-hour ride to ATV and zipline combos.
What You Should Know
- A guided quad bike ride on jungle and hillside trails near the Big Buddha, from 30 minutes to two hours, usually with a stop at a giant swing over the hill.
- Departures run morning, midday and afternoon; hotel pickup is free from Patong, Kata, Karon, Rawai and Chalong, with surcharges from most other areas.
- Rides cost $25 to $36 for 30 minutes, which usually skips the Big Buddha; one hour including the Big Buddha costs $40 to $53.
- You do not ride an ATV up to the Big Buddha: you park and go up by truck, and since a 2025 landslide guests report anything from a closed statue to a full visit.
ATV Tours in Phuket
An ATV tour in Phuket (quad biking, as many operators call it) is a guided quad bike ride on a network of dirt trails through rubber plantations and jungle on the hills near the Big Buddha, and the single most useful thing to know before booking is that the ride length decides what you get. The cheapest 30-minute rides ($25 to $36) usually stay on the trails, while the Big Buddha is generally added from one hour ($40 to $53), and on those rides the visit comes out of your riding time. This guide compares four tours so you can pick a ride length, a price and a Big Buddha plan that match.
The four tours share the same basic set-up: a pickup from Patong, Karon, Kata and the other west-coast beaches, a short briefing at the ATV camp, then a guide leading you on 200cc quad bikes that first-timers consistently describe as easy to drive. One is ATV-only, and three offer zipline add-ons if you want ATV and zipline in Phuket on the same day. If the zipline is the main event for you, our Phuket zipline comparison covers those parks in detail.
Which Phuket ATV tour should I book?
| If you want | Book | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The best overall | Oh-Hoo: Jungle Trails and Big Buddha | Best 2026 results of the four (4.8 from 68 reviews); Big Buddha and swing on every ride of an hour or more |
| The Big Buddha | Oh-Hoo: Jungle Trails and Big Buddha | $42 for an hour with the statue and the giant swing, up to $62 for two hours |
| The cheapest ride | Phuket Paradise ATV and Zipline | $25 for 30 minutes on the trails |
| The cheapest Big Buddha option | Phuket Paradise ATV and Zipline | $40 for an hour, against $42 to $53 elsewhere |
| ATV and zipline together | Phuket Paradise ATV and Zipline | One transfer for both; an hour on the ATV plus 10 zipline platforms for $69 |
| A teenager to drive | Oh-Hoo: Jungle Trails and Big Buddha | Drivers from 12, against 14 or 15 on the other tours |
| Mud and a wet-season ride | Vacay (ATV Seaview On Tour) | Its reviews mention rain and mud more than any other tour here |
| Straight answers on the Big Buddha | Click2GoThailand | The only listing that explains the truck transfer and the post-landslide closure up front |
Oh-Hoo: ATV Tour with Jungle Trails and Big Buddha Viewpoint
We chose it for the combination of the best 2026 rating of the four (4.7 overall from 281 reviews; 4.8 from 68 reviews in 2026), the cheapest ride that includes the Big Buddha ($42 for an hour), a giant swing stop and free pickup from the main beaches.
Book NowBest ATV Tours in Phuket: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Tour Operator | From Price | With Big Buddha | Online Rating | Ride Options | Ages | Start Times | Free Pickup From | Zipline | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for Big Buddha Oh-Hoo ATV Tour in Phuket with Jungle Trails and Big Buddha Viewpoint Book Now |
$30 (1,026 THB, converted; 30 min, no Big Buddha) | $42 (1 hr), $50 (1.5 hr), $62 (2 hr) | ⭐ 4.7 overall (281 reviews) 4.8 from 68 reviews in 2026 Read Reviews |
30 min to 2 hr | Drivers 12+; ages 4 to 11 ride as passengers | 9:00am, 12:30pm, 3:00pm daily | Patong, Kata, Karon, Rawai, Chalong | No | Polaris 200cc quad; giant swing stop; raincoat on wet days; ATV damage not covered by insurance |
| Most Reviewed Oh-Hoo Phuket Paradise ATV and Zipline Experience Book Now |
$25 (850 THB, converted; 30 min ATV) | $40 (1 hr ATV); $69 with 10-platform zipline | ⭐ 4.8 (464 reviews) Read Reviews |
30 min to 2 hr; 200cc or 400cc | Drivers 15+; passengers 5+ | 9:00am, 12:30pm, 3:00pm daily | Patong, Kata, Karon, Rawai, Chalong | Optional (10, 18 or 32 platforms) | Paintball add-on; zipline weight limit 120 kg; ATV damage not covered by insurance |
| ATV Seaview On Tour Vacay ATV Tour in Phuket with Big Buddha Visit Book Now |
$36 (1,200 THB, converted; 30 min, no Big Buddha) | $53 (1 hr), $74 (1.5 hr); $89 to $107 with zipline | ⭐ 4.7 (207 reviews) Read Reviews |
30 min to 1.5 hr | Drivers 15+; under 15 ride as passengers | 8:30am, 12:00pm, 2:30pm daily | Patong, Kata, Karon, Rawai, Chalong | Optional (10 or 18 stations) | Phuket Town shared transfer 300 THB per person; raincoat in rainy season |
| Click2GoThailand ATV Riding To The Big Buddha And Zipline In Phuket Book Now |
$26 (890 THB, converted; 30 min) | $44 (60 min, Big Buddha time counts as riding time) | ⭐ 4.8 (39 reviews) Read Reviews |
30 min to 2 hr | 4 to 80; under 14 ride as passengers | 9:00am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm daily | Patong, Kata, Karon, Rawai, Chalong (by pickup truck) | Optional; combos to $98 | Listing notes the Big Buddha is temporarily closed after a landslide; ATVs park and a truck covers the last 2 km |
ℹ️ All tours and information were reviewed against current operator listings and published guest reviews on October 8, 2026. Prices are adult prices quoted by the operator in Thai baht, converted to US dollars at that day's rate (33.7 THB to the dollar), and will move with the exchange rate. Prices and availability may change, so always confirm with the operator before booking.
What to Expect on a Phuket ATV Tour
- 0130 to 45 min before
Hotel pickup
An open truck or songthaew collects you from inside the free zone; out-of-zone hotels pay extra.
- 02Arrival
Briefing and practice
Helmet, a short safety talk and a practice run on the 200cc quad.
- 03First 30 min
Jungle trails
Follow your guide on dirt tracks through rubber plantations and hillside jungle.
- 04Midway
Viewpoints and swing
Photo stops over the island and a turn on the giant swing at the edge of the hill.
- 051 hr rides and up
Big Buddha by truck
Park the quads and ride up in a truck; what is open at the statue varies.
- 06End
Back to your hotel
Return to camp, freshen up and take the transfer back to the beach.
- 01
Hotel pickup
An open truck or songthaew collects you from inside the free zone; out-of-zone hotels pay extra.
30 to 45 min before - Arrival02
Briefing and practice
Helmet, a short safety talk and a practice run on the 200cc quad.
- 03
Jungle trails
Follow your guide on dirt tracks through rubber plantations and hillside jungle.
First 30 min - Midway04
Viewpoints and swing
Photo stops over the island and a turn on the giant swing at the edge of the hill.
- 05
Big Buddha by truck
Park the quads and ride up in a truck; what is open at the statue varies.
1 hr rides and up - End06
Back to your hotel
Return to camp, freshen up and take the transfer back to the beach.
Most tours follow the same pattern. An open-sided pickup truck or songthaew collects you 30 to 45 minutes before your start time, the camp runs a short briefing and a practice lap, then a guide leads your group on the trails, stopping for photos, the giant swing and, on longer rides, the Big Buddha. What typically happens is that each family or couple gets its own guide, so groups are small but several share the same tracks at once.
Our take (it is a course, not a journey): The most common gap between expectation and reality is the route. These are networks of hillside tracks that you loop around, not point-to-point rides through the countryside, and reviewers on 90-minute and two-hour rides were the most likely to find it repetitive. One guest called an hour the perfect length. We would book an hour with the Big Buddha for a first ride, and longer only if you enjoy driving for its own sake.
What reviewers consistently mention
- Guides film you on your own phone. On all four tours we compared, guides take photos and video along the way, often from their own quad.
- Easy for first-timers. First-time riders find the quads easy to handle, and nervous riders describe guides slowing down, riding alongside or driving for them.
- Dust in the dry season, mud in the wet. Clothes and shoes get dirty; after heavy rain, one guest felt the trails were barely passable.
- Monkeys at the top. Monkeys roam the Big Buddha hill and grab food and bags; one stole a guest's shopping and only threw it back once it turned out not to be food.
- Waits on busy days. Check-in can be crowded, and some guests describe waiting up to 90 minutes between activities or for the transfer home, mostly at the busier combo camps.
- Morning slots can be quieter. One parent on the 9:00am start describes having the trails nearly to themselves and noticed it was much busier by midday.
Best ATV Tours in Phuket
The four tours below are ordered by how confidently we would recommend them to a first-time visitor. We weighted 2026 review results, recurring review themes, ride options, the price of a ride that includes the Big Buddha, age rules and pickup arrangements rather than ranking by overall star rating alone, because all four sit between 4.7 and 4.8.
Oh-Hoo: Jungle Trails and Big Buddha
Thirty minutes to two hours on 200cc quads, with the Big Buddha and a giant swing on every ride of an hour or more. It has the strongest 2026 results of the four (4.7 overall from 281 reviews; 4.8 from 68 reviews in 2026), and guests repeatedly describe guides who film the ride on their phones and adjust the pace, including riding a nervous guest's quad for them. We'd give it the edge for families with younger teenagers: it lets drivers from 12, where the other tours here require 14 or 15. The trade-off is transport: its critical reviews most often concern pickups, from open trucks to hotels declared out of zone.
Check availabilityOh-Hoo: Phuket Paradise ATV and Zipline
The most reviewed ATV tour here, at 4.8 from 464, and the most flexible: 30 minutes to two hours on a 200cc quad, a 400cc option, and zipline or paintball add-ons. An hour on the ATV costs $40, or $69 with a 10-platform zipline. One reviewer says you choose between the Big Buddha and the jungle swings on the one-hour ride. Drivers must be 15 or older. We'd book this if you want two activities from one transfer; the trade-off is waiting, as guests describe delays of up to 90 minutes at the camp on busy days.
Check availabilityVacay: ATV Tour with Big Buddha Visit
The listing that carries the ATV Seaview On Tour name in its booking link, rated 4.7 from 207 reviews. Thirty minutes skips the Big Buddha; an hour with it costs $53, the most of the four, and zipline combos run $89 to $107. Reviewers describe a hillside course of looping tracks, plenty of mud after rain and a truck ride up to the Big Buddha. Drivers must be 15 or older. We'd keep this in mind if you are travelling in the wet season: its reviews mention rain and mud more than any other tour here, which some guests loved and one found unsafe.
Check availabilityClick2GoThailand: ATV, Big Buddha and Zipline
The one listing that says plainly what others leave out: ATVs park at a lot and a truck covers the last 2 km because the road to the Big Buddha is public, and the statue is noted as temporarily closed after a landslide. Sixty minutes costs $44 and the time at the Big Buddha counts towards it. It rates 4.8 from 39 reviews, with only six this year.
Check availabilityIf two of these appeal equally, decide on the Big Buddha first: if seeing it matters, book at least an hour with it included; if you only want to ride, the 30-minute options are a third of the price and reviewers who skipped the statue got more time on the trails.
ATV Tour to the Big Buddha: What You Actually See
Among the Phuket ATV listings we reviewed, almost all are sold with the Big Buddha, the white marble statue on the hill above Chalong and Kata, and this is where expectations and reality most often part company. Four things are worth knowing before you book a Big Buddha ATV tour.
You do not ride up to it
The ATV trails are on the hillside below the statue. Guests on three of these four tours describe parking their quads and riding up in a pickup truck, and Click2GoThailand's listing explains why: the last stretch to the Big Buddha is a public road where ATVs are not allowed. Reviewers who expected to drive to the statue were the most disappointed.
Access has changed since the 2025 landslide
Listings and reviews disagree about what is open. Some listings say the statue's interior is temporarily closed and you view it from outside; one says the temple grounds are open again; another still notes a temporary closure after a landslide. Guests in 2026 report the full range, from seeing only the back of the statue to being lucky enough to find it open. Treat the views from the hill as the reliable part, and ask your operator about current access if the statue itself is the reason you are going.
It comes out of your riding time
On rides of an hour or so, reviewers describe the Big Buddha visit taking 20 to 30 minutes of the booked time. Several guests deliberately skipped it to ride longer. If you want both a proper ride and an unhurried visit, book 90 minutes or more. If you visit, cover your shoulders and knees; guests in shorts were handed a scarf or had to buy one.
Elephant camps on the way up
The road to the Big Buddha passes elephant camps that offer rides. Guests on all four tours we compared mention riding or being driven past elephants, and several describe chained animals and calves kept apart from adults, which they found upsetting. None of the ATV operators here runs these camps, but if that would spoil the day for you, ask to skip the Big Buddha and ride the trails instead. If seeing elephants is part of your plan, our Phuket elephant sanctuary comparison covers six visits with no riding or bathing.
How Much Is an ATV Tour in Phuket?
Phuket ATV prices run $25 to $36 for a 30-minute ride and $40 to $53 for an hour that includes the Big Buddha. Longer rides and zipline combos run up to $107. Prices are per rider, and children under the driving age ride as passengers on a child ticket. The costs that catch people out are transfers from outside the free pickup zone and the cost of any damage to the quad, which the included insurance does not cover on the Oh-Hoo tours.
Thirty minutes on the trails at any of the four tours. Usually no Big Buddha; good for a first taste or for children riding as passengers.
One hour including the Big Buddha visit or the swings: $40 at Phuket Paradise, $42 at the jungle trails tour, $44 at Click2GoThailand and $53 at Vacay. The best balance of riding and sightseeing.
Ninety minutes to two hours on the ATV ($50 to $74), or an ATV and zipline combination ($69 to $107). Worth it if you enjoy riding; otherwise reviewers found the loops repetitive.
For most visitors we would book an hour with the Big Buddha included, at $40 to $44: it covers the trails, the swing and the statue without paying for loops you may not want.
Our Take
The pattern we keep seeing is that disappointment in these reviews almost never comes from the riding itself. It comes from the parts around it: a Big Buddha that was closed or reached by truck, a transfer that took longer than expected, or a hotel that turned out to be outside the pickup zone.
Tips for Your Phuket ATV Tour
- Confirm your pickup zone when you book. If you are booking an ATV tour from Patong, Karon or Kata, transfers are free on all four tours, as they are from Rawai and Chalong. Several guests were told the day before that their hotel was out of zone; surcharges run from 300 THB per person for Phuket Town to 1,400 to 2,000 THB per car from the north and west.
- Wear clothes you do not mind ruining. Dust in dry months and mud after rain get everywhere. Closed shoes are best, and leave anything white at the hotel.
- Cover shoulders and knees if you plan to visit the Big Buddha. It is a temple site, and guests in shorts were handed a scarf or had to buy one.
- Book the 9:00am slot for quieter trails. It is cooler, and one parent who rode at 9:00am found the trails much quieter than at midday.
- Check the driving age before you book for teenagers. Drivers must be 12 or older on the jungle trails tour and 15 or older on Phuket Paradise and Vacay; younger children ride as passengers.
- Bring cash for tips and protect your eyes. Guests repeatedly recommend tipping the guides who film your ride, and suggest sunglasses and a face mask for the dust; one tour hands out masks.
- Keep food and bags close at the Big Buddha. The monkeys there go for anything that looks edible.
- Read the damage terms. The insurance on the Oh-Hoo tours covers riders but not damage to the ATV, so ride within your limits.
- Do not ride after drinking. The Oh-Hoo listings ban alcohol before riding and let guides stop anyone riding dangerously; treat that as the rule on every tour.
How We Selected These Tours
The Thailand Trip Insider team started from every ATV tour listed for Phuket, around 35 product listings, and narrowed them on three things that matter more for ATV tours than for most activities: what the ride includes at each length, whether the Big Buddha visit is what it claims to be, and whether recent guests are still reviewing the tour. We checked every listing against live operator data on October 8, 2026, and confirmed each tour was active and currently bookable. We dropped any tour whose newest review was more than six months old, including two older listings that use the ATV on Tour name. Several resellers sell single ride lengths of the same tour as separate listings at the same prices, so we kept the listing that offers every ride length. We also left out tours with fewer than three reviews in the past year, one rated 4.1, and a zipline-led combo whose listed starting price did not match any adult option. We compared prices for each ride length, the cost of a ride that includes the Big Buddha, age and driving rules, start times, pickup zones and surcharges, 2026 review results, the spread of star ratings and recurring review themes, reading over 300 recent and critical reviews across the four. The "Best for" labels describe the use case those attributes point to and are not a ranking by rating. To be explicit about how this page is made and paid for: we have not taken these tours ourselves, and nothing here is written as though we had. Our judgements come from operator listing data and published guest reviews. Prices quoted in Thai baht were converted at the October 8, 2026 rate and will move with the exchange rate. Booking links are affiliate links and we may earn a commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you. No operator paid for inclusion, for a label, or for its position in the table, and commission rates played no part in the order.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best ATV tour in Phuket?+
Oh-Hoo's jungle trails and Big Buddha ATV tour is our top pick: rated 4.7 overall from 281 reviews, and 4.8 from 68 reviews in 2026, with rides from $30 and the Big Buddha included from $42 for an hour. Phuket Paradise is the best choice if you also want a zipline.
How much is an ATV tour in Phuket?+
Between $25 and $36 for 30 minutes, and $40 to $53 for an hour that includes the Big Buddha. Longer rides and ATV and zipline combos run up to $107. Transfers outside Patong, Kata, Karon, Rawai and Chalong usually cost extra.
Can you ride an ATV to the Big Buddha in Phuket?+
Not all the way. The ATV trails are on the hillside below the statue; you park your quad and go up by truck, because the last stretch is a public road. Access at the statue has varied since a 2025 landslide, so ask your operator what is currently open.
Is the Big Buddha open on ATV tours?+
It depends on the day. Listings disagree, and guests in 2026 report everything from a closed statue that you view from the back to a full visit. The hilltop views are reliable either way. Cover your shoulders and knees in case you can go in.
What is ATV Seaview On Tour in Phuket?+
It is the name used on Vacay's Big Buddha ATV listing, and one guest on that listing names ATV SeaView on Tour as the camp that ran their ride. We include it: rated 4.7 from 207 reviews, from $36 for 30 minutes and $53 for an hour with the Big Buddha. Two older listings using the ATV on Tour name have had no reviews since 2024 and early 2025, so we left them out.
Can children do an ATV tour in Phuket?+
Yes, as passengers. Drivers must be 12 or older on the jungle trails tour and 15 or older on Phuket Paradise and Vacay; younger children ride with an adult on a child ticket. Click2GoThailand takes passengers from four.
Do I need a licence to ride an ATV in Phuket?+
The Oh-Hoo listings state that no special licence is needed, and the other tours make no licence requirement either. You get a briefing and practice run, and a guide leads the ride on private trails. Alcohol is not allowed before riding.
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