How Kapp'n boat tours in Animal Crossing: New Horizons work and what are the perks

Kapp'n on his boat in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Kapp'n boat tours are here, and the lazy little turtle himself is ready to take you on some boat tours that can earn you some seriously good stuff. It's worth noting that you can only go on one Kapp'n boat tour a day, so make it count. Clear your pockets of anything unessential and make sure you've got plenty of time to make the most of what's on offer. 

Here's everything you need to know about Animal Crossing: New Horizons Kapp'n boat tours, which have arrived as part of Animal Crossing: New Horizons Update 2.0:

How Kapp'n boat tours work and the cost

Kapp'n on his boat in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Each Kapp'n boat tour costs 1000 Nook Miles, but it comes with the caveat of only being able to take one per day. 

Kapp'n can be found on his boat at the pier on your island and will take you to remote islands that are similar to those you'll visit using Dodo Airlines. However, they're a little more exciting than those, which is why Kapp'n is rationing out visits. 

Once you've paid your toll though, you'll zip off on Kapp'n speedboat to a random island, and all the way he'll sing you one of his famous sea shanties. If you press A, you can clap along with them too.

Kapp'n on his boat in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Clap away by all means, but also pay attention to the weather conditions of your boat trip as it may well hint at the island you're about to visit. 

If you've flown via Dodo Airlines to any islands, there are some similarities here. If you need tools, for example, Kapp'n can sell you flimsy ones for Nook Miles, and there's always a workbench on every island for emergency crafting.

What makes Kapp'n boat tour islands special?

The magic thing about Animal Crossing: New Horizons Kapp'n boat tours is that the islands you'll visit may exist in a different time of day or season to your own island. That means the possibility of collecting any of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons fish, Animal Crossing: New Horizons bugs, or Animal Crossing: New Horizons sea creatures that you may have missed. They may also feature other unusual items, like flowers not native to your own island, different bushes that you can dig up and take home, and even brand new items like climbable vines. Here are some of the things you may find via a Kapp'n boat trip:

  • Money trees - Reap the financial benefits of multiple money trees each carrying 3000 bells each
  • Seasonal recipes - Message in a bottle recipes can be related to the season that island exists in, such as Cherry Blossom recipes or Mushroom recipes. 
  • New 'Glowing Moss' recipes - Recipes linked to the new glowing moss flora that you can find on Kapp'n trips
  • Crops
  • Food recipes 
  • Animal Crossing: New Horizons Gyroids and Gyroid fragments
  • Star fragments - Can be found inside rocks

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Sam Loveridge
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Sam Loveridge is the Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar, and joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.