Getting to Koh Samui Koh Phangan and Koh Tao by Boat
In this travel guide, I’m going to show you everything you need to know about getting to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao by boat. I’ll cover the main types of transport, their prices, when they leave and how to catch them, including my recommendations for which boats are best. I’ll also explain how to reach the islands from farther-away destinations such as Bangkok, Phuket and Krabi.
Koh Phangan, Koh Samui and Koh Tao are three of the most popular islands in the Gulf of Thailand. If you’re going to these islands, you will almost certainly have to take a boat to get there. The only exception is Koh Samui, which has an airport, although flights can be infrequent and more expensive than elsewhere, so many people opt to take the boat instead.
Getting to the Gulf Islands from Mainland Thailand
There are two main ports you can leave from on the mainland to get to the islands: Chumphon and Surat Thani, also known as Don Sak. Boats usually run to all three islands in succession. For example, boats may leave from Surat Thani, then go to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, finally ending in Chumphon. If they’re leaving from the other direction, they’ll go the other way.
The length of time it takes to make the journey depends on which type of boat you take. There are three types of boat that you can consider: Lomprayah, which runs catamarans and speedboats; companies such as Raja Ferry and Seatran, which run ferries; and the night ferry.
Lomprayah Catamarans and Speedboats
Let’s start with Lomprayah, because I believe this is the best option for most people. It’s the quickest and most convenient. It runs from Surat Thani at 11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. It takes about an hour to get from Surat Thani to Koh Samui, another half an hour to get to Koh Phangan, another hour to Koh Tao and then another hour to Chumphon. It leaves from Chumphon at 7:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and takes a similar amount of time in the other direction. If you’re not travelling from the mainland and are simply travelling between the islands—for example, from Koh Samui to Koh Phangan or from Koh Tao to Koh Phangan—there are even more boats, including speedboats that’ll get you there even quicker, so there are more options available.
Another major advantage of using Lomprayah is that it also runs a bus company, which can take you to other places on the mainland. If you’re travelling from far away, or to places far away like Bangkok, Krabi or Phuket, once the boat lands, a bus will pick you up and take you directly to that destination. You don’t need to worry about getting to the bus station and then figuring out which bus to take. You just buy one ticket and it takes care of you for the rest of the journey, which makes it the most convenient option in my opinion, and definitely the best option if you’re travelling to these places and not flying.
In general, the experience of travelling with Lomprayah is quite nice. There’s comfortable seating and quite a lot of space, although the boats do fill up, so some people will have to be outside, which might be a problem if it’s very sunny and hot or if it’s raining.
What are the disadvantages of taking Lomprayah? It is probably the worst option if you’re someone who gets seasick. Because it’s a faster boat, it’s more mobile but also less stable, so it tends to rock more and people who feel seasick are more prone to getting sick on this boat.
I recently travelled on the Lomprayah over Christmas and the weather was really bad. There were a few horror stories; everyone on the islands had a story about being on the boats, and ours was no different. The boat was extremely rocky and a lot of people were vomiting. In fact, one person even passed out and had to be stretchered off once we got to Chumphon, so it was a pretty bad experience. However, this was not a typical experience. The weather was really bad and it was typhoon season, so I would hope that you wouldn’t have quite such an extreme experience, although it’s something to consider when taking this option.
The other problem with Lomprayah is that it is generally the most expensive option, with tickets being about 900 to 1,200 baht one way on the ferry. If you want a cheaper option, you may want to take Seatran or Raja Ferry instead.
Seatran and Raja Ferry Services
Now let’s talk about the ferries run by companies such as Raja Ferry and Seatran. If you’re concerned about getting seasick, or you have a little bit more time and just don’t want to go on a rocky boat, then this might be the best option for you.
These boats are considerably larger than Lomprayah, which means they’re less rocky and more stable, so you’re less likely to get seasick. They also have the advantage of having a snack shop and more toilets available. If comfort is important to you, this might be a better option.
They are a bit slower than the catamarans, so they add time to your trip. From Surat Thani to Koh Samui, it takes about an hour and a half on these types of boat, which is 30 minutes longer than Lomprayah. If you’re travelling from Surat Thani to Koh Samui or Koh Phangan, these boats appear to run very often—about once an hour—so there’s almost always a boat to get on. They run slightly less frequently to Chumphon and Koh Tao, I suppose because they’re smaller places and fewer people want to visit them.
If you’re flying into Surat Thani, it might actually be quicker to take this boat because the services run more often. You might be able to get on an earlier boat and still arrive earlier. These types of boat also have the advantage of being a bit cheaper, usually about 300 to 500 baht one way.
If you’re already on the islands, there may not even be a need to book these tickets online. You might be able to buy them from a vendor or even your hotel. These vendors will have the information to tell you which boat is most convenient and which one will help you arrive quickest. For more island planning, you can also browse our Thailand travel guides.
The Night Ferry
There’s also a night ferry that runs between the islands, and this is the cheapest option, costing about 200 to 300 baht from Chumphon to Koh Tao. It takes around six hours, and it takes about nine hours in total to finish the journey to Surat Thani, so it’s considerably longer than the other boats.
I don’t actually recommend taking these boats. When we were there and the weather was terrible, one of these boats actually sank. This was on the same day that we arrived, when people were vomiting in the evening. One of these night boats just about managed to get out and eventually sank about 15 miles offshore. Everyone had to be evacuated in the early morning. Luckily no one was hurt, but everyone’s stuff was lost.
We spoke to people on Koh Tao about this type of boat, and they said that it wasn’t a surprise that it happened. These boats should have been shut down a long time ago; they were in really terrible condition. For your safety, I would recommend not taking these boats, especially when the weather is not very good.
Practical Tips for a Smooth Boat Trip
These are the three major types of transport that you can take between the islands. Please note that the ferries can be cancelled at any time due to bad weather, although how it wasn’t cancelled when I was there and the weather was bad, I don’t know.
If you have a long-distance flight straight after this, you might want to take that into consideration, just to make sure that you don’t miss your flight. Journeys on these boats often take longer than the stated times, so please be careful. I almost missed my flight from Surat Thani after this because we arrived maybe two hours later than expected. Luckily, I managed to get on in the end.
There are signs all over saying that these companies do not take responsibility for missed flights, so you won’t get a refund on your flight or anything like that. Please keep that in mind as well.
If you do get seasick, I would recommend buying some seasickness tablets. You can buy them pretty much anywhere in Thailand from a pharmacy. I saw some people had invested in a seasickness bag as well, which I thought was quite useful. People were vomiting in these bags and it wasn’t going anywhere, which was definitely a useful thing to have on the boat that I was on.
