I just came back from an amazing trip in Southern Thailand, I went island hopping through the famous Samui, Kho Tao and Kho Phangan. I wanted to share with you a few of the insights I learned through my personal experience.
My budget at the time wasn't exorbitant, so I had to look for other more affordable options, I wanted to share with you some tips on how to travel to these islands without breaking the bank… or your back! I should point out I'm a bit of a fuzzy traveler, so I always try to create a good balance between comfort, speed and cost.
Here are my personal tips for traveling to Samui, Kho TaoKho Tao and Kho Phangan:
Travelling by Bus or Train:
In my opinion, you should not even consider these 2 options, you might save a few hundred baht by choosing them, but you will spend an entire day traveling, which seems like an absolute waste of your precious holiday time.
Ever since I discovered low costs airlines I have never again looked back. If you get the right deal, flying to Surat Thani will cost you less than the bus/train ride. The last time I checked bus tickets ranged between 800/900 THB and the train was around 1200 THB including the ferry
If you want to get to Samui, Kho Phangan or Kho Tao quick and easy, just read the next section, you will thank me for this…
Check Out AirAsia Deals
This is hands down your best option, it's faster, more comfortable and often cheaper than any other transport. Flights leave from Don Muang Airport in Bangkok and during high season there is almost a flight per hour. This is their promotion page.
I got my tickets for 600 THB by booking 3 weeks in advance, if you are booking the same day you are looking to pay around 1500 THB, which I still think is worthwhile given you will arrive at Surat Thani in about 40 minutes.
Once at Surat Thani airport you can easily book a joint bus and ferry ride to any of the islands. Just approach the different booths there and book your ticket (more info about this in the next section)
Before moving on, keep in mind AirAsia is not the only carrier either. When booking your tickets make sure you also check Nok Air and Thai Lion Air deals.
I recommend you use Skyscanner to do this, they do often give you the best results.
Taking the Ferry ride to the Islands.
Once you have arrived at Surat Thani you will have to figure out a way to get to the pier where you can board your ferry to paradise.
I'm part of many traveling groups on Facebook, one of the questions that comes up most often is about the ferry between these islands. You probably have heard about Lom Prayah ferry service, they seem to be the most popular way to reach these islands, they are also the most expensive option. The last time I used them I paid around 1000 THB including a bus ride to the pier and their high-speed ferry to Kho Phangan.
They have multiple ferries going back and forth all day long so you don't have to worry too much about scheduling. The last one leaves at around 4PM in the afternoon from the Surat Thani pier.
If your budget is a bit tight I recommend you book your ferry ticket at songserm, I really liked their ferries and their prices are much more accessible than LomPrayah, they also have a booth at the airport.
Songserm only has 2 daily ferries heading to the islands so make sure you book your flight ticket accordingly so you don't miss your ferry! You can talk to them on their website and make sure you get it right (they are very responsive).
Hope this was useful to you! If you still insist on getting a train or a bus ticket (I highly recommend you do not do this if you value your time) make sure you get a joint ticket from Lom Prayah or Songserm, they offer these and they are guaranteed to provide you with a decent service.
Be very careful about booking from small travel agencies, there are lots of low quality and straight-up scam providers out there. You can read some horror stories about bus scams in Thailand, don't fall for these!
Martin Wynn
