How to Get to Koh Tao

Most people take Lomprayah's combined ticket. The 22:00 bus from its Khao San office (21:30 from Pinklao) reaches the pier near Chumphon before dawn, and the 07:00 catamaran lands at Mae Haad at 08:45, for ฿1,250 or ฿1,550 with a VIP seat. It saves a night's room and needs no planning beyond being at the office an hour early. The 06:00 day bus does the same trip by daylight and arrives at 15:00.

The sleeper train is the comfortable overland option. No. 85 leaves Krung Thep Aphiwat at 19:50 and reaches Chumphon at 03:43, and Lomprayah's van from the station at 06:00 connects with the catamaran, on the island at 08:45, for about ฿729 for a 2nd-class berth plus ฿900 for the boat. The fastest is Thai AirAsia's 07:25 from Don Mueang to Chumphon and Lomprayah's ฿1,000 airport bus and boat at 09:00, on Koh Tao by 15:00. Our Bangkok to Koh Tao guide has every train and the trip back.

From Bangkok overland, Chumphon wins, because it's the earlier stop and the crossing is 1 hour 45 against 3 hours 45. It's also the gentler ride if you get seasick. Surat Thani wins on flights, with about 14 a day from Bangkok's two airports against 2 for Chumphon, and on routes from the south. Lomprayah's 09:30 bus from Surat Thani airport reaches Koh Tao at 14:15 for ฿1,100, and its Direct speedboat from Tapee pier in town leaves at 15:30 and lands at 18:00 for ฿1,200. A night boat leaves Surat Thani town around 21:00 too. Our Surat Thani to Koh Tao guide has every departure and a side-by-side table.

If Koh Tao is your second or third island, the hop is easy. Around 20 boats a day leave Koh Samui between 08:00 and 16:00, almost all calling at Phangan, taking 1.5 to 2 hours on the fast boats for ฿700 or up to 3.5 hours on the slow ferries for ฿450–550. Flying into Samui on Bangkok Airways and taking the boat is the quickest way from Bangkok by the clock, and the most expensive.

From Koh Phangan it's an hour or so. Eight Lomprayah boats a day leave Thong Sala for Koh Tao between 08:30 and 16:45, ฿600 on the catamarans and speedboats and ฿450 on the 12:00 ferry, Boonsiri sails at 08:45, 13:15 and 15:25 for ฿600, and Songserm has a 10:00 speedboat for ฿600 and a 12:00 ferry for ฿500. Our Koh Samui to Koh Tao guide has every pier and boat.

Lomprayah sells one ticket from the Andaman side that crosses to the Gulf by road and carries on by boat. From its Krabi office the catamaran trips leave at 08:00 and 11:30 and reach Koh Tao at 14:15 and 17:45 for ฿1,300, and the Direct speedboat at 13:00 lands at 18:00 for ฿1,600. From Phuket it's one trip at 09:30, landing at 17:45 for ฿1,600, with a Patong hotel pickup for ฿150 more, and from Tonsai pier on Phi Phi the 10:00 lands at 17:45 for ฿1,850. It's a full day either way, so the 08:00 from Krabi is the one to aim for. Our Phuket to Koh Tao guide has the hotel and airport pickups and the flights via Samui.

Every boat lands at Mae Haad, the village and pier halfway down the west coast. Shared pickup taxis wait at the end of the pier and charge about ฿100 a person to Sairee, the longtail boats go round to the east-coast bays like Tanote for about ฿150–200, and plenty of dive schools collect their students. There are ATMs at the 7-Elevens and the banks in Mae Haad, with a ฿250–350 charge on foreign cards.

For Bangkok, Lomprayah's 15:00 boat reaches Chumphon station at 17:30 for ฿900, in time for the night trains north. For Surat Thani airport, the 07:05 speedboat arrives at 11:00 for ฿1,200. Samui and Phangan are an easy morning hop. In the rainy season from October to December rough seas can stop the boats for a day or two, so leave a spare day before an international flight.