Practical guide
Koh Samui to Khao Sok
From the Gulf to the rainforest in one day, on one ticket
Leave Samui in the Morning on One Boat-and-Bus Ticket
Koh Samui to Khao Sok is a boat to Donsak pier on the mainland and then about 190 km by road to the village, with no direct bus or ferry and no airport at the Khao Sok end. A combined ticket covers both legs, takes 5 to 10 hours and costs about ฿600–1,700. The departures run from about 04:20 to 14:00, and the cleanest is Lomprayah's 08:30 catamaran from Nathon, which reaches Khao Sok at 13:30 for ฿1,250.
Check live Koh Samui → Khao Sok times and seats on 12Go
If you're sleeping on Cheow Lan Lake, the pier comes about 40 km before the village. A private car with the ferry costs about ฿4,000–6,000 for the vehicle and takes 4.5 to 6 hours.
Key Facts
There's no direct boat, so every ticket changes at Donsak
The boat crosses to Donsak pier near Surat Thani, 45 minutes on Lomprayah's catamaran or about 1 hour 30 on the Raja and Seatran car ferries, and a bus or van drives the last 190 km or so, about three hours.
Lomprayah's own fare is ฿1,250
From Nathon at 08:30 (Khao Sok 13:30) or 11:45 (16:30), or the 08:30 speedboat from Pralarn in Maenam (12:30). With a pickup at any Samui hotel it's ฿1,400, collected at 07:00 or 10:15.
The last same-day ticket leaves at 14:00
12Go's board runs from 04:20 to 14:00 at about ฿600–1,700 with its booking fee, and nothing later reaches Khao Sok the same day.
A private car costs about ฿4,000–6,000
For the vehicle, with the ferry, door to door in 4.5 to 6 hours. Split between three or four people it costs about the same per head as Lomprayah.
Every Way From Koh Samui to Khao Sok, Compared
| Option | Leaves Samui | Arrives in Khao Sok | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lomprayah speedboat + vanSeats on 12Go | Pralarn pier (Maenam) 08:30 | 12:30 | ฿1,250 |
| Lomprayah catamaran + bus or van | Nathon 08:30 or 11:45 (hotel pickup 07:00 or 10:15) | 13:30 or 16:30 | ฿1,250 / ฿1,400 with the hotel pickup |
| Car ferry + minivan | 06:00 to 14:00 | 5 to 7 hours 45 later | About ฿600–1,300 |
| Ferry + bus | From 04:20 to 10:45 | 7 to 10 hours later | About ฿620–860 |
| Private car with the ferry | When you like | 4.5 to 6 hours later | About ฿4,000–6,000 for the car |
Lomprayah times and fares from its own 2026 timetable. The other combos from 12Go's board for November 2026, which includes a booking fee. Private car fares from Khao Sok transfer firms and resorts.
Bookable departures · refreshed daily
Koh Samui → Khao Sok: departure times you can book now
Every departure currently on sale through 12Go for this route, by class. Fares are the spread across the classes shown; the exact price for a seat and date is on the booking page.
Ferry & speedboat
| Class | Departures |
|---|---|
| High Speed Ferry + Bus | 11:45 |
| Express | 06:00, 06:15, 08:00, 08:15, 10:00, 10:15, 12:00, 12:15, 14:00 |
| Standard | 09:00 |
Bus
| Class | Departures |
|---|---|
| Express | 05:30, 06:00, 07:00, 08:30, 09:00, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00 |
| Bus + Ferry | 04:20, 04:45, 06:20, 06:45, 08:20, 08:45, 10:20, 10:45 |
Minivan
| Class | Departures |
|---|---|
| Van + Speedboat | 11:45 |
| High Speed Ferry + Van | 08:30 |
| Minivan + Ferry | 06:00, 06:15, 08:00, 08:15, 10:00, 10:15, 12:00, 12:15, 14:00 |
| Van + Ferry | 12:00 |
Times and fares as sold on 12Go, refreshed daily. Services sold only locally — ordinary trains, weekend excursion trains, walk-up pier tickets — are not listed; see the table above for those. Sponsored link: we may earn a commission when you book, at no extra cost to you.
Koh Samui → Khao Sok
Check boats and buses from Koh Samui to Khao Sok
12Go sells the boat-and-bus combos as one ticket, with the Samui pier and the drop-off in Khao Sok on each, so a late boat doesn't strand you at Donsak.
Sponsored link — we may earn a small commission when you book, at no extra cost to you. Learn more.
Which Samui Pier to Leave From
Nathon on the west coast is where Lomprayah's catamaran and the Seatran ferry leave, and Raja's car ferry goes from Lipa Noi, a few kilometers south. Lomprayah's speedboat leaves Pralarn pier in Maenam on the north coast at 08:30 and gets in an hour earlier than the Nathon boat, which suits anyone staying in Maenam or Bophut.
From Chaweng or Lamai every pier is a ride across the island, so the hotel pickup is worth the extra. Lomprayah's costs ฿150 more than the pier fare,.
The Lake Comes Before the Village
From Donsak the road reaches Ratchaprapha pier on Cheow Lan Lake after about 150 km, and the village on Route 401 after about 190. If your first night is on a floating bungalow, book a raft package with the transfer included, or a van that names the pier, and aim to reach it by early afternoon, because the boats out to the rafts don't run after dark.
The lake costs ฿300 for foreign adults plus a ฿40 pier fee. Our Khao Sok floating bungalows guide compares the raft houses and the overnight tours.
Arriving in Khao Sok
Most buses and vans stop on Route 401 at the foot of the village road, about 2 km below the park headquarters. A local taxi or pickup to your guesthouse costs about ฿50–80 a person. Grab doesn't work in Khao Sok, so sort out the last kilometer before you leave Samui.
From Koh Phangan or Koh Tao
The same tickets run from the other Gulf islands, with a longer boat. From Koh Phangan, Lomprayah's 08:05 reaches Khao Sok at 12:30 for ฿1,350. From Koh Tao, Lomprayah's 07:05 speedboat gets in at 12:30 for ฿1,550, and its 09:30 catamaran and 11:00 speedboat at 16:30 for ฿1,450 and ฿1,550. The how to get to Khao Sok guide has every other starting point.
Khao Sok to Koh Samui
Going back, the combos leave Khao Sok in the morning and reach Samui in 6 to 8.5 hours for about ฿560–770 on 12Go. The buses go at 09:00 and 13:00, the bus-and-ferry tickets on the hour from 10:20 to 13:20, and the ferry combos at 08:00, 09:00, 10:00 and 12:00. Lomprayah's own timetable has no departures from Khao Sok, so book one of these, or a private car with the ferry for about the same ฿4,000–6,000.
Leave by early afternoon. The last car ferry leaves Donsak at about 19:00, and if the van runs late you spend the night in Surat Thani. These tickets usually end at Nathon or Lipa Noi, so budget for a taxi across to Chaweng or Lamai.
Bookable departures · refreshed daily
Khao Sok → Koh Samui: departure times you can book now
Every departure currently on sale through 12Go for this route, by class. Fares are the spread across the classes shown; the exact price for a seat and date is on the booking page.
Bus
| Class | Departures |
|---|---|
| Express | 09:00, 13:00 |
| Bus + Bus + Ferry | 10:20, 11:20, 12:20, 13:20 |
Ferry & speedboat
| Class | Departures |
|---|---|
| Express | 08:00, 09:00, 10:00, 12:00 |
Times and fares as sold on 12Go, refreshed daily. Services sold only locally — ordinary trains, weekend excursion trains, walk-up pier tickets — are not listed; see the table above for those. Sponsored link: we may earn a commission when you book, at no extra cost to you.
Khao Sok → Koh Samui
Check buses and boats from Khao Sok to Koh Samui
The live board for the trip back, with the morning vans and buses to Donsak and the ferry across on one ticket.
Sponsored link — we may earn a small commission when you book, at no extra cost to you. Learn more.
When to Make the Trip
The two ends have different seasons. Samui is at its best from February to September and wettest in November, at about 445 mm of rain, while Khao Sok is wettest in September, at about 450 mm, and driest from December to April. The boats and buses run all year, but a November crossing can be rough. The rainforest is at its greenest in the rains, and the trails are driest from December to April.
Ticket booked? Plan the Khao Sok end.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Koh Samui to Khao Sok.
On a combined boat-and-bus ticket. The boat crosses to Donsak pier on the mainland and a bus or van drives about 190 km to Khao Sok, 5 to 10 hours in all for about ฿600–1,700. Lomprayah's 08:30 from Nathon arrives at 13:30 for ฿1,250.
About 5 to 7 hours on most tickets and up to 10 on the slowest bus combos. Lomprayah's speedboat from Pralarn is the quickest scheduled option, 08:30 to 12:30. A private car with the ferry takes 4.5 to 6 hours.
No. Khao Sok is inland, about 190 km by road from Donsak pier, so every ticket is a boat to Donsak and then a bus or van. Sold as one ticket, the boat company's bus meets the boat.
About ฿600–1,300 for the car-ferry-and-van tickets on 12Go, ฿1,250 for Lomprayah's own fare and ฿1,400 with its Samui hotel pickup. A private car with the ferry costs about ฿4,000–6,000 for the vehicle.
The last same-day combo on 12Go's board leaves at 14:00, and Lomprayah's last is the 11:45 from Nathon, arriving at 16:30. After that, stay on Samui or break the trip in Surat Thani.
Book a van-and-ferry or bus-and-ferry ticket leaving Khao Sok between 08:00 and about 13:20. It reaches Samui in 6 to 8.5 hours for about ฿560–770, usually at Nathon or Lipa Noi.
Yes. Lomprayah's 08:05 from Koh Phangan reaches Khao Sok at 12:30 for ฿1,350, and from Koh Tao its 07:05 speedboat arrives at 12:30 for ฿1,550.
Yes, if you give it two nights. It's a long travel day each way, so one night only covers the journey. Two or three nights fit the trails, a river trip and a night on Cheow Lan Lake, and the park guide lays out how to split them.
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Written by
Mac Kiley
I lived in Bangkok for four years and traveled the country from there. The guides are my own opinions, written the way I'd explain them to a friend planning a trip.
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