Practical guide
Koh Samui to Koh Tao Ferry
Leave from the pier nearest your hotel, and be on Koh Tao in two hours.
Take a Fast Boat From the Pier Nearest Your Hotel
Koh Samui to Koh Tao is about 60–70 km across the Gulf, and around 20 boats a day make the crossing to Mae Haad pier on Koh Tao, almost all of them stopping at Koh Phangan on the way. The fast boats, Lomprayah's catamarans and the Lomlahkkhirin and Songserm speedboats, take 1.5–2 hours and cost ฿700–800; the slow ferries take 2.5–3.5 hours for ฿450–550. The first boats leave at 08:00 and the last at 16:00.
Check live Koh Samui → Koh Tao times and seats on 12Go
Samui has three departure piers on three coasts, so pick the boat by where you're staying. Bangrak serves Chaweng, Lamai, Bophut and the airport, Pralarn in Maenam serves the north coast, and Nathon the west. The 15:30 speedboat from Bangrak is the one boat that goes straight to Koh Tao without stopping at Phangan. If you're flying in, Lomprayah's airport pickups connect with boats until mid-afternoon, so a flight that lands by about 14:00 gets you to Koh Tao the same day.
The timetable is the same all year. Below you'll find every departure by pier, which pier suits which beach, the airport connections, and whether a day trip is worth it.
Arriving in Koh Tao
Where to stay in Koh Tao
This route ends in Koh Tao. Search Koh Tao hotels with your dates, or narrow it to the area you're heading for. Filter for free cancellation if you want to hold a room and decide later.
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Key Facts (2026)
About 20 boats a day, 08:00 to 16:00
Lomprayah and Lomlahkkhirin (one company, catamarans and speedboats), Songserm and Boonsiri. All arrive at Mae Haad pier on Koh Tao's west coast.
1.5–2 hours on the fast boats, 2.5–3.5 on the slow ones
Catamarans and speedboats take about 1h30–2h; Lomprayah's 11:00 slow ferry about 2h30 and Songserm's 10:30 high-speed ferry from Nathon about 3h15. A few boats change at Phangan and can wait there up to 1.5 hours.
฿700 on the fast boats, ฿450–550 on the slow ones
Lomprayah and Lomlahkkhirin charge ฿700 for catamaran or speedboat, ฿550 for the slow ferry, and ฿850 with a hotel or airport pickup. Songserm's speedboats are about ฿800 and its slow ferry ฿450; Boonsiri ฿650–700.
Bangrak, Pralarn or Nathon, so read your ticket
Bangrak, 10 minutes from the airport and 15 from Chaweng, has three separate piers (Lomprayah, Seatran/Boonsiri and Petcherat Marina for Songserm). Pralarn is in Maenam; Nathon is on the west coast, 45 minutes from Chaweng.
Land on Samui by about 14:00 for a same-day crossing
Lomprayah's airport pickups (฿850) leave at 07:30, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 15:00 and run you to the right pier for a boat. The 15:00 pickup meets the 15:30 Direct to Koh Tao.
Same timetable all year; rough seas October to December
The October and December schedules are identical. The Gulf is choppiest from October to December, when speedboats feel it most and a boat can be canceled for weather.
Every Way From Koh Samui to Koh Tao, Compared (2026)
| Mode | Duration | Typical price | Departs from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speedboat (Lomlahkkhirin)Seats on 12Go | 1h30–1h45 | ฿700 | Bangrak 08:00, 10:30, 15:30 (Direct); Pralarn 14:30 |
| Speedboat (Songserm) | 1h25–1h30 | About ฿800 | Petcherat Marina, Bangrak, 09:30, 10:30 |
| Lomprayah catamaran | 1h30–2h (2h45–3h15 with a change at Phangan) | ฿700 | Pralarn 08:00, 12:30; Bangrak 11:30, 12:30, 14:30; Nathon 12:15, 16:00 |
| Boonsiri catamaran | About 2h | ฿650–700 | Bangrak 08:00, 12:30; Nathon 14:35 |
| Lomprayah slow ferry | About 2h30 | ฿550 | Pralarn 11:00 |
| Songserm high-speed ferry | About 3h15 | About ฿450 | Nathon 10:30 |
Lomprayah and Lomlahkkhirin times and fares from Lomprayah's own 2026 timetable; Songserm and Boonsiri from 12Go's live listings, which add a fee. Durations are pier to pier, including the Phangan stop.
Bookable departures · refreshed daily
Koh Samui → Koh Tao: 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 |
|---|---|
| Catamaran | 08:00, 12:30, 15:30 |
| Speedboat | 12:15, 14:30 |
| High Speed Ferry | 10:30 |
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 → Koh Tao
Check live ferries from Koh Samui to Koh Tao
12Go sells every operator on this crossing, with hotel and airport pickups, live seats and instant e-tickets. The tables on this page are the full timetable; the live board below shows what 12Go has on sale.
Sponsored link — we may earn a small commission when you book, at no extra cost to you. Learn more.
Koh Samui → Koh Tao Ferries by Departure (2026)
| Departs | Operator and boat | Samui pier | Arrives Mae Haad | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | Lomprayah catamaran | Pralarn (Maenam) | 09:30 | ฿700 |
| 08:00 | Lomlahkkhirin speedboat (change at Phangan) | Bangrak (Lomprayah pier) | 09:45–10:00 | ฿700 |
| 08:00 | Boonsiri catamaran | Bangrak (Seatran/Boonsiri pier) | 09:50 | ฿700 |
| 09:30 | Songserm speedboat | Petcherat Marina, Bangrak | 10:55 | About ฿800 |
| 10:30 | Lomlahkkhirin speedboat | Bangrak | 12:15 | ฿700 |
| 10:30 | Songserm speedboat | Petcherat Marina, Bangrak | 12:00 | About ฿800 |
| 10:30 | Songserm high-speed ferry | Nathon | 13:45 | About ฿450 |
| 11:00 | Lomprayah slow ferry | Pralarn (Maenam) | 13:30 | ฿550 |
| 11:30 | Lomprayah catamaran (change at Phangan) | Bangrak | 14:15 | ฿700 |
| 11:30 | Songserm speedboat and ferry (change at Phangan) | Petcherat Marina, Bangrak | 14:15 | ฿700 |
| 12:15 | Lomprayah catamaran | Nathon | 14:15 | ฿700 |
| 12:30 | Lomprayah catamaran | Bangrak | 14:30 | ฿700 |
| 12:30 | Lomprayah catamaran | Pralarn (Maenam) | 14:15 | ฿700 |
| 12:30 | Boonsiri catamaran | Bangrak (Seatran/Boonsiri pier) | 14:30 | ฿700 |
| 14:30 | Lomlahkkhirin speedboat | Pralarn (Maenam) | 16:00 | ฿700 |
| 14:30 | Lomprayah catamaran (change at Phangan) | Bangrak | 17:45 | ฿700 |
| 14:35 | Boonsiri catamaran | Nathon | 16:25 | ฿650 |
| 15:30 | Lomlahkkhirin speedboat, Direct (skips Phangan) | Bangrak | 17:00 | ฿700 |
| 16:00 | Lomprayah catamaran (the last boat) | Nathon | 17:45 | ฿700 |
Lomprayah and Lomlahkkhirin from Lomprayah's 2026 timetable (in effect since 25 August 2026); Songserm and Boonsiri from 12Go. 'Change at Phangan' boats switch to a catamaran at Thong Sala and can wait 1–1.5 hours there. Lomprayah's 08:00 from Pralarn also runs a separate boat straight to Koh Nangyuan, arriving 09:45. One 2026 pier tour said Petcherat Marina has no Koh Tao boats, while 12Go sells the Songserm departures above, so confirm the pier on your ticket.
Which Samui Pier to Leave From
Bangrak for Chaweng and the airport, Pralarn for Maenam, Nathon for the west
Every operator lands at the same place on Koh Tao, Mae Haad, so the only choice that matters is where you start on Samui. Bangrak, at the northeast tip, is 10 minutes from the airport and about 15 from Chaweng (฿250–350 by Grab), and it's the pier for Chaweng, Choeng Mon, Lamai and Bophut's Fisherman's Village. It's really three piers in a row, Lomprayah's own pier for the Lomprayah and Lomlahkkhirin boats, the Seatran/Boonsiri pier for Boonsiri, and Petcherat Marina for Songserm's speedboats. Big Buddha pier, nearby, is the Haad Rin Queen's pier to Phangan and has no Koh Tao boats.
Pralarn pier in Maenam on the north coast has Lomprayah's 08:00 and 12:30 catamarans, the 11:00 slow ferry and a 14:30 speedboat, and suits anyone staying in Maenam or western Bophut, 30–40 minutes from Chaweng. Nathon, the island's town on the west coast, has the 10:30 Songserm ferry, Lomprayah's 12:15 and 16:00 and Boonsiri's 14:35; it's handy for Lipa Noi and the southwest but 45 minutes and ฿400–500 by taxi from Chaweng. Lomprayah's pickup tickets (฿850) collect from hotels and take you to the right pier, which removes the guesswork.
Staying in Chaweng, Lamai or Bophut, leave from Bangrak, and take the 15:30 Direct if you want to skip Phangan. Staying in Maenam, leave from Pralarn. Staying in the west, leave from Nathon.
Flying Into Samui and Straight On to Koh Tao
Lomprayah's airport pickups, and the 14:00 rule
Koh Tao has no airport, so most people fly into Samui and take a boat the same day. Lomprayah sells airport pickups that include the boat, ฿850, leaving the airport at 07:30, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 15:00 for Bangrak (and at 11:00 and 15:00 for Nathon, 11:30 for Pralarn). The 15:00 pickup meets the 15:30 Direct speedboat, arriving on Koh Tao about 17:00, so a flight that lands by about 14:00 makes it with time to collect bags. A June 2026 traveler on the 09:15 Bangkok Airways flight from Suvarnabhumi landed at 10:45, took the 12:00 airport pickup to the 12:30 catamaran from Bangrak, and was on Koh Tao around 14:30.
If your flight lands later, or is the kind that runs late, book a night on Samui near Bangrak and take a morning boat. Bangrak is also only a 10-minute Grab from the airport if you'd rather buy the boat ticket on its own.
The Crossing, the Phangan Stop and Seasickness
What two hours on the Gulf is actually like
Almost every boat calls at Koh Phangan's Thong Sala pier for about 10 minutes. A few, marked as changing at Phangan, switch you onto a catamaran there and can wait up to an hour and a half, so if you're in a hurry choose a boat without the change, or the 15:30 Direct, which doesn't stop at all. Check in at your operator's desk at the pier 30 minutes before departure for a boarding sticker. Bags go in a pile at the front; keep valuables with you. Lomprayah's ticket terms allow 20 kg of luggage a person and one free date change, and its tickets aren't refundable.
The Gulf is calmest from about February to September and roughest from October to December, when the speedboats bounce and boats occasionally cancel for weather. Take a seasickness tablet half an hour before you board, sit low and in the middle, and look at the horizon. Visitors pay a small island fee at Mae Haad pier when they land (฿20 in 2026).
Arriving in Koh Tao
Top-Ranked Hotels in Koh Tao
The top of my ranked list of the 10 best hotels in Koh Tao. Each button opens the hotel on Booking.com with your dates filled in.
#1Assava Diving Koh Tao | PADI 5* CDC Scuba Diving Centre & Hotel Beach Resort, Thailand4.9 (2,642 reviews)
A dive school with rooms attached, on Koh Tao's quieter southern bay, built for people who came to get certified.
Check rates
#6Sunrise Koh Tao4.6 (328 reviews)
A well-regarded resort steps from Maehaad Pier, ideal for divers and island explorers on Koh Tao.
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#9Nomads Koh Tao Hostel4.5 (320 reviews)
A well-rated hostel on Koh Tao offering a sociable base for divers and island explorers.
Check rates
Can You Do Koh Tao as a Day Trip From Samui?
Yes, as a snorkel tour, though Koh Tao rewards a night or two
You can. Lomprayah runs daily snorkeling trips from Samui to Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan by catamaran or speedboat, with hotel pickup and lunch on Nang Yuan, and tour operators sell private speedboat days that stop at Shark Bay, Lighthouse Bay and Nang Yuan. Lomprayah doesn't publish the price, so ask at its office or a Samui travel agent. Nang Yuan charges its own entry fee (฿250 in April 2026) and bans plastic bottles.
Expect three hours or more on the water for the round trip, which leaves only a few hours on Koh Tao. It's a good taste of the snorkeling if Samui is your base. If diving is the reason to go, or you want Sairee's sunsets, stay a night or two and take the scheduled boat.
The Samui Piers, the Airport Connection and a Day Trip
Three 2026 videos by other travelers, a tour of every Samui pier with Tao boats, a same-day flight-and-ferry connection, and a day trip. Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play.
Coming Back From Koh Tao to Koh Samui
Boats from 07:05 to 16:30, and which pier they land at
The return boats leave Mae Haad from 07:05 to 16:30 and land at Bangrak, Pralarn or Nathon. For a flight out of Samui, take the 07:05 or 12:30 speedboat with an airport transfer. The Koh Tao to Koh Samui guide has every departure and the flight timings.
Bookable departures · refreshed daily
Koh Tao → 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.
Ferry & speedboat
| Class | Departures |
|---|---|
| Speedboat | 07:00, 15:00 |
| Catamaran | 09:30 |
| Express | 09:30 |
| High Speed Ferry | 09:30 |
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 Tao → Koh Samui
Check live ferries from Koh Tao to Koh Samui
The same live 12Go board for the crossing back.
Sponsored link — we may earn a small commission when you book, at no extra cost to you. Learn more.
Crossing booked? Plan Koh Tao, or the next hop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Koh Samui to Koh Tao Ferry.
1.5–2 hours on the fast boats (Lomprayah catamarans and the Lomlahkkhirin and Songserm speedboats), about 2.5 hours on Lomprayah's 11:00 slow ferry and about 3h15 on Songserm's 10:30 ferry from Nathon. Boats that change at Phangan can take up to 3h15.
฿700 on Lomprayah and Lomlahkkhirin's catamarans and speedboats, ฿550 on Lomprayah's slow ferry, about ฿800 on Songserm's speedboats, ฿450 on Songserm's slow ferry and ฿650–700 on Boonsiri. A Lomprayah ticket with hotel or airport pickup is ฿850.
Three piers. Bangrak (for Chaweng, Lamai, Bophut and the airport) has Lomprayah, Lomlahkkhirin, Boonsiri and Songserm, each from its own jetty; Pralarn in Maenam has Lomprayah's 08:00, 11:00, 12:30 and 14:30; Nathon on the west coast has Songserm's ferry and Lomprayah's 12:15 and 16:00. Big Buddha pier has no Koh Tao boats.
The first boats leave at 08:00 (from Pralarn and Bangrak) and the last at 16:00 from Nathon. The last from Bangrak is the 15:30 Direct speedboat, which arrives at 17:00.
Yes, one. The 15:30 Lomlahkkhirin speedboat from Bangrak goes straight to Koh Tao in about 1.5 hours without stopping at Koh Phangan. Every other boat calls at Thong Sala, and a few change boats there.
Yes. Lomprayah's airport pickups (฿850 including the boat) leave at 07:30, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 15:00; the 15:00 meets the 15:30 Direct to Koh Tao. A flight that lands by about 14:00 makes a same-day crossing.
Yes, as a snorkel tour. Lomprayah runs daily trips to Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan with hotel pickup and lunch, and tour operators sell private speedboat days. Expect three hours or more on the water; Nang Yuan charges its own entry fee. To dive or see Sairee properly, stay a night or two.
October to December, the Gulf's monsoon. Speedboats feel it most and boats can cancel for weather. February to September is usually calm. The timetable itself doesn't change by season.
About 60–70 km across the Gulf, roughly 60 km in a straight line from Samui's north-coast piers to Mae Haad. The fast boats take 1.5–2 hours with the stop at Koh Phangan, and the 15:30 Direct does it in about 1.5 hours without stopping.
From Bangrak, Lomprayah and its speedboat brand Lomlahkkhirin leave at 08:00, 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 14:30 and 15:30 (the Direct). From Pralarn in Maenam they leave at 08:00, 11:00 (the slow ferry), 12:30 and 14:30, and from Nathon at 12:15 and 16:00. The fast boats are ฿700, the slow ferry ฿550, and ฿850 with a hotel or airport pickup, on the same timetable all year.
Lomprayah if you want choice, with about a dozen departures from three piers and the 15:30 Direct that skips Phangan. Boonsiri has three catamarans a day, 08:00 and 12:30 from Bangrak and 14:35 from Nathon, for ฿650–700, taking about 2 hours. Both land at Mae Haad, so I'd pick whichever leaves nearest your hotel at the right time.
Yes, especially for diving and snorkeling, which is what most people go for. It's small, relaxed and two hours away, so two or three nights is a good fit alongside Samui.
Where to stay in Koh Tao
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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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