Practical guide
Koh Tao to Koh Samui
Pick the boat by the Samui pier nearest your hotel.
- Logistics
- Easy
- Updated
- 3 Oct 2026
Choose the Boat by the Samui Pier Nearest Your Hotel
Koh Tao to Koh Samui is about 60–70 km across the Gulf, usually with a stop at Koh Phangan, and every boat leaves from Mae Haad pier on Koh Tao. The crossing takes 1.5 to 3 hours depending on the boat, from the 07:05 speedboat to the 16:30 slow ferry, and costs ฿550–800. Lomprayah's catamarans (฿700) are the workhorse, the speedboats (฿800) are faster, and Songserm and Boonsiri sell cheaper seats. The thing that matters is which Samui pier you land at, because Samui's piers are spread around the island. Bangrak is 10 minutes from the airport and 15 from Chaweng, Pralarn is in Maenam on the north coast, and Nathon is on the west coast, 45 minutes from Chaweng. The timetable doesn't change by season; the boats just fill up from December. Below you'll find every departure with its Samui pier, which pier suits which beach, the boat that skips Phangan, and how to make a flight from Samui.
Arriving in Koh Samui
Where to stay in Koh Samui
This route ends in Koh Samui. Search Koh Samui 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.
See Koh Samui hotelsOpens Booking.com with your dates · also on Expedia · Trip.com
Key Facts (2026)
Boats leave Mae Haad from 07:05 to 16:30
Lomprayah, Songserm, Boonsiri and Lomlahkkhirin run about a dozen sailings a day, each from its own jetty in Mae Haad bay. A taxi to the pier from elsewhere on Koh Tao is about ฿300.
The crossing takes 1.5–3 hours
Speedboats take about 1.5 hours, catamarans about 2, Songserm's ferry 3.5 and the 16:30 slow ferry 3. Every boat stops at Koh Phangan's Thong Sala except the 11:30 speedboat to Bangrak.
Fares are ฿550–800
฿700 on Lomprayah's catamarans, ฿800 on the speedboats, ฿550 on the slow ferry, about ฿500–700 on Songserm and Boonsiri. Lomprayah adds a hotel drop on Samui for ฿850–950.
Bangrak for Chaweng, Pralarn for Maenam, Nathon for the west
Bangrak is 10 minutes from the airport and 15 from Chaweng (฿250–350 by Grab). Pralarn is in Maenam, 30–40 minutes from Chaweng. Nathon is 45 minutes from Chaweng and the airport (฿400–500 by taxi).
For a flight, take the 07:05 or the 12:30
Both sell a through-ticket to Samui airport (arriving about 09:30 and 14:40). No boat makes a morning flight; for one, sleep on Samui the night before.
Same timetable all year, fuller boats from December
The October, November and January schedules are identical. Book a day or two ahead from December to April, and expect rough crossings in November.
Every Way From Koh Tao to Koh Samui, Compared (2026)
| Mode | Duration | Typical price | Departs from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speedboat (Lomprayah / Lomlahkkhirin / Songserm) | 1h25–1h40 | ฿800 | Mae Haad, 07:05, 11:30, 12:30 |
| Lomprayah catamaran | About 2h | ฿700 | Mae Haad, 09:15, 09:30, 15:30 |
| Boonsiri catamaran | 2–2h15 | About ฿600–700 | Mae Haad, 08:00, 09:15, 15:15 |
| Lomprayah slow ferry | About 3h | ฿550 | Mae Haad, 16:30 |
| Songserm high-speed ferry | About 3h30 | About ฿500 | Mae Haad, 09:30 |
Durations are pier to pier, including the stop at Koh Phangan on every boat except the 11:30 speedboat. The full departure list with each boat's Samui pier is below.
Koh Tao → Koh Samui Ferries by Departure (2026)
| Departs Mae Haad | Operator and boat | Samui pier | Arrives | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07:05 | Lomlahkkhirin speedboat | Pralarn (Maenam) | 08:30 | ฿800 (฿950 to the airport, about 09:30) |
| 08:00 | Boonsiri catamaran | Nathon | 10:00 | About ฿600–700 |
| 09:15 | Lomprayah catamaran | Bangrak | 11:00–11:15 | ฿700 |
| 09:15 | Boonsiri catamaran | Bangrak | 11:30 | About ฿600–700 |
| 09:30 | Lomprayah catamaran | Pralarn and Nathon | 11:30 | ฿700 |
| 09:30 | Songserm high-speed ferry | Nathon | 13:00 | About ฿500 |
| 11:30 | Lomprayah / Lomlahkkhirin speedboat, skips Koh Phangan | Bangrak | 13:00 | ฿800 |
| 11:30 | Songserm speedboat | Nathon | 13:05 | ฿800 |
| 12:30 | Lomprayah / Lomlahkkhirin speedboat | Bangrak | 14:10 | ฿800 (฿950 to the airport, about 14:40) |
| 12:30 | Songserm speedboat | Petcherat Marina, Bangrak | 14:00 | ฿800 |
| 15:15 | Boonsiri catamaran | Bangrak | 17:30 | About ฿600–700 |
| 15:30 | Lomprayah catamaran | Pralarn (Maenam) | 17:30 | ฿700 |
| 16:30 | Lomprayah slow ferry | Pralarn (Maenam) | 19:30 | ฿550 |
Lomprayah and Lomlahkkhirin times and fares from Lomprayah's 2026 timetable; Boonsiri and Songserm from 12Go's live listings, which add a fee. The 09:15 Lomprayah arrival is 11:15 on the timetable and 11:00 on 12Go. Bangrak has three separate piers (Lomprayah, Seatran/Boonsiri and Petcherat Marina), so check which one your ticket names. Every boat except the 11:30 Direct stops at Koh Phangan's Thong Sala, sometimes for 30–40 minutes.
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
12Go sells every operator on this crossing, with the hotel-drop and airport-transfer tickets, live seats and instant e-tickets. The table above is 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.
Which Samui Pier for Which Beach
Bangrak, Pralarn or Nathon, and the ride from each
Samui's arrival piers are on three different coasts, so the right boat is the one that lands nearest your hotel. Bangrak, on the northeast tip near Big Buddha, is 10 minutes from the airport and about 15 from Chaweng, ฿250–350 by Grab, and it's the pier for Chaweng, Choeng Mon, Bophut's Fisherman's Village and Lamai. The 09:15 Lomprayah, the 11:30 and 12:30 speedboats and Boonsiri's 09:15 and 15:15 land there. Bangrak has three separate piers, Lomprayah's own, the Seatran/Boonsiri pier and Petcherat Marina for Songserm, so read your ticket.
Pralarn pier is in Maenam on the north coast, the stop for Maenam and Bophut and 30–40 minutes from Chaweng; the 07:05 speedboat, the 15:30 catamaran and the 16:30 slow ferry land there. Nathon, the island's main town on the west coast, gets the Songserm boats, the 08:00 Boonsiri and the 09:30 Lomprayah; it's the closest pier for Lipa Noi and the southwest but 45 minutes and ฿400–500 by taxi from Chaweng. Lomprayah's hotel-drop ticket (฿850–950) saves arranging the last leg.
Staying in Chaweng, Lamai or Bophut, or flying out, take a boat to Bangrak. Staying in Maenam, take one to Pralarn. Staying in the west or southwest, take one to Nathon.
Making a Flight From Koh Samui
Koh Tao has no airport, and no boat makes a morning flight
Koh Tao has no airport, so a flight home goes from Samui, and Bangrak is the pier to aim for. Two boats sell a through-ticket to Samui airport. The 07:05 speedboat reaches the airport about 09:30, and the 12:30 speedboat about 14:40, both for ฿950. Allow 90 minutes at the airport before a Bangkok Airways departure, which makes the 07:05 good for flights from about 11:00 and the 12:30 good for flights from about 16:30. The 09:15 Lomprayah with an airport transfer gets there around 12:15.
Nothing from Koh Tao reaches Samui in time for an early-morning flight, and the crossing can be rough or delayed in the November monsoon. For a flight before about 11:00, or any flight you can't miss, take an afternoon boat the day before and sleep near Bangrak or Chaweng.
Booking, the Phangan Stop and Seasickness
What the crossing is actually like
Book a day or two ahead from December to April, when the morning boats fill, and on the day check in at your operator's jetty in Mae Haad 30 minutes before departure for a boarding sticker. Every boat except the 11:30 speedboat stops at Koh Phangan's Thong Sala pier, and the catamarans can wait there 30–40 minutes. The Gulf gets choppy from October to December, especially on the speedboats, so take a seasickness tablet before you board and sit low and toward the back. The timetable itself is the same all year.
The Crossing From Koh Tao to Koh Samui
Three crossings filmed by other travelers, on the Lomprayah catamaran and the morning boats to Maenam. Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play.
Going the Other Way, Koh Samui to Koh Tao
The same operators from the same three piers
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
The same live 12Go board for the crossing to Koh Tao.
Sponsored link — we may earn a small commission when you book, at no extra cost to you. Learn more.
Sorted the crossing? Plan the Samui end.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about koh tao to koh samui.
Where to stay in Koh Samui
Compare prices across major booking sites — filter for free-cancellation rooms if you want to reserve now and decide later.
- Compare prices across sites
- Filter for free cancellation
- Secure checkout on the partner site
Compare rates on Booking.com
Largest selection
Compare rates on Expedia
Bundle & save
Compare rates on Trip.com
Strong across Asia
We may earn a commission from bookings made through these links — at no extra cost to you. Learn more.
You Might Also Like
Best Time to Visit Thailand
Plan around the weather, not against it
Thailand on a Budget
Thailand on less, without missing the best of it
Is Thailand Safe?
What is actually risky, what is only in the news, and what four government advisories say, destination by destination
Thailand Visa & Entry Requirements
Who enters visa-free, what immigration checks, the TDAC, and how to stay longer
Thailand Travel Tips
What every visitor to Thailand should know — before they land
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.
More about MacReady to build your itinerary?
Use our free itinerary builder to save places, organize days, and share your trip.
Open Itinerary Builder