Planes, Trains, Buses and Boats
How do you get to Koh Tao?
How To Get Here
Koh Tao Island does not have an airport. It can only be accessed by ferry. So no matter how you choose to start your journey to the island, it will always end with a boat trip. So, where are you starting from?
To get here from Bangkok, you can get either a sleeper train and ferry or a bus and ferry combination ticket with Lomprayah. The Lomprayah bus leaves from Khao San Road twice a day and takes you straight south to the Lomprayah pier in Chumphon. Then it’s just a short ferry ride to the island from there!
Alternatively, if your schedule is tight and your budget is bigger, you can fly to Koh Samui with Bangkok Airways and get the Lomprayah Catamaran across to Koh Tao.
If you want to fly but find flying to Samui a bit too expensive, you can fly with Air Asia from Bangkok to Chumphon and then, depending on arrival time, either take the Lomprayah ferry or the night boat over to Koh Tao.
Getting here from Koh Samui and Koh Phangan is easy and pretty quick. We recommend the Lomprayah Catamaran service from Koh Samui. You’ll always stop at Koh Phangan on this route to let people off and collect more passengers. So getting onto a ferry on Koh Phangan is also super easy. Both Lomprayah boats are very comfortable and have air-conditioned areas and outdoor areas.
There are several ferry companies that operate daily services direct to Koh Tao from Chumphon. We recommend Lomprayah Catamaran again. Both operate reliable and quick services to and from Koh Tao.
Surat Thani is a bit of a further trip to Koh Tao, but you can still get here using the usual ferry services. We recommend Lomprayah as their boats are the most comfortable for longer trips. If you leave from Surat Thani, you will make a stop on Koh Samui, and again on Koh Phangan to drop off and pick up more passengers.
Travel time to Koh Tao from Surat Thani is about 3 hours.
You can fly to Koh Samui from many international airports, including Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Phuket with Bangkok Airways. You can also fly into Krabi, Chumphon and Surat Thani from several international locations using Air Asia. Once you’re on Koh Samui, you can grab the Lomprayah ferry or the Seatran ferry and you’ll be on Koh Tao before you know it. Both companies also offer combination tickets that include transfer from the airport to the departure pier.
Still not sure quite how to travel to Koh Tao? Get in touch with us and we’ll help you out.