How to get to Koh-Tao
A Very Typical SunsetWhat about
Learn to dive, dive and dive again – that is what you are supposed to do on Koh Tao and that is actually what the majority of the folk you are about to meet on the island really do. A little hidden gem of the lower part of the Gulf, Koh Tao is attracting underwater world lovers with an abundance of easily reachable diving sites (over 30) and very affordable prices on diving lessons (there are more that 50 diving schools on the island), sea safaris and diving trips. Yet for those who are ready to go beyond the stereotypes there are hiking trails, bouldering, sea kayaking, fire-shows, and even jam sessions – all of them on the background of picturesque views and a laid-back island atmosphere. Priceless.
Getting to Koh Tao
The only way to get to Koh Tao from the mainland is by boat either from Chumphon, which is the closest departure point, or from Suratthani. You can also hop on a ferry to Koh Tao from Koh Samui or Koh Phangan.
From Bangkok via Chumphon bus + ferry
The easiest (and fastest) way to get to Koh Tao from Bangkok via Chumphon is by bus and ferry joint travel. Lomprayah catamaran and Songserm speed boat both sell such package tickets which save your time and cost more or less the same amount of money if bought separately. With early morning and late evening bus departures from Bangkok you have a choice whether to travel by day or save some baht spending your night on board a bus instead of in a guesthouse. The ferry travel with Lomprayah (the fastest operator) takes around 1½ hours; if your are prone to seasickness, get the necessary medicine at hand. Note that in case of the evening departure your trip lasts longer (around 12 hrs) compared to 9 hrs (morning departure), but you do not waste your precious day-time.
You have only 20 kg baggage allowance for your ferry travel; the extra weight is 20 baht per kg (not included in your ticket price).
Getting back from Koh Tao to Bangkok you have only morning and afternoon departures, both returning to Bangkok after dark: at 9pm and 1am, so plan your stay accordingly (book ahead).
From Bangkok via Chumphon train + bus + ferry
In case you are a railroad type, hop on your evening train down to Chumphon from Hua Lamphong train station in Bangkok. If you buy a package tour, your boat operator will provide transfer between the train station and the pier, but you still have to while away some 3 hrs between train and ferry in Chumphon. In general, if you are ok with long bus journeys, there is no special advantages of train+bus+ferry journey. Choose price-wise, then.
Tip: If your are not in a hurry, stay overnight in Chumphon and discover the tastes of local robusta, find out how the birds’ nests are harvested at the farms and prepare yourself to your island stay visiting some of the idyllic beaches in the proximity of the city (e.g. Hat Thung Wua Laen).
From Bangkok via Suratthani train + bus + ferry
Even if travelling to Suratthani instead of Chumphon seems illogical, it sometimes comes out cheaper as you may catch a 2nd class sleeper for a longer journey. As in case with Chumphon, the transfer between train and ferry for package tours is performed by the boat operator.
From Koh Samui to Koh Tao
Both Lomprayah and Seatran Discovery take 2–2¼ hrs to Koh Tao’s Mae Haad departing from Maenam and Bangrak Seatran Pier on Samui correspondingly. With Seatran you have to book at least one day in advance while Lomprayah requires two days advanced booking.
Lomprayah Shirt StickerFrom Koh Phangan to Koh Tao
Both Lomprayah and Seatran Discovery depart from Thong Sala on Koh Phangan and take 1½–1¾ hrs to arrive to Koh Tao’s Mae Haad. Book in advance (1 day for Seatran and 2 days for Lomprayah).
Seatran vs Lomprayah
If you know what seasickness is about, go for Seatran when waters are choppy.
Lomprayah can save you from ¼ to ½ hr of your sea journey, though.Getting around
There is no car rental on a relatively small 21 sq. km island. If you consider renting a scooter or a motorcycle, be warned that the roads on the island are dangerous and get their toll of injuries regularly. Renting a vehicle though gives you freedom to explore the island as the ‘official’ taxi fares are sometimes extortionate. There is longtail boat service between certain beaches, which is a good option with reasonable prices.
Where to stay
The western side of the island is much more developed, and the ferries from the mainland and the islands arrive to Mae Haad which is on the western side. Haad Sairee, where the most of the action takes place, is also there. The eastern side is a slow life paradise, but you will have to negotiate those treacherous island roads (or greedy taxi drivers) to get to any of the western-side night spots. The busiest seasons on Koh Tao are summer (from July to August) and Christmas & New Year, so book your accommodation beforehand. The cheapest options sell out quickly.
Blogger report: Julia Rattke (High Speed Ferry Lomprayah) 08-Jul-2015 21:00
About half an hour before your bus is scheduled to leave (in my case it was at 20:30), you should be at the office at 327 Rambutri Road, รามบุตรี, Khwaeng Talat Yot, Khet Phra Nakhon, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10200, Thailand near Khao San Road. The Lomprayah office is in the curve of the street. In your booking confirmation email is also a map. This is their help hotline: +6626290011 and office hours are from 05:30- 22:00. Coming from the North you turn into this really busy street from the roundabout, between the 7/11 and the red sign of Swensen's. People with a lot of luggage may have some trouble getting through the night market. About 30 meters in, on the left side and right in the curve, is the Lomprayah office, slightly hidden behind a banner. Make sure to have your booking number on hand!
Lomprayha OfficeIf you are on Khao San Road you have to find your way on the McDonald side of the road through the small alleys with all the shops to get to Rambutri Road.
At the office everything felt a bit rushed, one employee hands you your ticket and another a colored sticker with your seat number to put on your T-shirt and a color-coded sticker with the destination for your luggage. Make sure to tie that last one around a handle, it doesn't stick well. Then you sign in and someone will take your group to wait at the middle of the roundabout, behind the green sign, until the bus arrives.
The bus had only regular seats, so it is not a sleeper bus and the 8 hour drive will probably be a bit uncomfortable (especially if you were planning on actually getting some sleep). A travel pillow or a folded sarong helps a bit, and so do earplugs. The seats recline a little and blankets are provided. The bus is air-conditioned and has a toilet. I'm only 1.60 m, so I had plenty of leg space, but anyone taller than 1.90 m should expect some discomfort.At 2:00 there was a 30 min break at a market with snack food. They also had a huge bathroom with clean toilets, but remember to bring toilet paper and flush with the bucket provided.
Inside the Lomprayah busAt 5:15 we arrived at the ferry pier, where the office was dark and still closed and we had to wait for almost 2 hours. There is a mini mart to the left, if you need anything while waiting, and on the opposite side is another array of clean toilets. The mini mart closes when the ferry opens for boarding, so do not plan on any last-minute shopping. When the info center on the right of the pier opens, you have to show your ticket for another sticker and to get a stamp. Around 7:00 people will start to line up for the "best" seats, but there was plenty of room for everyone, so I would not take it too seriously. After a short walk along the pier, you arrive at the boat. There are three seating areas: Downstairs (inside), in the middle (outside with sun roof) and on the top (outside without cover). I chose the middle and it was perfectly fine.
About 2,5 hours (of comparatively smooth sailing) later we arrived at Ko Nang Yuan to let some people on and off the boat and then turned towards the Lomprayah Pier on Ko Tao, where we arrived 5 minutes later.
From here on it is really easy: Get off the boat, grab your luggage and find your pick up or taxi at the end of the pier. Congrats, you have made it to Ko Tao! Enjoy your stay!
Bangkok to Koh Tao @ train, ferry, bus, van, flight Aug 27, 2017
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Hotels @ Koh Tao 27 Aug 2017
Hotels not found
Passenger reviews out of total 50,830 passengers traveled with us on this route
At 12Go our operators offer three types of service:
Cheap, Fast, Good - but you can usually pick only two of them!
Cheap & Fast won’t be Good. (e.g. buses from/to Khao San Road, local buses or 3rd class trains)
Cheap & Good won’t be Fast. (e.g. VIP trains in Thailand)
Fast & Good won’t be Cheap. (e.g. private limousine services, or VIP24 buses vs Express buses)
Make your choice! Please remember that though we are closely monitoring services, we are still an agency marketplace - meaning we focus on ticketing service and route availability / coverage rather than on factual seat recline angle you got today ^_^
I took a bus for Chumphon from Khaosan at 2100 hours. There was one stop at around 0130 hours where we could get some snacks and use toilet. It was okay in overall but a bit tiry as we took the bus at night.
Nice staff and clean train. Bed was big enough for 2 persons. We would recommend it totally
The train was full of bugs!
We booked 2 lower births on the train however the lower birth can easily fit 2 people so next time would be comfortable to book one lower and one upper in order to leave a lower for someone else. Exit 3 at the Bangkok Railway station has some good and inexpensive restaurants while you are waiting for your train to depart. We ordered takeaways there. Much better than the train food at a fraction of the cost.
Many thanks for the perfect service. 100% recomendation!
1st class surprisingly comfortable
Nice staff and clean train however no electrical plugs
Was a very fun trip, organized and professional. The only stop has somewhat edgy staff. Trip was super comfortable though. Ac is either broken or freezing. Worth it.
Long smooth trip. Unfortunately without any stops. Well organized. The bus was a bit late, but we managed to catch the ferry easily.
Cool trip. Definitely recommend it.
Despite timely reservation, our 6 beds were not close together. Also no light and water in toilet, no water to clean hands, bedlights broken. Nighttrain is still a comfortable way to travel
Train delayed of 3 hours. A/C too cold for sleeping.
Very friendly staff on thr train!
Very nice trip. But today our train got late. Still this time I m in train. I don't what will be position of my further reservation from Suratthani to Phuket
12goAsia handled everything perfectly. They are not at fault. However, the train itself was literally crawling with bugs. Not just one or two, but an infestation. All sizes and kinds. They would literally run over our arms while we were reading. Made for a very unpleasant journey, and very little sleep.
The trains were quite hot (to be expected) but also very dirty, which was disappointing. It was difficult to sleep at all.
El tren salió puntual. Las camas me sorprendieron por lo cómodas, aunque son algo pequeñas. Fue una experiencia diferente. Lo único criticable es la higiene del baño.
I travelled on a first class cabin with air conditioning, although it was too cold the night was good. As you board on the train the staff comes to ask you for dinner and breakfast. ( Do not expect anything ). Prepare yourself, They don't speak English so well. Later They come to prepare beds.
It was a very nice trip thank you for your wonderful service
A perfect way of travelling. Comfortable. Good beds, Good food on board
All good - except for excruciatingly many roaches all around us on that train.
12go staff in Bangkok were friendly and efficient. Train was a pretty cool adventure. One thing - traveling as a couple you really should be allocated one lower and one upper bunk. We were allocated 2 upper bunks and this was pretty hard to manage in an enclosed space, with people also trying to get into their lower bunks. (The couple on our block who had the lower bunks had a lovely time!) Train staff were very efficient. Beds were clean. Food in the dining car was pretty good. Train arrived on time. Overall quite enjoyable!
Sufficient space for luggage. Had foldable tables so could play cards before going to sleep. Beds were completely prepared for us. Can get food and non alcoholic drinks on the train. Sleep was ok. Trunk beds good to stretch out only for body size up to 185cm.
Service at the DOB office in BKK was great. Very quick, helpful and kind. The Panthip bus after the fine train ride was a bad experience though. The agent started yelling at me loudly, hitting me twice!, and telling me off before I even saw her coming because I was doing as suggested and walking INTO the Panthip office/restaurant. She accosted me right off the train. Asked if we could stop to grab a water bottle and she nastily yelled no, so we went to the bus and sat on it for nearly an hour before departure. Then came on the bus and told me and my wife off there too for not knowing she was the agent. On top of that, they failed to mention the toilet on the bus is out of order and so it can be quite uncomfortable after 1 hour wait + 1.5 hour ride to ferry ! Just fly or go with another company than Panthip for bus and boat.
Airco was too cold. Got no water. Had no idea where I was in the country or if there was a delay or anything.
Great little adventure, was a fun way to travel
The train was very good and we had a nice trip. They gave us breakfast and lunch. We arrived on time.
Did the job. Staff good, bed comfy- what more do you need!
Yet again great servise from thai rail and 12go. Smooth journey, comfortable train, easy connections for bus and ferry. U arrive at chumphon 4.13am and guy didnt wake us up-make sure you set alarm! #85 not as clean as the one from chiang mai but still good-less luggage space bit wider beds. 12go- exeptional. Thank you!
Good value in 2nd class. Only downside was the uncomfortably stiff pillow, but maybe I'd sleep fine if I brought my own. I'd do it again.
No communication for when we leave and the busdriver look likes his on drugs and not friendly at all.. sorry you can be tyerd or fedd up with seeing tourist all the time but then you dont do the job
Service as advertised. Don't get why the bus leaves early evening just to leave travelers waiting for the ferry at chumphon peer for 4+ hours. Our bus A/C was on its last legs and very loud...on the bright side: there was A/C! Our driver's driving style was careful and consistent.
Travel was oke! Service on line good, but rules about refund not clear. After all got 15% back in stead of promised 80. And tickets were all changed from lower to upper bed. Pity
Train was really nice with comfort beds. A/C is very cold bring some warm clothes with you
Excelent service. The train is comfortable.
Good stuff
Only the bus should be improved, it is unconfortable. The rest was perfect.
I booked the trip 2 months in advance however despite this my orginal choose of a carriage (2nd class aircon) was fully booked. In fact the train we wanted to catch was fully booked so we had to catch an earlier train. I found this odd as 12go can only book tickets a month in advance so should have been able to purchase them on the first day of sale. For this reason we ended in a second class fan carriage (where the heat was unbearable and got no sleep) arriving at 3:18am. 12Go also didn't inform us that once off the train we would have to wait 2 and a half hours for the transfer to the pier, as our ferry didn't leave until 7am. If I had known this in advance I would have picked an alternative day/method of transport.
12Go staff were organized and picking up tickets was not a problem. Train was noisier and rougher than expected, but we could have known this...
Minivan was quick and efficient. Were driven around on a pickup truck before we got to the ferry and it was all very basic, but all was safe and OK.
There is a huge difference between a Class 2 train ac or fan. The one with fan is way older in all aspects, less comfortable and Hot. Didn't like that this train stopped at so many stations. Water in toilets and sink were not always there. Next time we definitely go for Class 2- ac
Plain left on time, good flight!
It was an old train. My bench fell apart and the table was dirty. There was no food car and the meals were way too expensive. The only nice thing was that the bottom bunk was wide so I could sleep next to my boyfriend.
Comfortable journey to Surat Thani. Bring your own food. Food offered in train is mediocre and no value for money.
Our car was very loud.
Good trip on Express train to Chumphon in a 2nd class seat with air con. 25 minute delay but still good as had rain entire journey.
Nice trip, very friendly personal. Only one negative remark : In Bangkok the train was cleaned by a water shower, but unfortunately that was not enough to remove the dust from the windows. For better outlook they should be cleaned by wishing with a brush.
The cabine was old, the toilet very dirty
Really good service! We took a train plus a bus from bangkok to krabi. We arrive faster than planned!
Great trip!!
Great trip! AC on both the bus and katamaran. You could lean the seats back on the bus, so we slept most of he way. Nicely organised by lomprayah. Thank you!
The air conditioning was really cold. Difficult for our friends on the top bunks to sleep because the lights stayed on the entire time. People came on the train selling food periodically which was nice. Overall, really comfortable and convenient.
Excellent service would definitely use again
Great way to get to Koh Panghan with the four of us. Train was comfortable with beds able to fit me at 6'4" (194cm) and was able to sleep In between frequent stops and general loudness of the train journey. Do not expect the Orient Express here but for the price, great value. Breakfast was average. Efficient departure from the train with a little wait in the local cafe. On to bus for 1 hour to the port. Departure ok ferry right on at 10:15. Staff very helpful all along the entire journey. 12Go has been a great way to go!!
Somehow I ended up with insurance even though I do nkt remember purchasing it. Lady in the counter would not reinburse me for it. That was the only dowside.
Very pleasant trip. 12go booked very nice lower berths.
Friendly staff, comfortable beds, no issues whatsoever
Very comfortable trip. A/C was very cold, but the blanket provided was sufficient.
Confort du train moyen. Couloir éclairé a fond toute la nuit ! Pourquoi ? Obligé de se coucher à 20h . toilettes vétustes . Réservation en ligne archaïque car obligé d'aller quand même chercher les tichets vers la gare. Difficile de loger les bagages. J'ai du dormir avec ma valise sur le lit !!
Beds were very comfortable. Was easy getting the ticket and finding my train and sit. Thanks!
Flyter bra
Very noisy and prices food expensive.
Relaxte treinreis. Basis was oke. Vaak geen handenwas mogelijkheid. Maaltijden en drinken worden regelmatig aangeboden.
No complaints, everything was as promised. Easy pick up of the tickets near the station. Very smooth. The train was nice, the 1sth class cabine was spacious and cosy.
12go we're really helpfully when our transport was late arriving to pick up tickets, they offered to come to the train platform with them when we were in a panic. The overnight sleeper (2nd Class with AC) was really comfortable and fun. The service was incredible and the food (dinner and breakfast) was great. We had always wanted to do this trip and look forward to the return leg. 12go and the railway company are awesome!
No complains... pleased
Good, smooth journey. Comfortable bus, excellent ferry. No complaints.
We had a 1st class sleeper and traveled with 2 kids (7&8). Everything was ok
Noisy train with many stops. Comfort of the beds is ok.
News @ Koh Tao
In a bid to woo international visitors, Thailand has proposed the extension of a promotion giving free tourist visas. Under the current promotion effective from 1 December 2016 until 28 February 2017, single-entry tourist visas issued at Thai embassies and consulates worldwide are free of charge.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has released its latest updates for travel to the flood-hit southern region of the country. The bulletin noted that damaged train tracks in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province have been fixed and mainline train services are now operating again.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has released an update saying most flights and ferries to the flooded south of the country are operating to timetables. The normal schedules are in place despite the fact large swathes of the far south have been inundated by torrential rain.