By Air[edit]
The nearest airports are in Chumphon Airport, Pathio District, Chumphon and Ko Samui Airport. Both offer onward high speed ferry connections to Koh Tao.
Services at the Chumphon Airport [3] The airport has transit agents for onward travel to Chumphon and the islands including Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, Ko Nang Yuan and Koh Samui.
Fame Tours and Services have a counter at arrivals hall offering transfer and hotel services. This is the best option for transfers as the airport doesn't have a meter taxi service.
Samui Airport IATA Code (USM)
Samui is fairly well connected to major cities in the region such as Bangkok, Penang and Singapore. Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways and Silkair operate from the private airport in Ko Samui and both charge artificially high rates. Bangkok Airways operates more daily flights to and from Ko Samui than Thai Airways. There is a 300 baht departure tax for all flights.
Other Airports Several airlines, including Thai Air Asia, Nok Air and Thai Airways operate from the Surat Thani Airport.
By boat[edit]
From Bangkok via Chumphon[edit]
The closest departure point for the island ferry service is Chumphon. Numerous agents sell tickets for a variety of boats and speeds travelling. The fastest Lomprayah High Speed Catamaran takes about 90 minutes, the slowest night boat almost 5 hours. Lomprayah have a pickup service from your hotel to the pier for 100 baht. The ticket itself is 600 baht wherever you book it.
These ferries depart Chumphon at 07:00, 13:30, 23:00 and midnight. The ferries at 07:00 and 13:30 are the normal passenger ferries offered by
- Lomprayah [4] - High Speed Catamaran service about 90 minutes (600 baht)
- Seatran [5] 5 to 6 hours
- Songserm [6] Boat 2 to 3 Hrs
Both Lomprayah and Songserm sell packages from Bangkok by bus or Nok Air [7] offer a fly / sea combi ticket.
The late night ferries are normally vehicle or cargo ferries, making for a slower (5-6 hour trip, arriving at 05:00) and offer a comfortable bunk bed in a dormitory included in the 300 baht ticket. If you are arriving via bus or train, be sure to arrive well before the ferry times, as the ferry terminal is around 1 hour travel time from the train station, and a missed connection either results in a late night trip on the vehicle/cargo ferry or an overnight stay and a 05:30 start to catch the bus to the ferry terminal for the first ferry the next day.
Train to Chumphon then boat[edit]
A good option for travelling from Bangkok is to book Sleeper Train #85; leaving Bangkok around 19:30 and arriving in Chumphon at 04:00 and then have a ticket booked for the 07:00 ferry. Most ferry operators can pick you up from the station where you can while away the 3 hour connection gap. You can also buy your ferry ticket at the station when you get off the train at 04:00.
Bus to Chumphon then boat[edit]
Lomprayah have an inclusive ticket from Bangkok on a comfortable large bus included in the price with connections to the port.
From Surat Thani[edit]
If you're coming from the south, you can take a ferry from Don Sak pier, 60km from Surat Thani on the mainland with a travel time of around 3 hours for the morning ferry, or from Ko Samui, 1.5 hours, or Ko Pha Ngan 1 hour. If you're taking a boat from Surat Thani, one possibility might be an overnight ferry. These depart around 23:00 and arrive in the morning, about 06:00 (subject to changes). It's advisable to arrive early to grab a mattress as most of the boats are former cargo boats and so the passenger facilities are basic.
From the other islands[edit]
You can also day trip on diving charters from Ko Samui. Many have high speed boats that can make the trip to Ko Tao in about 1 hour.
Lomprayah High Speed Catamaran [8] or Seatran [9] are the fastest and most comfortable way to get to Ko Tao. They run twice a day from Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan, Surat Thani, and Chumphon. They also have o