Fly if the flight suits you; otherwise, take the bus and ferry.
There is no direct ferry connection from Krabi to Koh Samui, as Krabi is on the Andaman coast and Samui is in the Gulf of Thailand, on the other side of the peninsula. You can either fly or travel the route by land and sea. Bangkok Airways is the only airline offering a nonstop flight from Krabi to Samui. The flight time is approximately 50 minutes. There is one flight daily in October and November, and two daily flights from mid-December. A one-way ticket costs around 4,800 baht.
Check the latest flight times and seat availability for Krabi → Koh Samui on 12Go.
Everything else is a combination ticket: a bus or minibus ride from Krabi or Ao Nang (about three hours) to Donsak Pier near Surat Thani, then a ferry or catamaran to Koh Samui (5 to 8 hours door-to-door, from about 500 baht). If the afternoon flight fits your plans and the price is reasonable, take it. If you're on a tight budget or the flight is fully booked, the combination will make for a long but relaxing day.
Accommodation in Koh Samui
This route ends in Koh Samui. Search for hotels in Koh Samui for your travel dates or narrow your search to the region you wish to visit. Filter for hotels with free cancellation if you'd like to book a room and decide later.
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Key facts
Bangkok Airways is the only airline to offer a non-stop flight, which takes about 50 minutes.
In October (2:00 PM) and November (1:45 PM), there is one flight daily; from mid-December, a second evening flight will be added. A one-way flight with 12Go costs approximately 4,800 baht. All other flights have a layover in Bangkok and take 4–8 hours.
The combination of bus and ferry takes 4 to 8 hours.
A bus or minibus travels approximately 210 km from Krabi to Donsak Pier across the peninsula (about 3 hours). From there, you take a boat to Koh Samui (45 minutes by Lomprayah catamaran, 1 hour 30 minutes by car ferry). Departures are in the morning, roughly between 7:00 and 13:30.
Lomprayah's own fare is ฿1,100 from Krabi or Ao Nang.
The timetable lists the following prices: 1,100 Baht from the office in Krabi or the pick-up point in Ao Nang, 1,200 Baht from hotels in Krabi Town or Ao Nam Mao, and 1,250 Baht from Klong Muang with a landing in Nathon. A transfer to a hotel on Samui costs an additional 150 Baht and adds approximately one hour to the journey.
The cheapest combination offers cost around 500 Baht.
The journey from Phantip bus station to Nathon costs approximately 500 baht with 12Go, or 560 baht with pickup in Ao Nang. Tickets for Raja and Seatran cost approximately 850–970 baht, and the combination of Songserm speedboat and ferry crossing costs approximately 1,350–1,500 baht.
Exactly where you land on Samui depends on the tour operator.
Lomprayah, Phantip, Seatran, Boonsiri, and Songserm dock in Nathon on the west coast; the car ferry Raja in Lipa Noi, slightly south of Nathon; and the speedboat Lomlahkkhirin in Pralarn in Maenam on the north coast. Chaweng and Lamai are on the opposite side of the island, far from all these places.
November is the rainiest month on Samui.
The rainy season in the Gulf of Mexico lasts from October to December, the opposite of Krabi. Boats still operate, but expect heavier rain upon arrival and sometimes a rough crossing during these months.
All routes from Krabi to Koh Samui compared
Flight times and prices for Lomprayah and Lomlahkkhirin are taken from Lomprayah's 2026 flight schedule. Flight times and prices for flights to Bangkok Airways, as well as for the other combination offers and private cars, are taken from 12Go's live offer for October to December 2026 and include a booking fee.
Bookable departures · updated daily
Krabi → Koh Samui: Departure times you can book now
All flights currently bookable via 12Go on this route, sorted by booking class. The prices shown are distributed across the different booking classes; the exact price for a seat and a specific date can be found on the booking page.
Minivan
12Go timetables and fares are updated daily. Services that operate only locally—regular trains, weekend trips, and ferry terminal tickets—are not listed; these can be found in the table above. Sponsored link: We may receive a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.
Check the live boat, bus and flight connections from Krabi to Koh Samui.
The 12Go Krabi display board includes pick-up locations in Ao Nang, Ao Nam Mao, Klong Muang and Krabi Town, as well as the bus station, so you can compare all possible combinations for your date and see which pier each bus arrives at.
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The direct flight is fast, expensive, and only takes place once a day.
Bangkok Airways is the only airline offering nonstop flights from Krabi to Samui – a roughly 50-minute turboprop flight. In October, the flight departs at 2:00 PM, from November at 1:45 PM, and a second evening flight will be added from mid-December. A one-way flight booked through 12Go costs approximately 4,800 baht, several times the price of a combined ticket. This price reflects Bangkok Airways' near-monopoly at Samui Airport.
It's worthwhile if time is more important than money, or if your next destination is a resort on Koh Samui on the east coast, from which ferries depart an hour away. Book early for December and January, as the one or two small planes per day fill up quickly. If the flight is fully booked, ignore the connections offered by booking portals via Bangkok; with a travel time of four to eight hours, they are no faster than the bus and ferry.
Book a combination ticket from Ao Nang or Krabi Town
All tickets for the overland journey work the same way. A bus or minibus will pick you up in Krabi, drive for about three hours across the peninsula to the Donsak Pier east of Surat Thani, and transfer you there to a boat for Koh Samui. Book everything as one ticket and not as separate segments so that the boat can wait for your bus if the road is slow.
Lomprayah offers the most comfortable option. According to the timetable, a bus departs from the office in Krabi at 8:00 or 11:30, with pick-up at the Ao Nang meeting point at 7:20 or 10:45, and takes you to the catamaran at the pier in Donsak or Nathon on Koh Samui at 11:45 or 15:45. The fare is 1,100 baht from Krabi or Ao Nang, 1,200 baht from hotels in Krabi Town and Ao Nam Mao, and 1,250 baht from Klong Muang. A transfer to your hotel on Koh Samui costs an additional 150 baht and takes approximately one hour. The catamaran crossing, at approximately 45 minutes, is the shortest of the available options.
The cheaper tickets use the slower car ferries. Phantip departs from Krabi bus station at 10:15 AM, and a second bus departs at 1:30 PM starting in November, costing approximately 500 baht to Nathon, or about 560 baht with a pick-up service in Ao Nang. Rajas combi-bus departs from the bus station at 10:00 AM and arrives in Lipa Noi at 3:30 PM (approximately 860 baht). Seatran and Boonsiri offer pick-up services from Ao Nang to Nathon for approximately 845–910 baht. The ferry crossing itself takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes, and buses may wait in Donsak for a departure. Therefore, allow 6 to 8 hours for the journey.
Which Samui pier will you land at?
Most combination offers land in Nathon, the island's main town on the west coast. The Raja car ferry docks in Lipa Noi, a few kilometers south. The Lomlahkkhirin speedboat, which according to the Lomprayah timetable departs Krabi at 9:30 a.m., arrives at the Pralarn pier in Maenam on the north coast at 2:00 p.m. for 1,000 baht – a budget-friendly option for those staying in Maenam or Bophut.
Chaweng and Lamai, where most tourists stay, are on the opposite side of the island from Nathon and Lipa Noi. Therefore, plan for a taxi or book a hotel transfer. The transfer from Lomprayah costs an additional 150 baht and takes about an hour; the option from Phantip costs around 650 baht instead of 500 baht.
When should you take the trip?
The two coasts have contrasting seasons. Krabi is driest from December to March and wettest from May to October, while the rainy season on Samui lasts from October to December, with November being the wettest month with approximately 445 mm of rainfall. Therefore, for a winter trip, it's recommended to visit Krabi first and Samui after Christmas, and vice versa in summer. Ferries operate year-round, but crossings in November or December can be rough, making flying the more comfortable alternative if the timing works out.
Our comparison between Koh Samui and Krabi addresses the monthly differences, in case you haven't yet decided which coast should make up the larger part of your trip.
Find out about live boat and bus connections from Koh Samui to Krabi.
The same live board for the return journey, with the morning combinations of Nathon and Lipa Noi and the hotel pickups in Lomprayah.
Booking your crossing? Plan your final destination on Samui.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions about traveling from Krabi to Koh Samui.
No. Krabi is on the Andaman coast and Samui is in the Gulf of Thailand. Therefore, every overland ticket includes a bus or minibus ride across the peninsula to Donsak Pier near Surat Thani, and from there a ferry or catamaran to Samui. When booking a complete ticket, the journey takes 4 to 8 hours.
Yes, there is a route. Bangkok Airways flies once daily (14:00) nonstop from Krabi to Samui in October (14:00) and November (13:45). The flight time is approximately 50 minutes, and from mid-December there will be two flights daily. A one-way flight costs around 4,800 baht via 12Go.
The catamaran crossing from Lomprayah takes 45 minutes, while the car ferries Raja and Seatran from the pier in Donsak take about 1 hour and 30 minutes. The bus journey from Krabi to Donsak adds another three hours, so the entire trip takes between 4 and 8 hours.
The cheapest Phantip bus ticket from Krabi bus station costs around 500 baht, Raja and Seatran around 860–970 baht, and Lomprayah from Krabi or Ao Nang (operating on its own schedule) 1,100 baht (1,200 baht from hotels in Krabi town). Transfers from hotels on Koh Samui are available for an additional fee.
From Krabi Town to Donsak Pier it's about 210 km by road, then the ferry crossing to Koh Samui. The flight takes about 50 minutes.
Yes. Lomprayah picks up passengers in Ao Nang at 7:20 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. for the same price of 1,100 baht as at its office in Krabi. Phantip, Raja, Seatran, and Boonsiri all offer pickups from hotels or roadsides in Ao Nang, usually between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.
They are suitable for different trips and months. Krabi captivates with its limestone cliffs, railay, and island hopping and is best visited from December to March; Samui, on the other hand, is a resort island with quiet beaches and spas, ideal from April to September. Our comparison of Koh Samui and Krabi highlights their unique features month by month.
November is the wettest month with around 445 mm of rainfall, although October and December also bring a lot of rain. Krabi is at its most beautiful during these months, which is why many travelers visit Krabi first and Samui later.
Compare prices on the major booking portals and filter for rooms with free cancellation if you want to book now and decide later.
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The journey continues from Koh Samui
The next stage, with the fastest and cheapest way to get there.
Return journey? From Koh Samui to Krabi – All 7 routes from Koh Samui
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