All routes to Koh Tao, depending on where you start.
Koh Tao has no airport, so every route ends with a boat trip to Mae Haad Pier on the west coast. From Bangkok, the easiest option is the Lomprayah combo ticket: an overnight bus from Khao San Road to Chumphon followed by a catamaran ride. It arrives at 8:45 a.m. for 1,250 baht. Chumphon is the closest port on the mainland and is a 1 hour 45 minute catamaran ride away. Alternatively, you can reach the port by overnight train or a 7:25 a.m. flight. Surat Thani offers significantly more flight connections, but the crossing takes longer. If you are already on Koh Samui or Koh Phangan, there are approximately 20 boats to Koh Tao daily.
Check the current flight times and seat availability for flights from Bangkok to Koh Tao on 12Go.
From the Andaman coast, Lomprayah sells a combination ticket from Krabi or Phuket that includes overland travel and onward journey by boat. I would choose the route based on your starting point; the table below shows all the routes side by side.
Accommodation in Koh Tao
This route ends in Koh Tao. Search for hotels in Koh Tao 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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My picks in every price category on Koh Tao
Key facts
From Bangkok, the journey by night bus and catamaran costs 1,250 Baht.
The bus from Lomprayah departs Khao San Road at 10:00 PM and meets the catamaran in Chumphon at 7:00 AM, arriving in Mae Haad at 8:45 AM. The slower ferry costs 850 baht.
Three airports are in operation, and Chumphon is the closest.
Chumphon is served twice daily from Bangkok, Surat Thani approximately 14 times, and Koh Samui approximately 20 times, all by Bangkok Airways. Each of these flights concludes with a boat trip.
The crossing to Chumphon takes 1 hour 45 minutes, the one to Surat Thani 3 hours 45 minutes.
The catamaran from Surat Thani stops in Samui and Phangan along the way. The Lomprayah Direct speedboat from Surat Thani reduces the journey time to 2 hours 30 minutes.
Approximately 20 boats depart daily from Koh Samui.
The speedboats take 1.5 to 2 hours for 700 Baht, the slower ferries up to 3.5 hours for 450–550 Baht, between 8:00 and 16:00.
It takes about an hour from Koh Phangan.
The catamarans from Thong Sala cost 600 Baht and take one hour to one hour and a quarter of an hour; the slow ferry costs 450 Baht.
Night boats depart from Chumphon and Surat Thani.
Both boats depart around 9:00 PM and arrive in Mae Haad around 5:00 to 6:00 AM. The trip costs approximately 770–1040 Baht from Surat Thani and 840–880 Baht from Chumphon.
All routes to Koh Tao compared
Boat times and prices from Lomprayah's 2026 timetable and the operators' timetables in our route guides; train times from Barrow's Thai Tracks timetable; flight prices from 12Go for dates from October to December.
Check the current ticket prices from Bangkok to Koh Tao.
12Go shows you bus and boat tickets, train combination tickets and flights from Bangkok with seats for your desired date.
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From Bangkok
Most travelers use Lomprayah's combined ticket. The bus departing at 10:00 PM from the office in Khao San Road (departing at 9:30 PM from Pinklao) reaches the pier at Chumphon before sunrise, and the catamaran at 7:00 AM arrives in Mae Haad at 8:45 AM. The ticket costs 1,250 baht, or 1,550 baht with a VIP seat. This saves you an overnight stay; you only need to be at the office one hour before departure. The daytime bus at 6:00 AM travels the same route in daylight and arrives at 3:00 PM.
The sleeper train is the most comfortable option for overland travel. Train No. 85 departs Bangkok at 7:50 PM and arrives in Chumphon at 3:43 AM. From there, a Lomprayah van departs from the train station at 6:00 AM and takes you to the catamaran on the island at 8:45 AM. The journey costs approximately 729 baht for a second-class cabin plus 900 baht for the ferry crossing. The fastest connection is the Thai AirAsia flight at 7:25 AM from Don Mueang to Chumphon, followed by an airport bus and a Lomprayah boat at 9:00 AM for 1,000 baht. Arrival on Koh Tao is at 3:00 PM. Our Bangkok to Koh Tao travel guide includes all train connections and the return journey, and our Chumphon to Koh Tao travel guide includes all boat connections from the pier, train station, and airport.
Chumphon or Surat Thani
From Bangkok, Chumphon is the better option by land, as the stop is earlier and the crossing takes only 1 hour 45 minutes instead of 3 hours 45 minutes. The crossing is also more comfortable if you are prone to seasickness. Surat Thani, on the other hand, offers more flight connections: there are approximately 14 flights daily from Bangkok's two airports, compared to only 2 from Chumphon. Chumphon is also the better option for the more southerly routes. The Lomprayah bus departs from Surat Thani Airport at 9:30 a.m. and arrives in Koh Tao at 2:15 p.m. for 1,100 baht. The direct speedboat from the Tapee Pier in town departs at 3:30 p.m. and arrives at 6:00 p.m. for 1,200 baht. A night boat also departs from Surat Thani around 9:00 p.m. Our travel guide for the Surat Thani–Koh Tao route includes all departure times in a clear table.
From Koh Samui and Koh Phangan
If Koh Tao is your second or third island, getting there is straightforward. Around 20 boats depart daily from Koh Samui between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM, almost all with a stop in Koh Phangan. The speedboat crossing takes 1.5 to 2 hours and costs 700 baht, while the slower ferries take up to 3.5 hours and cost 450–550 baht. The fastest, but also most expensive, option from Bangkok is to fly with Bangkok Airways and then take a boat.
The crossing from Koh Phangan takes about an hour. Eight Lomprayah boats depart daily from Thong Sala to Koh Tao between 8:30 am and 4:45 pm. The catamarans and speedboats cost 600 baht, while the 12:00 pm ferry costs 450 baht. Boonsiri departs at 8:45 am, 1:15 pm, and 3:25 pm for 600 baht, and Songserm offers speedboats at 10:00 am and 11:00 am for 600 baht, as well as a 12:00 pm departure for 500 baht. Our Koh Phangan–Koh Tao travel guide lists all the boats.
The best-rated hotels in Koh Tao
Here is my ranking of the 10 best hotels in Koh Tao. Each button opens the hotel on Booking.com, where you have already entered your travel dates.
From Krabi, Phuket and the Andaman coast
Lomprayah sells a ticket from the Andaman Sea that includes the road crossing to the Gulf and the onward journey by boat. From their office in Krabi, catamarans depart at 8:00 AM and 11:30 AM, arriving at Koh Tao at 2:15 PM and 5:45 PM, respectively, for 1,300 baht. The speedboat departs directly at 1:00 PM and arrives at 6:00 PM for 1,600 baht. From Phuket, there is a departure at 9:30 AM, arriving at 5:45 PM for 1,600 baht, with a hotel transfer in Patong available for an additional 150 baht. From Tonsai Pier on Phi Phi, the ferry departs at 10:00 AM and arrives at 5:45 PM for 1,850 baht. In both cases, a full day should be planned, so we recommend departing from Krabi at 8:00 AM. Our tour guides for the Phuket–Koh Tao and Krabi–Koh Tao routes offer pick-up, overnight boat trips, and return transportation.
Arrival in Mae Haad
All boats dock in Mae Haad, the village with a pier roughly halfway along the west coast. Shared taxis (pick-ups) wait at the end of the pier and take you to Sairee for about 100 baht per person. Longtail boats will take you to the bays on the east coast, such as Tanote, for about 150–200 baht. Numerous dive schools pick up their students there. ATMs can be found in the 7-Eleven stores and banks in Mae Haad. Withdrawals using foreign cards incur a fee of 250–350 baht.
Leaving Koh Tao
For Bangkok, the Lomprayah boat departs at 3:00 PM and arrives at Chumphon Station at 5:30 PM for 900 baht, in time for the overnight trains heading north. The speedboat to Surat Thani Airport departs at 7:05 AM and arrives at 11:00 AM for 1,200 baht. Samui and Phangan are easily accessible in the morning. During the rainy season from October to December, rough seas can disrupt boat services for a day or two, so allow an extra day before any international flight.
Plan the rest of your trip
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions about traveling to Koh Tao.
From Bangkok, the Lomprayah night bus departs from Khao San Road, and the catamaran from Chumphon. Arrival is at 8:45 a.m. for 1,250 baht. From Koh Samui or Koh Phangan, one of approximately 20 boats operates daily. From Krabi or Phuket, Lomprayah offers a combination bus and catamaran.
Chumphon offers the shortest catamaran crossing, approximately 1 hour 45 minutes. While Surat Thani is served by more frequent flights, the crossing takes 3 hours 45 minutes via Samui and Phangan. Koh Samui is the ideal starting point if you are flying with Bangkok Airways.
No. The nearest airport is Chumphon, then Surat Thani and Koh Samui, and each route ends with a boat trip to Mae Haad Pier.
Approximately 9 to 11 hours by bus and boat (22:00 → 08:45 overnight, 06:00 → 15:00 during the day), about the same time by night train and boat, and about 7.5 hours from departure by plane to Chumphon at 07:25.
Take one of the approximately 20 boats that run daily between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM. The speedboats take 1.5 to 2 hours and cost 700 baht, while the slower ferries take up to 3.5 hours and cost 450–550 baht. Most boats stop in Koh Phangan along the way.
Lomprayah's combined bus and catamaran ticket departs Phuket at 9:30 am and arrives in Koh Tao at 5:45 pm for 1,600 baht. A flight to Koh Samui followed by a boat trip is faster, but more expensive.
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I lived in Bangkok for four years and traveled throughout the country from there. The guidebooks reflect my personal opinion and are written as I would explain things to a friend planning a trip.
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