How to get to Koh Samui

Koh Samui Island is Thailand's third largest island and is located over 750 kilometers south of Bangkok. It is a major tourist destination but is not exactly easy to get to. There is an airport on Koh Samui but there are no bridges connecting Koh Samui to the mainland so travelers must either fly there or go by ferry boat.

Of course, if one goes by boat, then one must somehow get to the ferry. Travel agents can be very helpful in arranging transportation because three or four transfers within Thailand can be required to reach this tropical retreat.

By Air - Flight to Koh Samui

Traveling by air to Koh Samui should be the easiest way to get there and it is easy to get there by air if one is already in Bangkok.

Unfortunately, although Koh Samui Airport is often called an international airport, there are very few direct flights to it from other countries.

Most flights to Koh Samui – and there are usually several every day – are through Bangkok Airways, which owns the airport. Most of these flights originate in Bangkok.

Perhaps one flight a day might originate from Krabi , U-Tapao, Chiangmai, or Phuket Island. Bangkok Airways also originates flights from Hong Kong and Singapore.

Malaysia Airlines and Berjaya Air fly into Ko Samui a few times a week from Kuala Lumpur, as does Firefly Airlines from Penang Island. Also, the United Emirates Airline Eithad operates fairly regular flights through Dubai.

Thai International Airways operates a few flights to Ko Samui but no more than one or two a day. Thus, it is not easy for those in Europe or North America to fly directly to Koh Samui.

It will almost always be necessary to make a transfer, usually in Bangkok. However, once in Bangkok, it should not be difficult to take a flight to Koh Samui.

By Ferry

Since there are no bridges linking Ko Samui Island to mainland Thailand, the only way to get to Koh Samui from the mainland– except by air – is through ferry boat services, which are located in or near the city of Surat Thani.

There are three piers in Surat Thani where one may catch ferries – Don Sak, Ao Ban Don, and Tha Thong, and there are at least three separate companies providing the service. These companies are very jealous of each other and are all linked to various travel services, so most "information" available is designed to promote one or the other services.

The Don Sak pier is said to be the busiest and closest to mainland Koh Samui. Hourly trips to the port town of Na Thon commence on the hour between 06:00 and 19:00 daily and the price quoted is 110 baht per adult with a trip duration of around 1.5 hours. The boats can accommodate up to 400 passengers and at least some accommodate vehicles – as many as 60.

A slow night ferry leaves Don Sak pier at 11:00 PM and arrives in Na Thon around 5:00 AM – a six hour trip. A smaller number of ferries also leave Ao Ban Don and Tha Thong piers daily around three or four each. They take longer to get to Ko Samui – maybe around two to 2.5 hours, but are said to be closer to the bus and train stations.

Those who arrive in Surat Thani by train or by bus will be approached by sales agents who offer to sell them a combined ferry boat and bus ticket (it is necessary to travel to the ferry terminal either by local bus or taxi, a journey that takes about 60 minutes). Unless one is an experienced traveler, it is probably a good idea to get one of these combined packages, which cost between 200 and 300 baht.

If one catches a public bus, one can't be sure where it will go, regardless of what the sign on the bus might say and this assumes one can read the sign to begin with!!

It is also possible to catch a "high speed" ferry from the port of Chumphon, which is midway between Bangkok and Surat Thani, three or four times a day, with ticket prices beginning at around 600 baht. This ferry makes three or four stops before it finally arrives at Na Thon, so it takes a rather long time. This service is typically sold by travel agents as a bus-ferry package.

Ferry from Surat Thani to Koh Samui

Getting a Bus From Bangkok to Surat Thani

Those who take the ferry to Koh Samui will almost certainly need to come to Surat Thani. Surat Thani is connected to Bangkok by air, but it would usually pointless to fly to Surat Thani and then take a ferry when one can simply fly to Koh Samui directly.

From Bangkok, one can take an air-conditioned or non air-conditioned bus from the southern bus terminal at Boromratchonnani Road (02-435-122, 02-435-1199). This route is very popular as many people take the same buses to reach Phuket or go to Malaysia. Thus, there are numerous buses.

The trip takes about 11 to 12 hours and those doing it should only take a "VIP" or "first class" air-conditioned bus as other buses often have very uncomfortable seats, have no toilets and often make many stops.

It should be mentioned that these buses are frequented by various con artists and petty thieves, so passengers should always be careful. Those coming from the south will most likely come through Hat Yai, where several buses to Surat Thani originate daily. In southern Thailand, most places of any size are connected to Surat Thani by bus.

Train from Bangkok to Surat Thani

It also possible, and usually more pleasant, to go to Surat Thani by train.

There are several trains that leave from Bangkok's Hualamphong Station for Surat Thani – and points in-between – daily. It is a good idea to buy these tickets at least a few days in advance. The central station can be reached at 02-223-7010 or 02-223-7020.

For those wanting to come by train from the south, options are much more limited. The only sure bet is the daily Bangkok to Butterworth (Penang, Malaysia) to Bangkok train, which comes from the south once daily, usually fairly late at night.

Those using the bus or train option to get to Ko Samui need to remember that they will still need to get to the ferry piers once they arrive in Surat Thani.

As noted, they will probably be met by touts as soon as they arrive and should consider accepting the bus-ferry package which is offered.

By Car - Driving to Koh Samui

Because one can take a vehicle to Koh Samui from Surat Thani aboard a ferry, it is possible to "drive" to Samui island. From Bangkok or points between, one can take route 4 (Buddha Monthon Road) through Petchburi and Chumphon provinces and then drive on highways 41 and 401 to Surat Thani Province. From there, one can proceed to the Don Sak ferry terminal.

Getting to an Accommodation on Koh Samui

Once arriving on Koh Samui, most travelers will want or need to take a taxi to their hotel or beach destination. Most taxi drivers will not use their meters and will try to charge what the traffic will bear so it will be necessary to negotiate.

The island has a pretty good transportation infrastructure so travel should not require too much time or expense. The rule of thumb when negotiating with taxi drivers is to try to get them to drop their price by 33 percent.

Once settled into an accommodation, one can use other forms of transportation, such as the songthaews or local buses which are actually red colored pick up trucks with hard top covers and long rows of benches on either side for passengers.

These vehicles have regular destinations, the destinations are clearly posted in English and they charge fixed amounts, usually no more than 20 baht a journey. If one arrives at a ferry station, feels confident of his or her abilities, and doesn't have too much luggage, they can look for a songthaew there will almost certainly be some around, although they might not be going to the exact destination desired.

One must also be aware that songthaews stop operation at 18:00. If one arrives at the airport, the traveler will probably be stuck with a taxi, unless arrangements have been made to be picked up by a hotel shuttle bus or minivan service.

Various options to get around Samui island