Koh Phangan and Koh Tao lie north of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand, and neither has an airport. You reach them by boat, and the main choice is between the high-speed Lomprayah catamarans and speedboats and the slower Raja Ferry that also takes vehicles. Below are the operators’ own timetables and fares as seen on 25 October 2026.
All options in one table
Fares are for an adult, one way. “Pier to pier” means you get yourself to the pier; the hotel ticket includes a van from your hotel (and, where marked, to your hotel at the other end).
| Route | Operator | Fare pier to pier | With hotel transfer | On the water | Sailings a day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samui → Phangan | Lomprayah | 350 baht (250 baht on two sailings) | 550 baht (450 baht on two sailings) | 20-30 min | 16 |
| Samui → Koh Tao | Lomprayah | 700 baht (550 baht on the ferry) | 850 baht with pick-up at a Samui hotel | 1 h 30 min-3 h 15 min | 12 |
| Phangan → Koh Tao | Lomprayah | 600 baht (450 baht on the ferry) | 800 baht from a Phangan hotel | 1 h-1 h 30 min | 8 |
| Lipa Noi (Samui) → Thong Sala (Phangan) | Raja Ferry | no separate fare published | not offered | about 1 h 30 min | see the carrier’s timetable |
Samui to Koh Phangan
The Lomprayah sheet “from Koh Samui” lists 16 sailings to Phangan on 25 October 2026. Departures by pier:
- Bangrak Pier: 08:00, 09:30, 10:30, 11:30, 12:15, 12:30, 13:30, 14:30, 15:30 and 17:30, mostly speedboats
- Pralarn Pier: 08:00 (catamaran), 11:00 (ferry), 12:30 (catamaran) and 14:30 (speedboat)
- Nathon Pier: 12:15 and 16:00 (catamarans)
The first sailing leaves at 08:00 and arrives at 08:30; the last leaves at 17:30 and arrives at 18:00. A pier-to-pier ticket is 350 baht; the 11:00 ferry from Pralarn and the 12:15 speedboat from Bangrak cost 250 baht. With a hotel transfer it is 550 baht (450 baht on those two), and the Lomprayah sheet for Phangan hotels excludes the Thong Nai Pan area. The same timetable lists a transfer service around Koh Samui at 150 baht per person per trip. Boats arrive at Thong Sala, the main pier of Phangan: see our Thong Sala page.
Samui to Koh Tao
The sheet lists 12 sailings to Koh Tao, 700 baht each (550 baht on the ferry), and one catamaran to Nang Yuan at 08:00 for 700 baht:
| Departs | Pier | Boat | Arrives Koh Tao | On the way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | Pralarn | catamaran | 09:30 | direct |
| 08:00 | Bangrak | speedboat | 10:00 | change at Phangan |
| 10:30 | Bangrak | speedboat | 12:15 | direct |
| 11:00 | Pralarn | ferry, 550 baht | 13:30 | direct, 2 h 30 min |
| 11:30 | Bangrak | catamaran | 14:15 | change at Phangan |
| 12:15 | Nathon | catamaran | 14:15 | direct |
| 12:30 | Bangrak | catamaran | 14:30 | direct |
| 12:30 | Pralarn | catamaran | 14:15 | direct |
| 14:30 | Pralarn | speedboat | 16:00 | direct |
| 14:30 | Bangrak | catamaran | 17:45 | change at Phangan |
| 15:30 | Bangrak | speedboat | 17:00 | marked Direct |
| 16:00 | Nathon | catamaran | 17:45 | direct |
The timetable marks the boats with a change at Phangan with an asterisk: you change onto a catamaran at Koh Phangan. With pick-up at a Samui hotel the ticket is 850 baht. One ticket to Tao at 700 baht is cheaper than buying Samui to Phangan (350 baht) and Phangan to Tao (600 baht) separately, 950 baht in total. For a day trip with the Nang Yuan fee and snorkelling see Koh Tao and Nang Yuan from Samui.
Koh Phangan to Koh Tao
Eight sailings on the sheet “from Koh Phangan”, all 600 baht except the ferry (450 baht):
| Departs Phangan | Boat | Arrives Koh Tao |
|---|---|---|
| 08:30 | catamaran | 09:30 |
| 08:45 | speedboat | 10:05 |
| 11:15 | speedboat | 12:15 |
| 12:00 | ferry, 450 baht | 13:30 |
| 13:00 | catamaran | 14:15 |
| 13:05 | catamaran | 14:05 |
| 15:00 | speedboat | 16:00 |
| 16:45 | catamaran | 17:45 |
From a Phangan hotel with a van the fare is 800 baht. The same timetable lists the way back from Tao to Phangan at 600-700 baht, for example a speedboat at 07:05 arriving at 07:50.
Raja Ferry, the boat that takes vehicles
Raja Ferry Port’s timetable on 25 October 2026 gives about 1 h 30 min between Lipa Noi on Samui and Thong Sala on Phangan, and about 2 h 30 min between Donsak on the mainland and Thong Sala. Passengers between Donsak and Phangan may go via Lipa Noi, changing boats, at the same fare. The Donsak to Samui table was replaced from 23 October 2026: boats leave every hour from 04:00 to 19:00 and take about 1 h 30 min. Donsak to Phangan has six trips a day (04:00, 05:00, 07:00, 11:00, 14:00 and 18:00 from Donsak).
The fare page lists adult 200 baht for Donsak to Samui and 270 baht for Donsak to Phangan (135 baht for a child 100-120 cm), and 970 baht for a car or minivan to Phangan. We found no separate published fare for Samui to Phangan, so for that leg use Lomprayah or ask Raja Ferry. Lipa Noi, where the Raja boats arrive, is on the west coast: see the Lipa Noi page.
Seatran Discovery and Songserm
The Seatran Discovery site is a booking form. Among its stations it lists the Lomprayah, Songserm and Boonsiri piers on Samui, Phangan and Tao, but it shows no timetable or fare until you search for a trip, so we do not quote it. We did not find an official Songserm timetable either.
Before you travel
- Weather. Lomprayah says the timetable is an estimate subject to weather conditions, and that schedules and prices can change without notice. Rain is heaviest in October to December on these islands, so confirm the sailing for your day
- Which pier. Samui has three Lomprayah piers on the sheet: Bangrak, Pralarn (in Maenam) and Nathon. The price and time differ between them, so check the pier in your ticket and in your hotel’s transfer
- Booking. Lomprayah sells tickets online, by phone (065 350 9040) and at 15 branches, according to its home page
Where to go next
For the island itself, its areas and seasons, see Koh Phangan. Getting to Samui from the mainland is covered in Bangkok to Koh Samui and Phuket to Koh Samui, and the north coast of Samui, where many boats leave, in Maenam and Bophut.
FAQ
How long is the ferry from Koh Samui to Koh Phangan?
20-30 minutes on the sea on Lomprayah's pier-to-pier timetable, for example 08:00 to 08:30 from Bangrak or Pralarn Pier and 14:30 to 14:50 from Pralarn. Lomprayah's own home page gives 45-90 minutes for high-speed ferries in general. Add the ride to the pier and boarding time, or buy the 550-baht ticket with hotel pick-up.
How much does the ferry from Samui to Phangan cost?
On Lomprayah's 2026 timetable 350 baht from Bangrak, Pralarn and Nathon piers, and 250 baht on two sailings: the 11:00 ferry from Pralarn and the 12:15 speedboat from Bangrak. With a van from your Samui hotel and to your Phangan hotel the fare is 550 baht, or 450 baht on those two sailings.
Can I go from Samui to Koh Tao in one day and how long does it take?
Yes, there are 12 sailings a day on the timetable. The fastest are 1 h 30 min: the 08:00 catamaran and the 14:30 speedboat from Pralarn, and the 15:30 direct speedboat from Bangrak. The slowest are with a change at Phangan, up to 3 h 15 min (14:30 from Bangrak). The fare is 700 baht, 550 baht on the 11:00 ferry from Pralarn. For a day trip with Nang Yuan see our Koh Tao and Nang Yuan page.
Is it cheaper to go to Koh Tao via Phangan?
No. Samui to Phangan costs 350 baht and Phangan to Tao 600 baht, 950 baht in total, while Samui to Tao on one ticket is 700 baht. Some of the 700-baht sailings stop at Phangan anyway, and the timetable marks them with an asterisk and a change of catamaran.
Does Raja Ferry run from Samui to Koh Phangan?
Its timetable gives about 1 h 30 min for Lipa Noi (Samui) to Thong Sala (Phangan), and lets passengers between Donsak and Phangan go via Lipa Noi at the same fare. The fare page lists only Donsak to Samui (adult 200 baht) and Donsak to Phangan (adult 270 baht), so we found no published fare for the Samui to Phangan leg alone: ask the carrier. The ferry also takes vehicles.
What about Seatran and Songserm?
Seatran Discovery's site is a booking form: it lists Lomprayah, Songserm and Boonsiri piers on Samui, Phangan and Tao among its stations, but shows no timetable or fare without a booking search. We did not find an official Songserm timetable. For this reason this page quotes only Lomprayah and Raja Ferry.
Do boats run in bad weather?
Lomprayah states that its timetable is an estimate subject to weather conditions, and that schedules and prices can change without notice. October to December is the rainy part of the year on these islands, so check the sailing for your day with the operator.
Sources
- Lomprayah. Timetable 2026 (official page with the flipbook)
- Lomprayah. Timetable 2026, PDF (sheets from Koh Samui, from Koh Phangan, from Koh Tao; file dated 27.08.2026)
- Lomprayah. Home page (journey times, branches, contacts)
- Raja Ferry Port. Timetable: Donsak, Samui, Phangan (new Donsak to Samui table from 23 October 2026)
- Raja Ferry Port. Fares: Donsak to Koh Samui
- Raja Ferry Port. Fares: Donsak to Koh Phangan
- Seatran Discovery. Booking page (station list, no timetable)
Found an error or outdated fact? Tell the editors, we will fix it and update the check date.