Boat Information Part One

The Lomprayah Catamaran is the quickest boat leaving Koh Phangan. It goes from the Tongsala pier opposite the 7-11 convenience store. In Bangkok it starts from the street behind Khao San Road. You can buy Lomprayah tickets at the pier, at its Khao San Road office or any travel agent in Koh Phangan. The journey from Koh Phangan is done in a day; whereas the reverse journey involves spending a night on the bus. For the journey between Koh Phangan and Koh Samui a taxi journey to anywhere in Koh Samui is included in the price of the ticket which means you avoid the avaricious Koh Samui taxi drivers.

Seatran goes between the three islands of Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. The boat is fairly big.

The Songserm is a smaller boat and can rock and roll in bad weather. However, its cheap. The cheapest bus/boat tickets from Bangkok invariably use the Songserm. Tickets from Khao San Road to Koh Phangan can cost as little as 700 thb. However, the combined travel time is 2 hours more than Lomprayah. The Songserm stops at Nathon in Koh Samui. Nathon is the administrative capital of the island and is miles away from the main resort areas. People embark/disembark from Nathon because either the timing is convenient or they have to go to the immigration office to renew their visa.

For those wanting a really early start or don't fancy a night in Suratthani there is the Night Boat. There's only 1 boat a night and it takes 7 hours to get between Koh Phangan and the mainland. The real value for this transport connection for tourists is that it allows travellers to get from Koh Phangan to Burma and back in one day so they can renew their visa. The new tourist visa regulations have, however, made the Myanmar 'visa run' a thing of the past for most people.

Finally, there's the Thong Nai Pan Express, a small boat that sets off from Thong Nai Pan Noi and visits Thong Nai Pan Yai, Haad Thien and Haad Rin before going on to Maenam in Koh Samui. It is the only scheduled boat service to Thong Nai Pan; however, you often have to wade into the sea up to your waist to get on and off the boat and it doesn't run during the monsoon The monsoon varies but usually there's no service from October to January.