Travel Routes to and from Koh Phangan

The island of Koh Phangan is 744 kms from Bangkok, 1440 kms from Changmai, 100 kms from Suratthani (nearest city on the mainland) and 12 kms from Koh Samui. The main port in Koh Phangan is Tongsala which is about 20 kms from Thong Nai Pan. There are also boats running from Haad Rin (20 kms from Thong Nai Pan) and Baan Tai (12 kms from Thong Nai Pan). The Thong Nai Pan Express leaves every morning from Thong Nai Pan Noi and stops at a few beaches on the East coast before going to Maenam in Koh Samui.

From Koh Phangan it is possible to catch a boat to the following destinations: Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Chumphon and Suratthani.

The nearest airport is on the island of Koh Samui and has regular flights to Bangkok. From Koh Samui it is also possible to catch domestic flights to Phuket, Krabi and Pattaya; and international flights to Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

There are cheaper flights to Bangkok leaving from Nakhon Si Thammarat (Nok Air), Chumphon (Solar Air) and Suratthani (Air Asia).

If you don't want to catch a plane then you have a choice between taking a train or a bus to your forward destination once you get to the mainland. Travel agents in Bangkok and Koh Phangan can easily arrange combined bus/boat tickets or boat/train tickets to take you to your destination. Tickets for sleeper carriages on the train need to be booked a few days in advance. You can do this directly by visiting the train station, or letting a travel agent do it for you (for a small fee).

Taxis leave Thong Nai Pan Noi and Yai at 10am every morning (200 - 300 thb). All shared taxis go to Tongsala. If you want a taxi at a different time then it costs 1000 thb to hire a private taxi. In Thongsala taxis meet the boats. They should charge 200 or 300 thb to go to Thong Nai Pan, but often insist on more if the taxi is not full.