I first went to Thailand in 1997 and immediately fell in love with the country. Thailand at that time to me was mysterious and exotic, full of potentials and pitfalls.
Fast forward to 2010 and here I am after 13 years and many trips to the LOS sharing, with the help of my 
Getting to Koh Phangan
Yesterday I posted a small guide to Koh Phangan that I want to elaborate on a bit without turning it into a 10,000 word treatise. So over the next few days I’ll be sharing more information about the island that has become famous for its Full Moon Parties and yet can still offer you a place to get away from it all and relax without paying a fortune.
Today’s post is a simple guide for getting to Koh Phangan, whether that be by air, bus, train or boat. Your mode of transportation will likely be determined by two factors; your budget and your available time.
Getting to Koh Phangan from Bangkok
I’m sure many if not most of you will be interested in how to get to Koh Phangan from Thailand’s capital city of Bangkok. As the hub of transportation for Thailand it’s a logical place to begin your travels through the Kingdom.
Obviously the quickest way to get to Koh Phangan from Bangkok is going to be by air. You have two choices here, either fly to Surat Thani and take the boat from there or fly to Koh Samui and take the boat from there. The quickest method is to fly to Koh Samui as the boat from there to Phangan is only 90 minutes or so. Ferries from Surat Thani will take in the neighborhood of 4 hours.
If you plan on taking the quickest route then you can fly to Koh Samui with either Bangkok Airways or Thai Airways. I personally recommend Bangkok Airways as the prices are 60-70% less than Thai Airways. Off season flights are as low as THB3600. Once you land in Samui stop by the limosine counter to get your boat and bus tickets for Koh Phangan.
Those preferring to fly to Surat Thani can get there flying with Thai Airways or Air Asia, again the price for Thai Airways is 30-40% higher so unless you have some reason to fly with them I would choose Air Asia. Also take note that when booking air tickets during the high season (November-March) it is recommended that you book several weeks in advance.
If you are looking for a cheaper way to get to Koh Phangan and don’t mind taking a bit longer then a bus is a great way to go. Busses for southern Thailand destinations leave from Sai Tai Mai bus station (Borom Rachachonnanee Rd, Bang Bamru, Bang Phlat, Bangkok, 10700) each night at 19:30 and cost THB895. The trip takes about 12 hours and you can also get the boat tickets when purchasing your bus ticket. Thailand’s long haul buses are pretty comfortable and you might even want to take a sweater because they really crank up the AC!
Another inexpensive way to get to Koh Phangan from Bangkok is by train leaving from the Hua Lumphong station several times a night. Purchase a combination ticket for onward bus and ferry travel to get you to Phangan early the next day. Cost for the train is THB519 for 1st class A/C and THB248 for 2nd class A/C. You can get time tables and rates from the State Railway website.
Boat Schedules for Travel To Koh Phangan
KPG = Koh Phangan / KS = Koh Samui / KT = Koh Tao / ST = Surat Thani
| FERRY | PIER | DEPARTS | DESTINATION |
| Haad Rin Queen | Haad Rin (KPG) | 09.30 | Big Buddha (KS) |
| Haad Rin Queen | Haad Rin (KPG) | 11.40 | Big Buddha (KS) |
| Haad Rin Queen | Haad Rin (KPG) | 14.30 | Big Buddha (KS) |
| Haad Rin Queen | Haad Rin (KPG) | 17.30 | Big Buddha (KS) |
| Haad Rin Queen | Big Buddha (KS) | 10.30 | Haad Rin (KPG) |
| Haad Rin Queen | Big Buddha (KS) | 13.00 | Haad Rin (KPG) |
| Haad Rin Queen | Big Buddha (KS) | 16.00 | Haad Rin (KPG) |
| Haad Rin Queen | Big Buddha (KS) | 18.30 | Haad Rin (KPG) |
| Lomprayah | Thong Sala (KPG) | 11.00 | Bophut (KS) |
| Lomprayah | Thong Sala (KPG) | 16.30 | Bophut (KS) |
| Lomprayah | Bophut (KS) | 08.00 | Thong Sala (KPG) |
| Lomprayah | Bophut (KS) | 12.00 | Thong Sala (KPG) |
| Lomprayah | Thong Sala (KPG) | 08.30 | Mae Haad (KT) |
| Lomprayah | Thong Sala (KPG) | 12.30 | Mae Haad (KT) |
| Lomprayah | Mae Haad (KT) | 09.30 | Thong Sala (KPT) |
| Lomprayah | Mae Haad (KT) | 15.00 | Thong Sala (KPT) |
| Seatran EXP | Thong Sala (KPG) | 07.00 | Nathon (KS) |
| Seatran EXP | Thong Sala (KPG) | 13.00 | Nathon (KS) |
| Seatran EXP | Nathon (KS) | 11.00 | Thong Sala (KPG) |
| Seatran EXP | Nathon (KS) | 16.30 | Thong Sala (KPG) |
| Songserm | Thong Sala (KPG) | 07.00 | Nathon (KS) |
| Songserm | Thong Sala (KPG) | 12.00 | Nathon (KS) |
| Songserm | Thong Sala (KPG) | 15.30 | Nathon (KS) |
| Songserm | Thong Sala (KPG) | 12.00 | Nathon (KS) |
| Songserm | Nathon (KS) | 09.00 | Thong Sala (KPG) |
| Songserm | Nathon (KS) | 11.00 | Thong Sala (KPG) |
| Songserm | Nathon (KS) | 16.00 | Thong Sala (KPG) |
| Songserm | Nathon (KS) | 10.00 | Thong Sala (KPG) |
| Raja Ferry | Thong Sala (KPG) | 07.00 | Donsak (ST) |
| Raja Ferry | Thong Sala (KPG) | 10.00 | Donsak (ST) |
| Raja Ferry | Thong Sala (KPG) | 13.00 | Donsak (ST) |
| Raja Ferry | Thong Sala (KPG) | 17.00 | Donsak (ST) |
| Raja Ferry | Donsak (ST) | 07.00 | Thong Sala (KPG) |
| Raja Ferry | Donsak (ST) | 10.00 | Thong Sala (KPG) |
| Raja Ferry | Donsak (ST) | 14.00 | Thong Sala (KPG) |
| Raja Ferry | Donsak (ST) | 17.30 | Thong Sala (KPG) |
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Great post on getting to Ko Phangan. Just to let you know, you can fly Nok Air from Surat to Bangkok now, which is much cheaper, and the Malaysian airline, Firefly, fly in and out of Samui as well – adding flexibility for connecting to or from Malaysia. Also the ferries into Haad Rin take 45 mins and the Lomprayah only takes 35 mins, unless it’s incredibly stormy, in which case it can be slower. Hope you guys might be making another trip to KPN soon, if so please say Hi!!!
Thanks for that update Jungle girl, I totally forgot about Nok Air. I don’t think we will be down KPN way soon, but you can be sure that as soon as we touch down back in Thailand we will be making the rounds to see everyone I’ve met through TM. Expect us sometime mid 2011 most likely!