How to Get to Koh Samui
Wednesday, June 07, 2017 by adminThailand is one of the top tourist destinations in the entire world. Visitors enjoy various locations around the whole country. Thailand is an easy place to get around since there are so many travel options for getting to the country and around it. One of the most popular places to visit in Thailand is Koh Samui.
Koh Samui is an island located in the Gulf of Thailand. Tourists like Koh Samui for the paradise island environment. It’s also conveniently located nearby a lot of other high traffic islands and even the main shore of Thailand. Visitors who come to Koh Samui often come from one of the nearby islands or cities around the area because of its proximity to them.
How to Get to Koh Samui
There are several ways to get to Koh Samui thanks to its popular. Visitors come to this island from all over Thailand. It has been developed to be able to accommodate everyone trying to get to Koh Samui. Koh Samui is an island so the available methods to reach the island is either by air or water.
Koh Samui is one of the largest islands in Thailand. It’s big enough for it to have its own international airport. The Samui International Airport serves flights coming from all around Thailand and other countries in Southeast Asia. This airport is close to Chaweng, a major tourist beach on Koh Samui. This airport is the only airport in the area hence many people come through this airport either to stay at Koh Samui or to transfer to a nearby island, like Koh Tao or Koh Phangan. This is common for travellers here so it’s easy to find taxi or shuttle services that can take you to the correct pier to continue your journey.
Koh Samui also can be reached via boat. There are several ferry services for getting to Koh Samui that can be found all around the Gulf of Thailand and even the mainland. These larger ferries have daily operation schedules to bring multiple passengers to the island. There are also many other boat service options to get to Koh Samui such as private boat charters and speed boats.
Koh Samui Piers
The closest pier on the mainland for the shortest boat trip to Koh Samui is from Donsak pier in Surat Thani province. At this pier, you will find many of the best ferry services to Koh Samui. Some of the ferry operators include Lomprayah, Raja Ferry, and Seatran Discovery. Each of these ferries can accommodate large groups and tours travelling to Koh Samui. They each have various trip frequencies and travel times depending on which of the many piers on Koh Samui they utilise.
Koh Samui has four main piers around the island. Each pier has their own destinations that they are connected to. This usually depends on the proximity of the pier’s location on Koh Samui to the final destination.
Nathon Pier
Nathon Pier is the main port for Koh Samui. This pier is located in Nathon, the capital of Koh Samui. It has a variety of ferries coming and going from multiple piers around Thailand and its islands.
Bangrak Pier
Bangrak Pier has the best pier location. It’s a short distance away from the Samui airport and Chaweng Beach, the busiest beach on Koh Samui. Bangrak Pier is also referred to as Big Buddha Pier because of the nearby Big Buddha statue. This pier has ferry services to the mainland at Donsak Pier on the mainland and also to the islands Koh Tao and Koh Phangan.
Maenam Pier
Maenam Pier is located on Maenam Beach which is on the western coast of Koh Samui. One of the largest ferry companies, Lomprayah, operates from this pier. They also service Koh Phangan, Koh Tao, Donsak Pier, as well as Surat Thani.
Lipa Noi Pier
The last major pier on Koh Samui is Lipa Noi Pier. This pier is also on western Koh Samui. Raja Ferry is the main ferry operator from this pier that has services to the mainland Donsak.
Getting from Koh Phangan to Koh Samui
You will hear a lot of talk about Koh Phangan while on Koh Samui. Many of the people on Koh Samui are visiting from Koh Phangan or have plans to travel there at some point during their trip. Koh Phangan is another island in the Gulf of Thailand. It is most known for its Full Moon Party which happens monthly. Around this time especially you will find many trip options for travelling between the two islands.
The major port on Koh Phangan to get to Koh Samui is Thong Sala. Many of the ferries operate out of Thong Sala that has daily trips going to Koh Samui. The Lomprayah Ferry is the fastest option of getting from Koh Phangan to Koh Samui. This ferry will take you to the Maenam Pier at Maenam Beach. Also, the Seatran Ferry that arrives at Bophut Beach is a common ferry between the islands.
Koh Phangan’s Full Moon Party takes place on its beach called Haad Rin. Around the time of the party, there will be a lot of local boat services that arrive in Koh Phangan and these same services can provide a return trip to Koh Samui. There are speedboats that leave from Haad Rin and travel to Fisherman’s village on Koh Samui. Long Boats are also available from this beach that can get you to Koh Samui from Koh Phangan.
Getting from Koh Tao to Koh Samui
Koh Tao is an island in the Gulf of Thailand that is one of the premier destinations around the world for diving. Many people come to Koh Tao to enjoy this water activity to experience some of the best marine life that Thailand has to offer. Koh Tao is relatively close to Koh Samui so there are a lot of day tours to either island from the other. You can find several accommodation options on both islands too, so it’s common for visitors to split up their time between the two.
The main pier on Koh Tao is called Mae Haad Pier. This pier is where you will find most of the trips leaving to Koh Samui. Ferries that depart from Mae Haad Pier can take you to one of the Koh Samui piers such as Maenam Pier, Bangrak Pier, and Nathon Pier. These have difference locations around Koh Samui so make sure the right trip is taken to save additional travel time when you arrive on Koh Samui. Each of the ferry services from Mae Haad Pier has multiple daily trips to Koh Samui.
Koh Tao to Koh Samui is a further distance than some of the other popular trips to the island. The ferries range from about one to three hours travel time to get to Koh Samui. Taking the ferry or reserving a private speedboat are the main travel options because of the distance.
Getting from Bangkok to Koh Samui
Bangkok is the capital of Thailand and one of the top cities around the world for tourists. Bangkok is a major city which makes it completely different from an island like Koh Samui. The city has plenty to do to stay entertained, but it’s always good to see all sides of a country like Thailand. If you’re in Bangkok, Koh Samui is a place you should visit if you want to get away from the busy city life.
Bangkok is more centrally located in Thailand. Travelling from Bangkok to Koh Samui depends a lot on your travel budget since there are so many different options. Flying is the simplest and fastest way. Bangkok has its international airport along with another local airport. Both of these have flights going to Koh Samui. There will be a lot of transfer flights directly from Bangkok to the island’s airport.
You could also find cheaper flights going to airports close to the island such as Surat Thani or Chumphon airport. It’s only a short flight to either of these airports, but you’ll have to transfer to a ferry to take you to Koh Samui.
Another method of getting from Bangkok to Koh Samui is a combination of land and water. The best port to reach Koh Samui is from the mainland port of Donsak. Most of the trip options will take you here by land. There are several bus and train services from Bangkok to Donsak. It’s more than a ten-hour trip to the port, so there are special overnight sleeper options for buses and trains. Once you reach Donsak, you will be able to transfer to a ferry going to Koh Samui. Companies conveniently package bus and ferry tickets or train and ferry tickets for the journey.
Getting from Krabi to Koh Samui
Bangkok is an area comparable to Koh Samui. It’s known for its beaches and also world class islands right off of its coast. It’s also for visitors to explore both of these places since they both have their own unique offerings. Krabi is also located on the mainland of Thailand so there are similar options for travel just as if you were coming from a city like Bangkok.
The most convenient way to travel from Krabi to Koh Samui is by plane. Krabi International Airport has a daily direct flight that goes to Koh Samui.
Krabi is much closer to the Donsak Pier than Bangkok, so a bus and ferry travel route are more common coming from Krabi. There are many bus and shuttle services around Krabi that can take you to the pier. It’s about a 6-8 hour ride to Donsak Pier. You will then transfer to one of the ferry services leaving from this pier heading to Koh Samui. This takes an additional 1-2 hours depending on the ferry you select.
Getting from Phi Phi Islands to Koh Samui
The Phi Phi Islands is another one of the top islands in Thailand along with Koh Samui. There are major differences between the islands and their development, so it’s definitely worthwhile to visit both if you have the opportunity. These islands are located on opposite coasts of Thailand and separated by the Gulf of Siam, a land strip between the islands. This land strip makes the journey from the Phi Phi Islands to Koh Samui a bit more complex.
Air is one method to travel. The Phi Phi Islands are located in the middle between Krabi and Phuket. Both of these have their own airports. You can take a ferry from Phi Phi Islands to either of these and get a direct flight into the Samui airport.
The more scenic route to travel includes a land leg of the journey. You can take a ferry from Phi Phi Islands to the mainland. Most likely you will arrive at Krabi. From Krabi, you can take one of the many bus or shuttle services to the Donsak Pier for the final ferry to Koh Samui. This total journey is about 8-9 hours, but most people don’t mind this trip for the sights along the way.
Getting from Surat Thani to Koh Samui
Surat Thani is a hub in southern Thailand. It’s where you will find transportation to and from most of Thailand including its major cities and routes to the islands. Travelling from Surat Thani to Koh Samui is one of the more popular trips.
Surat Thani has a major airport as well as the train station to give you access to anywhere in the country. A lot of travellers make the journey from Surat Thani airport to Koh Samui, so all of the major ferry service companies to Koh Samui have shuttle service directly from the airport. This service is a bus and ferry combination that will first take you to Donsak Pier and then transfer to a ferry to Koh Samui. This method is common for travellers who opt not to fly directly into Koh Samui. You can find many bus service options at the train station that also will first take you to Donsak before transferring to the Koh Samui ferry.
Koh Samui is a favourite destination for many people who visit Thailand because of the island’s beauty and unique offerings. Visitors make sure they include Koh Samui in their trip. Thailand makes it easy to find methods of travel to reach Koh Samui. The island is in high demand for a lot of people. Many of the cities and other islands around Thailand all have frequently travelled routes going there. A lot of the travel options can be booked online in advance.