How to get to Koh Tao
There are several ways for you to get to Koh Tao. You can choose to fly to Koh Samui , Chumphon or Surat Thani or travel by surface transport (bus or train) via Chumphon or Surat Thani. Whichever method you choose, the last leg will be a ferry ride to the island.
Flying: Fly from Bangkok Don Muang Airport (domestic airport) to Chumphon or Surat Thani with Thai AirAsia then take a ferry to Koh Tao. The flight times usually line up with the ferry times, however there may be some arrival times where you will have a small wait before your ferry departs.
Bus: Take the bus from Bangkok to Chumphon, connecting with a ferry to Koh Tao – you should purchase your joint ticket in Bangkok.
Train: Take the train south to Chumphon. There are overnight sleeper options that connect with the morning ferry to Koh Tao. Your ferry ticket can be bought at the train station (Krung Thep Aphiwat) in Bangkok or Chumphon or online before you travel.
Flying to Koh Samui
Flying is by far the easiest and fastest method to get from Bangkok to Koh Tao.
Bangkok Airways has regular services from Bangkok to Koh Samui (a short ferry ride from Koh tao) 20 times a day. The flight takes approximately 45 minutes.
If you choose to forego the pleasures of a brief stay in Bangkok in favour of rapid transport to Koh Tao, advise the airline you fly to Bangkok with of your Bangkok Airways connecting flight. Your luggage will be moved for you and you won’t need to go through immigration at Bangkok Airport.
If you miss your connecting flight to Koh Samui due to delayed arrival in Bangkok, Bangkok Airways normally put you on the next plane to Koh Samui without surcharge, but it’s still worth giving yourself a few hours grace between flights to make your life easier, and it gives you time to do a spot of duty free shopping in the airport.
There are two ferry companies offering 6 services a day from Koh Samui to Koh Tao. Boat tickets and pier transfers are available from the airport, at your hotel or from any travel agent. At busy times we do suggest that you book your ticket online before you travel. Remember that the last ferry transfer leaves at lunchtime so if you arrive after the last boat and have to stay the night then we suggest you stay at Cocooning.
Flying to Chumphon or Surat Thani
Thai AirAsia fly from Don Muang Airport (BKK) to Chumphon and connect with Lomprayah ferries to Koh Tao. Flights leave daily starting from 7:25 AM –8:30 AM, you will arrive to Chumphon Airport after about 45 minutes, here you will transfer to the pier where the ferry usually departs at 1pm arriving at Koh Tao around 2:45pm
As the service runs on small planes the luggage allowance is just 15-20 kilos (depending on your ticket) with excess baggage charged at 200B per kilo
Thai AirAsia also fly from Don Muang Airport (BKK) in to Surat Thani and connect via a bus to the ferry terminal and then on to Koh Tao via Lomprayah ferry. Flights leave daily starting at 6am, you will arrive to Koh Tao earliest at 14:30 with later options available.
Bus to Chumphon
The Lomprayah offers bus and ferry trips to Koh Tao:
They offer modern coaches for the 8 hour bus ride from Bangkok to Chumphon, followed by high speed ferries that take you from Chumphon to Koh Tao in approximately two hours. The full trip costs around 1,250THB for the standard bus or 1,550THB for the VIP bus. They offer 2 trips per day, leaving Bangkok, near Khao San Road.
Train to Chumphon
Train travel is cheap in Thailand, but not very fast. An overnight train from Bangkok to Chumphon will be in the region of 242 – 1,290THB depending on style of cabin
Probably the best reason to choose travel by train is the opportunity to stretch out in a bed of sorts, in one of the sleeper carriages. You will need to book ahead to ensure a bed and you will find the ‘lower’ beds a little more roomy. These trains also have a small buffet car where you can eat, drink and even party!
Ferry companies
Two ferry companies connect Koh Tao with Koh Phangnan and Koh Samui and the mainland cities of Chumpon and Surat Thani. Each company runs a few schedules each day, one first thing in the morning and the other around lunchtime. They also sometimes run an early morning and late afternoon trip.
The Songserm is is your cheapest option but also the slowest and not so comfortable as the newer boats. This service does dock very close to Master Divers though.
The Lomprayah is the fastest carrier and the most comfortable for both their buses and ferries but does cost a little more. Their joint buses connect you with Bangkok and Hua Hin.
The Lomprayah dock only a few mins walk from Master Divers, please check out the ‘how to find us‘ page for tips on how to us from the ferry terminal.
Ferry time tables are subject to change so rather than give you bad information, follow the links above for bookings and their current timetables. At busy times we strongly recommend that you book your tickets online before your travel.
Master Divers
Once you are here, Master Divers is easy to find – Information to help you find us.
We are located a couple minutes walk away from the various ferry companies, you can walk along the road way to find us or take a stroll along Mae Haad Beach and look out for our beach front access.
If entering via the beach front, please ask any staff in the wet area to show you where the main dive center reception is located, we’re next door to the awesome Coconut Monkey and located across the road from a Tattoo Bar (check out their awesome burgers!)
