Koh Phi Phi to Koh Lanta - Ferry / Boat

The ferry cost us 400 baht each and we bought tickets on the Koh Phi Phi from near the pier, lots of people were selling boat tickets! We turned up at the pier half an hour before our boat was due to depart at 11.30am. We boarded the ferry no problem and picked a seat downstairs near some fans as it was pretty warm. Fortunately, the boat wasn’t too busy so it didn’t get too hot and stuffy downstairs. I can imagine in peak season it could be much worse without air conditioning, my advice would be to just turn up early to get a seat with a fan pointing on it!

The ferry only took around an hour and the journey was quite smooth, whilst on the boat you have someone going around selling taxi/minibus tickets for when you arrive on Koh Lanta. We had read beforehand that it was easy to get a taxi (tuk tuk) when you arrive at Saladan Pier on Koh Lanta.

When we arrived on Koh Lanta, lots of people were offering taxi services and we opted for a pickup truck that cost 150 baht for two of us. They initially wanted 100 baht each but we managed to get them down on this, I have been told that it can be as cheap as 50 baht each but it does depend on your destination. We were heading to Good Days Lanta Beach Resort on Long Beach. I highly recommend these beachside bungalows (fan) that only cost £12 a night in low season!

Amazing sunsets in Koh Lanta!

3 out of 5

Koh Samui to Koh Phi Phi - Ferry and Bus

After a few days in Koh Samui, we decided to head west to the island of Koh Phi Phi. Below is a summary of our travel and transport. I’ve decided to list all the points as I was struggling to recap some of the smaller details!

• We bought travel tickets from Pornchai Transport & Tours near Chaweng Budget Hotel on the road behind Chaweng Beach.
• They cost around 1,200 baht each which included pickup, ferries and bus travel.

Just a couple of the tickets from the journey!

• A minibus picked us up shortly before 7am and took us to Nathon Pier (West of Koh Samui)
• We checked in across the road from pier and collected our tickets. We then waited nearly an hour for the ferry to arrive.
• Short journey across to Donsak Pier in Surat Thani, not sure of the name of the ferry company but it wasn’t Lomprayah this time (although I do recommend them!).
• Buses were waiting to collect us at the pier, make sure you board quickly as they filled up fast especially if you want to sit with friends!
• Our bus journey was a good 3 hours and we stopped just outside of Krabi at a random café and shop. Here we awaited further instructions.
• After a quick drink, someone shouted out people for Koh Phi Phi and we crammed into a minibus and headed down to Klong Jilad Pier.
• At this point we joined a long queue to board the Andaman Wave Master ferry to Koh Phi Phi. This boat was very full and we just about got two seats downstairs but we were sat next to the engines which were very loud for two hours! Luckily, we had an iPod to try and drown it out!

Busy ferry heading to Koh Phi Phi

• We arrived at the only pier on Koh Phi Phi, Ao Tonsai Pier and paid a 20 baht cleaning fee each for the island.
• At the pier, there are a lot of people offering hostels and hotels if you hadn’t already booked- I would advise avoiding these as they ask for a much higher price than online.

We made it!

Overall, it was nearly a full day of travel and we encountered no real problems, although we were definitely glad to settle in and grab a beer by the end of the day!

3 out of 5

Koh Tao to Koh Samui – Ferry

After a fun week of diving in Koh Tao, we reluctantly moved onto our next stop… heading south to the island of Koh Samui. After a successful journey with the travel company Lomprayah when travelling to Koh Tao, we choose them again for our short journey to Koh Samui.  We booked tickets at a local travel agents at Sairee Beach for 600 baht each for the 12.30pm departure from Mae Haad Pier to Maenam Pier, Koh Samui. A few other companies offer ferry tickets for a slightly cheaper price but I believe Lomprayah is worth using for the extra 100/150 baht.

Another ferry ticket

The morning of the ferry we got a taxi down to the pier an hour in advance to check in. This once again cost 100 baht each for this short taxi. The pier was very busy and we joined the back of a long queue and thought we might end up missing our boat! We just about made it to the counter to collect our tickets and stickers as the boat pulled into the pier. We stood in a very crowded and hot area waiting for everyone to disembark the ferry before we could make our way down. Please take your time when heading down to the ferry as a lot of people are pushing to get there first!

Finally, we made it onto our boat and sat on the first floor at the back where we had plenty of room. The journey took us just under 2 hours with a stop at Koh Pha Ngan. The journey was very smooth and offered some lovely views of the sea and smaller islands!

Awesome views!

We arrived at Maenam pier in the East of Koh Samui around 2.30pm and used the main shuttle / minibus service on offer at pier. We were charged 150 baht each to Fisherman’s Villagae (Mae Nam Beach) in the North of the island. It took a while for us to get seated on a minibus because there was a lot of confusion as to where our guesthouse was! After switching around we finally got onto the right one and set off.

It didn’t take too long to arrive at our guesthouse with a few stops along the way. I think the driver thought he was a racing car driver with wheel spins and plenty of overtakes! This became much more normal after a few weeks of travelling.

Overall, we reached our destination in good time, however make sure you give yourself enough time at Mae Haad Pier in Koh Tao!

4 out of 5 

Bangkok to Koh Tao – Bus and Ferry

I’ve decided to write about a few of my earlier travels across Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. The first journey we undertook after arriving in Thailand was to leave Bangkok and head towards the island of Koh Tao for some scuba diving! With us staying near Koh San Road in Bangkok, we had plenty of choice with how to travel to Koh Tao but make sure to beware of scams!

Lomprayah High Speed Catamaran

We chose to use the recommended Lomprayah High Speed Catamaran service which includes bus and ferry travel. Their main office is located on the corner of Rambuttri Alley next to Koh San Road. Upon recommendation from a friend, we booked our tickets from a travel agent located on the main road next to Boots on Chakrabongse Road. This cost us 1,000 baht each which is slightly cheaper than the online price, for the 6.00am departure. I’m sure if you look around you might be able to find a slightly cheaper deal.

Luggage Rules

On the morning of our departure from Bangkok, we had to sign in at the Lomprayah office at 5am and exchange our booking receipt for travel tickets. We received stickers to wear and some to put on our backpacks to ensure we got onto the correct bus. 45 minutes later and the bus arrived just down the road from the office. 

Pink stickers for Koh Tao

The coach itself wasn’t too bad for our first experience of transport in South East Asia and the coach journey down to Chumphon pier was comfortable. Upon arrival at Chumphon pier, we had 15 minutes to buy anything from the shop and use the bathroom before boarding the ferry to Koh Tao.

Plenty of room on the bus

The ferry was very busy inside with people using it to get to Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui. We decided to sit outside on the first floor of the ferry towards the back. We had much more room here and enjoyed a sea breeze sheltered from the sun.

We arrived on Koh Tao at Mae Haad Pier, not long before 3pm. From here, we shared a taxi with two others up to Sairee Beach for 100 baht each which seemed reasonable.

Overall the journey was a good first experience of travelling in Thailand and probably the best way of reaching Koh Tao from Bangkok.

4 out of 5