GETTING TO
KOH TAO BY BUS

BUS TO KOH TAO
- How to get to Koh Tao by Bus
- All the Info -

Traveling by bus is usually the slowliest option but also the cheapest one. And, of course, you can get to Koh Tao by bus, so we are going to explain to you now how to do it in the most convenient way. Remember to download movies in your tablet or mobile phone because the journey will be long, but you will be able to save some money to dive in the blue waters of the Turtle Island.

Information on how to go to Koh Tao by Bus

Getting to Koh Tao by bus is possible although you will have to take a ferry in one of the two piers in the mainland: Chumphon and Surat Thani. Depending on your departure point, you can choose to arrive in Surat Thani or Chumphon. However, we have to remind you that traveling around Thailand is very easy, although time-consuming most of the times. For this reason, in any of the travel agencies around the country, you’ll find the possibility to travel to Koh Tao by bus. They will organize your trip, and the destination will be either Chumphon or Surat Thani. Then, they will also manage the transfer to the pier and the ferry ticket. Everything will be sorted!

However, for those who want to manage everything by themselves, there is also the possibility to book your ticket online. This is especially easy if you are traveling from Bangkok because there are two companies offering trips from Khao San Road to the island: Lomprayah and Songserm. Both offer air-con buses to the Chumphon pier and then the ferry ticket because both companies own boats in the area.

You have to take in consideration that the journey by bus takes about 8-9 hours from Bangkok to Koh Tao. Then, you’ll need to spend another 2-3 hours on the ferry to get to the island. The downside of this journey is that you might waste one day of your holidays traveling by bus, especially if you do it during the day, but there is also the option of doing this overnight, something that will save you time and money.

If you decide to travel overnight, the buses depart around 19.30 or 21.00, depending on the company. You will arrive in Chumphon in the morning, so by midday, you’ll arrive in Koh Tao. The price you should expect to pay for the trip is around 1.100 baht, so money wise it’s a very good option.

Getting by Public Bus to Koh Tao

If you don’t want to buy the ticket with one of the private companies mentioned above, you can always choose to travel cheaper with the public bus. In this case, you should head to the Southern Bus Terminal Sai Tai Mai and there ask for the bus to Chumphon. These buses are much more uncomfortable but you can save some bahts if this is your decision.

Other options to get to Koh Tao by Bus

So far, we’ve mentioned the possibility of getting to Koh Tao by bus from Bangkok. However, you might want to know what to do if you are in other parts of your country. Most probably, if you are in Chiang Mai or in any other city in the North, you’ll need to stop by in the capital of Siam, and then follow the instructions mentioned above.

If you are in the Andaman Sea, the quickest option is hiring a minivan asking in one of the many tourist offices around the country. They will be able to handle for you all the transportation, including minivan and ferry. Depending on your departure point, you’ll head to Surat Thani or Chumphon, although the second one is closer to Koh Tao and more convenient if you are traveling from the West of the country.

If you are coming from the South part of the country or from Malaysia, you can also ask in any tourist office and they will organize your trip. In Malaysia, for instance, there are many companies that can handle everything for you, no matter if you are in Kuala Lumpur or Penang. However, remember that the journey will be very long because it’s also very time consuming crossing the Thai-Malay border by land. So be patient and think that paradise is waiting for you!