This was not my 1st time doing this trip from Koh Tao to Koh Phangan, but I remember nothing from the first one, which was 7 years ago. I made a post about it, but apparently I didn’t write anything interesting in it, hahah, realizing it now… How I’ve changed…
Anyway, these 2 islands are not far apart, 1h30 min is more than enough to get from Koh Tao to Koh Phangan by ferry.
I bought my ticket at my hostel. Usually, hostels provide this service, and it is easier to buy directly from the reception. That’s what I did. Well, in fact, I ended up buying from the hostel next door because at mine, they told me it was sold out!!! How come?! It wasn’t… I think I was just too late to buy it for the next day through them, as the reception was closing in 5 minutes. Anyway, I bought my ticket at Koh Tao hostel for 600bh, and I ended up using my own hostel- Carabao Dive Resort- free shuttle to the pier. Bonus points for me, haha, otherwise I would have to pay 100bh for a taxi to the pier, or walk for 30 min.
You can also buy your ticket online HERE!
Koh Tao to Koh Phangan ferry schedule
There were several options available from Koh Tao to Koh Phangan. 7.30 am at 700bh, 9.30 am at 600bh, 10 am at 500bh and 3 pm at 600bh. The latter was my choice, even though it was at 3.30 pm, after all, they said. Well, it wasn’t at 3.30 pm because the ferry was delayed 1h!! Yes! I basically spent my afternoon at Koh Tao Pier waiting for this ferry from Koh Tao to Koh Phangan, as the shuttle bus left the hostel at 2 pm.
All the ferries were delayed, not only the one to Koh Phangan. The pier is small and doesn’t seem ready to handle the number of people visiting this island at this time of the year. I visited in January, high season.
I can’t even describe the number of people I saw coming and going while waiting for more than 2h at the pier. JEEEEZ!! There were several ferries coming and going to different locations. Going to Samui, Bangkok, Chumpon, Surat Thani, hundreds and hundreds of people! WOW, I swear the last time I’ve seen so many Western people was in Australia (I live in Vietnam). It was also interesting to notice that 98% of those people coming and going were Caucasians. All Western tourists! This island really lives for tourism. I thought how weird it was to be on a boat in a country and only the staff being locals…
It seems like the pier is about to get bigger. It was under construction, and soon all the passengers might have a place to sit while waiting, which wasn’t the case this time. At some point, it started to rain. Not sure if the ferries were all delayed due to weather conditions. It could have been, because the ferry from Koh Tao to Koh Phangan took about 1h30, but it is supposed to take 1h10.
The thing is that this pier doesn’t have the best conditions, and it started to rain on top of people… Everyone had to take shelter inside because outside, all the seats were wet. Luckily, the rain didn’t last long.
The journey was not what I’m used to in Thailand. The ferry rides are usually very peaceful and tranquil, but it was not the case. The ferry from Koh Tao to Koh Phangan was swinging a lot, and I saw people vomiting, which isn’t very usual on board these ferries.
Hotel transfer on Koh Phangan
On board, Lomprayah is selling tickets for 200 baht to transfer you to your hostel/hotel. You will end up paying the same or more if you hop on a songthaew once on Koh Phangan, so it might be a good opportunity. I knew about this already, but I opted not to buy a transfer ticket. Once at the pier on Koh Phangan, the songthaew drivers actually asked for 250bh, but they reduced it to 200bh anyway.
I would never have done this before, but I decided to walk to my hostel even though it was a 50 min walk. Yes, it was far, but I’m carrying a light backpack, and I know the street is flat. Besides, the path looked doable through the beach, so walking 50 min on the beach didn’t look like a bad idea. Also, I arrived quite late. It was past 5.30 pm, so the heat wasn’t an issue, and I could see the sunset at the beach, perhaps… but it was too cloudy to see the sunset, so it just ended up being a nice walk at the beach. Even though I thought I could walk along the beach until very close to the hostel, I couldn’t. At some point, some rocks don’t allow me to keep going, so the last 20 min of the walk were along the busy street, which I don’t especially enjoy, but anyway, 20 min was not that much. I reached the hostel exhausted, haha, but I hadn’t done much that day, so it was fine. I ended up at Koh Phangan Arena or Leo hostel, a party hostel, but as it isn’t full moon party days, I thought it would be quite empty. I was wrong.
The hostel is cheap, and there is a beach very near, and that’s why I chose it, not because of the party scene, which I’m actually not into. But, there are always parties going on Koh Phangan, and the place gets really loud. The day after, it was much quieter. Anyway, too loud, I wouldn’t stay there again. One of the nights they had loud music until 2 am!! I thought it was illegal, but it happened. If you are bothered by noise, this is not your spot. But, even though it was a party hostel, I found a quiet area by the football field. It was nice over there.
I have been to the full moon party before, and you can read about both experiences in the blog. I have also explored the area near Haad Rin before, so this time I went to different spots on the island where I haven’t been before. Check it out in the next post.
I have also volunteered in Koh Phangan before with Worldpackers. You can read about it HERE!
Buy a ferry ticket between Thai Islands HERE!
