To go from Bangkok to Koh Tao is easy, as there are several options available. Many tourists are doing this trip, so it is easy to find tickets. I bought my ticket online at bookaway.com, and even though I bought it the same day of the trip, they still had an option available. If I had bought it before, I would have had more options.
You can also buy your ticket from Bangkok to Koh Tao HERE!
This was actually not the 1st time I have done this trip, but it turned out to be a bit different from the first time and better too.
From Bangkok to Chumphon Pier
The bus left Bangkok near Khao San Road at 7 pm. I thought we would be going to a major bus station to change buses at some point, but that didn’t happen. It was a direct journey from the heart of Bangkok to Chumphon, the nearest pier where the boats to Koh Tao depart.
The bus is a normal bus with a toilet inside, which was awesome because we only did one stop for 30 minutes the whole trip. It was enough because, as the trip is done at night, everyone is sleeping. But the time when I was able to sleep on such a bus is long gone, haha. I’m used to Vietnamese buses, which have actual beds 80% reclinable and where it is very possible to sleep comfortably. This is not the case. It is a normal bus, so seating and sleeping proved to be too much for me. I was a mess when we arrived at 3 am at Chumphon pier. One of the reasons why I thought we would stop somewhere else along the way was the arrival time: 3 am, but the boat is at 7 am!!! WHY!?
The bus also stopped in Hua Hin to get some more passengers. There were only foreigners on board this bus, which is something I’m not very used to for a while. Only in Thailand, really.
Later, I understood that there was another bus leaving from Bangkok at 9 pm, which arrives in Chumpon at 5 am, which leads to a shorter waiting time for the boat to Koh Tao.
Anyway, at least at 3 am, we had the spot absolutely empty and could actually sleep in one of the beach chairs way more comfortably than on the bus. So maybe after all, sleeping here was better than trying to sleep on the bus. We could sleep to the sound of the waves right in front, but peace ended once the passengers from the 9 pm bus arrived. They arrived at 5 am, and I couldn’t sleep anymore. Most of the passengers came on that bus, actually.
Once some light revealed the surroundings, it was great. There are some beautiful beaches near Chumphon pier. I could see lines of coconut trees and a very peaceful beach. This spot was actually very beautiful, and a misty sunrise awaited us. It was shy at the beginning, but the sun showed up gracefully.
We had to swap our ticket for a new one before boarding, and that was it.
From Chumphon pier to Koh Tao
On the boat, luckily, there was a sitting area outside, which I prefer. I prefer the wind on my face, even though the trip was calm and not disturbing at all. We arrived in Koh Tao at 9 am, but before we had a pit stop at Koh Nang Yuan, the famous viewpoint island with stunning shades of blue. WOW was really nice to see it from the boat. The water colors were stunning!!! I didn’t visit this viewpoint once more, haha, even though I really wanted to, but that was because I thought I would go to Koh Tao again soon.
9 am is a little too early to arrive at any island because the check-in time is at 2 pm, but the people from the hostel are always nice and allow me to leave my stuff at the reception. Like this, I could enjoy my time at the beach with no worries. My hostel was a 30-minute walk away from the pier, and I thought of walking there, but a guy offered me a ride. Many people rent motorbikes near the pier, and once they leave Koh Tao island, they can also ride it to the pier, which is easier. I ended up not renting a motorbike at all during my stay on Koh Tao island. This was my second time on the island, though.
The catamaran then proceeded to Koh Phangan, absolutely full of foreigners. 98% of the people on board these ferries to the Thai islands are foreigners.
Check out what I’ve seen in Koh Tao HERE!
