To go from Surat Thani to Koh Phangan you can either go by night boat or by ferry from Don Sak pier. Note that the night boat to Koh Phangan leaves from Surat Thani town, very central. But Don Sak pier is about 1 hour away from Surat Thani town, so the best is to buy a combo ticket in town that includes a bus and ferry.
From Surat Thani town to Don Sak Pier
I went with Seatran company that has an office very well located in town and they have different options. To go from Surat Thani to Koh Phangan there are 4 available ferries per day: 8:30; 11:30; 14:30; and 17:30. This is the ferry departure time, so you should go from Surat Thani town to the pier 1 h earlier and the company offers different bus departures too: 6:30; 9:30; 12:30, 16:00, but there might be more bus departures cause more buses are heading to the same destination, but to Koh Samui. For instance, I hopped on a bus at 11:30 and my ferry was at 14:30. There are places to eat at the pier and the wait was fine. The ferry was not full and the journey to get to Koh Phangan takes about 2h30. It is a smooth beautiful boat ride! There are seats outside that I always prefer. Admiring the landscape around turns this boat trip into a scenic one as the cliffs around the pier fade away in the distance, meanwhile, Koh Samui is seen and is not far from the boat route. Both islands are pretty close to each other.
At some point, there are these cute birds following the ferry and taking advantage of its passage as they feed behind the ferry which leaves a “trail” behind. Perhaps it makes it easier for the birds to dive in and catch some fish. Nice BBC scene!
This was not my first time in Koh Phangan. Before, I explored other parts of the island. And I took different routes to get on the island and out. Koh Phangan to Krabi HERE! Koh Tao to Koh Phangan HERE!
Don Sak Pier to Haad Rin beach
Once in Koh Phangan, I had to find a way to get to Haad Rin Beach where I will be volunteering. It is quite a distance still, so no walking there. First, I stumble upon this guy that has a motorbike. I asked how much would it be and his answer was surprising: 500bh haha. I’m sure he thinks I’m new in this traveling Thailand thing and was trying to see if I fall for that over-exaggerated price. I just laughed at his face and proceeded.
The next one asks me for 300 bh. My jaw drops to the floor again and my reaction might have been priceless. What an absurd price or is Koh Phangan that expensive??? I kept walking to the area where all the Songthaew are (aka Thai taxi) and there they asked me for 150bh to get to Haad Rin area. That is acceptable, but still pricy having in mind this is a 20 min ride of about 12 km distance. Because I came from the ferry, there were obviously more people willing to head in the same direction. I didn’t have to wait until the taxi was full and we could move on. The driver asked 2 of the passengers for 200bh cause their hotel was up on a hill, a very steep one haha. So the taxi will drop you at your hotel, which is great! If yours is the further one you will have to wait for him to “deliver” his other passengers first. Still, the ride shouldn’t take much longer than 30 min. The price of the bus + ferry from Surat Thani to Koh Phangan was 380bh + 150 bh the taxi to get to the hostel WET- a pool party, where I volunteered.
From Haad Rin to Surat Thani town
To go back from Haad Rin to Surat Thani town I paid a bit more- 580bh – but all included taxi + ferry + bus. I used the Raja Ferry because they had different departure schedules. The process was exactly the same. They have everything arranged so don’t worry if you have to change buses or taxis, it is just the Thai way of doing it, and they know what they are doing. I used to stress too much during these trips with lots of changes. Now, I don’t care much, I know they will get me to my destination somehow, and that’s what matters.
Yes, I’ve been to the Full Moon party Koh Phangan. Read more HERE!
