How do I get from the airport to Koh Tao?
Koh Tao has no airport, so every journey here ends on the water. Fly into Samui (USM), take a taxi of about 25 minutes to Maenam pier, and board the Lomprayah high-speed catamaran to Mae Haad pier, a crossing of about 1 hour 45 minutes. From Bangkok on a budget, Nok Air's fly-and-ferry ticket via Chumphon (CJM) costs less.
Koh Tao has no runway, so every arrival ends at Mae Haad pier on the island's west coast. From Samui International (USM), the best default is the Lomprayah high-speed catamaran departing from Maenam pier on Samui's north coast. A taxi from the airport's open-air terminal takes about 25 minutes and costs roughly 400-600 THB, and the wet, heavy air hits you before the bags reach the carousel. The catamaran stops at Thong Sala on Koh Phangan before docking on Koh Tao after about 1 hour 45 minutes. The fare is currently near 700 THB, around $21 at 33.685 baht to the dollar. Book a sailing at least 2 hours after your scheduled landing: Bangkok Airways flights into Samui can run 30-60 minutes late when afternoon storms roll in.
From Bangkok on a budget, Chumphon (CJM) is the cheaper route. Nok Air flies there from Don Mueang (DMK) in about an hour and sells a fly-and-ferry ticket that covers the van to Lomprayah's pier at Thung Makham Noi and the boat onward to Mae Haad. The van ride takes 45-60 minutes, and the air-conditioning is cold. The crossing from Chumphon takes about as long as the one from Samui. The catch is timing: if your flight lands late, the last afternoon boat leaves without you, and there are few beds near the Chumphon pier. Surat Thani (URT) is the third option and the worst one for a first visit, its bus-and-ferry chain typically running 5-6 hours.
October to December brings the northeast monsoon to this side of the Gulf of Thailand. Today Mae Haad is overcast at 28.1°C, though it feels closer to 32.7°C. Rough seas can cancel sailings, mostly in November, so sit low in the middle of the lower deck and take a ginger or dimenhydrinate tablet 30 minutes before you board. Salt spray and diesel fumes on the top deck make seasickness worse. At Mae Haad, shared songthaews wait at the pier gate: a ride to Sairee Beach, about 2 km north, costs around 100-200 THB per person, and Chalok Baan Kao to the south costs a bit more. Some dive resorts on Sairee collect guests for free, so check your booking email before you pay anyone at the pier.
Transfer options from Samui International (USM)
Taxi to Maenam pier plus Lomprayah catamaran
135 min · about 1,100-1,300 THB
Nok Air fly-and-ferry via Chumphon (van plus catamaran)
165 min · about 750-900 THB for van and boat
Bus and ferry from Surat Thani
330 min · about 600-800 THB
Shared songthaew from Mae Haad pier to Sairee
10 min · 100-200 THB per person
More transport questions
How do I get to Koh Tao?
Koh Tao has no airport, so however you travel, you end up arriving by boat into Mae Haad pier. For most first-timers, the strongest route is a Nok Air flight from Don Mueang to Chumphon paired with the Lomprayah catamaran, roughly 5 to 6 hours from Bangkok. Bangkok Airways to Koh Samui plus a 90-minute ferry is the comfortable, pricier alternative.
Full answerHow do I get around Koh Tao?
On the flat west coast between Sairee and Mae Haad, walking is fine. For anything farther, a shared pickup taxi runs the main routes at around 100 to 200 baht per person. To reach east-coast bays such as Ao Tanote, book a longtail boat. If you've never ridden a scooter at home, don't start here, because Koh Tao's hills punish beginners. Grab doesn't operate on the island.
Full answerWhat are the best day trips from Koh Tao?
Koh Nang Yuan is the best single day trip from Koh Tao, a 15-minute longtail ride from Mae Haad out to three islets joined by a sandbar. Couples who want a longer shared day should book the round-island snorkel loop past Ao Leuk and Ao Hin Wong. Koh Phangan is reachable by catamaran, but Ang Thong Marine Park takes roughly 10 hours.
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