How do I get to Koh Tao?

Koh Tao has no runway, and every visitor arrives down a gangplank at Mae Haad pier on the west coast, so the decision is which airport feeds that pier. For a first trip, pick Chumphon (CJM). Nok Air flies there from Don Mueang (DMK) in about 1 hour 10 minutes, and Thai AirAsia has flown the route on some schedules. Nok Air's fly-and-ferry ticket bundles the van to Tha Yang pier with the Lomprayah high-speed catamaran to Mae Haad, so you never have to buy a ticket at a counter where you can't read the signs. Door to door from Bangkok, plan on 5 to 6 hours and roughly 2,000 to 3,000 baht, about $60 to $90 at 33.69 baht to the dollar. There is a catch, though. Lomprayah's Chumphon departures cluster around 7:00 and 13:00, so a late flight can mean a night in Chumphon town before you cross.

Koh Samui (USM) is the comfortable choice. Bangkok Airways built and operates the airport, and its Suvarnabhumi (BKK) flights take about 65 minutes, with that ownership showing in the price, which tends to run $150 to $250 one way, roughly double the Chumphon route. From Samui, Lomprayah sails from Maenam or Bangrak piers and usually calls at Koh Phangan, reaching Mae Haad in around 1 hour 30 minutes. The Samui route is worth the extra cost if you are coming from Singapore, where Bangkok Airways runs direct to Samui and you skip Bangkok altogether. Skip Surat Thani (URT) unless the fare gap passes $100. The bus to Donsak pier plus the slow ferry adds 4 or more hours.

The cheapest route runs overland. The overnight train from Bangkok's Krung Thep Aphiwat station reaches Chumphon in 8 to 9 hours, and a second-class sleeper berth costs roughly 800 to 1,000 baht and comes with starched sheets and the steady clack of the rails. Lomprayah also sells a joint bus-and-boat ticket from its office near Khao San Road for about 1,300 baht. Its overnight coaches keep the air-con fierce, so pack a hoodie for the 8-hour run. Both options save money but cost you a night's sleep. Most first-timers land groggy off a long-haul flight and should fly instead.

Watch the calendar. From roughly November to January, the northeast monsoon pushes swell across the Gulf of Thailand, and the open-water Chumphon crossing takes the worst of it: Lomprayah sometimes cancels or delays sailings. On a rough crossing, sit on the lower deck near the middle of the catamaran, where it pitches least, and stay away from the stern, which smells of diesel and gets sprayed with salt water. Take a ginger candy or a Dramamine 30 minutes before boarding. On 9 October 2026, Koh Tao read 28.1°C under overcast skies, with the heat index near 32.7°C, so the 10-minute wait on the Mae Haad pier feels sticky. Shared pickup-truck taxis wait at the pier exit and charge around 100 to 150 baht per person to Sairee Beach, which is about a 20-minute walk north.