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GETTING TO KOH TAO
- All the Options Available -
How to get to Koh Tao is one of the most common questions whenever someone decides to come to the Turtle Island. There are many possibilities depending on where you are coming from and, ultimately, you’ll have to take a boat from some of the nearest piers.
Right now, we are going to sum up the best options of getting to Koh Tao, but remember that you'll find extra information on our pages dedicated to the most important cities in Thailand.
How to get to Koh Tao by Ferry
By now, you have realized that Koh Tao is a small island with no airport, so you need to take a ferry to arrive at the island. You will have many options, as you can get here from Koh Samui, Koh Phangan or mainland, being Chumphon and Surat Thani the two ports you can use. For this reason, we recommend you to check all the schedules and see which one fits you better in our dedicated page for it.
Check all the ferry schedules and prices on our article how to get to Koh Tao by Ferry
How to get to Koh Tao by Plane
If you want to find flights to Koh Tao, you won’t get any answer from the main flight search websites on the internet. Koh Tao does not have an airport, as the island is very small, but you have many alternatives. Actually, there are three airports close to Koh Tao that you can use to get to the island, depending on you.
Find here more information about how to get to Koh Tao my plane
From Chumphon
There is a small airport in Chumphon that you can use to get to Koh Tao. The good news is that cheap air companies like Air Asia flight there, so it’s an easy connection to Bangkok. The airport is only 40km away from the pier.
More info about how to go from Chumphon to Koh Tao
From Surat Thani
You can also use Surat Thani airport to get to Koh Tao. This city is a bit further away than Chumphon but still a good option to consider. There are many flight companies going there, including Air Asia, so it will be convenient. The con is that the ferry from Surat Thani to Koh Tao takes longer and there are less boats.
Read how to go from Surat Thani to Koh Tao
From Koh Samui
The last option to arrive by plane to Koh Tao is using the airport at Koh Samui. Probably this is the most convenient one, but also the most expensive. This airport is only used by some premium companies like Bangkok Airways so the prices will be higher.
Check how to get from Koh Samui to Koh Tao
How to get to Koh Tao by Train
Another option to get to Koh Tao is doing it by train. If you’ve chosen this option, you would need to book your train ticket either to Chumphon or to Surat Thani. If you are coming from the North, so from Bangkok or Chiang Mai, for instance, it would be better to head to Chumphon as there will be quicker, cheaper, and more convenient to take the boat. If you come from Malaysia, Phuket (read here how to go from Phuket to Koh Tao) or Krabi (how to get from Krabi to Koh Tao), the best option would be Surat Thani.
CHECK OUT OUR SUGGESTIONS
Best Breakfast Spots in Koh Tao
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How to get to Koh Tao by Bus
Another common used combination to come to Koh Tao is taking a bus and then the ferry. For sure, this would be the preferred option for backpackers as usually this is the cheapest option. Besides, buses in Thailand are comfortable and most of the times you can travel overnight, so it won’t be that long, even if journeys can get quite annoying sometimes. As it happened with the train, from those coming from the North it would be better heading to Chumphon and for those coming from the Andaman Sea destinations or Malaysia, it would be better going to Surat Thani. And then always take the ferry.
How to get to Koh Tao from Bangkok
By now, you have seen all the transport options you have to get to Koh Tao. On our site, you will also find detailed information about how to get from Bangkok to Koh Tao. You will have three different options depending on the money you want to spend and your time. Our preferred one would be taking an overnight train at 7 pm in Bangkok and arrive in Chumphon to take the ferry at 7 am, so by 9 am you will have arrived in Koh Tao.
You can check all info about how to get to Koh Tao from Bangkok in our article >>
How to get to Koh Tao from Chiang Mai
The second-largest city in Thailand and one of the preferred tourist destination is Chiang Mai. If you are planning to go to the North of the country and then head the beach, you might want to know how to do it. In this case, the preferred option would be taking a flight to Chumphon or Surat Thani (you can check the price here) and then take the ferry. Be careful and check beforehand the ferry schedules so you can get a good combination.
You can check all info about how to get to Koh Tao from Chiang Mai in our article >>