--- title: "Chumphon to Koh Tao: ferry and speedboat options (2026)" description: "Chumphon to Koh Tao in 1h45–2h15 by speedboat / catamaran, from ฿300 one way — 4 options with operators, frequency and 2026 fare bands." url: https://bestofthailand.org/routes/chumphon-to-koh-tao locale: en --- # Chumphon to Koh Tao: ferry and speedboat options (2026) 4 ways to make this trip, from ฿300 one way, and 1h45–2h15 on the quickest, direct. Below: what each costs, who runs it, how often it goes and the pier or station it actually leaves from. Fares checked 7 September 2026 and quoted as one-way bands per adult. They move with season, fuel and demand — the flight bands move fastest of all. Our pick for time Speedboat / catamaran 1h45–2h15 · ฿600–฿700 · Lomprayah High Speed Ferries Our pick for budget Ferry ฿300–฿450 · 6h–8h · Night boat operators from Chumphon pier ## All options **Chumphon to Koh Tao: every option with mode, time, fare, operators and frequency** | Option | Time | Fare | Operators | How often | Change | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Speedboat / catamaran | 1h45–2h15 | ฿600–฿700 | Lomprayah High Speed Ferries | Two departures a day, about 07:00 and 13:00 | Direct | | Ferry | 2h30–2h50 | ฿500–฿550 | Songserm | One departure a day, about 07:00 | Direct | | Ferry | 6h–8h | ฿300–฿450 | Night boat operators from Chumphon pier | Nightly, about 23:00 | Direct | | Sleeper train + Bus + ferry (one ticket) | 21h45–26h10 | ฿1,518–฿2,018 | State Railway of Thailand (train 85 and others), Lomprayah High Speed Ferries | Several overnight southern services call here · One overnight combination a day, bus around 22:00 from Pinklao or Khao San | via Bangkok | ## Booking notes ### Speedboat / catamaran · 1h45–2h15 · ฿600–฿700 Eighty kilometres of open water and the shortest mainland crossing to Koh Tao. The 07:00 exists for the overnight train; miss it and the 13:00 costs you half a day on the island. ### Ferry · 2h30–2h50 · ฿500–฿550 Half an hour slower and ฿100–150 cheaper than the catamaran. It's an open speedboat rather than a covered cabin, which is fine in February and unpleasant in September. ### Ferry · 6h–8h · ฿300–฿450 Foam mats on deck, six to eight hours, arriving at dawn. It saves a fare and a night's room and it is genuinely uncomfortable — bring earplugs and something warmer than you expect to need. ### Sleeper train + Bus + ferry (one ticket) · 21h45–26h10 · ฿1,518–฿2,018 Chumphon → Bangkok: Band shown is a 2nd class air-conditioned sleeper; 1st class runs ฿1,046–1,246. The train reaches Chumphon around 05:30–06:30, which is the whole point — it lands ahead of the 07:00 Koh Tao catamaran. Bangkok → Koh Tao: The bus runs overnight to Chumphon and hands over to the 08:00 catamaran, landing on Koh Tao around 10:30 — 12 to 13 hours door to door. Lomprayah's own promoted fare for the combination was ฿850 in May 2026; the top of the band covers VIP coach seats and high season. ## Both ends of the trip ### Chumphon The mainland town whose pier gives the shortest crossing to Koh Tao. Airport CJM: A handful of flights a day; the overnight train from Bangkok carries far more Koh Tao traffic. ### Koh Tao The dive-certification island — small, steep, and reached only by boat. Koh Tao has no weather station of ours; the nearest one we track is driest Feb–Aug and wettest Sep–Jan. ## Frequently asked questions **How long does it take to get from Chumphon to Koh Tao?** 1h45–2h15 on the quickest option we hold — speedboat / catamaran with Lomprayah High Speed Ferries. The slowest of the 4 options here takes 21h45–26h10, so the spread between them is about 21h58. Times are for the scheduled leg and exclude the transfer at either end. **How much is Chumphon to Koh Tao?** From ฿300–฿450 one way by ferry, checked 7 September 2026. The quickest option costs ฿600–฿700 and saves about 5h, so the gap between them is ฿300 against roughly that much time. That band comes from a dated route listing rather than a published tariff, so treat it as indicative. **What is the cheapest way from Chumphon to Koh Tao?** Ferry at ฿300–฿450, run by Night boat operators from Chumphon pier. It takes 6h–8h against the quickest option's 1h45–2h15, and runs nightly, about 23:00. **Where does the Chumphon to Koh Tao service leave from, and how often does it run?** Eighty kilometres of open water and the shortest mainland crossing to Koh Tao. The 07:00 exists for the overnight train; miss it and the 13:00 costs you half a day on the island. Two departures a day, about 07:00 and 13:00. ## Going the other way, or further The return trip is on the [Koh Tao to Chumphon](https://bestofthailand.org/routes/koh-tao-to-chumphon) page — fares are the same in both directions on almost every leg here, but the timetables are not. To string this hop into a longer trip with a pace check, use the [route planner](https://bestofthailand.org/routes?stops=chumphon,koh-tao&nights=3,4), and see the [island comparison](https://bestofthailand.org/islands) for which coast is dry in the month you are travelling. ## Sources - [InsideSamui Chumphon–Koh Tao ferry guide (2026 edition)](https://www.insidesamui.com/getting-here/chumphon-to-koh-tao/) — a dated route reference. - [seat61.com Thailand rail fares (page updated 8 July 2026)](https://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm) — a dated route reference. - [Lomprayah High Speed Ferries route list and journey times](https://lomprayah.com/) — the carrier's own fare board. Checked 7 September 2026. Every figure on this page is a range, because every one of them moves. Best of Thailand https://bestofthailand.org/routes/chumphon-to-koh-tao Scan or type the address for opening hours, phone numbers and the map.