--- title: "Koh Samui to Koh Tao: ferry and speedboat options (2026)" description: "Koh Samui to Koh Tao in 1h30–2h by speedboat / catamaran, from ฿600 one way — 6 options with operators, frequency and 2026 fare bands." url: https://bestofthailand.org/routes/koh-samui-to-koh-tao locale: en --- # Koh Samui to Koh Tao: ferry and speedboat options (2026) 6 ways to make this trip, from ฿600 one way, and 1h30–2h 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 1h30–2h · ฿600–฿750 · Lomprayah High Speed Ferries Our pick for budget Speedboat / catamaran ฿600–฿750 · 1h30–2h · Lomprayah High Speed Ferries Same option twice: on this pair the quickest way is also the cheapest, which is rarer than it sounds — it usually means one operator has the route to itself. ## All options **Koh Samui to Koh Tao: every option with mode, time, fare, operators and frequency** | Option | Time | Fare | Operators | How often | Change | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Speedboat / catamaran | 1h30–2h | ฿600–฿750 | Lomprayah High Speed Ferries | About two direct departures a day from Nathon, around 08:00 and 13:00 | Direct | | Speedboat / catamaran + Speedboat / catamaran | 2h–4h25 | ฿750–฿1,050 | Lomprayah High Speed Ferries, Seatran Discovery | Several catamaran departures a day from Nathon, Maenam and Bangrak · Two departures a day on the Samui–Phangan–Tao chain | via Koh Phangan | | Ferry + Speedboat / catamaran | 2h30–5h10 | ฿700–฿950 | Raja Ferry, Seatran Discovery, Lomprayah High Speed Ferries | Through the day · Two departures a day on the Samui–Phangan–Tao chain | via Koh Phangan | | Ferry + Speedboat / catamaran | 5h15–8h30 | ฿1,000–฿1,450 | Raja Ferry, Lomprayah High Speed Ferries, Seatran Discovery | Through the day from Donsak, first sailing around 05:00 · Once or twice daily, routed via Koh Phangan | via Surat Thani | | Flight + Bus + ferry (one ticket) | 13h45–17h10 | ฿2,850–฿7,850 | Bangkok Airways, Lomprayah High Speed Ferries | Around 20 departures a day from Suvarnabhumi · One overnight combination a day, bus around 22:00 from Pinklao or Khao San | via Bangkok | | Bus + ferry (one ticket) + Bus + ferry (one ticket) | 22h45–28h50 | ฿1,450–฿2,350 | Phantip Travel, Seatran Discovery, Raja Ferry, Nakhon Si Bus, Lomprayah High Speed Ferries | Mostly overnight departures from Sai Tai Mai and Khao San · One overnight combination a day, bus around 22:00 from Pinklao or Khao San | via Bangkok | ## Booking notes ### Speedboat / catamaran · 1h30–2h · ฿600–฿750 Lomprayah runs this one nearly alone. Children 3–11 travel at roughly half fare. In rough weather this crossing gets cancelled before the shorter Phangan hop does. ### Speedboat / catamaran + Speedboat / catamaran · 2h–4h25 · ฿750–฿1,050 Koh Samui → Koh Phangan: Thirty minutes. The choice that matters is which Samui pier you leave from — Bangrak is next to the airport, Nathon is the far side of the island from Chaweng. Koh Phangan → Koh Tao: The shortest of the three Gulf hops. Doing Samui to Tao with a Phangan stop costs about 2h30–3h in total and one extra ticket — which is why most people put Phangan in the middle rather than at the end. ### Ferry + Speedboat / catamaran · 2h30–5h10 · ฿700–฿950 Koh Samui → Koh Phangan: The vehicle ferries take twice as long as the catamaran for about ฿100 less, and they carry motorbikes — which is the actual reason to take one. Koh Phangan → Koh Tao: The shortest of the three Gulf hops. Doing Samui to Tao with a Phangan stop costs about 2h30–3h in total and one extra ticket — which is why most people put Phangan in the middle rather than at the end. ### Ferry + Speedboat / catamaran · 5h15–8h30 · ฿1,000–฿1,450 Koh Samui → Surat Thani: ฿200 is Raja's own published passenger fare on the Donsak–Lipa Noi crossing, one of the few numbers on this page that comes straight off an operator's board. Donsak pier is 60–90 minutes by road from Surat Thani town. Surat Thani → Koh Tao: Nothing runs Surat Thani to Koh Tao directly — the boat calls at Phangan or Samui on the way, which is why the time band is so wide. Coming from Bangkok, Chumphon is the shorter door. ### Flight + Bus + ferry (one ticket) · 13h45–17h10 · ฿2,850–฿7,850 Koh Samui → Bangkok: Bangkok Airways owns Samui airport and runs a near-monopoly on the route, so the floor here sits where other islands' ceilings do. Flying to Surat Thani and continuing by bus and boat is the standard way around it. 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. ### Bus + ferry (one ticket) + Bus + ferry (one ticket) · 22h45–28h50 · ฿1,450–฿2,350 Koh Samui → Bangkok: Standard coaches sit at ฿600–800 and VIP at ฿900–1,100, both including the Donsak ferry. One ticket means one company owns the connection — worth more on this route than the ฿100 difference between operators. 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 ### Koh Samui The Gulf's biggest island and the only one with its own airport. Airport USM: Privately owned and served almost entirely by Bangkok Airways, which is why fares here sit well above the low-cost market. Koh Samui is driest Feb–Aug and wettest Sep–Jan on its own monthly rain-day normals. [Koh Samui weather](https://bestofthailand.org/weather/koh-samui) · [Koh Samui guide](https://bestofthailand.org/guide/koh-samui) ### 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 Koh Samui to Koh Tao?** 1h30–2h on the quickest option we hold — speedboat / catamaran with Lomprayah High Speed Ferries. The slowest of the 6 options here takes 22h45–28h50, so the spread between them is about 24h03. Times are for the scheduled leg and exclude the transfer at either end. **How much is Koh Samui to Koh Tao?** From ฿600–฿750 one way by speedboat / catamaran, checked 7 September 2026 — and on this pair that is also the quickest way, so there is nothing to trade off. The dearest of the 6 options here runs to ฿2,850–฿7,850. That band comes from a dated route listing rather than a published tariff, so treat it as indicative. **What else runs between Koh Samui and Koh Tao?** 5 other options. The next one after speedboat / catamaran with Lomprayah High Speed Ferries is speedboat / catamaran + speedboat / catamaran with Lomprayah High Speed Ferries at ฿750–฿1,050 and 2h–4h25, changing at Koh Phangan — dearer and slower. All of them are in the table above with their operators and frequency. **Where does the Koh Samui to Koh Tao service leave from, and how often does it run?** Lomprayah runs this one nearly alone. Children 3–11 travel at roughly half fare. In rough weather this crossing gets cancelled before the shorter Phangan hop does. About two direct departures a day from Nathon, around 08:00 and 13:00. ## Going the other way, or further The return trip is on the [Koh Tao to Koh Samui](https://bestofthailand.org/routes/koh-tao-to-koh-samui) 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=koh-samui,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 Koh Samui–Koh Tao ferry guide (2026 edition)](https://www.insidesamui.com/getting-here/koh-samui-to-koh-tao/) — a dated route reference. - [Raja Ferry Port fare and timetable board](https://www.rajaferryport.com/) — the carrier's own fare board. - [Lomprayah High Speed Ferries route list and journey times](https://lomprayah.com/) — the carrier's own fare board. - [InsideSamui Bangkok–Koh Samui transport guide (2026 edition)](https://www.insidesamui.com/getting-here/bangkok-to-koh-samui/) — a dated route reference. 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/koh-samui-to-koh-tao Scan or type the address for opening hours, phone numbers and the map.