Koh Samui to Koh Phangan

The fastest way and the easiest way

The quickest public boats are the speedboats, about 20 minutes, and Lomprayah's catamaran, about 30. The easiest is your own speedboat from near the villa, leaving when the group is ready.

There's no bridge and no flight. Ask Tanner which pier is closest to your villa.

Which boat, and how long

Lomprayah and its sister speedboat, Lomlahkkhirin, run about ten boats a day from Bangrak, roughly hourly from 8am to 5:30pm, and three more from Pralarn in Maenam (checked October 2026).

The Haad Rin Queen leaves Big Buddha pier at 10:30am and 5pm and lands right on Haad Rin. Seatran Discovery's bigger boats leave its own Bangrak pier at 9:30am and 2:30pm for Thong Sala, about 45 minutes.

The Koh Samui to Koh Phangan speedboat is the quickest public ride, about 20 minutes on Songserm Express or Lomlahkkhirin, but it feels the swell most. Ask Tanner which boat suits the day's sea.

Cheapest or fastest?

The speedboats are the fastest. The slow wooden ferries, the Haad Rin Queen and Songserm's boat from Nathon, are the cheapest: see the fare table below.

For a group, the best value is the boat from the pier nearest your villa, because the drive across Samui can take longer than the crossing. See every route on Getting around Thailand. Ask Tanner to match the boat to your villa's pier.

Which pier to use

Use the pier on your side of Samui. Bangrak has three piers a few hundred metres apart (Lomprayah's, Seatran's and Petcherat Marina), close to Chaweng and the airport. The Haad Rin Queen leaves Big Buddha pier, Pralarn is in Maenam on the north coast, and Nathon is the west-coast town pier.

The piers are a long drive apart, so check the one on your ticket. See Koh Samui villas, many close to the north-coast piers. Ask Tanner to time the van to the pier on your ticket.

Getting to the Full Moon Party

Three ways. The Haad Rin Queen from Bangrak is the only public boat straight to Haad Rin, or take a ferry to Thong Sala and a ride across the island.

Or your own speedboat: it leaves when the group is ready, drops you near Haad Rin and waits to bring everyone back.

On party nights, speedboats shuttle between the Haad Rin Queen's pier and Haad Rin until dawn, about 18 minutes a ride. Leave before the last boat, around 4am, when the queues get messy. The next parties are 24 November and 24 December 2026, plus New Year's Eve on 31 December.

See the Full Moon Party guide, then plan it with Tanner.

Why groups use their own speedboat

It picks up near your villa, drops you close to Haad Rin and waits, so nobody is left on the beach at 4am. It's quoted for your group, the date and the route.

The public boats are dry: since 12 May 2026, alcohol is banned at public piers and on public passenger boats, under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee's notice (checked November 2026). The rule names public boats, not private charters.

See Koh Samui boats, and ask Tanner to quote your boat.

Taking a car across

Raja Ferry's own site lists the car ferry from Lipa Noi on Samui to Thong Sala on Phangan, about 1 hour 30 minutes, checked 2 Nov 2026. Its times and fares weren't shown, so ask Tanner to confirm the sailing before you plan to take a car. The catamarans and speedboats take passengers only.

Photo: Per Meistrup, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

For a group, leave the car on Samui and have one waiting on Koh Phangan: a luxury van for up to 4 from ฿6,500 for 10 hours, a party van for up to 10, or a coach for 20 and more.

Ask Tanner to have the van waiting at Thong Sala when the boat comes in.

The ferry fares and times

The Koh Samui to Koh Phangan ferry costs ฿200 to ฿500 one way, depending on the boat (checked October 2026). The Haad Rin Queen sells tickets at the pier desk only, in cash.

Staying near Chaweng? Bangrak has the most sailings, about ten a day on Lomprayah. Ask Tanner to book the boat with the return.

Koh Samui to Koh Phangan in short

• What it is: Koh Phangan is Samui's party neighbour, home of the Full Moon Party. No bridge, no flight: the crossing is by boat, 20 to 50 minutes.

• Fastest public boats: the speedboats, about 20 minutes; Lomprayah's catamaran takes about 30.
• Straight to the Full Moon beach: only the Haad Rin Queen, from Big Buddha pier.
• Public piers and passenger boats are dry since 12 May 2026; private charters aren't named in the rule.
• The next Full Moon Parties are 24 November and 24 December 2026, plus 31 December.
• For a group on party night: your own speedboat, which waits to bring everyone back.

Checked October 2026.

When to book

Book the boat with the villa, and the return at the same time. For the Full Moon, book the crossing 3 to 7 days ahead, and longer around Christmas and New Year.

Samui and Phangan are driest February to April and good through August. October to December is the wettest stretch, worst in November, when the big catamarans ride the swell better than the speedboats. Keep a spare day before any flight home.

Going on to Koh Tao? The same boats carry on north: see Koh Phangan to Koh Tao. Ask Tanner to line up the onward boat too.