Koh Phangan Travel - By Bus

Most Bangkok travel agents will be able to sell a cheap combined travel ticket from Bangkok to Koh Phangan which includes the bus and boat ticket. But be careful of anyone who is offering really cheap prices in Bangkok as some agents are selling tickets at ridicuously low prices from Bangkok to Pha-Ngan for a reason - there is often a catch and normally a scam invloved! - many buses are under maintained, breakdown frequently with there are often reports of theft of personal belongings, also the journey takes all day & night (about 18 hours total bus/boat travel time!) and it's not the most comfortable way to travel with lots of waiting time and often missed ferries!  

Beware as many backpackers booking the really cheap tickets get their belongings stolen on the bus or in the bag hold (organsied crime) - so we advise this for budget travelers only & look after your belongings! Also check our safety advice here! 

These buses depart from Bangkok and normally arrive early morning in Surat Thani in time for first ferry to the islands. Note, that just for a few hundered baht (just a few dollars) more you can get a much faster and more quality service where normally you and your belongings are safe and secure!

These are three other much better quality bus/boat services:

• Government bus & ferry (via Surat Thani) - Approx 14 hours
• Lomprayah Bus & Catamaran - Approx 12 hours
• Seatran Bus & Boat service - Approx 12 hours.

For travel from Koh Pha-Ngan to Bangkok you can book all your travel tickets at Backpackers Information Centre, Haad-rin beach, Koh Phangan:

Option 1: Cheap VIP bus/Boat

For the cheap VIP bus you will need to buy a combined taxi/boat/VIP bus ticket. The boat departs Thong Sala pier on Koh Phangan 12pm midday and a shuttle bus will drop passengers off in Suratthani to wait about two to three hours at the VIP bus depot (where they will try to sell you food and drink!) until about 7pm at which time the bus will depart to Bangkok arriving approximately 6am. (total journey time 18 hours!). 

Beware in high season, as this boat does not allocate seats and can often be oversold therefore customers may be offloaded especially after the Full Moon party!  Around Full Moon this boat is also often delayed so if you have fixed connections be careful! This is the low cost option but if you book at Backpackers Information Centre, Haadrin you will have the best chance of a good bus company as we constantly monitor the companies we use and also ask our customers to email us with feedback about the quality of the service! Be aware many travel agents use different bus companies and often they make more commissions by putting the customer on poor quality services so be very careful who you book with especially as Lonely Planet warns about criminal agencies and bus companies operating scams out of Surat Thani.

Option 2: Government Bus/Ferry

The Government Bus to Bangkok departs on the Raja Ferry from Thong Sala  to Surat Thani at 5pm saving time and hassle as there is no hanging around or changing transports as the bus comes across on the ferry to and from Koh Phangan. It has a total journey time of approx. 14 hours and there are two bus options - the 24 seat bus which is more spacious for leg room and reclining seats or the 48 seat bus option. It also includes a meal and snacks. This service departs and arrives at the South Bus Station, Bangkok.

Options 3 & 4: Lomprayah Bus / High Speed Catamaran OR Seatran Bus / Seatran High Speed Boat

The Lompraya Bus & Catamaran service is a high speed and comfortable service and routes via Chumporn rather than Suratthani, hence only taking 12 hours from Koh Phangan direct to the Khao San Road, Bangkok! Lomprayah operates two scheduled departures.

The Seatran Bus & Seatran High Speed Boat service is a comfortable service and routes via Chumporn rather than Suratthani, hence only taking 12 hours from Koh Phangan direct to the Khao San Road, Bangkok!  Seatran only operates a morning departure schedule.

For information on both these services click here:

• Lomprayah  
• Seatran Discovery

There are also many other bus routes (mostly via mini-bus) which route via Surat Thani with other major destinations on the west coast and through the South of Thailand. All these can be booked at Backpackers Information Centre, Haad-rin.  There is an attached schedule listing for information only from Surat Thani for many of these, BUT we cannot confirm these times as schedules do change quite frequently and also the boat connection times for these routes from Koh Phangan are not listed!  

BackpackersThailand.com disclaimer: please note, all the above schedules, departure points, services & costs are subject to change and connot be guaranteed. This information is intended as a guide only!