Ko Pha-ngan

Getting to Ko Pha-ngan

If travelling to Ko Pha-ngan during or near the time of the Full Moon Party, booking ferry transport to and from the island ahead of time is highly advised as the limited amount of ferries fill up quickly with the massive crowd coming in for the party.

Worth seeing

Than Sadet-Ko Pha Ngan National Park The park (100Baht, 20 Baht for Thai) is named after the river Than Sadet (literally, "Royal River"). The river forms the largest waterfall on the island, which was visited by several Thai kings. Don't expect much water during dry season. Meanwhile easy to reach on motorbike, even better than some other roads on island.

Things to do

Archery (First Bow and Arrow Archery) (close to Chalok Lam on the road to Thong Sala). Four archers can have a go at the same time. People are very friendly (German spoken during high-season) and helpful. 15 min for 150 baht. Diving. Ko Pha-ngan has lovely sites around the island which are perfect for both beginners and trained divers.

Where to eat

For the most part, this is not the place to come to experience Thai food or culture. For a slightly more authentic experience (and cheaper than the well-decorated cafe/restaurants by Haad Rin beach), patronise the more modest street carts where you might see some Thais eating. The best area for cheap eats is definitely the food carts in Thong Sala, the main town on the island.

Getting around Ko Pha-ngan the local way

Almost everyone lands at Thong Sala, and Thong Sala is not one pier but a row of them: Lomprayah, Songserm, Boonsiri and Seatran each tie up at their own jetty, and Raja's car ferry comes in on a separate ro-ro ramp, so the ticket in your hand decides which concrete you stand on. The one exception is Haad Rin, which has its own small pier served only by the Haad Rin Queen from Bangrak on Ko Samui. From the south the crossing is short and constant: half an hour from Bangrak or Pralarn on Samui, two and a half hours from Donsak on the mainland, and a bus-and-boat through ticket sold from Surat Thani town, the train station and the airport. From the north the boats work down from Chumphon through Ko Tao, and the whole Bangkok journey is sold as one coach-and-ferry or train-and-ferry fare. The cheap way is the old night boat out of Ban Don pier in Surat Thani city, a mattress on the deck and an arrival before six. On the island there is no bus and no Grab: songthaews with destination boards on the windscreen are the public transport, they charge per head, and the fixed board price is not the price shouted at the pier. Three of the best beaches have no usable road at all, so a longtail taxi boat from Haad Rin or Chalok Lam is the way in. Scooters are the other way round the island, they come with a passport left behind the counter, and the northeast tracks to Bottle Beach and Thong Nai Pan are the worst surface on the island. Boats stop when the harbour master says so, and the October to December monsoon is when that happens.

1. 01
   Through tickets from Bangkok – coach-and-ferry, train-and-ferry, air-and-ferrycombined transfer

   Bangkok (Khao San Road or Pinklao) by coach, or overnight train to Chumphon or Surat Thani, then catamaran to Thong Sala

   Where

   This is the normal way in from Bangkok and it is sold as one fare you cannot unbundle. Lomprayah picks up at its Khaosan office and at Pinklao (Arun Amarin); Boonsiri picks up on Tanee Road near Khao San at Phra Sumen. Both drive overnight to their own pier near Chumphon, hand you a boarding pass in the dark, and put you on the first catamaran of the morning, which calls at Ko Tao before Ko Pha-ngan. There is also a daytime departure around 05:00 to 06:00 that lands in the late afternoon. The cheaper evening fare buys a standard coach, the dearer one a VIP coach with fewer seats. Lomprayah's booking engine shows how many places are left on each departure, which is how you find out that a boat is already full three weeks out. The train version is the same idea with a better night's sleep: buy the State Railway sleeper yourself, then buy a ferry ticket whose named origin is Chumphon (Train) or Surat Thani (Train Station) rather than the pier, because that price includes the transfer from the station forecourt and the wait. Both companies keep a counter at Chumphon station. Nok Air sells an air-and-ferry combination through Chumphon, Surat Thani or Nakhon Si Thammarat airport, and Lomprayah and Seatran both run a pier transfer from Chumphon airport and from Surat Thani airport. Seatran Discovery resells all of it under one roof, including a Khao San departure at 19:00 that gets in at 11:00. Lomprayah caps free luggage at 20 kg and charges 200 baht above that, 400 baht for a surfboard on a bus-and-boat route and 700 baht for a folding bicycle.

   When

   Lomprayah from Khaosan at 06:00, 21:30 and 22:00, from Pinklao at 06:00, 21:00 and 21:30; Boonsiri from Khao San at 05:00 and 22:00. From Chumphon train station Lomprayah at 05:15, 06:00 and 12:00, Boonsiri at 06:00 and 11:30. From Surat Thani train station Lomprayah at 09:30, Seatran at 06:30, 09:00, 10:00 and 12:00. Northbound Lomprayah leaves Ko Pha-ngan for Bangkok at 08:30 and 13:00 (all checked for 15 October 2026)

   Fare (2026)

   Lomprayah Bangkok to Ko Pha-ngan 1,150 baht on the standard evening coach, 1,350 baht on the 22:00 and the 06:00, 1,650 baht on the VIP coach; child half. Boonsiri Khao San to Thong Sala 1,350 baht adult, 675 child. Seatran resells Khao San to Thong Sala at 1,050 baht. With the train, the ferry leg including the station transfer is 1,250 baht from Chumphon on either company, 1,050 baht on Lomprayah's slower 05:15, 850 baht on Lomprayah from Surat Thani station and 560 baht on Seatran. Chumphon airport to the island 1,350 baht on Lomprayah, Surat Thani airport 950 baht

   Takes

   About 13 hours on the overnight Khao San run (21:30 to 10:30) and about 10 hours 45 minutes on the 06:00 daytime run. From Chumphon train station about 4 hours 30 minutes to the island; from Surat Thani train station about 3 hours 15 minutes to 5 hours

   Season

   Year-round. Departures are cut and cancelled outright when the Gulf gets rough, mostly October to December

   Booking

   Online at lomprayah.com, boonsiriferry.com or seatrandiscovery.com, or at any Khao San agent. Book the Full Moon week, December to March and Thai public holidays well ahead – Lomprayah's own engine showed single-figure seat counts on the Bangkok runs a fortnight out. Train tickets separately at dticket.railway.co.th

   Sources: lomprayah.com (2026-09) · lomprayah.com (2026-09) · boonsiriferry.com (2026-09) · confidence high

2. 02
   Mainland crossings from Surat Thani and Donsak to Thong Salaferry

   Donsak (Seatran, Raja and Lomprayah Laem Tuad piers) or Surat Thani city, train station and airport, to Thong Sala

   Where

   Surat Thani province is the mainland gateway and the pier is not in the city. Fast catamarans and speedboats leave from Donsak, 65 km east of town, and everything sold in Surat Thani as a ferry ticket is really a bus ticket to Donsak with a boat ticket stapled to it. Three chains run it. Seatran Discovery has the most sailings, five a day from its own Donsak pier, and sells the bus leg from Surat Thani city bus station, the train station and the airport. Lomprayah runs from its Laem Tuad pier at Donsak and picks up at Tapee Pier in the city, the train station and the airport. Raja Ferry is the different animal: a ro-ro car ferry from Don Sak, two and a half hours, which is how vehicles, motorbikes and lorries reach the island, and the only option if you want to bring a scooter or a car. Raja also lets you travel the same fare via Lipa Noi on Ko Samui, changing ferries there. Buy the Raja passenger and vehicle tickets at the pier office or online; the fare board is published by provincial order and is the same for everyone. If you are coming off the sleeper train, note that the Surat Thani railway station is at Phunphin, 13 km from the city, and the through ferry ticket covers the minibus from the platform.

   When

   Seatran Discovery from Donsak at 05:30, 08:30, 11:30, 14:30 and 17:30, and back from Thong Sala at the same five times. Raja from Don Sak at 05:00, 08:00, 11:00, 14:00 and 18:00, back from Thong Sala at 05:00, 08:00, 11:00, 14:00 and 17:30. Lomprayah from Donsak at 11:00 and 15:00, back at 08:00 and 11:00. Bus-and-boat from Surat Thani city at 06:30, 09:30, 12:30 and 16:00 on Seatran (15 October 2026)

   Fare (2026)

   Seatran Discovery Donsak to Thong Sala 290 baht; from Surat Thani city 440 baht, from the train station 560 baht. Lomprayah from Donsak 550 baht, from Tapee Pier 700 baht, from the train station 850 baht, from the airport 950 baht. Raja Ferry 270 baht adult, 135 baht for a child 100 to 120 cm, 410 baht for a motorcycle and rider, 970 baht for a car, van or pickup and driver

   Takes

   2 hours 30 minutes Donsak to Thong Sala on Seatran and on Raja; about 1 hour 45 minutes on Lomprayah. Add 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours for the bus from Surat Thani city or the train station

   Season

   Year-round; Raja adds extra sailings between 30 December and 30 April when needed

   Booking

   Walk-on is normal for the foot passenger. A vehicle on Raja should be booked, and the vehicle tariff runs to 25 categories from a bicycle to a crane. Seatran and Lomprayah sell online and through agents

   Sources: seatrandiscovery.com (2026-09) · rajaferryport.com (2026-09) · rajaferryport.com (2026-09) · confidence high

3. 03
   Ko Samui to Thong Sala – four companies, four piers on each sideferry

   Bangrak, Pralarn, Nathon and Lipa Noi on Ko Samui to Thong Sala

   Where

   This is the busiest half hour of water in the Gulf and the only thing that changes between companies is which pier you leave from. Seatran Discovery and Boonsiri use Bangrak, the pier below the Big Buddha, and sell an airport transfer with it. Lomprayah uses Pralarn (Mae Nam) and also has a Nathon service. Songserm uses Nathon and the Bangrak Petcherat pier. Raja's car ferry goes Lipa Noi to Thong Sala. Ko Samui airport is 10 minutes from Bangrak, which is why the airport combination ticket is worth buying at the counter inside the terminal rather than from the men outside. Going the other way, the last useful boat off the island for an evening flight is the 16:45. Songserm's boats are the slow, cheap end: its R5 and R9 vessels take an hour where a catamaran takes thirty minutes, and its 250 baht fare is the lowest published crossing.

   When

   Seatran Discovery from Bangrak at 08:00, 09:30, 12:30 and 14:30, back from Thong Sala at 10:30, 11:00, 16:00 and 16:45. Lomprayah from Pralarn at 08:00, 11:00 and 12:30, back at 11:00, 17:00 and 18:30. Boonsiri from Bangrak at 08:00 and 12:30. Songserm from Nathon at 10:30 and 17:45 and from Bangrak Petcherat at 09:30, 11:30, 14:00 and 16:29 (15 October 2026)

   Fare (2026)

   Seatran Discovery and Boonsiri Bangrak to Thong Sala 350 baht adult, 175 child. Lomprayah Pralarn to Thong Sala 350 baht, or 250 baht on the 11:00. Songserm 350 baht from Bangrak Petcherat, 250 baht on the slow 12:00 and 10:30 Nathon boats. Ko Samui airport to Thong Sala 500 baht through Seatran

   Takes

   30 to 35 minutes on the Bangrak and Pralarn catamarans; 50 minutes to an hour on the Songserm boats from Nathon; 1 hour 30 minutes on the Raja car ferry from Lipa Noi

   Season

   Year-round; the crossing is short enough to run in weather that stops the Chumphon boats

   Booking

   Walk-on is usually fine outside holidays and the days either side of a Full Moon Party. Buy at the pier counter or online

   Sources: seatrandiscovery.com (2026-09) · songserm.com (2026-09) · lomprayah.com (2026-09) · confidence high

4. 04
   Haad Rin Queen – the only boat that does not go to Thong Salaferry

   Bangrak (Big Buddha) pier, Ko Samui, to Haad Rin pier, Ko Pha-ngan

   Where

   If you are staying in Haad Rin this saves you the songthaew over the Hill of Tears. The Haad Rin Queen is a small local ferry with its own pier at each end, run by one family company out of Ban Tai. On the Samui side the trap is that there are two piers at Big Buddha and only one of them is the Haad Rin Queen's, so say the boat name and not just Big Buddha. On the Pha-ngan side it lands at Haad Rin pier itself, a few minutes' walk from the beach where the Full Moon Party happens. The boat is slower than the catamarans because it is a longer diagonal crossing round the headland. There are only two sailings each way, they are the cheapest crossing to the island, and the pier office keeps daytime hours only, so an evening arrival on Samui means either a night on Samui or the Thong Sala route plus a taxi.

   When

   From Bangrak at 10:30 and 17:00; from Haad Rin at 09:30 and 16:00. The Haad Rin pier office works 08:30 to 19:20 (checked 15 and 27 October 2026)

   Fare (2026)

   200 baht one way, the cheapest published crossing between the two islands

   Takes

   1 hour

   Season

   Year-round, but the crossing is exposed and is among the first to be pulled in a swell

   Booking

   Pay at the pier. The operator's own online booking was still being built in September 2026; agents on both islands sell the ticket, often bundled with a Samui airport taxi

   Sources: seatrandiscovery.com (2026-09) · haadrinqueen.com (2026-09) · thesanctuarythailand.com (2026) · confidence high

5. 05
   Chumphon and Ko Tao crossings from the northferry

   Thung Makham Noi or Pak Nam Chumphon on the mainland, and Mae Haad on Ko Tao, to Thong Sala

   Where

   Coming down the coast rather than up from Samui, the boats work Chumphon to Ko Tao to Ko Pha-ngan in one chain, so the Ko Tao leg is just the middle of a longer sailing. Lomprayah runs out of Thung Makham Noi pier south of Chumphon town, Boonsiri out of Pak Nam Chumphon. Both put you in Thong Sala mid-morning or late afternoon. Between the two islands there is a lot of choice: Lomprayah's catamarans do it in an hour and a quarter, Boonsiri in about an hour, and Songserm's older boats take up to two hours for less money. Lomprayah's booking engine publishes seats remaining per sailing, which is worth looking at in the Full Moon week when the Ko Tao to Ko Pha-ngan boats are the first to sell out. Ko Tao's Mae Haad is, like Thong Sala, a cluster of separate operator jetties rather than one pier.

   When

   Lomprayah from Chumphon (Thung Makham Noi) at 05:45, 07:00 and 13:15; Boonsiri from Pak Nam Chumphon at 07:00 and 13:00. From Ko Tao, Lomprayah at 07:00, 09:15, 09:30, 12:30, 15:30 and 16:30; Boonsiri at 08:00, 09:15 and 15:15; Songserm at 09:30, 11:30 and 12:30. Northbound from Thong Sala, Lomprayah at 08:30, 08:45, 11:15, 12:00, 13:00, 13:05 and 16:45; Boonsiri at 08:45, 13:15 and 15:25; Songserm at 10:00 and 12:00 (15 October 2026)

   Fare (2026)

   Chumphon pier to Thong Sala 900 baht on Lomprayah's 05:45 and 1,100 baht on the later sailings; Boonsiri 1,100 baht. Ko Tao to Thong Sala 600 baht on Lomprayah and Boonsiri, 700 baht on the 12:30, 450 to 500 baht on the slower Lomprayah and Songserm boats

   Takes

   Chumphon to Thong Sala about 3 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours 45 minutes. Ko Tao to Thong Sala 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes on a catamaran, up to 2 hours on the Songserm boats

   Season

   Year-round on paper. This is the exposed stretch: when the Gulf gets up in the northeast monsoon the Chumphon and Ko Tao sailings are cancelled before the short Samui hops are

   Booking

   Online or at the pier. Lomprayah shows live seat counts and several Ko Tao sailings were down to single figures a fortnight out

   Sources: lomprayah.com (2026-09) · lomprayah.com (2026-09) · boonsiriferry.com (2026-09) · confidence high

6. 06
   Night boat from Ban Don pier, Surat Thaniboat

   Ban Don (night boat) pier in Surat Thani city to Thong Sala

   Where

   The oldest and cheapest way across, and the only one that leaves from the city rather than Donsak. Ban Don pier is a ten-minute walk from Talat Kaset bus terminals 1 and 2 in the middle of Surat Thani, and the night market runs alongside it while you wait. There is no company and no booking engine: the boats are individually owned, the ticket stand is on the quay directly in front of the boat it sells for, and you buy on the day. What you get is a numbered space on a mattress on the deck with a pillow and a blanket, not a cabin. It leaves late in the evening and ties up at Thong Sala between 05:00 and 06:00, which means you land before anything is open and before the songthaews have filled. Coming back, the boat leaves Thong Sala in the late evening. Departure times drift because the boats rotate, so the only reliable check is to ask at the quay on the day; sailings can be cancelled without notice.

   When

   One a night each way. Roughly 23:00 from Ban Don arriving 05:00 to 06:00, and about 22:00 from Thong Sala. Confirm at the pier on the day

   Fare (2025)

   400 baht for a space on the mattress

   Takes

   About 7 hours

   Season

   Year-round in principle. It is the slowest, lowest boat on the route and the first to be held in port in bad weather

   Booking

   None. Buy from the ticket stand in front of the boat at Ban Don pier on the day of travel. Do not buy a night boat ticket from a town agent

   Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2025) · phanganist.com (2026) · confidence medium

7. 07
   Island songthaews – the destination board is the timetablesongthaew

   Thong Sala pier and roundabout to Haad Rin, Baan Tai, Sri Thanu, Haad Yao, Chalok Lam and Thong Nai Pan

   Where

   There is no bus on Ko Pha-ngan and no Grab or Bolt. Public transport is the songthaew, a pickup with two benches and a roof, and it works off a board rather than a timetable. Walk out of the ferry terminal and the trucks are lined up with signboards on the windscreen reading Haad Rin, Sri Thanu, Chaloklum, Thong Nai Pan; you find the board that matches your beach, agree the per-person fare before you climb in, and the driver waits until the truck is reasonably full before leaving. That wait is the whole system, and it is short after a ferry and long at midday. The single most useful local habit is not to take the first price at the pier: walk the 300 m to the roundabout in Thong Sala where the taxi rank sits, and the board prices there are the ones locals pay. Drivers also queue at Haad Rin, Sri Thanu and Chalok Lam. Fares are per head, not per trip, which is why two people on a scooter for a week costs less than four songthaew rides. Motorbike taxis in numbered vests work the same stands for short hops and late nights.

   When

   No timetable. They run from about 07:00 into the evening, cluster around ferry arrivals, and run most of the night between Haad Rin and the rest of the island on party nights

   Fare (2025)

   Board prices from Thong Sala are roughly 100 to 150 baht per person to Haad Rin, 100 baht to Baan Tai and Chalok Lam, 150 baht to Haad Yao or Salad, and 200 to 250 baht to Thong Nai Pan or Haad Sadet. Drivers at the pier quote 200 to 300 baht for the same trips

   Takes

   Thong Sala to Haad Rin about 20 minutes, to Chalok Lam about 20 minutes, to Thong Nai Pan 45 minutes to an hour on a poor road

   Season

   Year-round

   Booking

   None. Flag one from the roadside or take one from a rank. A private departure without waiting can be bought by paying for the empty seats

   Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2025) · en.wikivoyage.org (2025) · phanganist.com (2024-12) · confidence medium

8. 08
   Longtail taxi boats to the beaches with no roadwater taxi

   Haad Rin pier to Haad Yuan, Haad Thian and Haad Wai Nam; Chalok Lam to Bottle Beach (Haad Khuat)

   Where

   Three or four of the best beaches on Ko Pha-ngan have no usable road, and the boat is the front door. On the southeast corner, longtails wait at Haad Rin pier for passengers to Haad Yuan, Haad Thian and Haad Wai Nam; you name the beach to the driver and wait for the boat to fill, so the trick is to be at the pier when a Samui ferry lands and there are other people going the same way. On the north coast, the boat to Bottle Beach goes from the fishing village of Chalok Lam, a twenty-minute songthaew ride from Thong Sala. If the swell is too big for the longtail on the east coast, a taxi jeep waits instead and takes about forty minutes over rough jungle track, which is the same journey at two or three times the price. The boats do not run after dark, so an evening arrival on the island means a night in Haad Rin or Thong Sala first. There is also a scheduled speedboat, Echo Travel, from Petcherat Marina on Ko Samui to Baan Tai pier, which lands you on the south coast closer to Haad Rin than Thong Sala is.

   When

   On demand, when the boat fills. From Haad Rin they cluster around the Haad Rin Queen arrivals; from Chalok Lam through the day in fair weather. Nothing runs after dark

   Fare (2026)

   About 500 baht a head Haad Rin to Haad Tien, more if the boat is nearly empty or the sea is rough; 150 baht a head Chalok Lam to Bottle Beach. The taxi jeep to Haad Tien is 500 to 1,500 baht per person depending on weather. A private speedboat charter from Samui to Haad Tien is 7,500 baht one way and a private taxi from Thong Sala starts at 3,000 baht. Echo Travel's Samui to Baan Tai speedboat is 500 baht by day and 600 to 900 baht in the evening

   Takes

   Haad Rin to Haad Thian 15 to 20 minutes; Chalok Lam to Bottle Beach about 20 minutes; the taxi jeep alternative to Haad Tien about 40 minutes

   Season

   Year-round in fair weather. In a swell the east-coast boats stop and everything goes by jeep

   Booking

   None for the longtails – turn up and share. Charters and the Samui speedboat are pre-booked through resorts

   Sources: thesanctuarythailand.com (2026) · en.wikivoyage.org (2025) · confidence medium

9. 09
   Scooter hire, the passport deposit and the roads you should not take it onscooter hire

   Hire shops in Thong Sala, Baan Tai, Haad Rin, Sri Thanu and Chalok Lam

   Where

   Most visitors end up on a 125cc automatic, usually a Honda Click, and on this island that decision has consequences. The shops have an association and quote much the same day rate, cheaper by the week. The deposit is the well-known problem: it is normal practice here to leave your passport behind the counter for the length of the hire, and shops that will take money instead want 10,000 baht or more. Handing over a passport is exactly what the UK Foreign Office tells travellers not to do, because the passport becomes the lever in any argument about damage, and the usual argument is about a scratch that the shop says is new. Photograph every panel, the tyres and the printed damage price list before you ride away, and write existing marks onto the contract. The second consequence is licence and insurance: a great many visitors ride without a motorcycle entitlement, and riding without the right licence invalidates most travel insurance, so a crash you would have been covered for at home is one you pay for yourself. Helmets are compulsory and police set up checks, often before noon near Thong Sala, with a 200 baht fine. On the roads themselves, keep off the northeast tracks to Bottle Beach and the climb to Thong Nai Pan, which are mud and potholes and the worst surface on the island, and treat the first steep ascent from Thong Sala towards Haad Rin, the Hill of Tears, with respect: low gear, brakes, passenger walks. A small Suzuki 4x4 hires for roughly the price of two scooters and is the sensible answer if you are determined to reach the east coast by road.

   When

   Daily hire, all year, shops open from early morning

   Fare (2025)

   Advertised at about 250 baht a day, bargained to around 200 baht for several days; the association keeps prices level. A small 4x4 costs about the same as two scooters. Deposit is your passport, or 10,000 baht upwards in cash. Helmet fine 200 baht

   Takes

   Thong Sala to Haad Rin about 20 minutes; Thong Sala to Chalok Lam about 20 minutes; Thong Sala to Thong Nai Pan 45 minutes on a bad road

   Season

   Year-round. Wet-season rain makes the concrete hills genuinely dangerous and sand on bends is hard to see

   Booking

   Walk in. Ask your guesthouse who they use rather than taking the nearest shop

   Sources: gov.uk (2026) · gov.uk (2026) · phanganist.com (2026-06) · confidence medium

10. 10
    Full Moon Party nights – what changes and what does notservice status

    Haad Rin, and every pier that feeds it

    Where

    Once a month, and twice in December, Haad Rin fills with something in the order of ten to fifteen thousand people and the island's transport bends around it. What actually changes is on the island, not on the water: songthaews run between Haad Rin and Baan Tai, Thong Sala and Sri Thanu almost continuously through the night, they queue at the party entrance until they are full, motorbike taxis gather by the 7-Elevens on the main road, and private cars and vans are booked out days ahead. Leaving early in the evening or late the next morning is far easier than trying to leave at two or three in the morning. Entry to the beach is about 100 baht paid at the gate, with no advance ticket. Rooms in Haad Rin and boats in and out sell out for the week, and Lomprayah's own booking engine is the honest test of that. The day after is the worst day to travel: every boat is full of people with the same idea, and the taxi boats as well as the ferries get overloaded. The upcoming dates are 27 October, 24 November, 24 December and 31 December 2026, then 22 January and 21 February 2027, the last two still provisional because the date moves with the moon and with Thai holidays.

    When

    Monthly, on or near the full moon, plus Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve

    Fare (2026)

    Beach entry about 100 baht. Ferry and songthaew fares are unchanged, but availability is not

    Takes

    Party from about 21:00 to sunrise; the transport disruption covers the day before and the day after

    Season

    Every month. Crowds are smallest in the June to August wet months

    Booking

    Book the boat, the room and any private van a week or more ahead for the party date and the day after. There is no ticket for the party itself

    Sources: phanganist.com (2026-09) · phanganist.com (2024-12) · en.wikivoyage.org (2025) · confidence medium

11. 11
    Northeast monsoon and who stops the boatsservice status

    All crossings, and the island's own longtail boats

    Where

    The Gulf side of southern Thailand has its wet season when the rest of the country is drying out. Rain builds through October and peaks in November, when Ko Pha-ngan gets more than four times its March rainfall, and it eases through December. What matters is not the rain but the swell: when the sea gets up, the Marine Department harbour master for the Samui and Pha-ngan district orders sailings suspended, and it is his call and not the ferry company's. Small boats are stopped first, then the long exposed Chumphon and Ko Tao runs, then the Donsak crossings; the half-hour hop from Bangrak on Samui is the last thing still running. The island's own taxi boats to the east coast and to Bottle Beach stop well before the ferries do, which is when the rough jungle tracks become the only way in. Every operator's terms reserve the right to change or cancel without notice for weather and give no compensation for a missed onward flight, so leave a night of slack between the island and an international departure in November and December. The Thai Meteorological Department is the source everyone actually watches.

    When

    Suspensions are episodic, a day or two at a time, mostly between late October and December and during any tropical storm in the Gulf

    Fare (2026)

    No refund is guaranteed. Boonsiri's published force majeure clause gives refunds or changes at the company's sole discretion; nobody covers your onward flight or hotel

    Takes

    A suspension typically lasts a sailing day or two; a storm like the one that closed the Samui and Pha-ngan routes in early January 2019 held boats for longer

    Season

    October to December is the worst of it; squalls can stop boats at any time of year

    Booking

    Watch the Thai Meteorological Department warnings and the operators' own social media the night before. Buy the leg to the mainland separately from the flight rather than as one non-refundable chain

    Sources: gov.uk (2026) · boonsiriferry.com (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2025) · confidence medium

Not yet confirmed: The brief said the Full Moon nights are when every boat and pier changes. On the water that is not what the operators publish: Lomprayah, Boonsiri, Seatran and the Haad Rin Queen all showed identical schedules and fares for 27 October 2026, a party night, and for the day after. What changes is availability, room prices and the island's own road transport. If extra late-night sailings exist they are sold by agents on the day and appear in no published timetable – worth asking at the Haad Rin Queen pier office, 077 375 113.; Could not confirm that Ko Pha-ngan hire shops contractually forbid taking a scooter onto the unsealed northeast tracks, or that doing so voids the hire insurance. No island rental company's terms page could be reached; several guessed domains did not resolve. What is documented is that those tracks are the worst surface on the island, that a taxi jeep exists precisely because the boats and scooters cannot always do the trip, and that riding without the correct licence invalidates most travel insurance regardless of the road. Ask to photograph the damage price list and the contract before hiring, and ask the shop directly which roads are excluded.; Night boat times and fare are two to three years old and were not confirmed against any operator, because the boats are individually owned and none publishes anything. Ask at the ticket stands on Ban Don pier in Surat Thani on the day of travel.; Songthaew board fares are from Wikivoyage and a 2024 local guide, not from a published tariff. No Ko Pha-ngan municipal or provincial fare notice could be found online; kohphangancity.go.th returned 403 to every attempt. The tariff, if it is published anywhere, is likely to be a notice posted at the Thong Sala rank.; No Thai-language news report of a specific recent sailing suspension could be cited, because Google News RSS links would not resolve to their publishers from here and the batchexecute decode returned nothing. The suspension mechanism is described from the operators' own force majeure terms and UK government advice. Headlines that exist but could not be resolved include pptvhd36's 'เกาะพะงัน-เกาะเต่า-ชุมพร งดเดินเรือโดยสารรอบบ่าย' and Matichon Online's 4 May 2022 report on all Chumphon to Ko Tao sailings stopping.; Raja Ferry's own transit timetable for the Donsak to Ko Pha-ngan service via Lipa Noi renders as an empty table on their site; only the five direct sailings could be read. Ask at the Don Sak ticket office, +66 77 372 800..

The field note on Ko Pha-ngan reads this entry in full, one option at a time, with every source beside it.