Ko Samet

Getting to Ko Samet

Most of Ko Samet, including all the good parts, is part of Khao Laem Ya-Mu Ko Samet National Park and has an entry fee. Thai adults, 40 baht; children, 20 baht. Foreign adults, 200 baht; children, 100 baht (Nov 2024). This two-tier pricing policy is applicable to all national parks. However, if you can demonstrate that you live or work in Thailand you may not have to pay the tourist price.

Worth seeing

Catch the sunset from dramatic cliff side locations along the southwest coastline. A fire twirling show heads up and down Hat Sai Kaew & Ao Hin Khok beaches between 18:00 and 22:30. A donation is appreciated. Most beaches are on the east side of the island. The beaches hide in small bays and stretch some 200 m.

1. 01
   Hat Sai Kaew

   One of the most beautiful and most popular beaches on Ko Samet, Hat Sai Kaew is 1 km long and 25–30 m wide.

2. 02
   Ao Hin Khok

   Separated from Hat Sai Kaew by a small rocky sea point where there is a mermaid statue.

3. 03
   Ao Pai

   More or less of the same white, sandy stretches with a few nice restaurants at night and a big, concrete block of a bar where most party goers end up late at night.

4. 04
   Ao Put Sa
5. 05
   Ao Nuan
6. 06
   Ao Chor

   Some like this beach for being laid back and less developed, with a bit of a feel of the old Thailand.

Things to do

Ko Samet is a laid-back island where the emphasis is less on things to do and more on enjoying the islands beaches. For those people who do want something to do the island does have a few activities to enjoy if the beauty of the beaches is not quite enough to keep you occupied.

Where to eat

Seafood, seafood and seafood, some of the best barbecues are found along Ao Phai and Haat Sai Kaew beaches but they are found on all beaches and most serve the same as the next. There's also local food, curries, pizza, steaks and hamburgers. Almost every hotel and bungalow operation has its own restaurant but it's only the movies that differentiate them.

1. 01
   Cafe Bar Old Amsterdam

   Great European and Thai food at good prices.

2. 02
   Gecko Bar

Getting around Ko Samet the local way

Everything goes through Ban Phe pier on the Rayong coast: a bus or minivan from Bangkok, then a 50 baht slow ferry, a 150 baht catamaran or a speedboat that leaves when it is full, then a national park fee at the gate and a songthaew down the island's one road.

1. 01
   Ban Phe slow ferry to Na Danferry

   Ban Phe Pier, Nuan Thip Pier or the Ban Phe municipal pier to Na Dan Pier, Ko Samet

   Where

   Four separate operators sell the same crossing from piers that are a few hundred metres apart in Ban Phe: Ban Phe Pier (also called Tarue Phe, the main one, opposite the 7-Eleven), Nuan Thip Pier about 200 m south, Si Ban Phe and the municipal pier. It genuinely does not matter which you use, and on the way back you can leave from whichever pier has a boat sooner. Buy a one-way ticket, not a return: the return is exactly double and locks you to one company. The printed timetable is a hint rather than a promise, because the boats wait for a load. Every pier has secure parking, which is the answer to the fact that no private cars are allowed on the island at all.

   When

   Roughly hourly from about 07:00 to 18:00 from Ban Phe Pier, with a parallel hourly service from Nuan Thip from 08:00 to 17:00. Boats also leave whenever about 20 passengers have gathered

   Fare (2026)

   50 to 70 baht one way per person. Wikivoyage records a flat 100 baht return, which is why a single is the better buy

   Takes

   About 40 minutes

   Season

   Year-round. Departures are delayed or pulled in rough weather from roughly May to October

   Booking

   None. Cash at the pier on the day

   Sources: cocoonsamet.com (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high

2. 02
   Koh Kaew Phitsadan fast ferry catamaranferry

   Ban Phe Pier to Na Dan Pier

   Where

   A proper covered catamaran with air-conditioned seating, sold from its own counter at Ban Phe Pier, separate from the slow-ferry booths. It is the only boat on this crossing that runs to real fixed times, it handles a choppy sea far better than the open speedboats, and at 150 baht it costs three times a slow ferry to save half an hour. It does not use Nuan Thip. Children 6 to 10 are half price, under 5 free, 11 and over pay adult.

   When

   08:30, 10:00, 11:30, 14:15 and 17:00 from Ban Phe; 09:00, 10:30, 12:30, 15:45 and 17:30 back from Na Dan

   Fare (2026)

   150 baht one way, 300 baht return, 75 baht for children aged 6 to 10

   Takes

   10 to 15 minutes

   Season

   Year-round, and the most reliable option in monsoon swell

   Booking

   Buy at the Koh Kaew Phitsadan counter at Ban Phe Pier on the day

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

3. 03
   Ban Phe and Nuan Thip speedboatsspeedboat

   Ban Phe Pier and Nuan Thip Pier to Na Dan Pier and the beaches

   Where

   Priced completely differently from the ferries, and this is where people get caught. The ferries are a flat fare regardless of how many of you there are; the speedboats are priced per person on a shared boat and per boat on a charter, and the two numbers are far apart. A shared seat is 150 to 300 baht, usually about 200. A whole boat after the last scheduled sailing is 1,800 to 2,500 baht however many people are in it, which is fine for six and painful for one. The Ban Phe Pier speedboats run to posted times; the Nuan Thip ones have no schedule at all and leave when they have enough passengers, which in the middle of the day is a short wait. Luggage sits on your lap.

   When

   Ban Phe Pier 08:30, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00; Nuan Thip on demand roughly 08:00 to 19:00, departing when full. Charter on demand, the only option after about 18:00

   Fare (2026)

   150 to 300 baht per person shared, usually around 200. Private charter 1,800 to 2,500 baht for the whole boat

   Takes

   About 10 minutes

   Season

   Year-round, but open boats are the first thing cancelled when the sea gets up in May to October

   Booking

   None for a shared seat. Phone the operator for a charter, especially after dark

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

4. 04
   Nuanthip boats direct to the southern baysboat

   Ban Phe to Ao Wong Duean, Ao Phrao, Ao Wai, Ao Kiu and Ao Pakarang, bypassing Na Dan

   Where

   If you are staying at one of the southern bays, this saves you the songthaew ride down the rough part of the island's road. Nuanthip Pier (+66 38 651508) runs boats straight to the bay piers, but they have a minimum group: the Na Dan boat goes with 20 aboard, the bay boats need 7. If there are fewer of you than that, you either wait, pay the difference, or take the ordinary ferry to Na Dan and a songthaew south. Return times from the bays are fixed and sparse, which is the part to plan around: Ao Wong Duean at 08:30, 10:30, 12:30, 14:30 and 16:30, Ao Wai at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00, and Ao Kiu or Pakarang at 09:30, 11:30, 13:30 and 15:30.

   When

   On demand once 7 passengers are gathered, with fixed return times from each bay

   Fare

   Ao Wong Duean and Ao Phrao 120 baht return, Ao Wai and Ao Kiu (Pakarang) 200 baht return, Samet cliff 120 baht return. Si Ban Phe Boat also quotes a 1,000 baht speedboat for 12 people to the main port. The year these were posted is not confirmed

   Takes

   45 minutes to an hour to the far southern bays

   Season

   Year-round, weather permitting

   Booking

   Phone ahead or ask at the Nuanthip counter; nothing sails until the group is there

   Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium

5. 05
   Khao Laem Ya - Mu Ko Samet National Park entry feepermit

   Collected at the park gate just south of Na Dan village, on the way to the beaches

   Where

   Almost all of Ko Samet, including every beach worth going to, sits inside the national park, and you pay on arrival at a gate a few minutes' walk from Na Dan Pier. It is the single thing that surprises people most, because nothing about the ferry ticket mentions it. Thai pricing and foreigner pricing are different: 200 baht for a foreign adult and 100 baht for a foreign child against 40 and 20 baht for Thais, and people who can show they live or work in Thailand are often charged the Thai rate. Ferry ticket sellers in Ban Phe will tell you that you have to buy the park ticket from them; you do not, and you can pay at the gate. Keep the ticket, because it can be asked for again during your stay or for some boat trips.

   When

   Collected whenever the gate is staffed, which is most of the day

   Fare (2024)

   Foreign adults 200 baht, foreign children 100 baht; Thai adults 40 baht, Thai children 20 baht

   Takes

   A few minutes

   Season

   Year-round

   Booking

   None, cash at the gate

   Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · cocoonsamet.com (2026-03) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high

6. 06
   Island songthaews and the unofficial island bussongthaew

   Na Dan Pier down the single main road to Hat Sai Kaew, Ao Phai, Ao Tubtim, Ao Phrao, Ao Wong Duean, Ao Sang Thian, Ao Wai, Ao Kiu and Ao Pakarang

   Where

   Green bench-seat pickups wait at the end of the pier and at a marked stand on every beach, and every stand has a board with the fixed government fares on it, so there is nothing to haggle over. There are two prices for the same trip and which one you pay depends on your group. Per person means you buy a seat and the driver waits to fill the truck, which is the cheap way but costs you a few minutes. Charter means you take the whole vehicle and leave now. The gap is small for two or three people and worth it for four: pier to Hat Sai Kaew is 20 baht a head or 100 baht for the truck, pier to Ao Wong Duean 30 baht or 250, pier to Ao Pakarang at the far south 60 baht or 500. Get a driver's number if you are heading south, because trucks are thin on the ground down there in the evening. Separately, one songthaew at a time takes a turn as the island bus, marked with a bus sign in the windscreen, running pier to the southern end and back about once an hour at 50 baht a head. You cannot plan around it, but you can flag it down.

   When

   Constant along the northern half of the road through the day, sparse in the far south after dark. The island bus roughly hourly with no published schedule

   Fare (2026)

   Per person 20 to 60 baht depending on distance; charter 100 to 500 baht for the whole truck. Around-the-island tour 1,000 to 2,000 baht per vehicle. The island bus is a flat 50 baht per person

   Takes

   Pier to Hat Sai Kaew a few minutes, pier to the southern bays 30 to 40 minutes on a rough road

   Season

   Year-round

   Booking

   None. Confirm the fare with the driver against the board before you get in

   Sources: cocoonsamet.com (2026-03) · cocoonsamet.com (2026-03) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high

7. 07
   Bangkok Ekkamai bus to Ban Phebus

   Eastern Bus Terminal (Ekkamai), Bangkok to Ban Phe, Rayong

   Where

   Ekkamai is the one to use, because the bus terminates at the piers themselves, opposite the ferry counters, and the Cherdchai service drops at Nuan Thip Pier. Mo Chit has no direct Ban Phe service at all: it only takes you as far as Rayong, from where you need a songthaew on to the coast. Ekkamai sits directly on top of Ekkamai BTS station, so getting to it from anywhere in Bangkok is easy. Morning departures at 07:00, 09:00 and 11:00 can be booked ahead on the operator's site or app; otherwise buy at the counter.

   When

   Roughly every 1.5 hours, hourly at peak, through the day

   Fare (2026)

   155 to 200 baht. Wikivoyage records 173 baht on the government service

   Takes

   3 to 4 hours

   Season

   Year-round

   Booking

   Walk up, or book the morning departures ahead online

   Sources: cocoonsamet.com (2026-03) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high

8. 08
   Bangkok minivans to the Ban Phe piersminibus

   Ekkamai and Victory Monument, Bangkok to Ban Phe

   Where

   Minivans leave Ekkamai about every hour and are marginally quicker on paper than the coach, though the several stops around Rayong usually eat the difference. There is a second set from Victory Monument in Phahonyothin, sold from the basement of the mall with the vans parked at Century Mall, and those run right through to the ferry piers rather than dropping you in Rayong. They are fast, cramped and bumpy, and a poor choice with a large bag. Some Victory Monument vans terminate at the Rayong clock tower instead, so check which before you buy.

   When

   Hourly from Ekkamai; roughly every 45 minutes from Victory Monument

   Fare (2026)

   About 200 baht from Ekkamai; Wikivoyage quotes 250 baht per person on the Victory Monument vans

   Takes

   3 to 4 hours

   Season

   Year-round

   Booking

   Buy at the counter; no seat reservation on most services

   Sources: cocoonsamet.com (2026-03) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium

9. 09
   Dark blue Rayong to Ban Phe songthaewsongthaew

   Rayong Bus Terminal to Ban Phe, about 25 km

   Where

   This is the link that turns half the awkward arrivals into easy ones. If your bus only went as far as Rayong, if you flew into U-Tapao and took the airport bus to Rayong Bus Terminal, or if you came off the two-a-day train at Ban Plu Ta Luang and worked your way to Rayong, the dark blue songthaew at the terminal is what takes you the last stretch to the Ban Phe piers. Ask for Ban Phe by name rather than Rayong, because the pier is on the far eastern edge of the province and the two are not the same place. In Ban Phe itself there is an informal taxi rank of private cars in front of the 7-Eleven opposite the pier; you will not need to look for them.

   When

   Through the day, leaving when reasonably full

   Fare (2026)

   Around 50 baht. Wikivoyage quotes 20 baht on the Rayong to Ban Phe songthaew

   Takes

   About 40 minutes

   Season

   Year-round, daylight hours

   Booking

   None

   Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · cocoonsamet.com (2026-03) · confidence medium

10. 10
    Pattaya shared minivan with the ferry ticket includedcombined transfer

    Pattaya to Ban Phe and on to Na Dan, sold as one ticket

    Where

    There is no direct public bus between Pattaya and Ban Phe, so the shared minivan sold with the boat ticket bundled in is the standard answer and guarantees your connection at the pier. A private transfer for the same leg is roughly double. The genuinely cheap way is to unbundle it yourself: the local bus from near Big C South Pattaya to Rayong Bus Terminal, then the dark blue songthaew to Ban Phe, which is about 150 baht all in but two changes and a lot more time. From Bangkok the private taxi equivalent runs from about 2,000 baht and Wikivoyage puts a metered Rayong to Ban Phe taxi at about 1,600 baht, with drivers preferring 2,000 to 2,500 off the meter plus around 100 baht of tolls.

    When

    Several departures daily on the shared service; private transfers on demand

    Fare (2026)

    Shared minivan with ferry from about 500 baht, private transfer from about 1,000 baht. Bangkok private transfer from about 2,000 baht

    Takes

    1 to 2 hours Pattaya to Ban Phe

    Season

    Year-round

    Booking

    Book ahead; the shared vans do not run without a load

    Sources: cocoonsamet.com (2026-03) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium

11. 11
    Scooter and bicycle hire on the islandscooter hire

    Na Dan village and every beach with a rental shop, along the single north to south road

    Where

    There are more bike shops on Samet than almost anything else, and the price is effectively fixed at 400 baht a day, usually with a full tank, with a little room to move if you take one for several days. Prices creep up at the far southern end. The road is the thing to understand before you hire: the main north to south spine is now sealed and in good condition, which is a change from the island's old reputation, but the branches to the quieter southern beaches past the park gate are still unsurfaced, hilly and rutted, and Wikivoyage is blunt that only riders with some experience should take them on. Check the brakes and tyres and photograph the existing scratches before you ride off. Mountain bikes are 150 to 200 baht a day. ATVs are no longer available on the island.

    When

    Shops open daily

    Fare (2026)

    400 baht per day for a scooter, sometimes 300 to 400 depending on shop and season; 150 to 200 baht per day for a mountain bike

    Takes

    End to end on the island in well under an hour

    Season

    Year-round; the dirt sections are much worse after rain

    Booking

    Walk in. A cash deposit rather than your passport is the usual and better arrangement

    Sources: cocoonsamet.com (2026-03) · cocoonsamet.com (2026-03) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high

12. 12
    Weekends, holidays and the monsoonservice status

    Ban Phe crossing and the island road

    Where

    Samet is the closest real island to Bangkok, which decides almost everything about how it behaves. On Friday and Saturday mornings, on long weekends and over Songkran the capital empties out towards Ban Phe, the ferries fill and go rather than run to the clock, room rates rise and the southern songthaews get busy; aim to be at the pier at least half an hour before you want to leave. Midweek out of season the same boats can sit waiting for a load. The other constraint is the clock: the last scheduled slow ferry leaves Ban Phe at 18:00 and the last catamaran at 17:00, after which the only way across is a private speedboat charter at 1,800 to 2,500 baht for the boat. From roughly May to October rough seas delay and occasionally cancel sailings, the open speedboats first and the catamaran last, so leave slack in a schedule that ends at an airport.

    When

    Every weekend and Thai public holiday; monsoon effects May to October

    Fare

    Not a priced service, but weekend demand moves accommodation and charter prices

    Season

    Peak crowding on weekends and Thai holidays year-round; rough seas May to October

    Booking

    Nothing to book for the boats. Book a room ahead for a weekend

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

Not yet confirmed: Correction to the brief: Ko Samet's roads are no longer largely unsealed. The single main north to south road has been surfaced and is in good condition as of March 2026; it is the branches to the southern beaches beyond the national park gate that are still dirt, hilly and rough, and that is what the scooter warnings are about.; The national park entry fee is confirmed at 200 baht for foreign adults and 100 baht for foreign children by two independent sources, but not from an official Department of National Parks page. dnp.go.th sits behind an Incapsula bot wall and portal.dnp.go.th, which does serve over HTTP/1.1 with a browser user agent, did not yield the fee schedule for Khao Laem Ya - Mu Ko Samet. Ask the park office at the Na Dan gate, or check the Royal Gazette notice of national park service rates.; No operator data endpoint exists for the Ban Phe crossing. The four pier companies (White Shark, Nuanthip, Si Ban Phe, Phe Port) have no bookable web presence that could be reached; nuanthip.com, nuanthippier.com and kohsametferry.com all failed to resolve. Timetables here come from a hostel-run guide that states it is compiled from all operators and was updated in March 2026, corroborated against Wikivoyage. Confirm at the pier.; Correction to the brief: none of the operator endpoints in the API inventory serve Ko Samet. Boonsiri covers Trat, Ko Chang, Ko Mak, Ko Kood and Cambodia; Lomprayah, Seatran Discovery, Songserm and Raja Ferry are Gulf and Andaman operators. Boonsiri does list a Pattaya pickup, but on its Trat routes, not to Ban Phe.; Thai press reporting on the park's boat and vehicle licence fees on Ko Samet, which operators said tripled and which bear on songthaew and boat pricing, could not be cited: the Google News item links would not decode to publisher URLs, and khaosod.co.th, matichon.co.th and thairath.co.th all blocked the WordPress REST search. The headlines to chase are Khaosod, 20 October 2022, on Ko Samet boat operators petitioning after a threefold licence increase, and Khaosod, 15 January 2023, on songthaew operators paying 16,000 baht a year.; The exact first and last sailings vary by operator and season and the printed timetables are approximate by design, since boats wait for a load. The times given here are the March and September 2026 compilation; treat the 18:00 last slow ferry as the one hard fact..

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