Hey,
I'd like to get from Bangkok to Koh Phangan. One option is to get a plane from Koh Samui and continue from there. I heard you can also get there by train or bus and a ferry.
I'm considering taking a bus or a train. Has anybody done that? How's the ride?
Yoav
Reply to this Hello Yoav 😊
Yes, you can get there by bus and boat or by train and boat.
I recommend bus and boat, because you get out of the bus at the last stop but this is not the case with the train. Often the trains dont arrive at the time they say they will so you will spend too much time watching out for your stop instead of sleeping. Also, the first class busses cost only as much as the 3rd class on the train and are way more comfortable than the 3rd class on the train.
When you get out of the bus in Surat Thani it will be easy to find an agent to sell you a boat ticket and take you to the pier. Go to an official agents office and dont pay any attention to what taxi drivers say when you get off the bus.
Also, buy the bus and boat trips separately. Buy the bus tickets at the Southern Bus station in Bangkok and take the official busses. Robberies are a lot less likely on these busses than the private busses. Dont buy a bus and boat combo ticket from a travel agent. They can be cheap, but there may be surcharges charged along the way, when it is too late to bail out.
Yes, you can fly to Koh Samui and then take a boat to Koh Pha Ngan, but to me that seems to be almost as much trouble as taking a night bus and then a boat. And this would also be the more expensive way to get there.
Mel
Reply to this What about the ride itself? What do you see on the way?
Do you have any idea what the prices are?
Reply to this The bus and train journeys are very long. Around 10 hours, so best to travel at night. I am not even sure there is a day option. But, if there is a bus that goes during the day, the timing for getting to Surat Thani would be lousy. The boat ride is really nice though. You can sit up on the deck and look out at the sea and the tropical paradise.
The prices: As far as I rememember the bus ride is around 6 Euros and the boat ride is around the same. It has been 3 years since I was there though. Maybe somebody else can provide the latest prices.
Reply to this Hey Yoav - just done it a few weeks ago and i booked a joint ticket with Lomprayah which is a reputable and TAT registered company on road parralell to KHao San rd (did the return journey 3 times to Bangkok in space of a month.... another story!!) had no problems and haven't heard any problems from anyone else i met whilst using the service. there are dirt cheap combo tickets offered everywhere on Khao san (500bht 'VIP' bus etc - these look dodgy and i've heard horror stories re bags going missing etc) if you book with Lomprayah (which is around 800bht - 1000bht for coach and boat)you should be fine, comfortable air-conditioned coaches leave at 9pm, arrive at Chumphorn at around 6am, high speed catermeran leaves at around 7am and get you to Ko Phanagn around 10am. i slept very compfortably all the way (but bring a jumper the air con is freezing!) it was the easiest option for me as a single female traveler to go with big company on a coach full of other travellers and have everything sorted for me sop i didn't have to find boat and organise tickets etc the other end but i have met people that did it as Mel described as above and had smooth journey that way too.
another option is to fly to Surat Thani (air asia doing cheap flights at moment) then get boat to Ko Phanagn via Ko Samui but the boat journey is about 6 hours i think (my friends did it this way) - not sure how much it cost them.
Reply to this Thanks, all this info is very helpful.
I've never quite managed to sleep on a bus. Is it comfy?
Reply to this the Lomprayah ones are pretty comfy and recline quite far - its low season so the coaches haven't been full and i've ended up with 2 seats every time so been fine... and a valium which can be bought easily in most Khao San road pharmacies will assure a good nights sleep. i'm not normally good at sleeping during transit but found this route fine, just get up early on day of travel and have a busy day by 9pm you'll be ready for a long sleep!
Reply to this 😊
I don't take meds that easily 😊
But I'll take your second advice and make myself tired.
Reply to this I've never quite managed to sleep on a bus. Is it comfy?
It is as comfortable as sleeping on a plane.
First class on the train is very comfortable for sleeping. Probably second class too. I havent tried second class.
Reply to this Thanks everyone.
I think I'll try the bus and maybe take a plane back, not sure yet.
Reply to this hello yoav =]
I will be doing a similar trip too from bangkok to koh pangan. but maybe early next year. around january. im not sure if i can travel this year but if i could, it will be around oct/nov. im thinking of taking the bus as well. i hope u will post your trip from bangkok to koh pangan here so others who would want the same route would know too. when are you going?
😊
Reply to this Hey Xansu,
I'm planning to start my trip in Thailand in mid-August, and stay there for a month, if everything goes as planned.
I'm currently looking for a travel guide about Thailand, but everything I can find here is either lonely planet or not up-to-date.
Reply to this Hey Yoav,
I hope your trip goes as planned.. Yeah, my trip is still next year but I have been checking travel guides and travel sites and I am just jumping from one to another. I also checked travelfish.org for some information. anyway, my plan is to go from the Philippines to East malaysia then to Singapore to KL then to Thailand. then Cambodia back to BKK before heading back home.
Reply to this I'm currently looking for a travel guide about Thailand,...........
If you want to save some money you could get a second hand Lonely Planet book. It does not much matter if it is not the latest one. A lot of the important stuff does not change much or at all from book to book.
And, if you are planning to visit other SE Asian countries you could get SE Asia on a Shoesting by Lonely Planet. Much more economical and easier to carry than getting individual books for each country.
Reply to this I'm against lonely planet. I don't want to read a book everybody else is reading.
I would rather read a guide which was written by a local author and not a world-famous series.
Reply to this i too will be travelling early next year.
i was planning on catching a train, 2nd class air con probably. see here .... for prices and times etc. http://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm
are these safe enough ? or would the Lomprayah buses be better recommended? for price and more importantly safety !
seperatly how much is the boat from Surat Thani to Koh samui ?
can the buses be haggled with slightly ? if so the fares wouldnt be much differnt.
thanks
Reply to this Hello Lee 😊
It think it is more economical to buy your bus and train tickets directly at the bus and train stations in Thailand. Bus is generally better because there are more of them going than trains. And a VIP bus ticket costs only the same as a third class train ticket.
For safety, be sure to use the official Thai bus company, rather than the private bus services. There are more robberies on the private busses at night.
No, you cant haggle about the bus prices. You could however travel second or third class to make it cheaper.
Boats to Koh Samui to from Surat Thani cost around 6 or 7 Euros.
Mel
Reply to this 
