There is currently no airport on Koh Phangan. Kan Air, a Thai regional airline, is currently in the process of developing a domestic airport on the island. The airport was scheduled to open in 2016 and will connect Koh Phangan with Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport.
The closest airport to Koh Phangan is Samui International Airport, which is located on nearby Koh Samui. From Samui Airport, it’s possible to take a taxi to the ferry pier at Bang Rak Beach and travel to Koh Phangan by speedboat or ferry in 60 to 90 minutes.
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It’s also possible to fly to Surat Thani Airport and travel to Koh Phangan by bus and ferry from Donsak Pier. We’ve listed both airports below, as well as directions from these airports to Koh Phangan and departure times for all ferries to the island.
Koh Samui International Airport
- Samui International Airport is a small international airport that’s privately owned and operated by Bangkok Airways. The airport is Thailand’s seventh busiest by passenger traffic and serves both international and domestic flights, mostly from Bangkok and nearby cities such as Singapore.
- Flights to Samui International Airport are available from Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi Airport, Chiang Mai, Krabi, Pattaya U-Tapao and Phuket. International flights are available from Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Subang in Malaysia, as well as Singapore.
- Currently, Bangkok Airways and Thai Airways are the only carriers that offer domestic flights to Koh Samui. Many of the international airlines that fly to Koh Samui codeshare with Bangkok Airways or Thai Airways, or with regional carriers such as SilkAir and Berjaya Air.
- Samui International Airport is located in the northeastern corner of Koh Samui, making it very convenient for accessing the Koh Phangan ferry pier at Bang Rak Beach. It takes less than 10 minutes to travel from Samui Airport to the Koh Phangan ferry by taxi.
- If you’re flying into Samui International Airport from outside Thailand and want to take the ferry to Koh Phangan once you arrive, book a ferry ticket for at least one hour after you land. It can take 30+ minutes to get through passport control and claim your bags during high season.
- Ferry tickets to Koh Phangan from Bang Rak Beach are available in the arrivals section of the airport. If you’re visiting Koh Phangan outside of high season, you’ll usually be able to buy your tickets either at the airport or at Bang Rak Pier without any availability issues.
Getting to Koh Phangan from Koh Samui Airport
- Getting to Koh Phangan from Koh Samui Airport is simple. Once you arrive on Koh Samui, take a taxi from the airport to Bang Rak Pier. There is a taxi counter in the arrivals section with trips at fixed prices, as well as taxis outside the terminal. It costs 300 to 500 baht to get to the pier.
- There are three ferries from Bang Rak Pier to Koh Phangan every day, each taking 30 minutes to reach Thong Sala. The first ferry leaves Koh Samui at 8:00am, the second at 1:00pm and the third at 4:30pm.
- If you arrive at an odd time for the Bang Rak ferry, you can also catch the ferry to Koh Phangan from Nathon Pier on Koh Samui’s western coast. This method costs more and takes significantly longer, but can save you from waiting several hours at Bang Rak for the ferry.
- It takes 30 minutes and costs 600 to 800 baht to take a taxi from Samui Airport to Nathon. There are several ferries to Thong Sala on Koh Phangan that take between 30 and 60 minutes to get to the island.
- Ferries from Nathon to Thong Sala leave at 11:00am, 11:15am, 1:30pm, 5:00pm, 5:30pm and 7:00pm. For the most part, it’s only worth using the Nathon ferry if your flight arrives late in the day after the ferry service from Bang Rak Pier has ended.
Surat Thani Airport
- Since Samui International Airport is privately owned with exclusive access for Bangkok and Thai Airways, it can be much cheaper to fly into Surat Thani Airport on a low cost airline and take the bus and ferry from the airport to Koh Phangan.
- Flights to Surat Thani Airport are available on AirAsia, Nok Air and Thai Smile from Don Muang Airport in Bangkok, and on AirAsia from Chiang Mai. It takes approximately four hours to reach Koh Phangan from Surat Thani Airport.
Getting to Koh Phangan from Surat Thani Airport
- To get to Koh Phangan, you’ll need to travel by bus to Donsak Pier and take the ferry from there to Koh Phangan. Travel agents in the arrivals hall of Surat Thani Airport sell combined bus/ferry tickets for the entire trip, priced from 500 to 700 baht per person.
- Ferries from Donsak to Koh Phangan leave every 30 to 90 minutes during high season and stop at Nathon Pier on Koh Samui on the way to Thong Sala. There is very little to do at the ferry pier and during the trip, so a good book is recommended to make the time go by faster.
- Flying to Surat Thani and taking the bus and ferry to Koh Phangan is the cheapest way to get to the island, but it’s also by far the slowest. You will need to factor in at least four hours of travel time from Bangkok, compared to two to three hours by flying to Samui International Airport.
Things To Do On Koh Phangan
From hiking to snorkelling, there’s lots to do on Koh Phangan. Learn about the best things to do on the island, whether you’re searching for thrill seeking experiences or a relaxing way to spend the day.
Buy Tickets To Koh Phangan
You can buy bus and ferry tickets to Koh Phangan online. Use the search box below to find out departure times, prices and to book online. Enter a different starting point if you’re not coming from Bangkok
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