Surat Thani is where almost everyone bound for Koh Samui by sea ends up funneling through, whether they arrive on the overnight train into Phun Phin or the night bus from Bangkok. The crossing splits two ways from here. The Donsak car ferry carries vehicles to Lipa Noi, and the fast catamaran runs foot passengers to Nathon in under an hour. Three operators run the Surat Thani to Koh Samui ferry. The Lomprayah catamaran covers Donsak to Nathon Pier in 45 minutes. The Seatran Discovery standard ferry runs the same route in 1 hour 30 minutes. The Raja vehicle ferry to Lipa Noi Pier takes 1 hour 30 minutes and is the only option that carries cars.
This guide tests each on schedule, fare, and where you’re starting from on the mainland side. Check current schedules and fares before committing to a combo ticket.
Surat Thani to Koh Samui at a glance
- Fastest crossing: Lomprayah catamaran Donsak to Nathon, 45 minutes
- Standard crossing: Seatran Discovery Donsak to Nathon, 1 hour 30 minutes
- Vehicle crossing: Raja Ferry Donsak to Lipa Noi, 1 hour 30 minutes
- Lomprayah fare: from about $13 foot-passenger online, pier counter 20 to 25 percent above
- Seatran fare: from about $7 foot-passenger online, the cheapest scheduled option
- Combo ticket from Surat Thani Airport: about 30 percent cheaper than booking the legs separately
- Origin pier (foot passenger): Donsak Pier, 70 km south of Surat Thani city
- Destination pier (Lomprayah and Seatran): Nathon Pier on the west coast of Koh Samui
Three operators on the Surat Thani to Koh Samui route
Each operator has a different total cost and a different pier on the Samui side. Pick on what your onward transit needs.
Photographer: Fabio Achilli from Milano, Italy. Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 2.0.Lomprayah High Speed Catamaran
Lomprayah measured at 45 minutes Donsak to Nathon on the morning sailing. The fastest scheduled option. Foot-passenger fare ran $13 cheapest at the online window, about $16 walking up at Donsak. The boat is a 200-seat catamaran with AC interior and shaded outdoor deck.
Schedule density runs 4 daily departures in high season and 2 to 3 in low season. The 7:30am sailing pairs with the overnight bus arrival from Bangkok and is the most reliable for connecting travelers.
Seatran Discovery
Seatran runs the standard service Donsak to Nathon in 1 hour 30 minutes. Foot-passenger fare runs $7 to $9 one way. 6 or more daily departures, more frequent than Lomprayah.
The Seatran trade is twice the crossing time for roughly half the fare. Most independent travelers without a fixed onward connection on Samui choose Seatran.
Raja Ferry (vehicle)
Raja runs the vehicle ferry Donsak to Lipa Noi Pier on the west coast of Samui in 1 hour 30 minutes. Foot-passenger fares from about $5, the cheapest scheduled option. Car rates run several times the foot-passenger fare plus the foot-passenger fare per person.
Raja is the right ticket only if you’re bringing a rental car from the mainland. Most travelers rent on Samui itself, in which case Lomprayah or Seatran are the right options.
Surat Thani access points and combo tickets
Surat Thani has three practical starting points: the airport (URT), the city, and the train station at Phun Phin. Each connects to Donsak Pier differently, and the combo ticket discount depends on which one you book from.
From Surat Thani Airport (URT): the airport sits 60 km from Donsak Pier. Operator shuttles run from arrivals direct to Donsak for $5 to $8 per person and time to the next ferry.
Private taxi runs five to seven times the shuttle fare, useful only for late-arrival flights that miss the shuttle window. Allow 90 minutes door to door from baggage claim to Donsak.
From Surat Thani city: the city sits 70 km from Donsak. Public bus to Donsak runs $3 per person and takes 100 minutes.
Private taxi runs about ten times the public bus fare and shaves 20 minutes off the run in light traffic.
From Phun Phin train station (the rail terminus serving Surat Thani): operator shuttle to Donsak runs the same $5 to $8 per person and takes 90 minutes. Most overnight train passengers from Bangkok take this shuttle. Tapi Pier is an alternative for Lomprayah combo tickets that include the train leg.
Combo tickets versus separate legs
Combo tickets bundle the bus or shuttle to Donsak with the ferry crossing. Booked together, the combo costs about 30 percent less than buying the bus and the ferry separately. Most travelers don’t know this and end up paying twice for the same connection.
The Lomprayah combo from Surat Thani Airport runs $18 to $22 for the airport-to-Samui all-in fare. The same legs booked separately run about 30 percent above. Same boat, same shuttle, different price. Lock the combo ticket online before the morning of departure.
Photographer: Anthony DELANOIX anthonydelanoix. Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC0.What to watch for on the Surat Thani to Koh Samui route
The four common Surat Thani to Koh Samui failure modes are the Donsak versus Donsak Old Pier confusion (the old pier no longer runs ferries but old signage points there), the combo ticket markup at the city bus stand versus the operator counter, the late afternoon Lomprayah delay during November to January monsoon swell, and the Bangrak Pier search that returns no results because Bangrak no longer serves Surat Thani-side traffic. Confirm Donsak as the departure pier on the ticket.
Onward from Koh Samui
Photographer: Ruta Badina. Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 3.0.Nathon Pier sits on the west coast of Koh Samui with onward songthaew and Grab routes to Chaweng, Bophut, Lamai, and Maenam. Lipa Noi Pier (Raja arrival) is 25 km west of Chaweng and 15 km north of Lamai. Both piers connect to the Samui ring road.
For Koh Phangan: the Lomprayah catamaran from Maenam Pier on Samui to Thong Sala on Phangan runs 30 minutes (check Samui to Phangan schedules). For Koh Tao: the catamaran from Maenam to Mae Haad runs 1 hour 45 minutes (compare Samui to Tao options). Both connect through Maenam Pier, not Nathon. For the Phangan hop, see the ferry between Koh Samui and Koh Phangan and the return ferry between Koh Phangan and Koh Samui.
Practicalities for the Surat Thani to Koh Samui trip
- The route itself. Check live schedules and lock a seat. Combo tickets from the airport beat separate legs by 30 percent.
- Return Samui to Surat Thani leg. Pre-book the return seat when your dates back the same direction.
For onward island and mainland connections:
- Onward to Koh Phangan. Compare Samui to Phangan options. Maenam Pier transfer required.
- Onward to Koh Tao. Compare Samui to Tao options. Lomprayah dive-shop pickup pattern.
- Bangkok overnight combo. See Bangkok to Koh Samui combos. Bus or train plus the ferry leg.
- Travel insurance. Compare Thailand travel insurance plans. Low daily rates. Covers monsoon ferry cancellations.
For SHA-certified hotel options on the Samui side, see our Koh Samui SHA hotel guide. The things to do in Koh Samui guide covers Chaweng, Bophut, and Lamai in detail, and our 3 days in Koh Samui itinerary maps them into a route.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the ferry from Surat Thani to Koh Samui?
How much does the Surat Thani to Koh Samui ferry cost?
Which pier do ferries leave from on the Surat Thani side?
Where does the Surat Thani to Koh Samui ferry arrive?
What is the fastest way from Bangkok to Koh Samui via Surat Thani?
Is the combo ticket from Surat Thani Airport always cheaper?
Does the Surat Thani to Koh Samui ferry run year round?
For all 27 Thailand ferry routes plus operator reliability, seasonal cancellation patterns, and booking strategy, see our complete Thailand ferry guide.
