Koh Samui to Koh Phangan Ferry 2026: Schedule, Prices

We rate the Koh Samui to Koh Phangan hop as the shortest island run in the Samui group. It is also the one most swung by the full moon, when the Haad Rin crowd turns a quiet 30 minute crossing into the heaviest single day passenger surge in the Gulf. Lomprayah covers the 15 km in 30 minutes on the high speed catamaran for about $13 to $15 online. Songserm runs the same route in 45 minutes at roughly 30 percent below Lomprayah. Raja Ferry handles vehicles on the slower west coast route.

The short crossing is the easy part. The demand pattern around the Full Moon Party is what shifts ferry capacity week to week. Check current schedules and fares before booking, especially in the week before Full Moon.

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Koh Samui to Koh Phangan at a glance

Operator	Departures	Duration	Type	From (one-way)	Book
Lomprayah High Speed Fastest	8 daily, every 1-2 hrs	30 min	High-speed catamaran	$13-18	Check availability

Fastest crossing: Lomprayah catamaran, Maenam Pier to Thong Sala, 30 minutes
Standard crossing: Songserm express ferry, same route, 45 minutes at about 30 percent below Lomprayah
Vehicle crossing: Raja Ferry from Lipa Noi to Thong Sala, 75 minutes
Lomprayah fare: from about $13 foot-passenger online, pier counter 20 percent above
Schedule density: 6 daily Lomprayah departures in high season, 4 in low season
Full Moon Party impact: Friday outbound fills 2 to 3 weeks ahead, Sunday 5am post-party return books out further
Origin pier (fast ferry): Maenam Pier on the north coast of Samui
Destination pier: Thong Sala Pier on the south coast of Phangan

View from Nathon Pier on Koh Samui — Most Phangan boats leave from the Samui piers at Nathon, Maenam, or Bangrak on the north and west coasts. Photographer: Christophe95. Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0.

Three operators on the Samui to Phangan route

Each operator runs a slightly different pier pair and timetable. Pick on what your Phangan accommodation needs.

Lomprayah High Speed Catamaran

Lomprayah measured at 30 minutes Maenam Pier to Thong Sala in calm water. Foot-passenger fare ran $13 cheapest at the online window, pier counter about 20 percent above. 200-seat catamaran with AC interior.

Schedule density 6 daily departures in high season (December to April), 4 in low season. The 7:30am and 11:00am sailings pair with overnight bus arrivals from Bangkok and the morning Lomprayah from Surat Thani.

Songserm Express

Songserm runs the standard express ferry Maenam to Thong Sala in 45 minutes. Online fare runs $9 to $11 one way. Pier counter about 20 percent above. 4 to 5 daily departures.

The Songserm trade is 15 extra minutes of crossing time for roughly a 30 percent fare cut. Most independent travelers without a tight onward connection on Phangan choose Songserm.

Songserm passenger ferry underway on the Gulf of Thailand — The crossing is one of the shortest in the Gulf, a quick hop between the two islands. Photographer: Per Meistrup. Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0.

Raja Ferry (vehicle)

Raja runs the vehicle ferry from Lipa Noi Pier on the west coast of Samui to Thong Sala in 75 minutes. Foot-passenger fares from about $5, the cheapest of the three. Cars 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 or motorbike from Samui. Most travelers rent on Phangan separately rather than bring a vehicle across.

Getting to Maenam Pier from across Samui

Maenam Pier sits on the north coast of Samui, 4 km west of Bophut and 10 km from Chaweng. Most fast-ferry travelers arrive from one of those two areas or from Samui Airport.

From Bophut: 4 km, allow 15 minutes by Grab or songthaew. Shared songthaew runs $1 per person, Grab car runs three to five times that for door-to-door pickup. Bophut is the closest accommodation cluster to Maenam.

From Chaweng: 10 km, allow 25 minutes by Grab. Shared songthaew runs $1.50 per person and stops on request. Grab car runs five to eight times that. Resort transfer pricing sits in the middle.

From Lamai: 16 km, allow 45 minutes. No direct songthaew, Grab is the practical option at $7 to $11 one way. Lamai-based travelers should consider booking the night before in Bophut to shave 30 minutes off the morning transit.

From Samui Airport (USM): 8 km, allow 20 minutes by Grab or shared songthaew. Direct from arrivals to Maenam Pier works for same-day connections if your inbound flight lands by 6am for the 7:30 Lomprayah.

Pier transport on the Phangan side

Thong Sala is the main passenger pier on Phangan. Onward transport from Thong Sala depends on which side of the island your accommodation sits.

To Haad Rin (Full Moon Party beach): 25 minutes by songthaew, $4 to $5 per person. Lomprayah ferry transfer add-on runs a similar fare when bundled with the ferry ticket. The shared songthaew is the budget standard.

To the east coast (Thong Nai Pan, Bottle Beach): 45 minutes via the road by songthaew, $7 to $11 per person. Longtail boat from Thong Sala runs roughly the same fare and 30 minutes in calm seas. Most east coast resorts arrange a longtail pickup.

To meter taxi or pre-booked private transfer from Thong Sala: $10 to $14 for a meter taxi, slightly above for a pre-booked private transfer with guaranteed pickup. Useful only for travelers with luggage or arriving outside the songthaew window.

Haad Rin Sunrise Beach on Koh Phangan — Koh Phangan, home of the Haad Rin full moon beach, sits just north of Samui. Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 2.0. Photographer: Fabio Achilli. Original: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Koh_Phangan,_Haad_Rin_Sunrise_Beach_(6217874831).jpg

What to watch for on the Samui to Phangan route

The four common Koh Samui to Koh Phangan failure modes are the Bangrak Pier search that returns no results (Bangrak no longer runs Phangan service, all fast ferries are from Maenam since 2024), the Full Moon Party weekend sell-out that closes the Friday outbound 2 to 3 weeks ahead, the Sunday post-party return that books out further still, and the Raja vehicle ferry mistakenly booked by foot passengers who land at Lipa Noi instead of Thong Sala. Confirm Maenam Pier on the ticket for the fast ferry.

Onward from Koh Phangan

Thong Sala Pier is the main commercial pier on Phangan. Onward connections run to Koh Tao north, back to Samui south, and to mainland Surat Thani via combo tickets. Most Phangan visitors stay 3 to 5 nights before continuing or returning. For the return run, our guide to the ferry between Koh Phangan and Koh Samui covers the reverse leg.

For Koh Tao: the Lomprayah catamaran from Thong Sala to Mae Haad runs about 90 minutes for the 60 km (check Phangan to Tao schedules). For mainland: combo bus and ferry tickets to Surat Thani run via Donsak Pier. For return to Samui: the same operators reverse the morning sailing in the afternoon.

Practicalities for the Samui to Phangan trip

The ferry itself. Check schedules and book your seat. Live schedules across Lomprayah, Songserm, and Raja Ferry.
Return Phangan to Samui leg. Lock the return seat at the same time as the outbound, especially for Full Moon weekends.

For the onward connection to Koh Tao, the Lomprayah catamaran covers the 60 km in about 90 minutes (roughly twice the Samui-Phangan fare).

Onward to Koh Tao. Compare onward ferry options to Koh Tao.
Samui airport transfer. Pre book a Samui airport private transfer. Fixed rate option for same day arrival travelers.
Onward Bangkok or south. See bus and ferry combos via Surat Thani for budget travel, or compare Bangkok flights to Koh Samui if you fly back instead.
Travel insurance. Compare Thailand travel insurance plans. Low daily rates. Covers Full Moon Party-related delays and ferry monsoon cancellations.

For SHA-certified hotel options on the Samui side, see our Koh Samui SHA hotel guide. The 3 days in Koh Samui itinerary covers Chaweng, Bophut, and Lamai in detail.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the Samui to Phangan ferry take?

The Lomprayah High Speed catamaran covers the 15 km in 30 minutes. The Songserm Express ferry takes 45 minutes on the same route. The Raja vehicle ferry from Lipa Noi to Thong Sala takes 75 minutes. All three depart Koh Samui and arrive at Thong Sala Pier on Koh Phangan.

How much does the Samui to Phangan ferry cost?

Lomprayah High Speed runs $13 to $18 one way per adult. Songserm Express sits about 30 percent below, Raja vehicle ferry foot-passenger fares about 60 percent below. Online booking beats the pier counter by 15 to 25 percent on every operator.

Do I need to book the Samui to Phangan ferry for the Full Moon Party?

Yes. Friday afternoon ferries fill up two to three weeks ahead during Full Moon weekends. The 5am Sunday post-party ferry back to Samui sells out further still. Book both legs at the same time. Off peak weekends have walk-up availability but the Lomprayah 7:30am departure can queue for 20 to 30 minutes at the counter.

Which Samui pier does the Phangan ferry leave from?

Maenam Pier on the north coast of Koh Samui for both Lomprayah High Speed and Songserm Express. Raja vehicle ferry departs Lipa Noi Pier on the west coast. Bangrak Pier is no longer in use for the Phangan route. Confirm Maenam on the ticket before you leave the resort.

Does the Samui to Phangan ferry run year round?

Yes. The northeast monsoon affects the Gulf of Thailand from late October through January with rougher seas and occasional schedule delays. Lomprayah builds a buffer into the high season schedule. The morning sailing runs reliably year round, afternoon sailings can shift by 30 to 60 minutes in November to December swell.

Can you take a car or motorbike on the Samui to Phangan ferry?

Only on the Raja vehicle ferry from Lipa Noi Pier on the west coast of Samui to Thong Sala. Crossing measures at 75 minutes. Vehicle rates run roughly twice the foot-passenger fare for a small car, plus the foot passenger fare per person. Most travelers rent on Koh Phangan separately rather than bring a vehicle across.

Where does the Samui to Phangan ferry arrive on Koh Phangan?

Thong Sala Pier on the south coast of the island. Thong Sala is the main town and commercial pier on Phangan. All scheduled ferries from Samui arrive here. Onward transport to Haad Rin, Thong Nai Pan, and the east coast resorts runs by songthaew or longtail from Thong Sala.

For all 27 Thailand ferry routes plus operator reliability, seasonal cancellation patterns, and booking strategy, see our complete Thailand ferry guide.