Koh Samui to Koh Tao Ferry 2026: Schedule and Booking

This is the longest leg of open water in the Gulf island chain, and the only one most travelers run with a dive course waiting on the far end. The Koh Samui to Koh Tao crossing covers 75 km up the chain to the dive island, and the choice comes down to one thing. Take the fast catamaran or the slower standard boat. Lomprayah covers the run in 1 hour 45 minutes on the catamaran for about $25 to $28 online. Seatran Discovery runs the same route in 2 hours 30 minutes at roughly 20 percent below Lomprayah. Combo tickets from Chumphon on the mainland beat the via-Samui route for budget travelers.

Schedule, total cost, and the dive season demand pattern that shifts ferry capacity weekly all push the decision one way or the other. Check current schedules and fares before booking, especially in the December to March peak dive months.

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Koh Samui to Koh Tao at a glance

Operator	Departures	Duration	Type	From (one-way)	Book
Lomprayah High Speed Fastest	08:00, 12:30	2 hrs	High-speed catamaran	$30-40	Check availability
Seatran Discovery	Daily morning	2h 30min	Scheduled ferry	$22-32	Check availability

Fastest crossing: Lomprayah catamaran, Maenam Pier to Mae Haad, 1 hour 45 minutes
Standard crossing: Seatran Discovery, Bangrak Pier to Mae Haad, 2 hours 30 minutes
Lomprayah fare: from about $25 foot-passenger online, pier counter 20 percent above
Seatran fare: sits about 20 percent below Lomprayah on the slower crossing
Schedule density: 2 to 3 daily Lomprayah departures, 1 to 2 daily Seatran
Dive season peak: December through March, Friday outbound fills 3 to 5 days ahead
Origin pier (fast ferry): Maenam Pier on the north coast of Samui
Destination pier: Mae Haad Pier on the west coast of Koh Tao

Chaweng Beach on Koh Samui — The Koh Tao boats run from the same Samui piers that serve the rest of the Gulf islands. Photographer: User: (WT-shared) Wipkinger at wts wikivoyage. Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: Public domain.

Two operators on the Samui to Tao route

Each operator runs a different pier pair and timetable. Pick on what your dive shop or accommodation needs.

Lomprayah High Speed Catamaran

Lomprayah runs 1 hour 45 minutes Maenam to Mae Haad on the morning sailing in calm water, the fastest scheduled option on the route. The foot passenger fare ran $25 at its cheapest online, about $28 walking up at Maenam. The catamaran seats 200, with an AC interior and a shaded outdoor deck.

Schedule density runs 2 to 3 daily departures, with the 11am sailing pairing with travelers arriving on the morning Lomprayah from Surat Thani. The 7:30am sailing is the dive-shop pickup standard for travelers starting a course the same day.

Seatran Discovery

Seatran runs the standard service from Bangrak Pier on the northeast coast of Samui to Mae Haad in 2 hours 30 minutes. The foot passenger fare runs $20 to $24 one way. It schedules 1 to 2 daily departures, typically morning and early afternoon.

The Seatran trade is 45 extra minutes of crossing time for roughly a 20 percent fare cut. Most divers without a tight dive-course start time choose Seatran. The Bangrak pier is closer to Chaweng-area resorts than Maenam, which can compensate for the slower crossing.

Combo tickets from Chumphon versus via Samui

Most divers research “Samui to Koh Tao” but the optimal route from Bangkok is the Chumphon to Koh Tao direct combo, which lands 30 percent cheaper than the via-Samui path. Worth surfacing because the search pattern misleads.

The Chumphon to Mae Haad direct ferry runs 1 hour 45 minutes on Lomprayah at $20 to $25 one way.

Combo tickets bundle the Bangkok overnight bus or train with the Chumphon ferry for $35 to $50 all-in. Same total transit time as Bangkok via Samui, lower cost.

The via-Samui path makes sense only if you’re stopping on Samui for a few days first or if your inbound flight lands at Samui Airport rather than the mainland. For divers heading direct to Koh Tao for a course, the Chumphon route is the right ticket.

Boat anchored off the rocky coast of Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand — The crossing ends along the rocky shoreline of Koh Tao, the dive island at the top of the chain. Photographer: Amada44. Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0.

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 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 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 9am for the 11am Lomprayah.

Pier transport on the Koh Tao side

Mae Haad is the only commercial pier on Koh Tao. Onward transport from Mae Haad depends on which side of the island your dive shop or accommodation sits.

To Sairee Beach (the main dive-shop cluster): 15 minutes by songthaew, $1 per person. Grab car runs three to five times that for door-to-door pickup with luggage. Most dive shops arrange a free pickup at Mae Haad if you book the course in advance.

To Chalok Baan Kao (south coast): 20 minutes by songthaew, $1.50 per person. Less frequent service than the Sairee route. Pre-booked private transfer is the practical option for late-arriving ferries.

To Tanote Bay (east coast, dive sites): no road access for songthaew or Grab. Pre-booked private transfer or rental motorbike is the only practical option. Most travelers stay in Sairee and day-trip to Tanote rather than overnight there.

Mae Haad Bay and pier on Koh Tao — Mae Haad Pier on the west coast is where every Samui ferry to Koh Tao lands. Photographer: Dirk Enthoven. Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 3.0.

What to watch for on the Samui to Tao route

The four common Koh Samui to Koh Tao failure modes are the Mae Haad walk up counter markup of 20 to 30 percent on return tickets bought after a dive course, the Chumphon-direct route oversight that costs Bangkok travelers an extra $15 to $20 on the via-Samui path, the December to March dive season sell-out that closes Friday outbound 3 to 5 days ahead, and the Bangrak versus Maenam pier confusion when travelers book Seatran expecting a Maenam departure. Confirm the operator pier on the ticket before leaving the resort.

Onward from Koh Tao

Mae Haad Pier is the only commercial pier on Koh Tao. Onward connections run back to Samui via Maenam, to Koh Phangan via Thong Sala, and to Chumphon on the mainland for direct Bangkok transit. Most divers stay 4 to 7 nights to complete a certification course.

For Phangan: the Lomprayah catamaran from Mae Haad to Thong Sala runs about 90 minutes (check Tao to Phangan schedules). For Chumphon: the direct ferry runs 1 hour 45 minutes (compare Tao to Chumphon options). For Bangkok: combo ferry plus overnight bus or train from Chumphon to Bangkok runs 12 to 14 hours total. If you are circling the Samui group, see our guides to the ferry between Koh Samui and Koh Phangan and the return ferry between Koh Phangan and Koh Samui.

Practicalities for the Samui to Koh Tao trip

The ferry itself. Check schedules and book your seat. Live schedules across Lomprayah and Seatran Discovery, confirmed seats, email tickets.
Return Tao to Samui leg. Lock the return seat before the dive course finishes. Mae Haad walk up tickets carry a markup.

For onward island connections and the Bangkok combo:

Onward to Koh Phangan. Compare onward ferry options to Koh Phangan. Lomprayah measures at 75 minutes for the 60 km.
Combination Bangkok to Koh Tao. See overnight bus and ferry combos from Bangkok. Combos run about double the ferry fare alone and take 14 to 16 hours total.
Dive insurance. Compare Thailand travel insurance plans. Low daily rates. Covers ferry cancellations and the diving medical exposure that standard policies skip.

For SHA-certified hotel options on the Samui side, see our Koh Samui SHA hotel guide. The 3 days in Koh Samui itinerary covers what to do before the Tao crossing.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the Samui to Tao ferry take?

The Lomprayah High Speed catamaran covers the 75 km route in 1 hour 45 minutes. The Seatran Discovery ferry takes 2 hours 30 minutes on the same route. Both depart Koh Samui (Maenam Pier for Lomprayah, Bangrak Pier for Seatran) and arrive at Mae Haad Pier on Koh Tao. Calm seas required for the schedule times.

How much does the Samui to Tao ferry cost?

Lomprayah High Speed runs $25 to $34 one way per adult in 2026. Seatran Discovery sits about 20 percent below Lomprayah. Online booking beats the pier counter by 15 to 25 percent on both operators. Combination tickets bundled with the Don Sak to Samui leg from Surat Thani run cheaper per leg than booking separately.

Is Chumphon a better starting point than Samui for Koh Tao?

Yes for budget travelers coming from Bangkok. The Chumphon to Mae Haad direct ferry runs 1 hour 45 minutes at about 20 percent below the via-Samui path. Combo tickets from Bangkok via Chumphon land 30 percent cheaper than via Samui. The via-Samui route is only optimal if you’re stopping on Samui first.

Which Samui pier does the Tao ferry leave from?

Maenam Pier on the north coast of Samui for Lomprayah High Speed. Bangrak Pier on the northeast coast for Seatran Discovery. The two piers are 12 km apart and serve different operators. Confirm the operator on the ticket before traveling to either pier.

Does the Samui to Tao ferry run year round?

Yes. The northeast monsoon affects the Gulf of Thailand from late October through January with rougher seas. Lomprayah builds a 30 to 60 minute delay buffer into the schedule during peak monsoon weeks. The morning sailing runs reliably year round, afternoon sailings can cancel for sea state in November to December swell.

When is the best time to book the Samui to Tao ferry?

December through March is the peak dive season and books out 3 to 5 days ahead on Friday outbound. April through October has walk up availability except in named storms. Most divers book the inbound leg with their course deposit and the outbound leg in the first 2 days of the course.

Is the Lomprayah catamaran worth the premium over Seatran?

For divers starting a course the same day, yes. The 45-minute time saving and the more reliable schedule make Lomprayah the dive-shop standard. For travelers without a fixed onward connection, Seatran’s 20 percent fare cut is the better value. The crossing is rougher on Seatran in chop because of the standard hull versus the catamaran.

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