Travel to Full Moon Party: Best ways to get to Koh Phangan

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What are the best ways to get to Koh Phangan Full Moon Party? Whether on a budget or in comfort, whether you travel from New York, San Francisco, Sidney, Singapore, or Bangkok – we got you covered. Let´s check all the travel hacks to get you on time to Full Moon Party in Koh Phangan. Buckle up!

From Phuket to Koh Phangan

From Phuket to Koh Phangan, there are convenient bus and ferry connections with a joint ticket, which are as short as 7 hours. Otherwise, you can fly from Phuket to Koh Samui with Bangkok Airways (Skyscanner) but will then have to organize your journey onward to Koh Phangan.

From Bangkok to Koh Phangan

Once you are in Bangkok, you have three options to go to Koh Phangan: Flight, Train, or Bus. Note: If you only want to go to Koh Samui, the same options apply, because the ferry from Surat Thani will always stop in Koh Samui first before continuing to Koh Phangan.

Here is an overview of the options:

The most convenient option is to fly from Bangkok International Airport (Suvarnabhumi /BKK) to Koh Samui. It is the fastest and most convenient option because of the proximity of Koh Samui and Koh Phangan.

However, Koh Samui airport is only served by a single airline, Bangkok Airways, and prices tend to be higher, especially during high season. Once you are in Koh Samui, you need to transfer to the pier and then a ferry to Koh Phangan (see options further below).

It´s cheaper to fly to Surat Thani, but then it takes longer to get to Koh Phangan. For both options, there are integrated tickets, where the tour company guarantees the connection.

Most Flights to Surat Thani depart from Bangkok´s domestic airport (Don Mueang/DMK). If you arrived at the international airport, you may catch the shuttle bus between the two airports, which you can use for free if you have an onward plane ticket. If you want to wait for the next bus and want to ride in a bit more comfort you can also book a private or shared transfer.

Finally, the cheapest option is to take a bus or a train to Surat Thani. The bus leaves from Bangkok at 1800pm and you will be in Koh Phangan about noon time the next day. You can buy a joint ticket here. There are several bus lines, so you can pick between different schedules and comfort levels, and even during high seasons you might find available seats at short notice. If you want to go by train, it is recommended to book well in advance.

From Koh Tao to Koh Phangan

If you are on Koh Tao (or if you want to go there for a few days to recover after the party, there are several direct ferry connections to Koh Phangan every day. Duration varies between 1 and 2 hours.

From Chiang Mai to Koh Phangan

Bangkok Airways offers direct flights from From Chiang Mai to Koh Samui, AirAsia offers direct flights from Chian Mai to Koh Surat Thani, and also has joint tickets to go all the way to Koh Phangan.

Ferries to Koh Phangan

Since there is no Koh Phangan airport, you must take a boat or ferry to Koh Phangan. The crossing takes about 3 1/2 hours from Surat Thani and 30-60 minutes from Koh Samui.

There are three main options: Take a ferry from Surat Thani to Koh Phangan, a ferry or speedboat from Samui to Phangan, and finally the speedboats on the Full Moon Night from Samui to Phangan. Here is an overview:

Ferries from Surat Thani to Koh Phangan

If you travel on a budget, you may want to fly to Surat Thani airport. From Surat Thani airport, tour operators offer integrated tickets: A bus collects you at the airport, takes you to the ferry pier, and you can board the ferry to Koh Phangan. The tour operators give you a colored sticker and guide you around to make sure you don´t end up on the wrong boat (or island).

Ferries and Speedboats from Koh Samui to Koh Phangan

Once you are on Koh Samui you have two options, there are speedboats and ferries. The ferries take a bit longer but are more comfortable, especially if the sea is rough.

If you want to visit the full moon party, it is convenient to take a direct ferry or boat from Koh Samui to Haad Rin. Note that there are also ferries that go to Thong Sala, which is the central town of Koh Phangan. From Thong Sala, it is a taxi ride of 30 minutes to Haad Rin.

If you are staying in Koh Samui, and just want to come over for the night, the most convenient option is an integrated ticket from a reliable tour agent. This includes the pick up from your hotel in Koh Samui, transfer to the speedboat, the crossing to Koh Phangan, and the return trip to Koh Samui, back to your hotel. Speedboats run every hour.