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!
International Flights
From the United States and Europe
Many long-haul flights are servicing Bangkok, but there are only a few options that bring you directly to Koh Samui on a single ticket. Coming from the United States East Coast or from Europe, one of the best options is Qatar Airways. They tend to have well-timed layovers in Doha, and good connections in Bangkok. In Bangkok, you then jump onto a plane to Koh Samui. In this case, you can have your checked baggage go on the same plane and you can do the migration in Koh Samui, which can be much faster than in Bangkok.
From Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, and Mumbai
- Bangkok Airways operates flights leaving from Singapore to Koh Samui daily
- Air Asia operates flights leaving from Kuala Lumpur to Koh Samui daily
- Bangkok Airways operates flights leaving from Hong Kong to Koh Samui daily
From Bangkok to Koh Phangan
Once you are in Bangkok, 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. You can also get an integrated ticket, from Bangkok International, including a minibus transfer in Koh Samui and the ferry to Koh Phangan. However, you will arrive at Thong Sala, which will require another taxi ride to Haad Rin.
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.
2) Book the flight at Airasia.com (call center 02-515 9999) or Nok Air (call center: 1126) which operates one hour and ten minutes flights from Bangkok to Surat Thani province daily, buy a boat and bus ticket direct to Koh Phangan from the information counter in Surat Thani airport.
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 on 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.
Ferries to Koh Phangan
Since there is no Koh Phangan airport, you must take a boat or ferry to Koh Phangan. Here are the options:
The crossing takes about 3 1/2 hours from Surat Thani and 30-60 minutes from Koh Samui Island by boat.
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.
Wondering where to stay in Koh Phangan? See our tips on hotel locations, and decide how close to the Full Moon Party your hotel should be.
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.
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).
From Phuket or Chiang Mai
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 but will then have to organize your journey onward 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.
When should I book?
During Peak Season (December-April) we recommend flight booking at least one month in advance.
Does Koh Phangan have an airport?
Koh Phangan does not have a working airport, so everybody comes on the ferry or speedboat. However, for those already on the island, it is interesting to know that there is an abandoned Koh Phangan Airport project, in the middle of the Koh Phangan nature reserve. So if you have some time to explore Koh Phangan´s hidden gems, a hike up to the abandoned airport is a great start.
How long does Migration at Bangkok Airport take?
Normally, lines at immigration are not too long and you may make it through within 30 minutes. However in 2022, after the upsurge in flight activities, there have been some days with long queues, as airport administration has to readapt to varying quantities of arriving passengers. If you want to increase your chances of making it smoothly and quickly into Bangkok, you can use this fast-track service offered through our partner GetYourGuide.
