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WetWombat
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What does it take to get from Chumphon Airport to the ferry terminal? Do either of the ferry companies run their own shuttles?
Koh Samui/Phangan/Tao in April 2020
- Thread starter WetWombat
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What does it take to get from Chumphon Airport to the ferry terminal? Do either of the ferry companies run their own shuttles?
Lompraya the ferry company sells tickets by bus from airport to ferry pier and the ferry ride for about $35.
UFOrb
Contributor
Their website's working for me. Just from a quick search putting random dates in for Jan, I came up with a price of around US$140 (return) for the flight (including the extra 20kg baggage allowance option), bus transfer & ferry. Nok air are a budget no frills airline but we have used them several times and they are fine for short flights. I'm not aware of any safety issues.
One thing to note is that they are very strict on weight, including carry-on, which is limited to 7kg. It all worked very efficiently for us, even with two young kids in tow. It can seem a little choatic at the Koh Tao pier but it works. Your hotel should be able to provide a pick-up/drop-off service from/to the pier if you let them know when you'll be arriving/leaving.
UFOrb
Contributor
Also:
the Lomprayah ferries leave at 7am & 1pm and take around 1.5 hours to Koh Tao.
If you take the Lomprayah/Nok Air package, dont opt for the morning ferry from Koh Tao as you'll just have to wait for the coach to leave from the pier to the airport at 4pm, which is the same coach as you'd get from the afternoon ferry. We were a bit worried about getting to the airport on time to get the flight back to Bangkok but it all works out just fine - its a tiny airport.
As a matter of interest, what are the cost of flights to Koh Samui?
Cheers,
Rob
the Lomprayah ferries leave at 7am & 1pm and take around 1.5 hours to Koh Tao.
If you take the Lomprayah/Nok Air package, dont opt for the morning ferry from Koh Tao as you'll just have to wait for the coach to leave from the pier to the airport at 4pm, which is the same coach as you'd get from the afternoon ferry. We were a bit worried about getting to the airport on time to get the flight back to Bangkok but it all works out just fine - its a tiny airport.
As a matter of interest, what are the cost of flights to Koh Samui?
Cheers,
Rob
UFOrb
Contributor
Btw, we chose the option of staying overnight near the pier (Magic House was great MAGIC HOUSE - Updated 2019 Prices, Guesthouse Reviews, and Photos (Chumphon, Thailand) - TripAdvisor) and got the 7am ferry, which got us to the hotel on Koh Tao nice & early. The issue we had with that was we couldnt get into the room until around noon so had some breakfast & hung around the pool until then. Not a major issue but wouldve been nicer to get into the room straight away, so we'd probably go for the afternoon ferry next time.
Your other option for travel is to fly BKK to Surat Thani (Air Asia) and take the ferry from Don Sak. It’s a longer ferry as it stops at Samui and Phangan, but if you like being out on the water it’s not a terrible trip.
We dived with Crystal Dive in April 2018. Had a good experience with them and my partner did her AOW. Much like a lot of the dive operators on the island, they’re a bit of an OW diver factory but they were professional and safe for us as fun divers. They did double dive morning and afternoon trips and have their own boats. Important to use a dive op with their own boat - a lot of smaller shops will just book space on other boats.
The diving is fairly easy but we had a blast. Sail Rock and Chumpon Pinaccle are great dive sites. We missed Whale Sharks by 20 mins at both sites (twice) but still enjoyed the trip.
We dived with Crystal Dive in April 2018. Had a good experience with them and my partner did her AOW. Much like a lot of the dive operators on the island, they’re a bit of an OW diver factory but they were professional and safe for us as fun divers. They did double dive morning and afternoon trips and have their own boats. Important to use a dive op with their own boat - a lot of smaller shops will just book space on other boats.
The diving is fairly easy but we had a blast. Sail Rock and Chumpon Pinaccle are great dive sites. We missed Whale Sharks by 20 mins at both sites (twice) but still enjoyed the trip.
New haven divers on Koh Tao one of the original operators and deliberately kept it small and low key rather than create tourist cattle boats.
I first went to Koh Tao in 91 and it breaks my heart as it is unrecognisable when I go back but is still a lovely island
I first went to Koh Tao in 91 and it breaks my heart as it is unrecognisable when I go back but is still a lovely island
OP
WetWombat
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OP
WetWombat
Registered
Thanks to everyone so far.
Other than proximity to Sail Rock and the Full Moon Party, is there any reason to stay on Koh Phangan?
Other than proximity to Sail Rock and the Full Moon Party, is there any reason to stay on Koh Phangan?
I've been to Koh Tao three times now, and as far as transfers from Bangkok go, overnight train is my favorite. It leaves Bangkok around 8PM, gets to Chumphon station around 5AM, there is a bus transfer to Chumphon pier, and then a ferry to Koh Tao which gets you there by 11AM or so - early enough to make the afternoon dives on the same day. Lomprayah bus can do the same, but you spend the night in a bus seat rather than a reasonably comfortable bunk, and with a plane you need to either overnight near the pier, or get to the island in the afternoon, which means you don't get to dive until the next day.
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