Phangan Island in the Gulf of Thailand in many ways is the exact opposite of Phuket. Therefore, every year more and more travelers dream of visiting Koh Phangan and often choose Phuket as their starting point. Despite the fact that Phuket and Phangan are islands in the waters of various oceans, it is not very difficult to get from Phuket to Phangan, because the distance between the islands is not very large. At the same time, there are some nuances, the knowledge of which will allow you to better plan your trip and find the best option for the price and duration of the trip. On this page you will find useful information about how easy it is to get to Phangan from Phuket or back, the current transport schedule and the cost of the trip between the islands.
Way from Phuket to Koh Phangan on the map
From Phuket to Phangan – flight + ferry
The easiest option is a direct flight between the islands, in this case it is impossible due to the lack of an airport on the island of Phangan. Therefore, if you want to take advantage of domestic flights in Thailand, you will have to initially choose a flight to Koh Samui (which is about 10 km from Koh Phangan), and then travel by local transport or taxi to one of Koh Samui piers, and use a ferry or catamaran to Phangan Island. The disadvantage of this option is the high cost of the flight, because the airport on Koh Samui is owned by Bangkok Airways and low cost airlines do not fly there.
As a result, the cost of the flight Phuket-Samui is about 75-100 USD (2300-3000 THB). Next, you need to take a taxi to the Samui ferry piers and pay extra for the ferry to Koh Phangan. The nearest pier is Bangrak, which is located in the northern part of the island, near the main local landmark – the statue of the Big Buddha. In the article How to get from Koh Samui to Koh Phangan – schedule and fares, I already described this route in detail, so I won’t repeat myself. I can only add that you can use the transportation in Asia search and buy a ready-made transfer, including a flight from Phuket to Koh Samui, a minibus to the pier and a ferry to Koh Phangan. All connections are guaranteed, but because of the expensive flight, this option is not budgetary and you may notice that it is unexpectedly long in time due to the long wait at the airport.
Best Price to flight from Phuket to Koh Phangan (Jetradar)
It turns out that it is easier to buy separately through Jetradar the cheapest ticket from Phuket to Koh Samui (see screenshot) and then travel on your own, without wasting time waiting. Another plus in favor of such an independent trip is the ability to choose a pier on Koh Phangan. For example, if you plan to take part in the Full Moon Party- the famous open air disco in Phangan, you can get from Samui Airport to Bangrak Pier and then use the boat directly to Haad Rin Beach on Koh Phangan. Ferries arrive in the opposite part of Phangan (Tong Sala pier) and you will need extra time and money to get to Haad Rin. That is, under the best of circumstances, your journey from Phuket to Phangan will take only about 3 hours.
Transfer Phuket – Koh Phangan – convenient and cheap
A much more interesting option from the point of view of costs – ready-made transfers between Phuket and Phangan Island. Since the island of Phuket is connected to the mainland by a road bridge, the Phuket-Phangan transfer includes a bus transfer to the ferry pier in Surat Thani province, and then a ferry or a large catamaran to Koh Phangan. Using the transport search service in Asia (link to the finished route) you can see that the transfer price starts from 550 THB, and this is 6-8 times cheaper than the flight option. All transfer options include morning departure from Phuket. This is no accident, because the ferries to Koh Phangan operate only during the day. There are also options for transfer to Phangan from Phuket Airport.
Transfer Phuket – Koh Phangan includes a bus + ferry ride
An important advantage of some options is the ability to pick you up at any hotel of the three popular beaches of Phuket – Patong, Karon and Kata. This means that you do not need to get to the bus stations in Phuket Town on your own, because this path is not entirely simple, especially in the morning hours. The cost of transfer at the same time increases by 50-200 THB. If you still want to save a little, you can try to get to the bus terminal number 2 in Phuket Town on your own for 30 baht, using my instructions. But keep in mind that you will have to leave the hotel very early and it will actually be difficult to get cheaply to Phuket Bus Terminal 2 by 08:00 in the morning.
Please note that various carriers operate on the route, including the Samui ferry companies directly: Seatran Discovery and Lomprayah. The former use older ferries in which you can be on deck during the sea route to Phangan or inside an air-conditioned room with rows of soft seats. Lomprayah uses newer high-speed catamarans, which have only one drawback: some passengers may feel motion sickness due to the speed of movement along the waves. If you are prone to motion sickness, do not forget to buy special pills. I also advise you not to forget to pick up your things from the luggage compartment of the bus before boarding a ferry or catamaran.
Cheapest transfer Phuket to Koh Phangan from Phantip
Phantip, a transport company, is also partnering with Seatran Discovery, whose ferries are more likely to make an additional stop on Koh Samui. However, the travel time for different carriers is almost the same and you should be prepared for the fact that on the road from Phuket to Phangan you will spend almost all of the daylight hours and arrive on the island at best after 17:00 in the evening. The only option that allows you to arrive on the island 1.5 hours before sunset and in daylight to get to the hotel in Phangan is the morning transfer from Phantip (at 08:00 from Bus Terminal No. 2). If you are not alone, then this is a good option, because the cost of a taxi to the bus station can be offset by the lowest transfer cost Phuket-Phangan (550 THB)
In this case, I do not consider the option of renting a car, even if you can find very good prices for car rental in Phuket. I hope the information on this page was interesting and useful for you and now you know what options are available to get from Phuket to Koh Phangan, what are their advantages and disadvantages. Also, you can always check the relevance of the schedule indicated in the article and the cost for the date you need, using the transportation in Asia search and planning all your transfers and flights during your holidays in Thailand.
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