The best cheap flight option is Lomprayah who have set up a new partnership with Solar Air and are providing a morning scheduled Catamaran boat connection to Chumpon, a bus to Chumpon airport then a flight to Don Muang airport in Bangkok arriving mid afternoon. Total journey time is about seven hours. The service is repeated the other direction with arrival on the island late afternoon. Note, if you have an international flight connection then as most depart from Suvarnabhumi (pronounced Sawanapoom) you need to add an extra couple of hours for connection times between the airports.

It takes a minimum of 5 hours to get to Koh Phangan from Suratthani Airport and a minimum of 1 hour from Koh Samui. The last boat leaves for Koh Phangan from Big Buddha Pier at 6:30pm so for flights arriving later than 5pm you may have to stay in Koh Samui.

Be aware, if you are booking flights back to Bangkok from Surat Thani and the flight is a morning or midday flight, it is unlikely that you have enough time for the connections when leaving from Koh Phangan - you should expect to stay a night in Surat Thani.

During Full Moon Party night there are speed boats operating all night to and from Koh Samui - simply ask at your accommodations or a travel agent.

All international and domestic flights from Koh Pha-Ngan can be booked at Backpackers Information Centre, Koh Phangan.

For more detailed information please follow these links - thank you!

www.bangkokair.com
www.airasia.com
www.thaiairways.com
www.nokair.com
www.lomprayah.com
www.solarair.co.th

BackpackersThailand.com disclaimer: please note, all the above schedules, departure points, services & costs are subject to change and con not be guaranteed. This information is intended as a guide only! You must also go direct to the links above for exact flight details.

Second Class (Air Con or Fan) Sleeper trains are the best option as you get a table and seat that turns into fairly spacious beds; the lower bunk is bigger, so sells out quickly! The best air con is First Class which has a sink and double bunks in each compartment.

The options are Non-AC and AC and if booked at a travel agent then tickets are normally sold inclusive of the boat crossing to Koh Phangan.

It is worth booking ahead with Backpackers Information Centre, Koh Phangan if you are using this service back to Bangkok, as the train books up quickly during high periods and also many Thai nationals also use this service. All train services for Phangan stop at Suratthani railway station which is a few miles out of town, so maybe you will have to stay in Suratthani for a night if you haven't bought a combined train/boat ticket.

It is cheapest to stay near the station, but be aware, at night there is nothing to do in the train station area, so bring a good book if that's where you decide to stay! Most trains arrive in the morning and guides take you to buses to transport to the port approximately a 1 hour drive away.

For more detailed information please follow these links - thank you!

www.railway.co.th
www.seat61.com

*BackpackersThailand.com disclaimer: please note, all the above schedules, departure points, services & costs are subject to change and connot be guaranteed. This information is intended as a guide only!

Beware as many backpackers booking the really cheap tickets get their belongings stolen on the bus or in the bag hold (organised crime) - so we advise this for budget travelers only & look after your belongings!

These buses depart from Bangkok and normally arrive early morning in Surat Thani in time for first ferry to the islands. Note, that just for a few hundred baht (just a few dollars) more you can get a much faster and more quality service where normally you and your belongings are safe and secure!

These are three other much better quality bus/boat services:

• Government bus & ferry (via Surat Thani) - Approx 14 hours
• Lomprayah Bus & Catamaran (via Chumpon) - Approx 12 hours
• Seatran Bus & Boat service (via Chumpon) - Approx 12 hours.

For travel from Koh Pha-Ngan to Bangkok you can book all your travel tickets at Backpackers Information Centre, near Haad-rin Nok beach, Koh Phangan:

Option 1: Cheap VIP bus/Boat

For the cheap VIP bus you will need to buy a combined taxi/boat/VIP bus ticket. The boat departs Thong Sala pier on Koh Phangan 12pm midday and a shuttle bus will drop passengers off in Surat Thani to wait about two to three hours at the VIP bus depot (where they will try to sell you food and drink!) until about 7pm at which time the bus will depart to Bangkok arriving approximately 6am. (total journey time 18 hours!).

Beware in high season, as this boat does not normally allocate seats and can often be oversold therefore customers may be offloaded especially after the Full Moon party! Around Full Moon this boat is also often delayed so if you have fixed connections be careful! This is the low cost option but if you book at Backpackers Information Centre, Haadrin you will have the best chance of a good bus company as we constantly monitor the companies we use and also ask our customers to email us with feedback about the quality of the service! Be aware many travel agents use different bus companies and often they make more commissions by putting the customer on poor quality services so be very careful who you book with especially as Lonely Planet warns about criminal agencies and bus companies operating scams out of Surat Thani.

Option 2: Government Bus/Ferry

The Government Bus to Bangkok departs on the Raja Ferry from Thong Sala to Surat Thani at 5pm saving time and hassle as there is no hanging around or changing transports as the bus comes across on the ferry to and from Koh Phangan. It has a total journey time of approx. 14 hours and there are two bus options - the 24 seat bus which is more spacious for leg room and reclining seats or the 48 seat bus option. It also includes a meal and snacks. This service departs and arrives at the South Bus Station, Bangkok.

If you are coming to Koh Phangan from the mainland, buses, trains and planes all stop at Surat Thani where you will be transferred to either the Surat Thani jetty for the Songserm Ferry Service (3 hours to Koh Phangan) or to Donsak pier which is a 50 minute bus ride away from Surat Thani town and then a further 2.5 hours ferry journey to Koh Phangan. If you stay overnight in Suratthani, the hotel will book you a ferry.

From Koh Samui the shortest crossing point is from the Bophut and Mae-Nam areas where several services operate. The quickest and most comfortable is the Lomprayah Catamaran (25 mins) that stops in Thongsala on Koh Pha-Ngan while the Haad Rin Queen operating out of Big Buddha (50 mins) runs the most frequent service (normally four times a day) and this arrives directly at Haad Rin Pier. Ferries also running from the port of Big Buddha include the Seatran Express (30 mins) and Songserm Express (45 mins).

*Warning: Raja ferry company boats are extremely old and they have a fleet of about six ferries which are on a rotating maintenance schedule. Some of the boats run the journey in 2.5 hours but some take up to five hours. RAJA do not publicise which ferry you are on so if you are unlucky enough to be on the slow one then all your onward bus/train/flight connections will be affected.

*Please check at your resort or a travel agency for their seasonal schedules and to confirm these services are operating.