If you are one of the many backpackers and party lovers hoping to travel to Thailand this year, you can’t leave Thailand without visiting the beautiful island paradise of Koh Phangan.
Getting To Koh Phangan From Phuket doesn’t have to be as big of a chore as you might think it is.
We’ve jotted down a couple of the best routes to help you with an idea of which one is best for your style of travel.
Koh Phangan and Phuket should be part of your most desired places to visit.
Most tourists visiting Thailand for the first time are mostly advised to spend some time in these places to enjoy the full excitement and fun that these locations have to offer.
With both locations boasting beautiful beaches and lively bars, you are sure to have your money’s worth of excitement when you arrive at these two islands.
The Island of Phuket includes interesting places like Patong and Phuket Town while Koh Phangan is widely known as the home of the infamous Full Moon Party.
The Full Moon Party at Koh Phangan is one reason many tourists come to this town to get soaked. However, if you still prefer to enjoy some quietness while in Thailand, some destinations within these two islands offer beautiful and ideal locations for every mood.
Travel From Phuket To Koh Phangan
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On a map, these two places might not look too far from each other, but in reality, it can be quite a trek.
To travel by road from Phuket to Koh Phangan can take approximately 212 miles which is about 340 kilometers. This is because the journey is not as straightforward as it should and you will have to make some turns to avoid rivers and mountains.
Also, another reason why the distance seems so long is that you can easily get from Phuket to the mainland via a bridge but you can’t do this if you are heading to Koh Phangan.
This means that a trip to Koh Phangan will require that at some point you will have to alight from the bus and continue the journey on a ferry.
However, the good news about using the ferry is that there are lots of tour companies that offer two-way tickets i.e. to and fro from these locations so all you need is to buy one ticket and you are free from buying tickets at every ticketing office.
However, if you have the cash to spend, there is an easier alternative to move between Koh Phangan and Phuket which is not time-consuming but a bit expensive.
From Phuket To Koh Phangan By Flight
Going by flight from Phuket to Phangan is the easier option and it’s also the fastest option that is available. Going by air is always the best and most relaxed way to travel. However, if you are in Thailand and you want to visit Phangan and Phuket, going by air is not the most advisable.
The reason is that the island of Koh Phangan does not have an airport and this means that you can fly directly into Koh Phangan except to the neighboring town of Koh Samui and then board a ferry from there.
If you take a flight from Phuket to Koh Samui, you will likely spend fifty-five minutes on the air while the rest 30 minutes will be from Koh Samui to Koh Phangan by ferry. However, there is always a long queue at Koh Samui for people waiting to board the ferry.
So while it seems that using the air is a lot faster you still need to think very carefully as you might spend much more using this route and you likely might not get to Koh Phangan on time as you initially thought due to some delays mentioned at Koh Samui.
Although the flight is a bit expensive, the good thing about it is that you can buy a joint ticket to cover your journey from Phuket to Koh Phangan – this covers your flight and your ferry. This way, your traveling plans get easier and much convenient.
Phuket To Phangan By Ferry
Considering how expensive a flight will be to Phangan, most tourists will rather take a much affordable and convenient option which is readily available and you can easily make a booking at any time.
There is also an option to buy a combined ticket and if you want to see how things are by yourself, you can be a little more adventurous and independent by catching a bus to Surat Thani and then take a ferry or a bus (whatever your choice) to your final destination. However, this might take up some more of your time and might also likely require you to do some diligent research but it will save you some dollars.
The best recommendation when traveling by ferry is to buy a joint ticket because it assures you that everything is already taken care of and because you are buying from a reputable company, you have this peace of mind if something went wrong along the way.
Lomprayah offers the quickest way to travel by bus and ferry from Phuket to Koh Phangan. This is because this tour company is well respected in Thai and they offer tourists and travelers two departure options every day from Phuket with a combined total trip time of about seven and a half hours.
This combined ticket includes taking a bus from the office (Lomprayah) in Phuket town to Surat Thani and then moving to the high-speed ferry. The movement from Phuket to Surat Thani by bus will take about 4 hours while the ferry will likely take about 3 hours or more depending on how fast the ferry is.
If this sounds like the option that will make you happy, you must make a booking in advance with this tour company at least 2 days before you embark on the journey. And if you are traveling during the high season when most people will likely want to see how the Full Moon Party is organized, you will need to book far ahead of time so you won’t have to worry about the bus or the ferry is fully booked up.
Other tour companies offer different pick-up points to tourists from Phuket. There are some individual hotel pick-ups in Patong and this journey can take up to 10-11 hours – buses from Phuket Bus Terminal (Phantip and Seatran Discovery) and a Phuket flight departure with Lomprayah.
The journey time actually depends on where you started from and they also varied depending on the tour bus you took – some will stop over to take passengers on the road which makes the journey a bit more time-consuming.
This trend of picking up roadside passengers is very common with Phantip however, the good side to this is that this is the cheapest tour company for both bus and ferry transportation from Phuket to Koh Phangan. So if you are traveling on a shoestring tight budget, this option should be a welcome offer.
Whichever tour company you decided to use for your trip from Phuket to Koh Phangan including an individual pick-up hotel your best option is to buy a combined ticket from a reputable company that will make the journey very easy.
But if you want to go the local way and you want to see how things are done yourself, you can travel all by yourself without the assistance of any tour company – the only thing is that you will need to spend more time in Surat Thani trying to bargain on the price of fares which will likely save you some more money.
Also, you might find yourself stuck in Surat Thani for a night and if you find yourself in such a situation, your best option is to sleep at the bus station or you stay in a hotel for the night.
How To Get From Phuket To Koh Phangan: Conclusion
To be quite fair, It’s extremely easy to travel from place to place here in Thailand! The tourist trail is worn hard by many Thai entrepreneurs having laid out this amazing network of minibus, big bus, flights, and ferry trips allowing tourists and locals alike to transit this great country with ease and at an amazing rate.
Getting To Koh Phangan from Phuket or just about anywhere else in Thailand is usually just as easy as speaking with your hotel or hostel’s front desk or even a quick stroll down to the street to a local travel agent. They are located quite prolifically throughout most tourist zones in the Kingdom.
If you’re interested in learning more about Koh Phangan and the Full Moon Party check out our updated Full Moon Party Guide here.