The easiest way to see Thailand's three Gulf islands is to go north in a line: Koh Samui, then Koh Phangan, then Koh Tao, and from Koh Tao back to the mainland at Chumphon. Each crossing is short (about 30 minutes from Samui to Phangan, about an hour from Phangan to Tao), boats run all day, and the islands are at their driest from January to August, the opposite of the Andaman coast.
Samui, Phangan and Tao sit in a short chain off Surat Thani province, close enough that you could see all three in a week, but different enough to justify ten days or two weeks. Samui is the big, developed island with the airport. Phangan is known for the Full Moon Party but is mostly quiet bays and yoga retreats. Tao is small, hilly and built around diving.
This page covers the order, the ferries, how long to stay and when to go. For the islands themselves, see our guides to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao.
The Gulf route at a glance
- Best order
- Koh Samui → Koh Phangan → Koh Tao → Chumphon (or the reverse)
- Samui to Phangan
- About 30 minutes; 250–350 baht (Lomprayah 2026 timetable)
- Phangan to Tao
- About 1 to 1.5 hours; 450–600 baht (same source)
- Main operators
- Lomprayah, Songserm, Seatran, Raja Ferry
- Wettest months
- October to December (Koh Samui weather station)
- Length
- 10–14 nights is comfortable
Why the order Samui, Phangan, Tao works
Doing the islands in a line means no backtracking. You arrive at the southern end, on Samui, where the airport and the car ferries from the mainland are, and leave from the northern end, Koh Tao, which has direct boats to Chumphon on the mainland. Chumphon has a railway station on the southern line and an airport; Lomprayah sells a combined boat and transfer from Koh Tao to Chumphon Airport.
The reverse order works just as well. If you are coming down from Bangkok overland, you might start on Koh Tao (via Chumphon) and finish on Samui with a flight out. Pick the direction that matches your flights.
Our Koh Tao guide describes the bus and train route from Bangkok to Chumphon; the guides to getting to Koh Samui and getting to Koh Tao will cover both ends in more detail.
The ferries between the islands
Four companies carry most passengers. Lomprayah runs high-speed catamarans linking Samui, Phangan, Tao and Chumphon, with bus connections to Bangkok. Songserm runs express boats and speedboats between the three islands. Seatran and Raja Ferry run the car ferries from Donsak pier on the Surat Thani coast to Samui and Phangan. Lomprayah gives 45 to 90 minutes for its high-speed crossings and 90 to 120 minutes for vehicle ferries.
Lomprayah's 2026 timetable gives a clear picture of how often boats run:
| Leg | Departures | Sailing time | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Koh Samui → Koh Phangan | About 15 a day, 08:00–17:30, from Bangrak, Pralarn (Maenam) and Nathon piers | 20–30 min | ฿250–350 |
| Koh Phangan → Koh Tao | About 8 a day, 08:30–16:45 | 60–90 min | ฿450 (slow ferry) – ฿600 |
| Koh Samui hotel → Koh Tao (with van pickup) | Several a day | 2.5–4 hours door to door | ฿850 |
Prices are per person, one way, from the operator's 2026 timetable; the same boats with a van transfer to or from your hotel cost about 150–200 baht more. Songserm and the other operators run their own schedules on the same routes, so compare before you buy.
Note the pier on your ticket, not just the island. Samui has several piers used by the inter-island boats: Bangrak in the north-east, Pralarn near Maenam, and Nathon on the west coast. A ticket from the wrong one can mean a long taxi ride across the island.
How many nights on each island
Koh Samui: three or four nights. Samui is large, with a ring road, a choice of beaches and the most hotels, restaurants and services. It is also the base for day trips to Ang Thong Marine Park, a group of limestone islands to the west; our guide to Ang Thong Marine Park covers the trip, and the one on Samui's beaches helps you choose where to stay.
Koh Phangan: three or four nights. Boats land at Thong Sala on the west coast. The south-east tip around Haad Rin holds the Full Moon Party on Haad Rin Nok (Sunrise Beach); the north and west coasts are far quieter. If you want the party, plan your dates around it and book early; if you do not, avoid the nights around it. Our pages on the Full Moon Party and Phangan's beaches beyond Haad Rin explain both.
Koh Tao: three to five nights. Koh Tao is one of the world's busiest places to learn to dive. A beginner course takes several days, so if you plan to dive, add nights accordingly and confirm the course length with the school. Our guide to learning to dive on Koh Tao explains how to choose one.
The Gulf's different rainy season
The Gulf islands do not follow the rest of Thailand. The Thai Meteorological Department's 1991–2020 averages for the Koh Samui station show October to December bringing about 1,000 mm of rain, half the annual total, with November alone averaging 445 mm. February is the driest month at about 64 mm, and June to August are relatively dry (about 100–135 mm a month) while Phuket is at its wettest.
That makes the Gulf route the natural choice for a trip between June and September, when the Andaman islands are in their monsoon. From late October to December, expect heavy rain, rough crossings and cancelled boats, particularly the smaller speedboats. January to April is generally good on both coasts. Our guide to the best time for the Thai islands sets the two coasts side by side.
Box jellyfish are a summer risk in the Gulf. A marine research center of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources reported box jellyfish off Samui, Phangan and Tao from July to October and, in 2019, put warning signs and vinegar on the beaches. Swim at beaches with warning signs and vinegar, and read our guide to jellyfish in Thailand.
Getting to the start and away from the end
To Samui. Flying is fastest. Samui Airport is owned and operated by Bangkok Airways, which flies most routes there; Bangkok Airways' own investor pages note that other airlines also use it. The cheaper alternative is to fly or take the train to Surat Thani and continue by bus and car ferry from Donsak pier, or to buy a combined bus-and-boat ticket from Bangkok. Lomprayah, for example, sells through-tickets from its Pinklao office in Bangkok.
From Tao. Take a boat to Chumphon, then the train north, a bus, or a flight from Chumphon Airport. Our guide to Thailand's night trains explains sleeper classes; long-distance trains to Bangkok now run to Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal, not Hua Lamphong.
Combined tickets are sold by the operators themselves and by booking platforms. Our article on 12Go shows how those platforms work, and our island-hopping guide covers luggage, safety and when to buy.
A sample twelve-night plan
| Nights | Where | Move on |
|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | Koh Samui | Late-morning boat to Thong Sala, about 30 min |
| 5–8 | Koh Phangan | Boat to Koh Tao, about 1–1.5 hours |
| 9–12 | Koh Tao | Boat to Chumphon, then train, bus or flight |
With more time, add nights on Tao for diving or on Phangan's quieter north coast. With less, cut Samui to two nights; it is the island most like a mainland resort town. If you want to combine the Gulf with the Andaman coast in the dry season, the overland link runs through Surat Thani; see our Andaman island-hopping route for the other half.
Frequently asked questions
Which order is best for Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao?
Samui, Phangan, Tao, or the reverse. Going in a line avoids backtracking: Samui has the airport and car ferries at the southern end, and Koh Tao has direct boats to Chumphon on the mainland at the northern end.
How long is the ferry from Koh Samui to Koh Phangan?
About 20 to 30 minutes on Lomprayah's catamarans and speedboats, with around 15 departures a day between 08:00 and 17:30 in the 2026 timetable. Fares are 250 to 350 baht one way, more with a hotel transfer.
When is the rainy season on Koh Samui and Koh Tao?
Mainly October to December. At the Koh Samui weather station, those three months bring about half of the year's rain, with November the wettest at about 445 mm. June to August, the rainy season on the Andaman coast, is relatively dry in the Gulf.
How many days do I need for the three Gulf islands?
Ten to fourteen nights is comfortable, with three or four on each island. A week is possible if you skip the Full Moon Party crowds and do not take a diving course, but you will spend a larger share of it on boats.
Do the Gulf ferries run in bad weather?
Larger boats usually keep running in moderate weather, but crossings are cancelled in storms, most often between late October and December. Speedboats are the first to stop. Leave a spare day before an international flight.
Sources
- Lomprayah – Timetable 2026 (checked October 2026)
- Lomprayah High Speed Ferries – Routes and journey times (checked October 2026)
- Songserm – Ferries between Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao (checked October 2026)
- Seatran Ferry – Donsak to Koh Samui and Koh Phangan (checked October 2026)
- Raja Ferry Port – Routes and timetable (checked October 2026)
- Thai Meteorological Department – Climatological data 1991–2020 (Koh Samui station) (checked October 2026)
- The Nation – Box jellyfish off Samui, Phangan and Tao (checked October 2026)
- Bangkok Airways – Airport business (Samui Airport) (checked October 2026)
- UK FCDO – Thailand: safety and security (checked October 2026)