Travel from Koh Phangan to Hat Yai

There are joint ferry and bus services from Koh Phangan to Hat Yai departing from Koh Phangan’s main ferry port in Thong Sala. You can also travel independently from Koh Phangan to Hat Yai by taking the Raja Car Ferry and connecting bus service to Surat Thani town and then getting a minivan or train to Hat Yai from there.

Bus Times from Koh Phangan to Hat Yai

There are currently 2 joint bus and ferry services a day from Koh Phangan to Hat Yai available to book online.

Buy Tickets from Koh Phangan to Hat Yai

Use the Search Box below to buy your tickets from Koh Phangan to Hat Yai.

Journey Information

Travel companies offering direct ferry and bus services from Koh Phangan to Hat Yai all follow much the same route, although different services have different arrival points in Hat Yai. The first stage of the journey is a ferry journey to one of the ferry ports in Donsak. Donsak is on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand around 68 km to the east of Surat Thani town. The next stage of the journey is road slightly over 300 km southwards from Donsak to Hat Yai town.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page for more information about travel by public minivan and by train.

• Travelling by minivan via Surat Thani to Hat Yai is cheaper and generally quicker than taking the train, but slower than taking a direct service from Koh Phangan.
• The train option is more expensive than taking a minivan unless you travel 3rd class, but the advantage of travelling by train is that you can book a sleeper seat on the train and arrive in Hat Yai in the morning leaving yourself enough time to travel onward to popular destinations such as Koh Lipe and Kuala Lumpur on the same day.
• The direct ferry and bus services are more expensive than going by train or by minivan, but they are also quicker and more comfortable. If you take a direct service you can travel onto the Malaysian border on the same day as you leave Koh Phangan.

Option 1: Lomprayah Ferry

• Please Note: This service is not currently operating.

The Lomprayah Ferry takes only 1 hour 45 minutes to complete the sea crossing from Koh Phangan to Donsak on the mainland. On arrival at Donsak ferry pier passengers transfer to a minivan for the onward journey to Hat Yai. The minivan stops for around 40 minutes half way to Hat Yai at a roadside restaurant to allow passengers and driver the opportunity to leave the bus to use the toilet and to eat and drink. The final stop on the journey is Hat Yai Minivan Station, which is 3.4 km walking distance from Hat Yai train station which is in the centre of Hat Yai town. Motorbike taxis and taxi vans operate from the entrance to the minivan station. Expect to pay around 100 THB for the journey from the minivan station to the centre of Hat Yai town.

• Journey Time: 7 hours 40 minutes
• Cost: 800 THB
• Final Stop: Hat Yai Minivan Station

Bus Times to Hat Yai (Lomprayah)

About the Lomprayah Ferry Service

The Lomprayah High Speed Ferry Company is the premier provider of sea and road travel services in the Gulf of Thailand. They operate a fleet of high speed catamaran ferries and several hundred minivans, micro buses and large luxury buses. They also have an impressive network of land based facilities, including several ferry ports they operate and offices in major towns across Southern Thailand and in Bangkok.

Location of Hat Yai Minivan Station

Option 2: Seatran Discovery

• Please Note: This service is not currently operating.

The sea crossing on the Seatran Discovery ferry from Koh Phangan to Donsak takes 2 hours 30 minutes. From Donsak Seatran Ferry Pier passengers board a minivan which travels to Hat Yai Bus Station. Hat Yai Bus Station is 2.8 km from Hat Yai Train Station and the place you want to go to if you want to take a cheap minivan to the Malaysian border at Padang Besar or further South to Sungai Kolok for the onward journey to Kota Bharu in Malaysia.

• Journey Time: 8 hours 00 minutes
• Cost: 830 THB
• Final Stop: Hat Yai Bus Station

Bus Times to Hat Yai (Seatran Discovery)

About the Seatran Discovery Service

The Seatran Discovery Company is medium sized travel company operating on the route to and from destinations in the Gulf of Thailand. The ferries they use are comparatively luxurious with seat seats in an air-conditioned cabin as well as an outdoor sundeck. Similarly the Seatran Discovery Company uses high quality minivans and buses. The Seatran Discovery Company offers a good level of service second only to the Lomprayah Company which uses larger and faster boats.

Location of Hat Yai Bus Station

Option 3: Public minivan

With this option you need to find your own way to Surat Thani city to get a minivan down to Hat Yai. The best way to explain how to do the journey travelling independently is to break the journey into 3 stages:

• Stage 1: Take the Raja Car Ferry to Donsak Raja Ferry Port. We recommend taking the 05:00 or 08:00 departure from Koh Phangan as this is a long journey and an early start is required if you want to complete the journey on the same day.
• Stage 2: Travel from Donsak Raja Ferry Port to Surat Thani town centre. We recommend that when you purchase your ticket for the Raja Ferry you also book the connecting minivan service from Donsak Raja Ferry Port to Surat Thani town. The combined ferry and minivan ticket costs 310 THB per person. There are no public bus services operating out of Donsak Raja Ferry Port so you need to book your connecting bus or minivan to Surat Thani town before you board the ferry in Koh Phangan.
• Stage 3: The Raja ferry minivan will drop you in Surat Thani town on the Talad Mai Road not far from the town downtown bus stations in Surat Thani. To get your public minivan to Hat Yai the cheapest option is walk straight to the Talad Kaset 2 Bus Station and buy your ticket in the minivan office on the corner, rather than from one of the travel agencies,

The journey from Koh Phangan to Hat Yai by Raja car ferry and public minivan can be completed for around 550 THB per person and takes 10 to 11 hours from the time the ferry leaves from Koh Phangan. The direct service provided by the Lomprayah High Speed Ferry Company is at least 2 hours quicker, but will cost you 300 THB more.

Option 4: Train

The closest train station to Koh Phangan is in Surat Thani. From Koh Phangan it takes 3 to 4 hours to get to reach Surat Thani train station in order to get on a train. The trains all depart from midnight until mid morning.

• Koh Phangan to the Train Station: The first stage of the journey from Koh Phangan to Hat Yai by train is to get from Koh Phangan to Surat Thani train station. There are three companies which provide a combined ferry and bus services from Koh Phangan to Surat Thani train station. Surat Thani train station is 16 km away from Surat Thani town.
• Train to Hat Yai: Once at Surat Thani station you have a choice of 7 trains to take to Hat Yai departing from 01:38 through to 09:59 every day. The most popular services from Surat Thani to Hat Yai are Train #171 (departing at (01:38) and Train #31 (departing at 02:43) because there are sleeper seats available on both trains and they both arrive early in the morning.

Train Times from Surat Thani to Hat Yai

• There are currently 4 trains a day from Surat Thani to Hat Yai.