By joint bus and ferry service the journey from Khao Lak to Koh Tao is scheduled to take from 9 hours 45 minutes to 19 hours 10 minutes depending upon which service you take.
Bus Times from Khao Lak to Koh Tao
There are currently 6 services a day from Khao Lak to Koh Tao available to book online.
| Khao Lak | Koh Tao | Ticket | Company |
| 08:00 | 17:45 | ฿1,680 | Call Me Taxi |
| 09:50 | 05:00 | ฿1,741 | Rungkit Tour |
| 11:00 | 06:00 | ฿1,750 | Call Me Taxi |
| 13:00 | 05:00 | ฿1,652 | 465 Surat Thani Phuket Transport |
| 13:50 | 05:30 | ฿1,856 | TransBaanTon |
| 15:40 | 05:00 | ฿1,652 | 465 Surat Thani Phuket Transport |
Buy Tickets from Khao Lak to Koh Tao
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Khao Lak Bus Stop
Call Me Taxi services from Khao Lak to Koh Tao start with a pick up from any hotel in Khao Lak.
Koh Tao Ferry Pier
Call Me Taxi services from Khao Lak to Koh Tao arrive in Koh Tao at Koh Tao Pier in Mae Haad.
About Travel from Khao Lak to Koh Tao
Joint bus and ferry services from Khao Lak to Koh Tao all travel the same route, which is via Surat Thani City. The distance by road from Khao Lak to Surat Thani City is around 175 km. The closest ferry piers to Koh Tao are located in Chumphon Province, 325 km from Khao Lak. The consequence of travelling via the closest ferry ports to Khao Lak, in Surat Thani, is that the sea crossing is several hours longer than it would be from Chumphon.
Day Time Services
Services which complete the journey from Khao Lak to Koh Tao during the day, without travelling overnight, are more expensive but also much more comfortable.
The day time service starts with a minivan service which picks passengers up from their hotel and takes them across Southern Thailand to the Tapee Lomprayah Pier, which is located 8 km by road to north of the centre of Surat Thani City. The road journey is completed in time to board the 13:00 departure with Lomprayah High Speed Ferry to Koh Tao. The route follows the southern edge of Khao Sok National Park and during the journey the minivan will likely drop off and pick up customers going to, or coming from, the national park.
The Lomprayah High Speed Ferry service is in a large modern catamaran with both indoor and outdoor seating, toilets, and a small shop selling drinks, sandwiches, and other snacks. The sea crossing with Lomprayah High Speed Ferry takes 4 hours 45 minutes, with stops at several other islands along the way:
- Lomprayah High Speed Ferry schedule:
- 13:00 – Depart Surat Thani
- 15:45 – Arrive Koh Samui
- 16:30 – Arrive Koh Phangan
- 17:45 – Arrive Koh Tao
Koh Nang Yuan is a small island near Koh TaoOvernight Services
The main difference between daytime and overnight services from Khao Lak to Koh Tao is the ferry used to take passengers from Surat Thani City to Koh Tao.
Passengers on overnight services from Khao Lak to Koh Tao travel on the ‘Night Boat’. Night Boat is a term used to refer to a collection of larger commercial vessels which have been refitted with passenger cabins containing either bunk beds or mattresses on the floor. They also have toilets, a limited amount of outdoor seating, but generally no shop selling drinks or snacks.
Night Boat services depart around 21:00 to 22:00 from various ferry piers both in the city centre and from river piers near the city. The sea crossing to Koh Tao takes around 8 hours.
The quality of the boats used on the overnight service is variable. Some boats are better fitted out than others in terms of sleeping accommodation, climate control, and how effectively they can reduce the amount of noise from the engine disturbing passengers trying to sleep in the cabin. It’s generally a matter of luck as to what ferry you end up taking when you travel on an overnight service. Because it takes so long to sail to Koh Tao, Night Boat services do the return journey the following day and that means the range of boats available changes from day to day.