Koh Phangan is a smallish island located between Koh Tao and Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand.
You can reach it by plane via Koh Samui from many places around Thailand and abroad. Alternatively, you'll have the option to go down to Suratthani by bus or train and then take a boat from there or Donsak piers. You also have connections from Koh tao.

No highway or expressway on Phangan, but three main roads. The first links Thong Sala to Haad Rin along the south coastline, it's the Main road, called the "road to Haad Rin". The second leaves Thong Sala up north, along the west coast, passing the hospital and leads to Chaloklum, with a few smaller tracks leading to the main bays, and then turns back southward to Thong Sala again by the center of the island.
The third is the road going from Bantai to Than Sadet and Thong nai pan, concrete road only for a third, the remaining parts are sandy dirt tracks, it is the worst road of all Koh Phangan.

You are advised to take great care if you rent a vehicle, as the roads can sometimes be very difficult, and are closer to rally roads than to speedways !!!
Koh Phangan hospital’s casualty ward is crowded with people with all kinds of injuries. From small bruises to entire scraped backs, broken limbs, and so on... The list is endless and we’ll save you the details. However, this goes to say just how careful you should be on Koh Phangan.

If you don’t fly direct to Samui, the shortest way to get to Phangan is via Suratthani, on the mainland. You can reach Suratthani by plane, train or bus and then take a boat.
If you stay in Malaysia or already in Thailand, apart from the plane, many minibus services also run to and from Suratthani from/to many different places.

PLANE TO SURATTHANI

Instead of arriving straight in Samui, you can save money and fly direct to Suratthani, on the mainland.
Thai Airways and Air Asia have daily flights.

To reach Phangan, you will then have to take the boat for a 2h30 to 4h00 trip, depending on the company. Go straight here for timetables for boat to koh phangan.

TRAIN TO SURATTHANI.

Trains leave Bangkok frequently and you have bus to bring you to the pier to Koh Samui or Koh Phangan. The best way is to take a sleeper on an overnight train.
The State Railways of Thailand provide three classes of accommodation: 1st, 2nd and 3rd class. The 1st class is expensive, with a private room, the 2nd class is very comfortable, definetly the best deal, and the 3rd class is clean and acceptable but really tiring for the longer journeys.
You can buy joint ticket including train and boat to Koh Phangan at most travel agencies in Bangkok and in the train station. And the same tickets are offered here to go back to Bangkok. There are free buses to bring you from/to the pier to/from Suratthani town, airport or train station.

Click here for the Train Time Table to and from Bangkok

If you stay in the South or in Malaysia, you can come straight with the train that links the border to Bangkok, via Hat Yaï and Suratthani.

BUS TO SURATTHANI.

The public buses are slower and much more tiring than the private air-conditioned coaches run by numerous companies, especially for long distance travel. To go to Suratthani from Bangkok it is better to choose between two types of buses: the Luxury buses with toilets and air con and the VIP buses with two floors, a toilet and air con, you'll get here much more relaxed than with the cheap bus. You can buy joined tickets for the bus and the boat to Koh Phangan at most travel agencies.

Click here for the "VIP 999" Bus timetable Koh Phangan to and from Bangkok.

This VIP half-sleepers bus leaves straight from Koh Phangan Raja ferry pier in Thong Sala at 17:00. This is the best deal but the most expensive as well (around 1200 bahts meal included).
Alternatively, there are so many other private luxury bus companies, each running a different schedule that you’ll be better off checking with your travel agent for the time tables of the "luxury" buses they work with. Try anyway to take Raja ferry pier to reach Suratthani, as it allows you to leave at 03:00pm at the earliest, compared to 12:00pm for other boat companies...

BUS TO PUKHET AND KRABI.

Many companies from Suratthani run minibuses to these destinations twice daily (or more). There are so many companies you better book your ticket from a travel agent in Koh Phangan and avoid arriving without ticket in Suratthani.

BUS TO HAT YAÏ, MALAYSIA (Penang, KL...) AND SINGAPORE.

You have the choice between the regular minibuses from Suratthani private companies that run the Southern routes. Once at the border, the links are automatically managed to many destinations in Malaysia and even Singapore.

BOATS TO KOH PHANGAN FROM THE MAINLAND.

There are now so many companies running boats to and from Koh Phangan that it's far much easyer to reach than before. Just to name a few, the main ones are Raja ferries, Seatran ferries, Songserm express and the night boat.
It will cost you between 300 and 350 bahts to go from Suratthani town to Koh Phangan and same for the return ticket.
An extra charge of 100 bahts might be asked to bring you to the train station or to the airport.

Click here for a full timetable of all boat companies, Koh Phangan to and from Suratthani, by destination and chronological order
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HOW TO MOVE AROUND WHILE ON KOH PHANGAN.

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Rent your own vehicle will allow you to discover the numerous sites of Koh Phangan exactly the way you want to do it and at your own rythm. Bike, in spite of its danger, is the cheapest and the most usual mean of transport, here. However, before signing the contract, it's always a good idea to check the motorbike with the owner so as to avoid getting charged for something you haven’t broken yourself when giving the bike back. The prices vary between 150 and 500 baht/day (and even more for CBR...) depending on the category and the state of the bike.

Renting a car isn't as easy as in Samui, but, years after years, more and more places offer it. Few agencies and Bungalows have Suzuki Caribbean or Pick Up trucks for rent. It’s also recommended that you check the car for any existing scratches on the day you rent it.
We warn you again about the local roads. Even if they are covered, they are in very bad state and even the new ones get corrupted very quick, so if you must rent yourself a bike, don’t forget to drive on the left hand side, avoid carrying another person and be very weary of the many cracks and holes scattered all over the place.

If you are not too keen on driving a motorcycle, especially if you are not too good a driver, you may prefer to travel by taxi... The case being, you'll have different choices.

COLLECTIVE TAXIS - SONGTAEWS.

There are no official stops, so you just have to waive at the taxi when you see one on the road. It is recommended to check the price before getting in. Alternatively, if you already know the price, simply hand in the exact amount to the driver on arrival at your destination...

There is still no metered taxis in Koh Phangan as yet.

MINIBUS TAXIS.

A new service since 2006, with a new company, Phangan transport Co Ltd, runned from Haad Rin. This minibuses have now the exclusivity for taking people to and from Haad Rin Pier. They charge more expensive than any other taxis (around twice more), but you have no other options straight from the pier. They are also in Thong Sala Pier but you still have more options, with Songtaews available there.
If you arrive with he Haad Rin queen and are on a really short budget, you can walk down the main road by yourself (from the pier go left, then right, pass the "Purple Haze" then the "Drop In Resort and Spa" follow the road down, first left, at the end it is the main road, from there, go left to Bankai or Thong Sala...) and try to cath a regular Songtaew from there to save money.

MOTORBIKE TAXIS.

They usually stand by near popular spots in town, are another cheap way to move around Phangan. However, these last years the amount of motorbike taxis have been gradually decreasing, and it's not easy nowadays to find one as they do not always wear colourful tops as in Samui and other parts of Thailand. Here again, it is recommended to fix the price before.

TAXIS BOATS.

As many beaches in Koh Phangan, and especially on the East coast, are still today only reachable by boat, the taxi boat business is still well alive in Koh Phangan. They'll take you to different beaches as Haad Khuad (bottle beach, in the North) from Chaloklum or, if you leave from Haad rin, to Haad Yuan, Haad Thian, Haad Yao East, Than Sadet and Thong nai pan on the East coast.

If you want to go to visit some of the nearby islands such as Koh Tao, Koh Nang Yuan or the Angthong National Marine Park, it will be more difficult to organise than it is in Samui. However, you’ll find some speedboat companies on the island or somr travel agencies working with speed boats from Samui departing from Thong Sala, Haad Rin and Ban Tai. You can contact one of the few tour counters available throughout the island to book yourself a direct trip or a special tour around these islands.