Every guidebook says “island hop Thailand” like it’s one trip. It isn’t — the Gulf and the Andaman run on different weather clocks, and picking the wrong coast for your dates can sink a two-week trip before it starts.
This guide covers the classic Gulf route for Thailand island hopping — Bangkok down to Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, and Koh Samui — with the ferry prices, timings, and route order that actually work, drawn from the routes we send guests on every week. For the full arrival breakdown before you commit to a route, start with our complete guide to getting to Koh Tao, and for everything the island offers once you land, see our complete Koh Tao guide.
Here’s the version we’d actually plan: which coast, which order, how long on each island, and what every leg costs at time of writing.
The classic Thailand island hopping route runs Bangkok to Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, and Koh Samui on the Gulf coast, connected by Lomprayah catamarans from around 450 THB per hop. Budget 10-14 days for all three islands, more if you dive. The Andaman coast is at its wettest May–October, roughly when the Gulf is at its best, so pick one coast per trip rather than mixing both in a single loop.
Table of Contents
Gulf vs Andaman: Pick Your Coast by Month
Thailand splits into two separate island-hopping circuits that barely overlap: the Gulf of Thailand (Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui) and the Andaman Sea (Phuket, Krabi, the Similan Islands). Their monsoons run in rough opposition, so the coast that’s dry is usually the coast you should be planning your Thailand island hopping trip around.
On the Gulf side, the pattern is straightforward: November through April is the busier, drier stretch, March through May is the genuine sweet spot for calm seas and whale sharks, and the wet season concentrates September through November, with October the wettest and quietest month of the year. Even then, rain on the Gulf side tends to arrive in short, dramatic bursts rather than all-day grey — a few hours of heavy rain, then sunshine again, not the constant drizzle people picture.
The Andaman coast runs its rainy season roughly May through October — September and October are its wettest months — with its dry high season running November to April. The two coasts aren’t exact opposites (early autumn is wet on both), but the split that matters is real: from May to August the Gulf is the clearly drier side, while the Andaman is at its calmest right as the Gulf works through its own October–November wet peak. So if you’re building a Thailand island hopping trip around specific travel dates, check which coast is dry that month before you check anything else. Trying to combine a Gulf and an Andaman leg in one loop usually means accepting rain on one side — the safe overlap is roughly December to March, when both coasts behave.
This guide sticks to the Gulf route — Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui — because that’s the side of Thailand we live on and can back with real prices and timings. Our full best time to visit Koh Tao guide breaks the Gulf season down month by month if you’re locking in dates.
The Classic Gulf Route
The standard Thailand island hopping route on the Gulf side runs Bangkok → Koh Tao → Koh Phangan → Koh Samui, or the reverse — mainland → Koh Samui → Koh Phangan → Koh Tao. Both directions are common; which one you pick usually comes down to where you’re flying in and out of, not which is “correct.”
Flying in and taking it slow: land in Bangkok, bus or train down to the mainland gateway, ferry straight to Koh Tao first, then work your way up through Koh Phangan to Koh Samui and fly out from there — Samui has the only airport of the three islands, which makes it the natural exit point. Flying in and slowing down as you go: fly into Koh Samui, ferry down through Koh Phangan to Koh Tao, and finish on the island most people end up staying longest on, before heading back to Bangkok overland or by ferry and flight. Either order hits the same three islands on the same ferry network — Lomprayah runs the connecting catamarans across all three, and some sailings between Koh Samui and Koh Tao dip briefly into Koh Phangan on the way, which is exactly why the route holds together as a single loop rather than three separate side trips.
Route Summary
The Gulf loop: Bangkok → Koh Tao → Koh Phangan → Koh Samui (or reverse)
Connects by: Lomprayah catamaran end to end, from ~450 THB per inter-island hop
Exit point: Koh Samui has the only airport of the three islands
Typical length: 10-14 days for all three, weighted toward Koh Tao
If you’re coming from Bangkok and want the full arrival breakdown for every leg — bus, train, flight, and every mainland gateway — our how to get to Koh Tao guide covers it in depth. Flying via Chumphon or Surat Thani specifically? Our dedicated Chumphon to Koh Tao and Surat Thani to Koh Tao guides go deeper into each gateway.
How Long to Spend on Each Island
Split your time unevenly. Koh Phangan is a short stop unless you’re built around one specific event, Koh Samui works as a landing or exit day, and Koh Tao is where most Gulf itineraries end up spending the bulk of the trip.
| Island | Recommended stay | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Koh Tao | 5-7 days | Cheapest PADI/SSI certification anywhere, 25+ dive sites, the social hostel scene most people extend into |
| Koh Phangan | 2-3 days | Full Moon Party and weekly festivals if your dates line up; a short stop otherwise |
| Koh Samui | Landing/exit day or two | Only airport of the three — most efficient as a fly-in or fly-out base rather than a long stop |
On Koh Phangan, 2-3 days covers it — enough for the Full Moon Party or a couple of the weekly alternatives (Half Moon Festival, Jungle Experience) without needing to relocate for longer. Koh Tao’s recommended stay runs 5-7 days, and that’s before accounting for the well-documented pattern of people booking a few nights and staying weeks. Koh Samui is the flexible one: with the only airport of the three, it works best as a landing or exit stop — a day or two on either end of the loop covers the essentials, and it can absorb far longer if you want resort time at the start or finish of the trip.
Transport Legs and Prices
Every leg of the Gulf route runs on the same ferry network, so once you know the individual prices, you can build the whole route yourself. Here’s what each leg actually costs at time of writing (July 2026).
Bangkok to Koh Tao has three combos: bus + ferry (around 10 hours, 1,000-1,200 THB), train + ferry using Train 45’s air-conditioned sleeper (10-12 hours, 1,300-2,400 THB), or flight + ferry. The flight option splits further depending on which mainland gateway you fly into — via Surat Thani it’s roughly 5 hours and 2,500-4,000 THB total, via Koh Samui it’s the fastest at around 4 hours but the priciest at 5,000-7,500 THB, since Bangkok Airways holds a monopoly on that airport and prices accordingly.
Koh Tao to Koh Phangan is the shortest inter-island hop in the Gulf — 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes on the Lomprayah catamaran, from around 450 THB one way. Songserm runs a slower, cheaper alternative on the same route. Koh Tao to Koh Samui takes longer and varies more by sailing — Lomprayah’s six daily departures range from 1 hour 30 minutes up to 3 hours 15 minutes depending on routing, priced at a standard 738 THB, with Boonsiri (~700 THB, ~1h50) and Songserm (~600 THB, the cheapest but slowest at ~3h45) as the other two operators. The direct Koh Phangan to Koh Samui hop is the shortest crossing of the loop — around 30 minutes on the Lomprayah catamaran, from roughly 250-350 THB, with sailings spread through the day.
| Leg | Duration | Cost (THB) | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangkok → Koh Tao (bus + ferry) | ~10 hours | 1,000-1,200 | Lomprayah bus + ferry combo |
| Bangkok → Koh Tao (train + ferry, Train 45) | ~10-12 hours | 1,300-2,400 | State Railway sleeper + Lomprayah |
| Bangkok → Koh Tao (flight + ferry, via Surat Thani) | ~5 hours | 2,500-4,000 | AirAsia/Nok Air + Lomprayah |
| Bangkok → Koh Tao (flight + ferry, via Koh Samui) | ~4 hours | 5,000-7,500 | Bangkok Airways + Lomprayah |
| Koh Tao ↔ Koh Phangan | 1h-1h30 | from ~450 | Lomprayah (Songserm cheaper, slower) |
| Koh Tao ↔ Koh Samui | 1h30-3h15 (sailing-dependent) | 600-740 | Lomprayah (738 standard) / Boonsiri ~700 / Songserm ~600 |
| Koh Phangan ↔ Koh Samui | ~30 min | from ~250-350 | Lomprayah |
Booking each leg separately works, but locking in your ferries ahead of time removes the guesswork around connection times — especially in high season when popular sailings sell out. 12Go Asia sells tickets for every leg in this guide, Bangkok combos included, and reception at most hostels on the route (ours included) can book the inter-island hops directly.
Check live sailings and connection times for your dates before you book anything else — the search box below defaults to the Bangkok–Koh Tao leg, the usual starting point for this route.
1-Week and 2-Week Thailand Island Hopping Itineraries
Here’s how the recommended stays above translate into an actual Thailand island hopping itinerary, built for the Bangkok → Koh Tao → Koh Phangan → Koh Samui direction. Reverse the order if you’re flying into Koh Samui instead.
One Week on the Gulf
- Day 1: Bangkok → Koh Tao (bus + ferry or flight + ferry, depending on budget)
- Days 2-5: Koh Tao — dive days, beaches, the community that makes people extend
- Day 6: Ferry to Koh Phangan (1h-1h30, from ~450 THB)
- Day 7: Koh Phangan, then ferry onward to Koh Samui to fly out
Two Weeks on the Gulf
- Day 1: Bangkok → Koh Tao
- Days 2-8: Koh Tao — a full week to dive, certify, and settle into the community, on the longer end of the 5-7 day recommended stay
- Days 9-11: Ferry to Koh Phangan, 2-3 days around the Full Moon Party or one of the weekly alternatives if your dates line up
- Days 12-14: Ferry to Koh Samui, closing days for resort time, the airport, and the flight out
Both plans assume you’re not certifying to dive — add 3-4 days to the Koh Tao block if an Open Water course is part of the plan, since the course itself runs three days. Heading back through Bangkok at the end instead of flying from Samui? Our Koh Tao to Bangkok guide covers that return leg in full, and the Koh Phangan to Koh Tao and Koh Samui to Koh Tao guides cover each inter-island hop in more detail than fits here.
Where Koh Tao Fits — The Longest Stop
Koh Tao gets the longest stay on this route for two reasons: diving and community. It’s one of the cheapest places on earth to get dive certified, with 25+ dive sites packed into a small island, and it’s built a hostel scene — ours included — where the common area is where the trip actually happens, not just where you sleep between activities.
Compared to the other two islands on this route, the shift is deliberate. Koh Samui is the built-up landing pad — the airport, the resorts, the malls. Koh Phangan is the short, loud stop built around one headline event. Koh Tao is the quieter, cheaper, more social back half of the trip — the island people extend on once they’re actually here. If you haven’t sorted accommodation yet, our where to stay in Koh Tao guide breaks down which part of the island fits which kind of traveller, whether that’s Sairee’s walkable strip or Chalok’s quieter jungle hillside.
We run Wonderland, a social — not party — hostel up in Chalok, and this is the same route we talk guests through at reception most weeks: land, dive, and give yourself more days on Koh Tao than you think you need. One in five guests who book with us extends their stay past what they originally planned, and it’s almost always because the “quick stop before Phangan” plan turned into the main event.
Book the Longest Stop First
If Koh Tao is getting the bulk of your Gulf itinerary, lock the bed in before you lock in the ferries around it. Reception can help time your Koh Phangan and Koh Samui connections once you’re here.
Book Direct & SaveWhat Thailand Island Hopping on the Gulf Costs
Here’s the real daily and weekly spend across the route, at time of writing (July 2026), so you can build a realistic total for your own dates.
| Island / leg | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Koh Tao — shoestring | ~1,500 THB/day | Dorm + Thai food, no scooter |
| Koh Tao — mid-range | ~2,500-3,000 THB/day | Scooter, a few drinks, occasional activities |
| Koh Tao — comfort | 5,000+ THB/day | Private room, dive days, restaurant meals |
| Koh Tao — week (mid-range) | 17,500-21,000 THB | Full weekly total, scooter and drinks included |
| Koh Phangan — backpacker | ~800-1,200 THB/day | Triples around Full Moon Party dates |
| Koh Tao ↔ Koh Phangan ferry | from ~450 THB | One way, Lomprayah |
| Koh Tao ↔ Koh Samui ferry | 600-740 THB | One way, sailing-dependent |
| Bangkok ↔ Koh Tao | 1,000-7,500 THB | Depends entirely on method — see transport table above |
Add it up for the two islands we can price in full: a mid-range week on Koh Tao (17,500-21,000 THB) plus 2-3 days on Koh Phangan (1,600-3,600 THB at 800-1,200 THB/day) plus the two connecting ferries (roughly 1,050-1,190 THB combined) lands in the region of 20,150-25,790 THB for the Koh Tao-and-Koh Phangan core of a Gulf trip, before Bangkok transport and before Koh Samui. Koh Samui is the one we won’t put a number on — it’s consistently the pricier island of the three for like-for-like comfort, so treat it as its own add-on budget rather than folding it into the total above. On top of that, factor in your Bangkok-Koh Tao leg (1,000-7,500 THB depending on bus, train, or flight) and ATM withdrawal fees — 220 THB per withdrawal on foreign cards, confirmed for Koh Tao specifically, so pull larger sums less often. For the fuller day-by-day breakdown of Koh Tao spending alone, see our Koh Tao budget guide.
Thailand Island Hopping — FAQ
On the Gulf coast, the classic Thailand island hopping route runs Bangkok → Koh Tao → Koh Phangan → Koh Samui, or the reverse — mainland → Koh Samui → Koh Phangan → Koh Tao. All three islands sit on the same Lomprayah ferry network, so it works as one continuous loop rather than three separate trips. Koh Samui’s airport makes it the natural fly-in or fly-out point.
Most travellers budget 10-14 days for Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, and Koh Samui combined — 5-7 days on Koh Tao, 2-3 days on Koh Phangan, plus a landing or exit day or two on Koh Samui around your flights. Add 3-4 days if you’re getting dive certified on Koh Tao, since the course itself runs three days.
Check the calendar before you check anything else — the Gulf (Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui) is at its best March-May with its wet season concentrated September-November, while the Andaman (Phuket, Krabi, Similan Islands) is wettest May-October with its high season November-April. One coast is usually the drier bet for any given month. We’re a Gulf-side operation, so double-check current Andaman conditions before booking that side.
Budget 1,500-3,000 THB per day on Koh Tao depending on comfort level, 800-1,200 THB per day on Koh Phangan (more around Full Moon Party dates), plus ferries from ~450 THB per inter-island hop and 1,000-7,500 THB for the Bangkok leg depending on bus, train, or flight. A mid-range week on Koh Tao plus a few days on Koh Phangan lands around 20,000-26,000 THB before Bangkok transport and before Koh Samui, which our figures don’t itemise separately.
Songserm runs the budget option on most legs, undercutting Lomprayah’s fares while taking longer — worth it if you’re not in a hurry. On the Bangkok end, the bus + ferry combo (1,000-1,200 THB) beats flying by a wide margin. 12Go Asia lets you compare every operator’s fares for your exact dates in one place before you book.
Koh Tao, by a clear margin. The recommended stay is already the longest of the three islands (5-7 days versus 2-3 on Koh Phangan), and that’s before accounting for how often people extend once they’re there — the cheap diving certification and the social hostel scene are the two reasons most commonly given. Koh Samui works best as a shorter landing or exit stop around your flights.
Where to Stay When You Land
Wherever your Gulf loop starts, the accommodation decision on Koh Tao is the one worth getting right — it’s the island you’re spending the most time on, and it’s the one most Thailand island hopping trips quietly turn into the main event. Our where to stay in Koh Tao guide breaks the island down by area if you want the full picture before you book.
We’re up in Chalok, in the south of the island — a social hostel, not a party one, with a pool, a common area people actually use, and weekly free family dinners. If the plan is a few days on Koh Tao before pushing on to Koh Phangan and Koh Samui, book the bed first and build the ferries around it. It’s the one part of this route that’s genuinely hard to undo once you’re mid-trip and everything’s sold out.
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Keep Reading
How to Get to Koh Tao — every route, ferry schedule, and transport option explained→ Koh Tao to Bangkok — the return leg of this route→ Koh Phangan to Koh Tao — the ferry crossing in full→ Koh Samui to Koh Tao — operators, timetables, and prices→ Koh Tao vs Koh Phangan — honest comparison→ Koh Samui vs Koh Tao — which island should you choose→ Koh Tao Budget Guide — what everything actually costs→ The Complete Koh Tao Guide (hub)→
