Cheapest start
The ferry on its own
Lowest fare, transport only
- FareFrom the ferry listing
- IncludesThe crossing
- Best forA planned beach day
Group price calculator
Koh Phangan tour package from Samui: what a day costs
Koh Phangan junk cruise from Samui
★ 4.8 · 929 guest ratings
Weigh up 4 options
Work out the Phangan day bill
Add your group size and see each Phangan day priced for everyone.
- Junk cruise8 hours · per person starting at $104
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View - Boat with sunset9 hours · per person starting at $99
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View - Ferry, one wayCrossing only · per person starting at $10
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View - Koh Tao day7.5 hours · per person starting at $69
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View
Figures are GetYourGuide from-prices, translated at the ECB reference rate. The booking step shows what you pay exactly.
The junk cruise, the boat trips and the ferry, set side by side with their starting prices, what each fare covers and what still costs extra on the island.
Editorial team, kohphangandaytrip.click · Updated November 12, 2026 · Reading: 7 min
Essentials
- The junk cruiseThe 8-hour sailing day from Samui is priced from $104, with lunch and a snorkel stop.
- Boat with sunsetA 9-hour boat trip with snorkeling and sunset starts from $99.
- Ferry onlyA high-speed ferry ticket to Phangan starts from $10, one way.
- Private boatA private traditional boat with beach time starts from $207.
- Cheaper monthsOctober to December is low season around Samui.1
What the junk cruise costs and what the fare covers
A Koh Phangan tour package from Samui usually means one thing on this site: a full day on a traditional junk sailing boat, priced from $104. The day takes 8 hours door to door, and the fare already holds the pickup, the transfer to the pier and the transfer back to your hotel. That matters when you compare it with a ferry ticket, because the ferry price starts at the pier and ends at the pier.
Food and sea time are inside the fare. A lunch buffet with 5 Thai dishes is served on board, there is a snorkel stop at Koh Ma Reef, and a beach stop at Thong Nai Pan follows. On the way home the boat sails through the sunset with appetizers, and it reaches the pier at 7:00 PM. A day with a meal, a reef, a beach and an evening view for one fare is the main reason the cruise is the first option most visitors price up.
The booking terms are easy on the budget. A place can be held without paying today, and a cancellation made a day or more ahead is refunded in full. The cruise has 929 reviews averaging 4.8, which is a large sample for a day trip from one island. Guides work in English, French, German and Thai, so the language you need is usually covered.
Side by side
Koh Phangan day options from Samui by price and length
| Option | From | Length | Lunch or meal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junk cruise | $104 | 8 hours | Buffet on board |
| Boat, snorkel and sunset | $99 | 9 hours | Not stated |
| Private traditional boat | $207 | 7 hours | Bring your own |
| High-speed ferry | $10 | 30 to 165 minutes | None |
| Koh Tao and Nang Yuan | $69 | 7.5 hours | Lunch included |
| Koh Tao speedboat day | $63 | 10 hours | Not stated |
Starting prices copied from the listings, not quotes; anything bought on the day is paid separately.
What is not in the fare
A massage and cocktails at Thong Nai Pan cost extra, since both are sold on the beach. The listing gives no price for either, so treat them as a small separate budget and decide before you land whether you want them. A cocktail in the sand after a snorkel is a pleasant way to spend a free hour, but it is exactly the kind of spending that turns a good-value day into an expensive one.
Drinks on a boat are worth a thought as well. Official advice is to go easy: bar drinks in Thailand are often stronger than those in the UK, and alcohol leaves you less alert and more vulnerable to accidents.2 Australia advises people who have been drinking to avoid swimming or going on a boat.3 On a day that combines a snorkel stop and a boat deck, the sensible budget is for water first and a cocktail last.
Your own sun protection, swimwear and a towel are also outside the fare, and so is anything you buy in Samui before pickup. The pickup itself is free of charge, but the exact time arrives by email, and the operator confirms it after you book. Check that email so that your morning plans, and any breakfast you pay for, fit the pickup window between 9:45 and 10:55.
Time on the water
How long each way of reaching Phangan takes, in hours
- Koh Tao day7.5
- Junk cruise8
- Boat and sunset9
- Speedboat day10
Day lengths as the listings give them, from pickup to return; the ferry is a crossing of 45 to 90 minutes, not a day.4
The ferry day on your own: where it is cheaper
The do-it-yourself version of a Koh Phangan trip from Samui starts with a high-speed ferry, and a one-way ticket from Samui to Phangan is priced from $10. That listing has 1,888 reviews averaging 4.6, so it is the most proven way across. Lomprayah, the operator, states approx. 45 to 90 minutes crossing time on its high-speed boats and warns that timetables may vary.4 Add your own transfer to the pier and a ride across the island, and the cheap ticket becomes a longer day than the headline suggests.
The ticket comes in several options, some with hotel pickup in zones from Nathon to Choeng Mon, including Maenam, Bophut, Bangrak, Chaweng and Lamai. Its key details list a duration of 30 to 165 minutes, which covers the sailing and the pickup together. If your hotel is outside those zones you reach the pier yourself, and the cost of that taxi belongs in the comparison too.
What the ferry does not give you is the sea day. There is no snorkel stop, no lunch and no sunset sail in a ferry ticket, so the cheap fare buys transport only. If your plan for Phangan is a specific beach, a jungle walk or a night out, the ferry is the efficient choice. If the plan is simply a day out on the water, the cruise fare buys far more of what you came for.
Pick by budget
Which Phangan day fits your wallet
Tell us what you want the fare to cover and see the day that fits.
If I want the smallest outlay
The ferry, one way each
A ticket starts from $10, and the rest of the day is yours to plan.
If I want one fare for the whole day
The junk cruise
Pickup, lunch, a snorkel stop and a sunset sail, from $104.
If I want sunset and snorkeling at a bit less
The 9-hour boat trip
Priced from $99, with few reviews so far.
If I want a boat to myself
A private traditional boat
Priced from $207, leaving from Chaloklum Pier.
If I would rather see Koh Tao
The Koh Tao and Nang Yuan day
A snorkeling day with lunch, from $69.
By budget
Sail, ferry or your own boat
Whole day
The junk cruise
Sold on this site
- Length8 hours
- MealLunch buffet
- ExtrasSnorkel and sunset
Own pace
A private boat
Your group only
- DepartsChaloklum Pier
- FoodBring a picnic
- GroupPrivate
Other boat days and the private option
A second Samui boat trip with snorkeling and sunset runs 9 hours and starts from $99. Its itinerary lists a visit, sightseeing, swimming and snorkeling on Phangan, and it needs good weather: if it is cancelled for poor weather you are offered another date or a full refund. It has only 8 reviews so far, averaging 4.3, so book it on the strength of the listing rather than a crowd of opinions.
For a group that wants its own boat, a private traditional boat trip with snorkeling and beach time starts from $207. It leaves from Chaloklum Pier on Koh Phangan rather than from Samui, and the notes ask guests to bring their own picnic, water and snacks. The itinerary is flexible with the weather and sea conditions, which is the main reason to pay more for it.
Koh Tao is the other big day out. From Samui, a snorkeling day to Koh Tao and Nang Yuan with lunch is priced from $69 and takes 7.5 hours. A longer speedboat version lasts 10 hours and starts from $63. They are different days from the Phangan cruise, and the guide that sets the islands against each other covers them in full.
How the cruise fare is spent
From pickup to the pier at night
Morning
Hotel pickup
Pickup falls between 9:45 and 10:55, confirmed by email.
At the pier
Boarding
The junk sails towards Phangan after 11:00.
Midday
Lunch on board
A buffet with 5 Thai dishes is served as you sail.
Afternoon
Snorkel and beach
A reef stop at Koh Ma, then Thong Nai Pan beach.
Late afternoon
Sunset sail
The boat heads back with appetizers as the sun sets.
Evening
Back at the pier
Arrival is at 7:00 PM, with a transfer to your hotel.
Is Koh Phangan expensive once you are there?
The honest answer depends on how you spend the day, and no official source gives a price list for the island, so this guide does not invent one. What the sources do show is that the biggest single costs are the crossing and the nights out. Party tickets in the listings run from $24 for a jungle party entry to $81 for Full Moon tickets with a round-trip transfer. A day trip without a party avoids that entire layer of spending.
Getting around the island is the next cost, and it is worth deciding in advance. Hire scooters are tempting, but the UK government cautions that motorcycles rented in tourist areas are frequently unregistered, which can make riding them on a public road unlawful.6 Australia counts Koh Samui among the resort areas where crashes are common, and notes that hire companies rarely supply helmets.7,8 A cruise that needs no transport on the island is therefore a safer budget item than a cheap scooter.
If you stay longer than a day, the price picture changes, because the island is mostly about space and quiet. National park covers more than half of Phangan, and that keeps much of the coast undeveloped.9 A longer stay gives you time for the beaches that a cruise only touches, and the other guides on this site cover when to go and what each part of the island offers.
Video
A day on Koh Phangan
notlostexploring on YouTube · Video data is requested only when you tap play.
It might be high season in the Andaman Sea area, but it is the low season for Ko Samui and the neighbouring islands.
Before you pay
Inside the fare, and outside it
In the cruise fare3
- Hotel pickup and the transfer back
- A lunch buffet with 5 Thai dishes
- A snorkel stop and a sunset sail
On top3
- A massage or cocktails at Thong Nai Pan
- A taxi to the ferry pier on a DIY day
- A picnic on the private boat
When the price drops: the green season and booking tips
Around Samui, October to December is the low season, called the green season, even though the Andaman Sea is at its busiest then.1 The Tourism Authority of Thailand adds that the archipelago sees far fewer visitors in those months, so queues are shorter and moving between islands is easier.10 Even so, the price on the listing today is the only number to trust.
The catch is the weather. The east coast of southern Thailand stays rainy until the year ends, and November is the wettest month.11 The winter monsoon season, from mid-October to mid-February, brings that coast a great amount of rain, with October and November the heaviest.12 A boat day in those weeks may be rescheduled, so keep your plans flexible and read the cancellation terms before you pay.
Outside those months, book early. Songserm, a ferry operator, tells passengers to book ahead, above all in the peak months of December to March.5 For the cruise, the practical advice is the same: pick the date first, reserve it with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, and revisit the forecast the day before. That keeps your price low and your options open.
FAQ
Questions answered quickly.
How much is a Koh Phangan tour package from Samui?
From $104.
The 8-hour junk cruise with lunch, a snorkel stop and sunset starts at that price.
Is the ferry cheaper than the cruise?
Yes, for transport only.
The cheapest ticket is a high-speed ferry seat from $10 one way, but it has no lunch, snorkeling or sunset sail.
Is Koh Phangan expensive for a day visit?
Not by itself.
The crossing and any party tickets are the large costs; a jungle party entry starts from $24.
What is not included in the cruise fare?
Massage and cocktails.
Both are on sale ashore at Thong Nai Pan, so they sit outside the fare.
Can I pay later for the cruise?
Yes.
Yes. Nothing is due when you reserve, and cancelling 24 hours before still brings a full refund.
When is the cheapest time to go?
Is there a private boat to Koh Phangan?
Yes.
The private traditional boat sails from Chaloklum Pier, with fares from $207.
Is the Koh Tao day cheaper than the Phangan cruise?
It can be.
A Koh Tao and Nang Yuan snorkeling day starts from $69 and runs 7.5 hours.
Sources
- Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom) · TAT launches Special Deal in Green Season at Samui Phangan Tao ↩
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (gov.uk) · Thailand travel advice: safety and security ↩
- Australian Government Smartraveller (smartraveller.gov.au) · Thailand travel advice ↩
- Lomprayah High Speed Ferries (lomprayah.com) · Lomprayah ferry tickets ↩
- Songserm Express (songserm.com) · Koh Samui, Phangan and Tao ferries ↩
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (gov.uk) · Thailand travel advice: safety and security ↩
- Australian Government Smartraveller (smartraveller.gov.au) · Thailand travel advice ↩
- Australian Government Smartraveller (smartraveller.gov.au) · Thailand travel advice ↩
- Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom) · Ko Phangan - a colorful getaway in the Gulf of Thailand ↩
- Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom) · TAT launches Special Deal in Green Season at Samui Phangan Tao ↩
- Land Development Department of Thailand (ldd.go.th) · Seasons ↩
- Land Development Department of Thailand (ldd.go.th) · Seasons ↩