By joint bus and ferry service it takes 8 hours 30 minutes to travel from Ao Nang to Koh Tao. The first part of the journey is by bus from Ao Nang to Surat Thani Province. Depending on the service you take you will depart by ferry from pier in Donsak or a pier near Surat Thani City. Ferry services from Surat Thani travel to Koh Tao via the islands of Koh Samui and Koh Phangan.
Bus Timetable from Ao Nang to Koh Tao
Click on the Ao Nang – Koh Tao link below for more information and to buy tickets.
| Ao Nang - Koh Tao ฿ 1,300 15h 30m | |
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| Ao Nang - Koh Tao ฿ 1,375–1,400 7h 5m – 15h | |
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Where to get the Bus in Ao Nang
Songserm bus services to Koh Tao depart from Ao Nang Beach.
Arrival in Koh Tao
Songserm services from Ao Nang terminate at Mae Haad Pier in Koh Tao.
About Koh Tao
Koh Tao is Thailand’s best known diving centre and one of the cheapest places in the world to take a PADI Open Water Course. One of the reasons why it cheap to go diving is that there are good dive sites not far from the island, shorter journeys to the dive sites means lower costs for dive school operators. The other reason why prices are low is because there is a lot of competition with a large number of different dive schools operating on the island, and lots of people go to Koh Tao to work as Dive Master trainees providing a cheap form of labour to undertake some of the teaching work for new divers and most of the supervision for more experienced divers. Some companies are better than others. If you want a good diving experience in Koh Tao we recommend that you look beyond the price and find out the details in relation to:
- Where you will dive.
- Who will teach/or guide you.
- What type of boats will the company use to take you diving.
Beach in Koh TaoFor non-divers there are great snorkelling sites within easy swimming distance of some of the beaches and a range of non-diving related activities such as gyms, Muay Thai, a cinema, treks, mountain biking, and yoga courses. The other thing many people enjoy about Koh Tao is its lively bar and restaurant scene. Plenty of places to eat and drink in Koh Tao and there are lots of younger people out enjoying themselves every evening. The best time to visit Koh Tao is from late January through to late September when the weather tends to be calmest and there is the least likelihood of storms affecting the diving.