By ferry it takes 1 hour 30 minutes to travel from Donsak in Surat Thani Province to Koh Phaluai.
Ferry Timetable from Donsak to Koh Phaluai
Click on the Donsak – Koh Phaluai link in the timetable below for more information and to buy tickets.
| Donsak - Koh Phaluai ฿ 420 1h 30m | |
| |
Location of Donsak Ferry Pier
Ferry services from Donsak to Koh Phaluai depart from Donsak Raja Ferry Port.
Location of Koh Phaluai Ferry Pier
Ferry services from Donsak to Koh Phaluai arrive into Koh Phaluai Pier.
About Travel to Koh Phaluai
Koh Phaluai is a small island located 19 km north of Donsak on the mainland, and 23 km to the west of Koh Samui. Until very recently the number of tourists visiting the island was very low, with only a small proportion of those staying overnight.
Transport to Koh Phaluai
For many years there were only two ways to reach Koh Phaluai: a once a day tour boat service from Donsak or a speedboat tour from Koh Samui. This changed in early 2024 when the Raja Ferry Company started running regular large ferry services from Donsak Raja Ferry Port to Koh Phaluai. Tourism on the island has grown steadily since then. Ferry ticket prices are low, and the number of people who can fit on each ferry has massively increased, as has the capacity in the local supply chain.
South coast of Koh PhaluaiStaying on Koh Phaluai
Koh Phaluai has less than 10 hotels, resorts or guesthouses. Most of the accommodation is located on the south coast of the island including the three most expensive resorts on the island, Angthong Beach Resort, Phaluai Villa and Koh Phaluai Beach Bungalows. Booked online room prices range from 1,200 to 2,500 THB per night depending upon where you stay.
There are few air-conditioned rooms available on Koh Phaluai partly because of the lack of electricity. Much of the island is powered by renewable energy sources, principally solar and wind, which is backed up by generators. Most places on the island have some form of electric supply, and some form of internet connection, but it’s not as reliable as on Koh Samui or Koh Phangan which both receive electricity from the mainland.
About Koh Phaluai
Koh Phaluai is a small island, 6 km long and 4 km wide. The island has around 500 permanent residents. Some of the residents are from the Chao Ley (sea gypsy) ethnic group, some are the descendants of people who came to the island in the late 1930s to grow coconuts, and other later arrivals. Either way, the island has a close knit community with most people living in one of the small villages in the south west corner of the island.
The road network in Koh Phaluai only covers a fraction of the island, including the main village where the ferry port is located. The north eastern part of the island is only accessible via paths through hilly and heavily forested terrain or by sea. To really explore the island you need to take to the water either in a local boat, or by kayak.
Please be careful trying to kayak all the way around the island. The journey takes 6 to 10 hours of paddling depending upon your fitness and the kayak you use. Which, in the hot sun, is likely to be at best unpleasant and at worst very dangerous. Only a few of the beaches along the way have restaurants or other places where you can buy food and drink.