How to get from Koh Tao to the Full Moon Party
The Full Moon Party is a must-visit event in Thailand if you like music, dancing and having fun with other travelers. The party happens on an island called Koh Phangan. You have to take a ferry to get to the island because there’s no airport. This article tells you how to get from Koh Tao to the Full Moon Party.
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How to get from Koh Tao to the Full Moon Party
The following goes over the route from Koh Tao to the Full Moon Party.
Take the ferry from Koh Tao
The easiest way to get to the Full Moon Party from Koh Tao is by ferry ride. You can take a cheap ferry from the Mae Haad Pier and it will take you to the Thong Sala Pier in Koh Phangan. You can buy the tickets online beforehand, but the prices are usually more expensive for travelers. You can easily visit any travel agent on Koh Tao and book your ferry ticket to Koh Phangan. We recommend the Lomprayah ferry service.
How to get from the pier to the beach
Almost all of the ferries from Koh Tao arrive at the Thong Sala Pier from where you have to find the Full Moon Beach aka Sunrise Beach in Haad Rin. The easiest and recommended way is to take a cheap taxi (songthaew) to Haad Rin and then follow the signs or other travelers to the beach. You can also take the taxi straight to your accommodation and continue from there by walking or by taxi to the beach later during the evening.
In case you want to arrive near the party beach in Koh Phangan, you should try to find a ferry to the Haad Rin pier that is from walking distance from the sunrise beach. These ferries leave usually from Koh Samui. If you’re trying to arrive directly to the party area, it’s not worth the trip from Koh Tao to Koh Samui and then to Koh Phangan. Just follow the advice above. Thousands of travelers make this journey every month without issues.
When should I take the ferry?
Ferry from Koh Tao to Koh Phangan takes from one hour to two hours. If you are traveling to Koh Phangan on the day of the Full Moon Party, we recommend going in the afternoon. The party starts properly after dark, but you should book accommodation before and relax for a while before joining the other travelers on the beach. This way you can also enjoy the sunset and beach before darkness.
Plan your Full Moon Party trip
Use our travel guides to plan your own holiday in Koh Phangan and the Full Moon Party. Check the next party dates and book your accommodation. Then read all the necessary information about the party, different activities, what to wear and where to go.
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Tips when choosing which party to attend:
- November through April is high season. During this time, Koh Phangan and the surrounding islands fill up very fast. Book your accommodation and flights early if planning to attend during this time.
- During high season, plan your travel accordingly. You may not be able to just show up at the bus or train station and buy a ticket for the same day if there’s a lot of people making their way to Koh Phangan for the party.
- The event happens when there’s a full moon, no matter if that lands on a weekday or weekend. Be sure to check the exact day to make sure it works with your schedule. Keep in mind that most accommodation in Koh Phangan has a 3-5 day minimum stay requirement during the Full Moon Party period.
- *Note: The schedule is subject to change if the date lands on a Buddhist holiday.
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Full Moon Party Travel Guide
This page was together to be the definitive Full Moon Party travel guide.
We want to help you get to the party no matter where you’re coming from, how much your budget is, or what your travel preferences are. While every option and scenario isn’t included, this guide gives a general overview of how to get to Koh Phangan so you know what to expect in regards to transportation when visiting Thailand for the Full Moon Party.
Buses, planes, boats, or trains – we’ll help you get to the island. The Full Moon Party is a popular event in Thailand and the tourist infrastructure for getting people to and from this event is very developed.
Full Moon Party Location
The Full Moon Party takes place on Sunrise Beach in the Haad Rin area of Koh Phangan, Thailand.
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How to Use this Full Moon Party Travel Guide
Because we know that everyone is coming from all different places and have different budgets, travel preferences, and amounts of time available, we’ve included different options in our Full Moon Party travel guide.
We’ve summarized the journey to the event to just 4 easy steps:
That’s all you need to do get to the Full Moon Party, and this guide will show you your options for each step.
Using these steps, you can piece together your journey instead of us saying “this is the one way to get to the party from where you’re starting from”.
Step 1: Get to Thailand
You are most likely flying into Thailand, but many backpackers will be taking overland transportation into the country as well. Either way, you’ll likely end up in a major city where you can use the information in Step 2 to continue.
If you’re flying into Thailand, which is the quickest and most convenient way, then here’s a list of the most popular international airports that you can fly into. Of course, flying is the most expensive, but unless you’re already backpacking the region, chances are you’re flying in.
- Bangkok Suvarnabhumi – BKK
- Chiang Mai – CNX
- Phuket – HKT
- Koh Samui – USM
Use these airport codes when searching for flights to find out which option would be the best for you. You can get to Koh Phangan from any of these locations easily.
If you don’t have a lot of time or you just want to fly in as close to the party as possible, you’ll want to fly into Koh Samui (USM).
Step 2: Get to Koh Phangan
At this point, you should either be in Koh Samui or another major city in Thailand.
From Koh Samui
Once you’re on Koh Samui, you can simply book a ferry transfer to and from Haad Rin. There are multiple companies and prices range from around 200-600 THB and will depend on the specific company you book with.
You can easily arrange this after your arrive in Koh Samui. You can book online with some companies (like Lomprayah Catamaran, Seatran Discovery, or Raja Ferry), if you’d like.
You’ll need to take a taxi to get to and from the departure port in Koh Samui if your ferry ticket does not include hotel transfer.
Using this route should put you at the Haad Rin pier – walking distance to the Full Moon Party on the other side at Sunrise Beach.
From Elsewhere in Thailand
It is very easy to simply find a travel agent and book a combo ticket to Koh Phangan.
Generally, these combo ticket consist of a bus or train ticket to Surat Thani plus a ferry ticket from Surat Thani to Koh Phangan.
Sometimes, it will include a transfer from your accommodation in your departure city. Other times, the travel agent will tell you where you need to be to depart.
We suggest sticking to options offered by “name brand” bus operators. Sometimes, you’ll see a really cheap “VIP bus” option with no company name associated, but we don’t suggest those as there have been reports of items being stolen from bags.
This combo ticket will get you all the way to the Thong Sala pier in Koh Phangan.
Step 3: Get to Sunrise Beach in Haad Rin
At this point, you’ve made it to Koh Phangan and you’re either at the Thong Sala Pier or Haad Rin Pier.
From Haad Rin Pier
This is common if you’re coming from Koh Samui. If you’re arriving at the Haad Rin Pier, then you’re walking distance from the party. Also, if you’re staying anywhere in Haad Rin, you can just walk to and from Sunrise beach where the Full Moon Party takes place.
From Thong Sala Pier
This is common if you’re coming from Surat Thani. If you’ve arrived at the Thong Sala Pier, there will be a number of taxis waiting to take people all over the island. You can take a taxi to Haad Rin (where you can walk to/from the party), or you can take a taxi to only down to the Baan Tai area (where you’ll have to take a taxi to/from the party).
At this point, you’ve not only made it to Koh Phangan, but also the area where you’ve booked your accommodation.
From here, you just walk (if you’re in Haad Rin) or take a taxi (if you’re in Baan Tai or elsewhere) to Sunrise Beach for one of the most memorable nights of your life.
Final Words
It may see intimidating at first to get to the Full Moon Party, especially if you’re used to Western public transportation or come from a car-centric city.
However, with a little bit of planning using our Full Moon Party travel guide, you’ll see that despite being in a foreign country, getting to this beautiful beach on this small island off the coast of Thailand isn’t that hard.
The Full Moon Party is very popular, so if you’re feeling a bit confused at any point, take a look around at the backpackers that are also heading to the event and follow their lead. The tourist infrastructure in Thailand is very good at getting people to the party.
