Smooth Ferry To Koh Tao

[edwardandtubs]

High speed passenger ferries usually make me seasick but the big, slow ferries that take cars and passengers from the mainland to Samui, Phangan and Chang never give me a problem. What's a nice, slow, smooth ferry to take from the mainland to Koh Tao? I've heard some of the high speed ferries cause serious sea sickness but there are so many options to choose from there must be one smooth one.

[wimpy]

The Lomphraya catamaran ferry is fast and stable.

[craigt3365]

The Lomphraya catamaran ferry is fast and stable.

Here's the route they take. I did take one of the small ferries years ago and it was pretty rough. The one to Samui is great, but you then have to get to Tao. Makes more sense to just go to Tao directly from Chumpron on this ferry.

Good recommendation, Wimpy!

http://www.lomprayah.com/E/route.htm

[bangkokburning]

We went to KT on Lomprayah, it was (too) slow. It was also a cat, so that is about the best you are gonna do. From BKK take the ferry from Chumpon, you can buy tickets in BKK (discount) and take the train (shuttle bus meets train EARLY). Bus will be cheaper, we would go buy bus to do it again. I think we bought direct from Lomp. office - because I am insistent on buying transport directly from the operators .

NOTE: Lomprayah had a proper bus, some losers were getting shuttled to other companies, boats in some really dire transport. Also "SS" has some very serious issues with theft (VERY). Recommend you NOT take them and NEVER take any transport from Khao San Road!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!

KT not one of my favorite islands. Very much prefer the Andaman. If I were to do it again, Id try to camp on Koh Matta and in the Chumpon NP.

We stayed at a nice but remote place, no beach but best snorkeling and relatively cheap kayak. Food was great (when can you say that abt a bungalow!). If you are coming w/ a Thai, you will be treated well. Hell - we even cooked one meal a day in our cement bungalow and did not get hassled. No coral, but some big grouper and a lovely turtle almost daily.

Edited April 5, 2012 by bangkokburning

[edwardandtubs]

The Lompraya gets the worst reviews in terms of seasickness. I want something big and slow that doesn't bump up and down a lot.

[wimpy]

You are not going to find anything faster than the Lomprayah. I have taken it many times and have never seen anyone get sick. The weather has always been fair though. In good conditions, it hardly moves around at all. If you want slow, take the night car ferry. It will take you all night to get there.

[edwardandtubs]

It seems like the Lomprayah is the only reasonable choice nowadays. I'll give it a go and hope I don't puke too much.

[jamesbrock]

I've taken the Lomprayah several times, and its ride is only as smooth as the sea! I've been on trips with massive swells, and on trips with smooth glassy water most of the way; if I was as worried about seasickness as you are, I would be focussing so much on the vehicle, but the weather conditions and plan my trip around those.

Have a look at Windguru - it's pretty smooth sailing out there now!

[bangkokburning]

While many of the more experienced backpackers have come out of a SS trip unscathed, tourists constantly complain about getting their bags rifled and many things stolen.

You gotta choose one - so suck it up and go with Lomprayah

Take a tablet and don't sweat it ....baby

[sikishrory]

well you said the fast ones make you seasick so i'm not sure why everyone is recommending the fastest boat there is. that said i think there right. it was a pretty smooth ride in the lomprayah. however judging by this

video weather conditions obviously have a lot to do with it lol.

i did catch that night ferry on the way back. i had a beer then popped two diazapan and fell asleep right away, woke up after 7hrs. no bed bugs. was sleeping next to some hot thai chick. not half as bad as some of the stories lead you to beleive. although i wouldn't like to do it sobre and drugfree. also having a laptop in my unlocked backpack was a bit of a worry but my bag was never tampered with.

so i'd say they are both good options.

up2you

[wjmark]

The Lomphraya catamarans are the only things running when the seas are REALLY rough (3-4 meter waves) and almost everyone is puking. Nobody is making a video!!!

Being a catamaran (two hulls) it sticks to and follows all the swells and troughs. Because it has two hulls it can handle almost any weather. But because it has two hulls, it can make you sick easily - bouncing and jerking around a lot.

That being said, it is the fastest way to Koh Tao. And if the water is calm, it is fine - a little noisy/buzzy - but fine.

(Dramamine is good for sea-sickness - a little gentler than beer and (2!) diazapam. Not as much fun(!), but gentler...)

The Lomphraya 6:00am bus from Khao San (is a little shabby), and gets to their own pier (30km from Chumporn) around 12;15pm. Their ferry leaves at 1:00pm and arrives Koh Tao just around 3:00. Khao San to Koh Tao in 9 hours. All pretty easy.

I strongly suggest not taking the later Lomphraya bus from Bkk. I forget what time it leaves (evening sometime), but you get dumped at the ferry dock in the middle of the night, and you sit and wait for hours until the boat goes (I think at 7:00am or 8:00am).

If you want a nice slow ride (and if the water is not too rough), the night ferries direct from Chumporn are best. They have 'mat rooms' and, while basic, are pretty comfortable. Get to the ferry early, and stake out your mat-space with your head near a window. Then it is a very pleasant crossing. And yes (probably) safe from thievery. 6-7 hours...

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I had a real thrill the last time I did it. I mailed my small off-road motorbike from Chiangmai to Chumporn (2000 baht), and took it on the night ferry (same price as a passenger 250b).

At 5:30 in the morning we docked in the dark, and I rode my bike right off the boat and buzzed straight up the hill of the main town. Made my way to my regular bungalows, and 'Mama' was really surprised to see me show up pulling wheelies!

That's a good hint - the Thai Postal internal system is good and cheap. Whenever I go to Koh Tao, I post one or two big plastic storage bins full of stuff to "Myself, Poste Restante, Koh Tao Post Office

20kg - 200baht (not even EMS - just basic parcel). I pick it up when I get there, and have 20 kg of anything I want - rice cooker, olive oil, tools, small fans, big boots, whatever. Then before I go back to Chiangmai, I just dump everything in the bin, and post it back (Poste Restante, CM).

Can't post motorcycles to Koh Tao - so Chumporn P.O. is closest.

Bkk airport 24-hour Post Office also has Poste Restante. I sometimes get a box ready to fly, and mail it to the airport. Just pick it up and stick it on the plane - or take it off the plane, and post it somewhere.

I am not sure why I just started talking about the Thai Postal System. But it is pretty convenient!

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I always stay at Mama Ochai's on Sairee. Cheapest (and simplest) bungalows on that beach.

'Mama' moved to Koh Tao with her family in 1952 when it was still empty and unoccupied (it had been a political prison from '36 - '47). She was 17 then - an original inhabitant! Now she is around 80, and vibrant and hard-working as ever.

I have spent too many hours laying in my hammock taking little videos of her.

So I made a little video for her, and gave her some copies. (The Thai song is about finding 'perfection' in only one diamond out of a hundred. Honour, strength, honesty, loyalty etc. etc.).

You can see that Koh Tao is pretty nice!

[jamesbrock]

Yes, your passage about the Thai postal system was pretty tangential, but very informative nonetheless! Thanks for that information!