Thailand Travel Guide: How to Come Koh Samet from Bangkok

Apart from Bangkok, there are many interesting travel destinations in Thailand. Even though those destinations are less popular than Bangkok, there are a lot of experiences which tourists shouldn’t miss. If you have chance to discover other area in Thailand, try experiencing Koh Samet. I bet you won’t regret.

Koh Samet is located in the Gulf of Thailand, 200 km away from Bangkok. With the T-shaped, Koh Samet is known for white sandy beaches, exotic coral and clear waters. Coming to Koh Samet, you can say no to technology and get lost in the wild as well as relaxing.

There are 3 common ways to come to Koh Samet from Bangkok, Thailand:
Way 1: From Bangkok, you can take BTS or catch a taxi to Ekamai bus terminal, then buy bus ticket (157 baht/ one-way ticket) to Ban Phe Port where you will take a boat to Koh Samet Island. It often takes 4 hours to get the port.

For the bus to the pier, you can buy round-trip ticket with a better price. The bus schedule: 7 A.M – 7 P.M. The bus frequency: every 1 hour.

Way 2: From Bangkok, you can take BTS or catch a taxi to Victory Monument, then buy a ticket of 16-seat- car Van (200 baht/ one-way ticket) to get to Rayong Port. It takes about 2,5 – 3 hours to get the pier, depending on customers. Sometimes, the car departs later than its schedule because some customer gets in late.

Notice: You shouldn’t drink much water because you cannot ask the driver to stop to take a rest. The vans go to Rayong Port by highway, so the drivers cannot stop.

Way 3: From Bangkok, you can hire a private car to go to Ban Phe/ Rayong Port. Hiring a private car is more expensive than using public transports. But if you go with a team or group, this way is better, cleaner and more convenient.

Price of boat ticket: 100 baht/ round-way ticket
The boat will wait for enough guests to depart. It often takes 45 minutes to get the island.

Price of cano: Around 1000 baht
It’s faster to get the island by speed boat, but the price is not cheap. The most advantage of taking a cano is that you don’t have to wait for anyone else.

Way 1: You can take a taxi and go straight to your hotel. In Thailand, taxi drivers usually charge more expensive to foreigners. Taxi costs for foreigners may be 3-4 times as expensive as it costs for local people. Tourists should bargain with taxi drivers before getting in the car.

When you arrive to the park gate, you have to buy entrance ticket: 40 baht/ local one and 200 baht/ foreign tourist. You also can make friend with some Thai people on the boat and ask them for favor to pay the ticket entrance with cheaper price.

Taxi cars on Koh Samet Island are green pickup trucks. They look so funny and you may not see that in other countries.

Way 2: After leaving the boat, you will go on foot for 15 minutes to get the park. You can either pretend that you are crazy and walk into the park or tell the guardians that you forget your stuff in the hotel and just go inside.

How long should you stay on Koh Samet?
You should spend at least 2 days 1 night for Koh Samet Island trip because there are many interesting activities on the island at night that you cannot miss up.

However, if your budget is enough to spend more days in Koh Samet Island, why don’t you relax yourself, enjoy the beautiful nature and live slowly a little?

In case that you just want to explore Koh Samet Island in one day, you can come back to mainland in the evening.

Where to stay on Koh Samet Island?
You should book some hotel before you visit Koh Samet Island in case you have to stay overnight on the beach. However, you can take a risk to come the island without hotel reservation, then find a hotel when you arrive here on the low season.

Here is some suggestion for you:
Sai Kaew Area: nice beach, a lot of bar/pub and good restaurants
You can stay in bungalows to enjoy nice view and background. It’s perfect for people who love to take pictures. The cost of bungalows is not too expensive. Moreover, they serve breakfast also.

Lima Bella Resort: This hotel is located in hidden corner without private beach. However, you can take a walk to go to the beach if you stay here, or enjoy swimming pool of the hotel.

How to enjoy Koh Samet Island?
Koh Samet Island has beautiful peaceful beaches. The beaches here are not as crowded as the beaches in Pattaya. How it awesome when you enjoy the blue sea and white sand beaches!

The white sand beach in Koh Samet Island is not only beautiful but also clean. You can be totally free to run on the beach, enjoy the white sand without fear of rubbish.

After swimming, you can lie down on the sand beach, enjoy sunbathing. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen cream to protect your skin because it is very hot in Thailand.

There are many benches on the beach for tourists to relax, read books, listen to music. Image that you are lie down on a bench on Koh Samet beach while tasting coconut juice, is it so interesting? You also can watch some movie or check-in to post on social network by using 4G sim card.

Along the coast, there are many vendors who sell local food and snack: papaya salad, grilled foods. Even though they are just vendors, restaurants are hygienic.

The great thing of vendors in Thailand which impresses tourists is that peddlers don’t pester tourists. Vendors also make an agreement of prices, so that tourists can buy the same thing with same price in every vendor.

As soon as the sun goes down, every restaurant along the coast starts turn on the light. Enjoy the sea, listen the sound of sea waves while eating for dinner is one of the best experiences that tourists must have in Koh Samet Island.

All Thailand cuisine is served in seaside restaurants. You can order rice, Tom Yum or Pad Thai, coconut fruit or cocktails for your dinner. Beer is a perfect choice when you enjoy the sea.

Those ones who love trekking or riding motorbike can explore the island by motorbike. Besides beautiful wild beaches, there is some wild path surrounded with trees in the island. Tourists can discover the wild nature here.

There is one thing you should pay attention when you explore the island by motorbike. The trekking paths are rough, so that you need to ride motorbike carefully, especially in rainy days. The cost of hiring a motorbike is around 100 – 300 baht/ hour – day. It depends on type of motorbike.

In addition, there is a cooler style of vehicle that you should try in the island. It’s called ATV. ATV is a kind of 4-wheel-car which looks like a toy car for children. However, this car can conquer every rough path. To hire an ATV, you need to pay 1000 baht as a deposit.

Now, you should write the name Koh Samet in your list of destinations must-see in Thailand”. Your trip in the island will be absolutely a trip to remember!