Friday 23 June 2017

How to get from Koh Phangan to Koh Phi Phi

Koh Phangan is ridiculously laid back and the beaches are ridiculously beautiful. The same is even more true for the two Phi Phi islands. One island is so laid back it is deserted (Phi Phi Leh). The other island is jungle that gives way to a perfect sandy beach. There are the cliffs at Phi Phi and of course the scenery used in the movies. Phi Phi just off Phuket doesn't have the Full Moon Party, or even the Half Moon Party, but it does have perfect beaches. Thus, those beach junkies visiting Thailand will certainly want to check out Koh Phi Phi as well as Koh Phangan.

There are 2 companies that currently offer travel packages to get tourists from Koh Phangan to Koh Phi Phi. They are Seatran Discovery and Phantip Travel. Of the two Seatran is slightly more expensive for online booking (1,100 THB) compared with the Phantip price of 900 Thai Baht.

The Seatrain service departs from Thongsala pier at 8am. It is a combined ferry- bus-ferry ticket. The bus gets to Chaokoh ferry pier at 3pm and gets you to Koh Phi Phi at 4.30pm.

Phantip Travel uses a different route. Passengers take the car ferry from Thongsala to Donsak, and from there transfer to a bus. The journey starts at 7am and you get to Koh Phi Phi at 4pm. Thus for the 200 Thai Baht saving you get a journey time that is 30 minutes longer.

In terms of comfort, reliability, safety and level of service there is very little between the 2 companies. The Seatran Discovery boat is a bit faster than the Raja car ferry. However, the Raja is a much bigger boat and can deal with worse nautical conditions.

You can book tickets from Koh Phangan to Koh Phi Phi online here. It is a straight forward process. You receive an instant email confirmation. The prices are the same as if you bought them at the pier in Thongsala. Best to book early if you are planning to leave Koh Phangan after a Full Moon Party.