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With over 300 amazing islands off the Thailand coastlines, it can be difficult to choose which islands to visit and how long to stay. Luckily there are an assortment of ferries, speed boat and longtail boat transfer services available to get you island-hopping in no time.
With over 300 amazing Thai islands to choose from it can be difficult to choose an island-hopping itinerary. You will need to decide if you want to visit islands in the Andaman Sea or the Gulf of Thailand. You can book tickets a day before through your hotel or pop into one of the many travel and transport agencies throughout Thailand to purchase your ferry tickets and check schedules.
The main island hopping hubs in the Andaman Sea are Phuket, Krabi, Koh Phi Phi, and Koh Lipe. If you are island hopping in the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Samui would be the best starting point. From Koh Samui, you can take a boat to Koh Phangan, Koh Tao, Koh Chang, Koh Kood and Koh Samet.
You can even sightsee around Bangkok by boat via the extensive river and canal system. Bangkok has two convenient boat and ferry commuter systems and offers an interesting alternative to get around Bangkok. The riverboats in Bangkok run express or local and travel either inside the city centre or outside.
Taking the Tourist boats of Bangkok is a picturesque way to sightsee all the major attractions such as the famous Wat Arun or Temple of Dawn, Grand Palace, Ratchawongse pier in Chinatown, and Tha Maharaj in the old city. These boats fly blue flags and stop at many of the major piers along the Chao Phraya river. You only have to buy one ticket and you can hop on and off any blue-flag boat by presenting your One-day River Pass. The cost is 40 baht per trip or 100 baht for the all-day pass. Canal boats also called Khlong boats, run on Bangkok’s major canals.
Many tourists like to opt for a romantic dinner river cruise along Chao Phraya river. There are many dinner cruises to choose from with some offering large buffet- dinners and live musical performances and others offering more intimate multi-course candle-lit dinners. The choice is yours.
For boating trips, prices vary depending on individual boat operator, routes, type of vessel and distance. You can book and pre-purchase your boat and ferry ticket online or buy direct at the ferry company office in various locations throughout Thailand. You can choose from one-way or return tickets.
For example:
Some online quoted prices for:
Many travellers prefer to pre-book their ferry tickets, however, it is easy to book a day before your trip and include transfers to the pier once you are in Thailand. You can book ferry tickets online or directly with operators in-country.
Overall, ferries in Thailand are considered to be as safe as anywhere in the world. Safety standards of ferries may vary amongst operators with overcrowding being one of the main issues.
Many travellers prefer to pre-book their ferry tickets. However, it’s really not necessary and you may be charged more. You can book tickets a day before through your hotel or pop into one of the many travel and transport agencies throughout Thailand to purchase your ferry tickets.
Phuket to the Phi Phi islands takes about 45 minutes via speed boat or an almost two-hour-long ferry ride.
The most frequented and busy ferry routes in Thailand are Surat Thani to Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, Krabi and Phuket to Koh Phi Phi, Krabi to Koh Lanta. There are various ferries and tour operators you can book with at any of these locations.
It is very easy! You will need to decide if you want to visit islands in the Andaman Sea or the Gulf of Thailand. You can book tickets a day before through your hotel or pop into one of the many travel and transport agencies throughout Thailand to purchase your ferry tickets. The main dilemma is deciding how long to stay on each island paradise!
Known as the gondolas of Southeast Asia, traditional Thai long-tail boats (Ruang Hang Yao in Thai) are iconic symbols often photographed lining shores of idyllic island locations. These vessels are used to transport thousands of tourists from island to island every year and are mainly found around Krabi and Phuket. They can be hired for private island-hopping at your own pace which is a really fantastic and fun way to take in these beautiful vast sights.
Ferries usually run on schedule.
Canal boats can cost between 9 -19 baht for one trip depending on the distance. Express river boat taxis trip costs can range from 2 -50 baht depending on the route. The cost of private sightseeing by boat or long-tail is not set and can be negotiated on time and distance.
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