Songserm

Songserm is a ferry and bus operator that specializes in ferry services throughout the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. It offers joint bus&ferry tickets, too, connecting Bangkok and destinations in the south of Thailand with the islands of the Gulf.

Songserm ferry advertises itself as the oldest express boat company to provide service to the islands the Gulf and the Andaman Sea.

Songserm express boats ply the seas between Chumphon and Surat Thani on the mainland and Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand.

In the Andaman Sea, Songserm express ferries connect Koh Phi Phi with Phuket, Krabi and Koh Lanta as well as to the three above mentioned islands of the Gulf of Siam.

The company’s joint bus&ferry tickets are a convenient and budget-friendly way to get from Bangkok to the islands avoiding the hassle of self-connection.

Songserm’s most popular routes include:

From Bangkok to the islands of the Gulf

All tickets from Bangkok to the islands – Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui – are combination tickets.

It means that from Bangkok you are bussed to the port first and then you have to hop onto Songserm’s ferry. It is the contrary order in the opposite direction.

In Bangkok, the company’s buses leave from the Songserm Khao San Road office next to Siam Oriental Inn.

All departures from Khao San Songserm station are night buses. Taking a night bus is a sensible way to save your daytime. Buses arrive to the pier early in the morning allowing you to get to your destination before or around noon the day after you have left Bangkok.

Travellers heading to any of the three islands use the same Songserm bus regardless of their final destination.

Those heading to Koh Tao board Songserm boat at Chumphon.

Passengers travelling to Koh Samui and Koh Phangan continue their bus trip to Donsak pier in Surat Thani where they board a ferry heading first to Koh Samui and then to Koh Phangan.

1. Koh Tao – 15-16 hours
2. Koh Samui – 16h30m-17h30m
3. Koh Phangan – 17-18 hours

In the opposite direction, there is one departure a day from each island around noon to allow you to cross the sea before dark and hop onto a night bus to arrive to Khao San Songserm office in Bangkok early the next morning.

Those travelling from Koh Phangan and Koh Samui change for a bus in Surat Thani; a ferry from Koh Tao brings you to Chumphon to catch the same bus that travels up from Surat Thani.

Between Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao

Songserm is a good option for island-hopping between Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao.

The company’s ferries connect all the three islands of the Gulf with each other:

• Koh Samui to Koh Phangan
• Koh Samui to Koh Tao
• Koh Phangan to Koh Tao

They also link these islands to the mainland:

• Koh Samui to Surat Thani Town with an option of onward transportation to Surat Thani airport or train station
• Koh Phangan to Surat Thani via Koh Samui
• Koh Tao to Matapon pier in Chumphon with an option of onward transportation to Chumphon Town, airport or train station.

Bangkok–Andaman Coast

Songserm offers transportation services between the capital and destinations on the Andaman coast and islands in the Andaman Sea.

From Bangkok, there are direct Songserm busses to:

• Krabi Town
• Ao Nang

There are also bus&ferry combination trips to:

• Railay Beach
• Koh Phi Phi
• Koh Lanta

All these trips depart from Bangkok’s railway station, Hua Lamphong.

Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao–Andaman Coast

The company’s combination trips are also a great option to travel from the islands of the Gulf to the Andaman region.

There are convenient all-inclusive ferry&bus&ferry deals from Koh Phangan and Koh Samui to Koh Phi Phi (8–8h30m) as well as to Krabi, Ao Nang and Railay Beach among others taking from 5 to 8 hours depending on your destination.

1. Songserm is one of the best options for visitors looking to travel between the stunning islands of the lower part of the Gulf with a huge range of routes available.

2. The overnight combination trips on routes from Bangkok are a great time-saving way to reach the islands.

3. The combination tickets from Bangkok to the islands are a good hassle-free option as the price includes both the bus and ferry tickets. This is far easier than travelling from Bangkok to the coast and then having to purchase a separate ticket for a ferry to your destination.

4. Songserm offers some of the cheapest combination tickets from Bangkok to the islands.

1. The biggest issue is the duration of some of these trips. As there is only a limited number of ferry services available, you can sometimes have a wait of several hours between getting off the bus and boarding the ferry. This is less than ideal if the trip is already 10 or 12 hours long anyway!

2. Travel time over the same route varies depending on the departure time, so always check the duration of each trip before you book your ticket to avoid a longer trip than necessary.