Home / Thailand / Koh Samet / Koh Samet (Koh Samed) Guide

A small but perfectly formed island just a short hop from Bangkok. Ko Samet is a popular destination for Bangkok folk to visit for the weekend, but many backpackers have had a great time here too. Beautiful white fine sand is one of its noticeable attributes, and it’s a protected national Park, so development should not get out of control. Because of its proximity to Bangkok, you will find it gets busy on the weekends, which affects accommodation availability (and prices)…

Note that there are reports of no functional ATMS on Koh Samet currently. Make sure to take cash with you – please send us information if you have any updates,

Points of Interest

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Weather Forecast

Thu
18 Dec

20 - 29°C

Average Max Temperature (°C)

Average Min Temperature (°C)

Average Humidity (%)

Average Daily Precipitation (mm)

Jan

30°C

19°C

68%

0mm

Feb

33°C

21°C

65%

1mm

Mar

34°C

24°C

65%

3mm

Apr

36°C

26°C

61%

3mm

May

34°C

25°C

76%

8mm

Jun

34°C

25°C

76%

8mm

Jul

32°C

25°C

82%

9mm

Aug

32°C

25°C

82%

10mm

Sep

31°C

24°C

87%

14mm

Oct

31°C

23°C

84%

5mm

Nov

31°C

22°C

76%

2mm

Dec

29°C

19°C

70%

0mm

How to Get to Koh Samet

The gateway port to Koh Samet is Ban Phe, Rayong Province. You can get there easily from Bangkok by taking a bus from Bangkok’s Eastern Bus Terminal (Ekkamai). This can take 3 – 4 Hours. Alternatively, you can get a mini-van booked through a local travel agent. This may be a bit quicker but more cramped. The quickest and most comfortable way is to book a taxi for a 2.5 to 3-hour journey (2 if you are lucky). If you share the cost with a couple of others, this won’t break the bank unless you are on a tight budget.

Be aware that there are several piers running at Ban Phe, so make sure you are at the right one if you have pre-booked your boat in advance. When at the port, you can take the slow boat, which leaves at regular intervals between 7:00 am and 5:00 pm, and take 30-45mins, costing about 100 baht, or take a speedboat. Prices for speedboats may vary if you wish to have the speedboat all by yourself. Prices are regulated so if the price is too steep, I’d double-check.

Once on the island, you will have to pay a national park fee of 200 baht for adult foreigners, for which you will receive a ticket which is worth keeping on you.

To get to your accommodation, unless you are staying by the pier, you will need to take a Songthaew.