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)…
Points of Interest
Weather Forecast
Thu
12 Sep
23 - 31°C
4mm
100%
Fri
13 Sep
25 - 32°C
3mm
61%
Sat
14 Sep
23 - 29°C
3mm
58%
Sun
15 Sep
24 - 31°C
1mm
58%
Mon
16 Sep
24 - 30°C
17mm
74%
Tue
17 Sep
23 - 30°C
16mm
80%
Wed
18 Sep
24 - 31°C
3mm
80%
Thu
19 Sep
24 - 31°C
12mm
83%
Fri
20 Sep
24 - 31°C
9mm
74%
Sat
21 Sep
25 - 32°C
6mm
74%
Sun
22 Sep
25 - 30°C
17mm
80%
Mon
23 Sep
23 - 25°C
18mm
83%
Tue
24 Sep
23 - 24°C
8mm
71%
Wed
25 Sep
23 - 26°C
6mm
67%
Historic Weather (2022)
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.
