Nathon · Piers & Ferries
Nathon Pier
Nathon Pier is Koh Samui's main and oldest ferry terminal, located in Nathon town on the west coast. It is the island's primary gateway to the mainland: Seatran Ferry runs car and passenger ferries to Donsak (Surat Thani) from here, and Lomprayah and Songserm also use Nathon for some passenger…
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- Nathon
- Checked 25 Sept
Insider tips
- Check your ticket for the exact pier: Seatran car ferries use Nathon, Raja car ferries use Lipa Noi.
- Buy combined ferry+bus/train tickets to Surat Thani town, train station or airport from operator counters - Donsak pier is about 70 km from Surat Thani city and onward road transport is needed.
- Arrive 30-60 minutes before departure; vehicles should arrive earlier for loading queues, especially on Thai holidays.
- Songthaews are much cheaper than taxis for the ride to Chaweng or Lamai in daytime.
The story
Nathon Pier sits in Nathon, the administrative and commercial capital of Koh Samui, on the island's west coast. It is the busiest and most important pier on the island for mainland travel. The main service is the Seatran Ferry vehicle and passenger ferry between Nathon and the Seatran Ferry Pier at Donsak on the mainland (Surat Thani province).
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The crossing takes about 1 hour 30 minutes and ferries run roughly hourly from early morning (about 05:00) to early evening (about 19:00). Cars, motorbikes and walk-on passengers are carried. Lomprayah high-speed catamarans and Songserm also use Nathon Pier for some routes, including services towards Donsak/Surat Thani, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, and Lomprayah temporarily moves its Maenam services to Nathon during bad weather.
A slow night ferry between Surat Thani town (Bandon pier) and Nathon has existed historically, but its current operation is uncertain — verify locally. The pier area has ticket offices, waiting areas, ATMs, currency exchange, convenience stores, cafes and food stalls, and Nathon town itself has banks, shops and government services. Taxis, songthaews (shared red pickup trucks) and motorbike taxis wait outside the terminal.
Note that two different companies run car ferries from Koh Samui to Donsak: Seatran from Nathon and Raja Ferry from Lipa Noi. Always check the pier name printed on your ticket, because a taxi driver told simply 'the car ferry' may take you to the wrong terminal.
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Checked 25 Sept 2026 · 9 sources
Sources and last check
- Last checked
- 25 Sept 2026
- What was checked
- Details checked 25 Sept 2026
- Next check due
- September 2027
Official sources
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Plus 9 other references and local research.
