Taxis

The most common way people arrive in Haad Yao is by taxi. These are also called �esongthaew�f which in Thai means �e2 rows�f. Typically songthaew are covered pickup trucks with two rows of seats in the back. They hold about 8 people in the back. Normally the front passenger seat is for the driver�fs mate. Unless you are old, invalid or pregnant you won�ft be invited to ride in the front.

Songthaews wait at Thongsala port for the ferry boats to arrive. There are plenty heading for Haad Yao. When the taxi is full they head off; not before, unless you pay extra money.

The cost per person to get from Thongsala to Haad Yao is 150 Thai Baht per person. You cannot negotiate because you are a group. It doesn�ft work.

The taxi will take you straight to whichever resort you mention. When the taxi is very full they sometimes strap your bags to the roof.

The taxi fare between Thongsala and Haad Rin is 100 Thai Baht. So to travel from Haad Yao to Haad Rin the fare should be 250 Thai Baht. If you are travelling back from the Full Moon Party expect to pay at least 300 Thai Baht.

Nearly all the resorts in Haad Yao run their own taxi service for the Full Moon Party. They also do a morning run for customers checking out and wanting to catch a ferry in Thongsala. They usually leave at 10am. Many places have taxi services at other times during the day.

If you want a taxi at other than scheduled times you might have to hire a taxi. This will cost between 500 and 800 Thai Baht.

Motorbikes

Nearly all the resorts in Haad Yao have motorbikes for hire. Most of them are basic automatic scooters with no gears. They cost between 200 and 250 Thai Baht a day. If you want a more powerful bike with gears you will need to pay a little more money. If you want to save money you can get slightly cheaper bikes for hire from Thongsala.

Always check a bike before renting it. Make sure the back brake is tight. If the bike has scratches then point them out, perhaps even take a picture of them as proof that they were done prior to your rental.

All rental places will insist on taking a passport before they will hand over the motorbike keys. If there is any new damage to the motorbike expect to be charged a hefty fee to get your passport back.

Offering a photocopy of your passport cuts no ice anywhere in Koh Phangan.

In Koh Phangan the police will not intervene in cases where a foreigner is complaining he or she is being over-charged for motorbike repairs.

The roads along the West coast are generally in good condition but they do have a few potholes. It is easy to get distracted by the scenery and hit a pothole.

People staying on the West Coast of Koh Phangan often opt for a motorbike especially if they are studying yoga in Srithanu but staying at a better beach like Haad Yao, Haad Salad or Haad Chao Phao.

Safety and the Police

Traditionally no one wore motorbike helmets in Koh Phangan. This is changing because the police have started fining people riding without a helmet. You might think this is a nuisance but a helmet can save your life.

You don't need a driving license to rent a motorbike or car in Koh Phangan, and the police won�ft ask to see one. However, you might find your travel insurance is invalidated for road accidents if you don�ft have a suitable driving license.

Most of the police check points are just outside Thongsala on the road to Haad Rin. As the full moon approaches the police step up their efforts to catch foreigners in possession of drugs.

Car Hire

Most of the vehicles for hire in Koh Phangan are either small jeeps or 4 wheel drives, invariably Japanese made. They cost between 1,500 Thai Baht and 2,500 Thai Baht a day to hire. Several of the resorts in Haad Yao claim they organize car hire. Whether it is their own vehicle or they use one of the rental agencies in Thongsala is not always clear.

As with motorbike hire, you have to leave your passport with the provider in order to rent a vehicle. And as with motorbike hire, if you damage the car expect to pay over the odds to get your passport back. No matter how friendly the people at your resort may seem, don�ft expect this friendliness to be apparent when it comes to estimating damages to a vehicle. The point is worth laboring.

Getting to and from Bangkok

At present everyone arrives in Koh Phangan by ferry. There are ferry connections between Koh Samui and Koh Tao as well as to Suratthani, Donsak and Chumphon on the mainland. Use the link on the left to find out more about the ferry timetables.

The quickest and most expensive way to get between Bangkok and Koh Phangan is to catch a Bangkok Airways flight to Koh Samui and then transfer onto a boat to Koh Phangan.

Slightly cheaper and a couple of hours longer is to take a flight and ferry package with Nok Air or Solar Air. They use airports on the mainland and transfer passengers to the high speed Catamaran service to Thongsala in Koh Phangan.

The cheap options are to buy a joint train/ boat ticket or bus / boat ticket. If you get a second class sleeper ticket on the train you can sleep during the journey. The bus has reclining seats and plays poor movies. These combined ticket journeys cost about 1,000 Thai Baht and take about 12 hours.

Koh Phangan Airport

Kan Air is a budget carrier that is at present building a short runway in the north east of the island near Thong Nai Pan and Than Sadet. The completion date is unknown. They will lay on 3 scheduled flights a day between Don Muang Airport in Bangkok and Koh Phangan. These flights won�ft be cheap but will save time and the expense of catching a taxi and boat from Koh Samui.