Located off the east coast of Kra Isthmus of Thailand, Koh Samui is the country’s second largest island after Phuket. It is a dream destination for budget travellers and backpackers visiting Thailand, as well as to the lavish holidaymakers. From the palm-fringed beaches to the densely wooded rainforests, from the luxurious spa resorts to the iconic 12m-tall Big Buddha statue at Wat Phra Yai Temple –Koh Samui has its own unique appeal amidst an already tourist-thronged Thailand. You can reach Koh Samui by either a flight or a car. Other than that, you can also take a ferry from Bangkok to Koh Samui for an amazing experience.

Koh Samui has its own international airport, located 2 km north of the island’s main village Chaweng. The best way to reach Koh Samui from India is to take a connecting flight via the capital, Bangkok. Thailand being a major tourist destination from India, there are numerous flights to Koh Samui via Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport as well as Don Mueang International Airport, from major Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore. Chennai serves one of the fastest flights of 5 hours 40 mins, via Bangkok. Bangalore and Delhi come a close second at a little more than 6-hour flights. These flights are operated by Thai Airways till Bangkok and from thereon by Bangkok Airways. One of the easiest ways to reach Koh Samui is the 7-hour Bangkok Airways flight – it has one stop at Bangkok but no change of airlines.

There are 19 flights every day from Bangkok to Koh Samui by Bangkok Airlines, and Thai Airways has 2 flights per day. There are flights from India via Kuala Lumpur and Singapore as well, operated by Malaysian and Singapore Airlines.

Seaway travel to Koh Samui is a cheaper option than flight, but also a time consuming one. But it helps if you are travelling on a budget and time is not a factor for you. Fly direct to Bangkok via Thai Airways or Bangkok Airways and then take a flight to Surat Thani. There are more than 13 flights per day from Bangkok to Surat Thani, all taking 2 hours approximately. The fastest flight is by Nok Air, which flies on all days except Saturday. It leaves at 6:05 AM and reaches by 7:25 AM. Thai AirAsia and Thai Smile have everyday flights too. From Surat Thani, you have to take a bus to the pier and take a ferry to Koh Samui. The boat ride will take around 1 hour 45 minutes.

Travelling from India to Thailand by road is going to be a difficult task, but it is actually one of the doable long drives from India. Thanks to the newly inaugurated trilateral highway, India to Thailand is now connected with one direct road via Myanmar. The route starts from Moreh in Manipur, India and runs for approximately 4,305 kilometres and takes around a week to complete comfortably. From Moreh, the major stop points would be Tamu, Mandalay and Myawady in Myanmar, and then continue to Mae Sot Tak in Bangkok. From Bangkok, take a bus to Surat Theni and then a ferry to Koh Samui from Surat Theni pier.

Songthaews are the most popular local transport. It is a combination of a mini-van and a tuk-tuk, with a fully covered front like a van, and a partially open seating arrangement in the back, comfortably accommodating 8-10 adults on the back. They are the cheapest and most easily available public transport in Koh Samui. If you are travelling solo, get yourself a scooter taxi, driven by a rider as you sit pillion. They are faster and cheaper than normal taxis and can zoom through smaller lanes easily. Other than that, local taxis are always there if you want to travel more comfortably. There are stops for bicycle and motorbike rentals as well.