Lipa Noi Pier

For many visitors to the island of Koh Samui, Lipa Noi Pier will be the first thing they see, although truth be told, most visitors will be admiring the absolutely beautiful surroundings rather than the pier itself! Lipa Noi is one of two main piers on Koh Samui, one of the best-known island destinations in Thailand, which is situated in the Gulf of Thailand and is the country’s second largest island after the equally famous Phuket.

Read about:
• Location of Lipa Noi Pier
• Lipa Noi Pier Ferry Services
• Facilities at Lipa Noi Pier

Location of Lipa Noi Pier

Lipa Noi Pier is also known as Raja Ferry Pier because Raja Ferry is the main company to use this pier. It is located on the west coast of Koh Samui, about halfway down the coast when traveling from north to south.

As mentioned, Lipa Noi is one of two main piers on the island, the other being Nathon Pier which is located several kilometers further north along the west coast. Nathon is a busier pier, as it’s used by several different ferry and boat companies, and the area around Nathon Pier is also busier with a lot more shops, restaurants and services available. This isn’t to say there is nothing at all at Lipa Noi Pier, it’s just quite a bit quieter. This makes it a very nice arrival point because, rather than seeing a bunch of buildings when you arrive at Koh Samui, you will get to immediately see some of the island’s natural beauty and appreciate just how scenic and relaxing it can be.

If you wanted to stay in this part of the island there are lovely beaches to enjoy, and there is a good selection of places to stay as well as restaurants and small grocery stores. Many visitors will head over to the east side of the island, which is more urbanized and busy, but if you’re looking for the quieter side of Koh Samui, stay in the area around Lipa Noi Pier.

If you are staying on the other side of the island, the main development is in the north east tip, close to Samui International Airport. From this area you can take a taxi to Lipa Noi Pier and the drive should take around an hour. This is because the interior of Koh Samui is mountainous rainforests, so the roads on the island tend to hug the coastline meaning you cannot drive straight across the island!

Lipa Noi Pier Ferry Services

Raja Ferry are the main users of Lipa Noi Pier, and they provide a great service to get you from the mainland. Ferries depart from Donsak Pier near Surat Thani, and because Koh Samui is the major island in the Gulf of Thailand, there are multiple services every day sailing direct from Donsak to Lipa Noi Pier.

Schedules and timetables are always subject to change, but as of now, there are 11 daily sailings to Koh Samui, spread across the day, and Raja Ferry also comment on their website that if the ferry is full during their peak rush hour times (05:00 to 06:00 and 12:00 to 16:00) they will provide an extra ferry to ensure that everyone waiting is able to travel with them to Lipa Noi Pier.

Raja Ferry Schedule between Lipa Noi Pier and Donsak Pier, Surat Thani

The first ferry of the day departs from Donsak Pier at 05:00, then after this there are almost hourly departures: 06:00, 07:00, 09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00 and the final ferry of the day is at 18:00. Going back to the mainland, there are 10 ferries per day from Lipa Noi Pier to Donsak, departing at 05:00, 07:00, 09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 17:00 and 19:00.

Traveling by Raja Ferry is a popular way to get to Koh Samui because they have those regular sailings and because their tickets are very affordably priced. Another advantage is that Raja Ferry boats are larger than most of the other ferry companies, and they can actually accommodate vehicles – great if you rented a car and want to use it to explore Koh Samui. A big advantage to sailing on a larger boat is that the ride is usually more stable than the smaller, faster boats, so this is good if you are prone to getting sea sick.

The main disadvantage with Raja Ferry is that their boats are slower. It is scheduled to take 90 minutes to go from Donsak to Lipa Noi Pier. While this is not a ridiculous amount of time, most other ferry companies can get you there faster.

Whether you are going from Lipa Noi to Donsak or the other way around, you can buy tickets at the pier before the sailing you want, or you can buy them online in advance. If you are happy navigating the Raja Ferry website there is a booking page there, or you could use the reputable travel booking website, 12Go. Booking through them you get instant confirmation and are able to board with an e-ticket presented on your mobile device.

Raja Ferry Schedule between Lipa Noi Pier and Thong Sala Pier, Koh Phangan

Raja Ferry also has two ferries per day from Lipa Noi to Koh Phangan, if you wanted to travel over to Koh Samui’s sister island and see its amazing scenery or experience the Full Moon Party! These ferries depart from Lipa Noi Pier at 07:00 and 16:30 and the sailing time is 90 minutes, and you can come back this way too, leaving Koh Phangan at 09:30 or 18:30, arriving at Lipa Noi 90 minutes later.

Facilities at Lipa Noi Pier

As we talked about before, Lipa Noi Pier is situated in a quieter part of the island of Koh Samui so although there are services and accommodation nearby, these are somewhat limited compared to the area around Nathon Pier. The same can be said for Lipa Noi Pier itself – it is quite basic, essentially just the pier with nothing on it. The Raja Ferry office is close by and there will always be stalls selling food and drinks if you want to buy something before getting on the ferry, otherwise, this is really it for the facilities at Lipa Noi Pier.

How many Ferry terminals are there on Koh Samui?

Koh Samui has two main piers on the island Lipa Noi Pier is one and the other being Nathon Pier which is located several kilometers further north along the west coast.

How much does a Ferry cost from Lipa Noi Pier to Koh Phangan?

The average price is around 220 THB to go from Lipa Noi Pier to Koh Phangan by Raja Ferry.

How much does a Ferry cost from Lipa Noi Pier to Surat Thani?

The ferry price is 300-500 THB to go from Lipa Noi Pier to Surat Thani by Raja Ferry and it includes a bus to the end station of your choice: Surat Thani Airport, Surat Thani Train Station, Surat Thani Town.