Getting to Koh Mak from Bangkok
Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok is well connected to most countries and major airports around the globe. From Bangkok National Airport you can fly straight to Trat (Bangkok Airways) or take a taxi to downtown Bangkok for about 400-1600 Baht (400-500 Baht for the regular taxis and up to 1600 Baht for the fancy city jeep taxis). Regular taxis can be found on the ground floor of the airport and they have fixed prices.
Flight, Taxi & Boat: Fly from Bangkok to Trat by Bangkok Airways. There is two flights daily. The flight takes 50 minutes and costs 80-125 €. From Trat airport you can take a taxi to Laem Ngop (Krom Luang pier). The taxi costs about 800-1000 Baht and takes 30-40 min. Then take a speedboat to Koh Mak island which is another 50 min trip. Speedboat cost 450 Baht. We recommend to email or call to Koh Mak Resort or Savanna Resort and book the taxi and speedboat. Then you can be sure that you have transportation (info@kohmakresort.com, + 66 89 6009 597, +66 39 501 013 or stay@seavanakohmak.com, +66 9 08645 646).
Bus, Taxi & Boat: Bangkok – Trat – Laem Ngop Harbor – and boat to Koh Mak
From Ekamai Bus Terminal (East bus terminal) in Bangkok there are several air-conditioned buses which go directly to Trat, daily. Bangkok – Trat by bus takes about 4.5 – 5.5 hours and costs about 250 Baht one way. Next, take a taxi from Trat to Laem Ngop, Krom Luang pier (17 kilometres). This trip would cost you about 400-500 Baht total (bus 250 Baht + taxi 100-250 Baht, depending on the number of passengers). The last leg of the journey is taking speedboat from Laem Ngop harbor to Koh Mak island. We recommend to email or call to Koh Mak Resort or Savanna Resort and book the speedboat. Then you can be sure that you have a spot in the boat (info@kohmakresort.com, + 66 89 6009 597, +66 39 501 013 or stay@seavanakohmak.com, +66 9 08645 646).
Minibus + Boat: Another option would be to take an air-conditioned mini bus from Khaosaan road in Bangkok or from your hotel, and drive straight to Laem Ngop (Krom Luang pier). This would take about 4-5 hours and cost 600- 1000 Baht. The mini-bus timetable is available at local travel agencies. Then take speedboat from Laem Ngop harbor to Koh Mak island. We recommend to email or call to Koh Mak Resort or Savanna Resort and book the speedboat. Then you can be sure that you have a spot in the boat (info@kohmakresort.com, + 66 89 6009 597, +66 39 501 013 or stay@seavanakohmak.com, +66 9 08645 646).
Book your own Minibus + Boat: This is not a bad idea if you are more than one person on the trip. One minibus/van can fit 8 people with luggages and cost 4500-5500 Baht. We recommend to email or call to Koh Mak Resort or Savanna Resort and book the Minibus and speedboat. Then you can be sure that you have transportation (info@kohmakresort.com, + 66 89 6009 597, +66 39 501 013 or stay@seavanakohmak.com, +66 9 08645 646).
Taxi from Bangkok to Trat + Boat: If you are only two or three people, a regular taxi (booked from the street or taxi center) can take you to Trat and Laem Ngop (Krom Luang pier) quickly (3-4 hours) and inexpensive. The trip is faster than Minibus and cost about 3000-3500 Baht/car. If you book the taxi from your Hotel in Bangkok, it might be much more costly. Then take speedboat from Laem Ngop harbor to Koh Mak island. We recommend to email or call to Koh Mak Resort or Savanna Resort and book the speedboat. Then you can be sure that you have a spot in the boat (info@kohmakresort.com, + 66 89 6009 597, +66 39 501 013 or stay@seavanakohmak.com, +66 9 08645 646).
Speedboat: Speed boats depart daily from Laem Ngop, Krom Luang pier (Krom Luang pier is about a 30 minute drive from Trat center) to Koh Mak. The timetables vary each year. Panan speedboat will arrive straight to Koh Mak resort’s pier. Other companies has their own piers around the island. Here is the newest 2019-2020 timetable web site (https://kohkoodferries.com/speedboats-koh-mak/ or www.kohmakspeedboat.net or http://www.kohmakresort.com/get_to_kohmak.php). Anyhow it is recommended to check the times online before your trip to make sure that the times hasn’t change. Remember to book the boat ticket in advance (one way booking is better than round trip) as the boats tend to be crowded during the high season. The speedboat takes 45-50 min and costs 450 Baht one way (12-13€). Make sure that you will be on the right pier (confirm the name of the pier when booking or call to Koh Mak resort to make sure you are in the right place). We recommend to email or call to Koh Mak Resort or Savanna Resort and book the speedboat. Then you can be sure that you have a spot in the boat (info@kohmakresort.com, + 66 89 6009 597, +66 39 501 013 or stay@seavanakohmak.com, +66 9 08645 646).
Slow Boat: Slow boat trip takes about 3 hours and costs 250 Baht (7 €/person). It departs twice daily from Laem Ngop (Krom Luang pier) at 12:30 and 16:00. Slow boat arrives to the Main pier (Ao Nid) of Koh Mak island. From there you can jump to any taxis, which will take you where you want to go. Taxi trip is 50 Baht/person or if you will find your own resort’s taxi, it will be free.
Catamaran (Koh Kood Fantasea): Started to run in 2013 and goes nicely and stably even in bigger waves. Tickets 450 Baht and takes 50 min from Laem Sok pier, Laem Ngop to Ao Nid pier (main pier), Koh Mak. From there you can jump to any taxi or ask someone to call you a taxi, which will take you where you want to go. Taxi trip is 50 Baht/person/trip or if you will find your own resort’s taxi, it will be free.
Web sites for the boat timetables, tickets and other information about traveling. The first website below has all the speedboat companies timetables from Laem Ngop pier to Koh Mak. The second one has Lilawadee speedboat company’s timetable from Leam Ngop pier to Makathanee Resort. Panan speedboat will depart from Laem Ngop pier (at 1pm and 4pm) and arrive to “our own” Koh Mak resort’s pier. Remember to book the speedboat ticket in advance (one way booking is better than round trip) as the boats tend to be crowded during the high season. You can book your ticket from your resort or from info@kohmakresort.com.
Taxi to Koh Mak Resort or Seavana Resort from anywhere in the island will cost 50 Baht/person/trip (1.5 €). If you cannot find the right Harbor or have any troubles, call to Koh Mak Resort + 66 89 6009 597, +66 39 501 013 or Seavana Resort +66 9 08645 64 or to your own resort.
www.kohkoodferries.com/speedboats-koh-mak
Group Trip from Bangkok to Koh Mak
Get to know your fellow Ashtanga yogis and yoginis by traveling together on the group trip (bus + speedboat) from downtown Bangkok directly to Koh Mak resort.
After the flight to Bangkok you might want to stay for a day or two in Bangkok and then travel with us to the retreat.
Note! We would need a minimum 20 students to pay the Group trip to make it even. If you are interested for a Group trip, please let us know and we will let you know if it will happen.
Departing on Wednesday Jan 3 at 7:30 am from Narai Hotel, Bangkok (222 Silom Road, phone +66 2 237 0100). The whole trip will take about 6 hours, but it is a nice way to see some Thailand’s country side and archipelago and get to meet the other yoga retreat participants. The cost is 65€ (Bus + boat). We won’t arrange a return group trip, but it will be easy to arrange it by yourself in Koh Mak, and we can provide assistance. Please let us know if you are interested about this option and book your seat on our group trip in advance.
If you would like to make a hotel reservation, check out http://www.agoda.com/ or www.booking.com for some reasonably-priced hotels in Bangkok.