Ko Samet

Most of Ko Samet, including all the good parts, is part of Khao Laem Ya-Mu Ko Samet National Park and thus has an entry fee. Thais pay 40 baht for adults, 20 baht for children current as of June 2009; foreigners pay 200 baht for adults, 100 baht for children current as of November 2009. This two-tier pricing policy is applicable to all national parks. If you can explain, however, that you actually live or work in Thailand, then you may not have to pay the "tourist" price. One excuse for the difference is that "Thai citizens pay taxes".

If your ferry arrives at the main pier and you take a songthaew to the beaches, there will be a stop at the main ticket checkpoint. The journey from the pier to the town centre is a fairly short stroll, taking less than ten minutes. If your ferry arrives at one of the beaches, an officer will collect the fee as you step out of the surf. Note that there is plenty of foot traffic in and out of the park to the 7-Eleven, ATM or other shops and restaurants and if you have no bags you can nonchalantly walk into the park without anyone checking your ticket. There is a road via the temple which avoids the checkpoint entirely. Note: some bungalows might give the impression that the entry fee is included in their booking, but it is not. You may also be asked to pay the park entry fee when boarding the ferry on the mainland, but if you mention you are staying outside the park boundaries they wont make you pay.

By ship

Ferries from Ban Phe or Nuan Thip they are about 1/8 mile apart, with Ban Phe to the north opposite a 7-11 to Ko Samet take around 30 to 45 minutes. Only buy a one-way ticket 50 baht, as there's no discount on round-trip tickets 100 baht and you won't have to worry about losing it or finding that your ticket isn't valid for the most convenient return ferry. Note: The ticket sellers may state that you must buy your national park ticket from them also but this can be done at the gate as you enter the park. They may also state that you cannot buy the return from the island, and must buy it at the Ban Phe pier. This is not true. Only buy a one-way ticket at Ban Phe pier.

Nuanthip pier tel +6638651508/+6638651514 runs boats to various piers on Ko Samet. One-way tickets are half the price of a round-trip, you might need to insist of booking one. The boats tend to wait until full so timetable is more like a hint than a fixed departure time.

Destination pier	Waiting for	priceround-trip
Nadan pier Hat Sai Kaew	20 pax	100 B
Ao Vongduean	7 pax	120 B
Ao Wai	7 pax	200 B
Ao Phrao	7 pax	120 B
Ao Kui Pakarang	7 pax	200 B
Samet cliff		120 B

Pier	schedule
Nadan pier	from 08:00 every hour until 18:00
Samet Cliff	from 08:00 every hour until 18:00
Ao Kui Pakarang	09:30, 11:30, 13:30, 15:30
Ao Wai	10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00
Ao Vongduean	08:30, 10:30, 12:30, 14:30, 16:30

Alternatively, there are two speedboat companies that operate from Ban Phe. Speedboat prices can range from 500 baht for the boat to NaaDaan pier to a few thousand baht for the outer-lying bays and beaches.

For the return from the Ko Samet public pier, take either the Nuan Thip or Ban Phe piers for your destination — it doesn't matter which one you departed from as they are only a short walk apart, and you might get an earlier boat back if you are willing to be flexible and return to a different pier. Both are served by songthaews: Ban Phe has an informal "taxi stand" in front of the 7-11 across the street with passenger cars used as cabs but no need to go looking for them as they will find you. It costs 200 baht for a ride from Ban Phe to the Novotel, quite a distance down the coast, in early 2009.

By Car And Taxi

As Ko Samet is an island, you first have to drive to Rayong. From Bangkok, you can take Sukhumvit Rd Highway No. 3 passing Chonburi, Si Racha, Pattaya, Sattahip and onto Rayong. The total distance to Rayong is approximately 220 kilometers. If you drive onto Highway No. 36 at Bang Lamung before Pattaya, you'll take a shortcut inland and save about 45 kilometers but the scenery is not as impressive.

Taxi services are available from Rayong. You need to specify Ban Phe since the pier at Ban Phe is at the lower outskirts of Rayong itself. The metered fare is approximately 1600 baht, but most drivers will want to go "off meter" for a fare ranging from 1500 baht some drivers don't realize the meter is slightly higher to 2000/2200/2500 baht. Expressway tolls of about 100 baht are additional. You can either grab a taxi from your hotel or guesthouse that is willing to make the drive on the spot, or pre-arrange a pickup from a taxi driver you like by asking for his cellphone number and calling to make a booking — the latter routine works best if you have a native Thai speaker to help you. Look for a later model taxi and do a quick visual check of the tires before committing to a trip. As a general precaution with all taxis in all countries, it's better to double up in a taxi with a friend on a long ride like this.

By bus

The bus from Bangkok's Eastern Bus Terminal Ekkamai to Ban Phe usually takes 3.5 hours, costs 173 baht current as of August 2012, and terminates opposite the ferry piers. There is no direct service to Ban Phe from Bangkok's Mo Chit Bus Terminal — it only brings you to Rayong, from where you can take a songthaew 20 baht to Ban Phe.

There are direct first class bus services between Rayong and Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport. If you take a regular bus from Pattaya or Sattahip, you'll need to take a songthaew or charter a tuk-tuk to the ferry piers.

There are also mini-vans that leave from Victory Monument in Bangkok's Phahonyothin district. They charge 250 baht per person and bring you directly to the ferry piers. This is a slightly nicer alternative to the larger tourist buses that depart from bus stations. The mini-vans drive faster than the tourist buses, but they also make several stops along the way in Rayong which makes the trip about the same time. Also, the ride is quite bumpy, so even reading a book is a challenge.