Koh Lanta Ferry Guide: Routes, Times & Which to Take

Featured image: Steven Belcher from Oakland, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Quick answer: which Koh Lanta ferry do you need?

Ko Lanta is a cluster of islands. Road traffic reaches Lanta Yai over a short car ferry and a bridge. Passenger boats serve Krabi town, Phuket, Phi Phi and the southern islands. If you ride a public minibus from Krabi, you cross by car ferry without booking anything extra. If you want a boat, you sail into Saladan Pier on Lanta Yai. Fares and times below are reported figures, so check the current timetable with your agent or hotel before you commit.

Krabi to Koh Lanta ferry: boat or minibus plus car ferry

In high season, roughly 1 November to 30 March, a boat leaves Klong Jilad Pier in Krabi town at 11:30. Fares are reported at 400 baht for about two hours. The return from Lanta sails at 08:30. Shared speedboats are also listed at roughly one hour, with fares from 380 to 800 baht. Exact dates vary by company. The all-year alternative is a public minibus from Krabi bus station. Reported departures run hourly from 07:00 to 17:00 at 250 baht, and the ride takes two hours or more if the car ferry queues. Hotel pickup in Krabi is usually a paid extra. Confirm the current boat schedule before you plan around it. Our Krabi route details go deeper on this leg.

The Hua Hin car ferry: bringing a car, bike or minibus

Hua Hin Pier sits in Khlong Thom district, about 70 km south of Krabi town. Cars, bikes and minibuses cross here to Ko Lanta Noi. A reported fare is 23 baht per person and 90 baht per car. Minibus tickets usually include the passenger fee. After landing, it is about 8 km across northern Lanta Noi and over a bridge to Saladan on Lanta Yai. So yes, you can bring a car, but only on this crossing. Foot passengers face a gap here. If a driver drops you at the pier without a ticket onward, expect to pay around 300 baht for a sidecar motorbike taxi to Lanta Yai. Confirm current fares and hours locally.

Koh Lanta ferry from Phuket and Phi Phi by boat

Phuket boats leave from Rassada Pier and dock at Saladan. Slow ferries depart Lanta at 08:00 and 13:00. Reported fares are 450 baht to Phi Phi and 800 baht to Phuket. These slow boats are listed as running all year. In high season, a couple of speedboats leave at 13:00. They cost about 800 baht to Phi Phi and 1,500 baht to Phuket. Crossing times differ between operators. Expect roughly 1.5 hours by speedboat to Phuket and up to about 3.75 hours on slower boats. Treat these as rough guides. Rough seas can change sailings. Our Phuket crossing guide has the full route.

Island-hopping south from Saladan

Three operators run southbound routes in high season: Bundhaya, Satun Pakbara Speed Boat Club and Tigerline. Speedboats are reported to leave Lanta at 10:30. Do not expect punctuality from any of them. Tigerline has also been reported to continue to Langkawi, so confirm that status before you rely on it. In low season, go by minibus to Trang for local boats to Ko Ngai, Muk, Kradan and Libong. For Ko Lipe, go to Pakbara instead.

• Ko Ngai: about 650 baht
• Ko Muk: about 900 baht
• Ko Kradan: about 1,150 baht
• Ko Bulon Lae: about 1,600 baht
• Ko Lipe: about 1,900 baht

Ferry costs and tickets: how and where to book

Tickets are sold by any travel agent on the island and in Krabi. Boat tickets usually include hotel pickup. Local agents can bundle that pickup and answer timetable questions in person. Online aggregators let you compare operators, but their listings can lag behind seasonal changes. Neither route is always cheaper, so compare both. Think in trade-offs. A minibus plus car ferry costs about 250 baht but takes longer. A speedboat or van transfer saves time and costs more. Weather and sea-sickness risk rise on open-water boats. Keep a minibus fallback in mind. Ask whether baggage is handled at the pier or loaded by you.

Arriving at Saladan Pier: taxis, hotels and getting around

Saladan has plenty of waiting taxis. Ignore boat staff who sell overpriced hotel transfers before you land. You do not need to prepay one. The island is about 30 km long, so your hotel's beach matters. Staying near Saladan means shorter transfers, while quieter beaches lie farther south. Sidecar motorbike taxis start at about 100 baht from Saladan to Khlong Dao and climb quickly with distance. Motorbike rental is reported at 150 to 250 baht, and economy cars start around 1,100 baht a day. Many roads are potholed and have little room for pedestrians. Skip riding if you lack experience or a license.

Flying in: the Krabi Airport route

Krabi International (KBV) is about 70 km north of Ko Lanta. A shared minibus costs a reported 400 baht and leaves hourly from 07:00 to 15:00. A private taxi is reported at 2,300 baht. A pre-booked van plus speedboat transfer costs about 2,045 baht per adult and is the fastest option. Pre-booking helps because no airport booth was noticed. See our airport transfer options for step-by-step detail.

Rainy-season ferry problems and common mistakes

From about May to October, many island and mainland boats stop running. Phuket and Phi Phi slow ferries and the Krabi minibus keep going. Weather can still cancel a sailing, so check conditions the day before. Avoid these errors:

• Assuming one ferry serves every route on Ko Lanta.
• Arriving off-season and expecting a Krabi or southern-island boat.
• Prepaying an inflated hotel transfer from boat staff.
• Skipping the timetable and weather check.
• Booking an onward flight or bus with a tight connection after a boat leg.