Field note · Thailand · Krabi

Ko Lanta

Ko Lanta is still an island you drive on to. There used to be two car ferries; one of them was replaced by the Siri Lanta Bridge between Ko Lanta Noi and Ko Lanta Yai in 2015, and the other, from Ban Hua Hin on the mainland across to Ko Lanta Noi, is still running and still queues. The bridge that will finally join the island to the Krabi mainland was only signed in August 2026 and is not due to open until about 2029. So everything by road from Krabi, Trang or the airports is a minivan plus that one ferry, usually sold as a single through ticket. By sea, Saladan pier at the north tip takes the boats: Ko Phi Phi and Phuket run more or less year-round, Ao Nang and the run south to Ko Ngai, Ko Mook, Ko Kradan and Ko Lipe only from about mid-October to May. Between mid-May and mid-October those routes stop, much of the west coast closes and the island empties. On the island itself there is one main road down the west coast, with songthaews and tuk-tuks on it and hired scooters everywhere; the paving runs out before the national park in the far south.

Researched: 22 September 2026
Reviewed: not yet
Ways of moving: 9, 32 sources
Not confirmed: 8
Fares seen: 2022–2026

How transport works here

9 ways of moving, each with its rule

We confirmed eight ways of moving to, from or around Ko Lanta: five by water, two by road and one under your own steam, from 32 sources. One entry is not a service at all but a rule that decides whether travel happens: a permit, a closure, a border, a season or an authority's say-so. One of them runs only on demand or when the seats are full, so there is no timetable to show; the rule is written where the timetable would be.

The fares were seen in 2022 to 2026; a fare from an older year is a floor, not a price. We rate 5 of the 9 high confidence, our own judgement of the sources. The entry was checked on 22 September 2026, and ends with eight things we could not confirm.

5 ways

By water

ferry

Ban Hua Hin to Khlong Mak car ferry

Ban Hua Hin pier on the Krabi mainland to Khlong Mak pier on Ko Lanta Noi, then the Siri Lanta Bridge on to Ko Lanta Yai

Turn off Highway 4 on to Route 4206 about 20 km south-east of Krabi airport and drive to the end of the road; the ramp is at Ban Hua Hin. On the far side you are on Ko Lanta Noi, where you turn right and follow the road across the Siri Lanta Bridge to Ko Lanta Yai. That bridge, opened in 2015, replaced what used to be a second car ferry, so there is now only one crossing to queue for. It is a roll-on barge, not a passenger service, and it carries cars, vans, motorbikes and foot passengers together. Afternoons are the worst: allow two to three hours from Krabi and expect the queue rather than the crossing to be what costs you the time. The mainland bridge that will replace this ferry was contracted on 31 August 2026 and is not expected before about 2029.

When: Shuttles continuously through the day; Wikivoyage records operating hours of 07:00 to 22:00. Long vehicle queues at peak times, reported at hours rather than minutes in November 2025
Takes: The crossing itself is a few minutes; budget 2–3 hours Krabi to Ko Lanta Yai door to door, more in the afternoon
Fare 2026: Not confirmed. No current tariff for the Hua Hin to Khlong Mak crossing could be found from an operator or a Thai government page – see gaps. On a through ticket from Krabi the crossing is included in the fare

SeasonYear-round, all weathers. It is the only land route on and off the island in low season. BookingNone. Drive on and pay at the ramp. Run byLocal ferry concession under Krabi province; the bridge is a Department of Rural Roads project.

ferry

Ko Phi Phi and Phuket passenger ferries into Saladan

Phuket Rassada pier and Ko Phi Phi Tonsai pier to Saladan pier, Ko Lanta Yai

Saladan is the little town at the northern tip of the island and its pier is where every passenger boat lands. The Tigerline and Siri Lanta check-in counter is directly in front of Saladan pier; check-in opens 60 minutes before departure and you can be refused boarding if you are not checked in 20 minutes before. Most operators throw in a hotel pickup or drop on the island, so ask before you pay a truck separately. The Phuket boat is a slow ferry that calls at Ko Phi Phi on the way, which is why it takes four to five hours; the Phi Phi leg on its own is one hour. Luggage room on the smaller boats is limited.

When: Two to three arrivals a day in low season, several more in high season. Late September 2026 into Saladan: Rassada 08:30 ferry arriving 12:30, Rassada 10:00 speedboat arriving 11:30, Tonsai 11:30 arriving 12:30. Outbound from Saladan to Phi Phi at 12:30 and 16:00, and to Phuket at 08:00
Takes: Ko Phi Phi to Saladan 1 hour; Phuket Rassada to Saladan 4 to 5 hours on the ferry, about 1 hour 40 minutes by speedboat
Fare 2026: September 2026: Phi Phi to Saladan 550–600 baht adult, 400 baht child; Phuket Rassada to Saladan 900 baht adult, 700 baht child on the ferry and 1,400–1,500 baht by speedboat. Saladan to Phi Phi 600–800 baht depending on operator; Saladan to Phuket 1,100 baht

SeasonRuns all year, but thinned to one or two sailings a day from about mid-May to mid-October and cancelled in heavy weather. BookingOnline with the operator or a reseller, or at any agent in Saladan. Book ahead in high season; in low season turn up. Run byLanta Petpailin, Tigerline Ferry and Siri Lanta Speedboat, Bundhaya Speed Boat, Andaman Wave Master.

speedboat

Ao Nang and Railay speedboats

Nopparat Thara pier at Ao Nang, and the floating pier at East Railay, to Saladan pier

Nopparat Thara pier is a few minutes north of Ao Nang beach and is the departure point for the whole Krabi-side speedboat network; Railay is a pickup on the same run. This is the quick way between the Krabi beaches and Ko Lanta and it avoids the car ferry entirely, but it is a seasonal service and it is a speedboat, so it is a wet, bouncy ride in any swell. Buy through an Ao Nang agent or online. There is no longer a scheduled passenger ferry from Krabi Town's Klong Jilad pier on the operators checked here – the old 08:00 Krabi-to-Lanta boat should not be counted on.

When: Roughly one to three departures a day in season; a Bundhaya boat leaves Ao Nang at 10:10 and reaches Saladan at 11:40
Takes: 1 hour 30 minutes Ao Nang to Saladan
Fare 2026: From 1,115–1,250 baht per person one way (2026)

SeasonSeasonal. Operators list the Ao Nang–Lanta window as roughly 15 October to 20 May, with a short extra run in some years; nothing scheduled through the middle of the wet season. BookingOnline or through any Ao Nang or Saladan agent, a day or two ahead in high season. Run byBundhaya Speed Boat, Tigerline and Siri Lanta, Ao Nang Travel and Tour.

speedboat

Southbound to Ko Ngai, Ko Mook, Ko Kradan and Ko Lipe

Saladan pier to Ko Ngai, Ko Mook, Ko Kradan, Ko Libong, Ko Sukorn, Ko Bulone, Ko Lipe and on to Langkawi

Ko Lanta is the northern end of the Trang and Satun island chain, and the same boat that leaves Saladan in the morning works its way down it. Ko Ngai is only half an hour away, Ko Mook fifty minutes, so island-hopping south is easy if you are there in the right months. Boats leave from Saladan pier; the operators check in at their own counters in front of it. Some southbound services drop you on a beach rather than a pier, with a longtail shuttle for the last few metres, and that shuttle is sometimes an extra charge. Langkawi is a two-leg trip with an overnight on Ko Lipe. Nothing at all runs on this chain in the wet season.

When: Typically one or two departures a day in season, usually mid-morning. Tigerline runs Saladan to Ko Lipe at 09:00, arriving 14:45, and a faster 10:30 boat arriving 13:00
Takes: Ko Ngai 30 minutes, Ko Mook 50 minutes, Ko Kradan 1 hour 10 minutes, Ko Lipe 2 hours 30 minutes to 5 hours 45 minutes depending on the boat
Fare 2026: From Saladan, 2026 starting fares: Ko Ngai 650 baht, Ko Mook 900 baht, Ko Kradan 950 baht, Ko Lipe 1,700 baht by speedboat. Tigerline quoted 1,590 baht for the slow Lipe run and 1,750 baht for the fast one. Langkawi from 3,100 baht

SeasonStrictly seasonal. Operators publish these routes as running roughly 15 October to 20 May, and some only 1 November to 4 May. Searches for Ko Ngai and Ko Mook from Saladan returned nothing at all for late September, November and January dates on one operator, so confirm before you plan around them. BookingOnline with the operator or at a Saladan agent. In season these fill, so book a day or two ahead. Run byBundhaya Speed Boat, Tigerline Ferry and Siri Lanta Speedboat, Satun Pakbara operators.

boat

Day boats to Ko Rok, Ko Haa and the four islands

Saladan pier to Ko Rok Nok and Ko Rok Nai, Ko Haa, Ko Bida, and the Trang four-island circuit

These are day trips, not transport, and they are the reason a lot of people come. Ko Rok is a pair of uninhabited islands about 47 km south with white sand and shallow reef; Ko Haa is a cluster of five limestone islets that is the main dive site within reach of Lanta. Both sit inside Mu Ko Lanta National Park, so a marine park fee is charged on top of whatever you paid the boat, in cash, and it is not usually in the advertised price. Book at a dive shop or agent in Saladan, or through your resort, which will arrange the pickup. Trips leave early – Ko Rok boats go at 08:00 and get back between 15:00 and 16:00. Speedboat trips are an hour and a quarter each way; the older wooden boats take twice that but are far more comfortable in swell. Longtails are for short local hops and snorkelling off Lanta itself, not for the outer islands.

When: Daily in high season for the four-island and Ko Haa trips; Ko Rok is less frequent, roughly weekly on a given dive boat's schedule
Takes: Ko Rok 1 hour 15 minutes each way by speedboat; full day 08:00 to about 15:00 or 16:00
Fare 2026: Guided snorkelling day trip 2,000 baht adult and 1,250 baht for children aged 4 to 10, excluding the marine park fee (2026). Diving is charged separately by the dive shops

SeasonHigh season only in practice. The outer islands are exposed and the trips stop in the wet months; Mu Ko Lanta National Park closes parts of its area seasonally. BookingA day or two ahead at a Saladan dive shop or agent. Bring cash for the park fee. Run byLanta Diver, Blue Planet Divers and other Saladan dive shops and tour agents.

2 ways

By road

combined transfer

Minivan and ferry through tickets from Krabi and Trang

Krabi airport, Krabi Town, Ao Nang, Trang airport, Trang town and Trang railway station to Saladan and the west coast beaches

This is how most people arrive. One ticket covers an air-conditioned minivan, the car ferry crossing and a drop at your resort, and you buy it through your hotel, a tourist agent or an online reseller rather than at a bus station. Krabi airport is about 70 km away and the standard shared van takes roughly two and a half hours; Trang is the option if you are coming up from the south or off the Bangkok sleeper train. Vans pick up and drop other passengers along the way, so allow three to four hours in the direction of a flight. Luggage space is the usual complaint – a ten-seat van has room for a couple of big cases at most, so a heavy group should take a private vehicle. Speedboat transfers are sold as a faster alternative: van from Krabi airport to the first pier, then a boat straight to Saladan, cutting out the ferry queue.

When: Shared vans roughly hourly from Krabi airport through the morning and into the afternoon; Trang services are fewer and usually tied to train and flight arrivals
Takes: Krabi airport to Saladan about 2 hours 30 minutes, 3 to 4 hours in the other direction with pickups. Van plus speedboat about 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours
Fare 2026: No live 2026 tariff was found. Reported figures: shared van Krabi airport to Ko Lanta 250–300 baht prearranged and 400–500 baht bought at the airport; Krabi Town to Ko Lanta 350–400 baht a head; private van or car charter 2,000 baht, 2,500 baht for the south of the island; Surat Thani train station to Saladan by bus and ferry 600 baht. Pimalai Resort quotes 2,900 baht per van for a Krabi mainland pickup and 6,350 baht per van from Phuket airport (2026)

SeasonYear-round. In low season this is often the only way in. BookingThrough your hotel or a local agent a day ahead, or online. Give them your flight number – the van waits for the flight, not the other way round. Run byIndependent van operators and Krabi travel agents; resorts run their own vans.

songthaew

Songthaews, tuk-tuks and resort pickups on the main road

Saladan south down the west coast road through Klong Dao, Long Beach, Khlong Khong, Khlong Nin and Kantiang Bay; east across to Lanta Old Town

One paved road runs almost the whole length of the west coast and everything with wheels uses it. Tuk-tuks and songthaews wait at Saladan pier and along the main road and can be flagged down. If you arrive by boat your resort will almost certainly meet you at the pier with a pickup truck – you ride in the tray on a bench, and if you want the cab you have to ask, because the driver treats it as his. Learn the names of the resorts near yours: drivers navigate by resort, not by address, and will often want to set you down at a neighbouring place with a better access track. Lanta Old Town, the original trading harbour on the east coast, is a separate run across the island and worth asking the price for before you set off. The road south towards Mu Ko Lanta National Park headquarters is unpaved for the last stretch and becomes difficult in rain; you cannot continue up the east side from there.

When: On demand through the day, thinning after dark and in low season
Takes: Saladan to Klong Dao a few minutes; Saladan to Kantiang Bay in the south about 45 minutes
Fare 2022: A short hop such as Saladan to Klong Dao beach was 40 baht; longer runs down the island are negotiated. No 2025 or 2026 tariff was foundSeen in 2022: a floor, not a price.

SeasonYear-round; fewer vehicles about in the wet season. BookingNone. Agree the fare before you get in, and ask your resort what the going rate is. Run byIndependent tuk-tuk and songthaew drivers; resorts and dive shops run their own trucks.

One way

Rules, permits and closures

service status

Low season, mid-May to mid-October

Affects every boat route except Phi Phi and Phuket, and much of what is open on the island

The southwest monsoon runs from about May to October and it takes the island's transport with it. Operators publish their Ao Nang, Ko Ngai, Ko Mook, Ko Kradan and Ko Lipe routes as seasonal, typically 15 October to 20 May or 1 November to 4 May, and simply do not sell them outside that window. What is left is one or two boats a day from Ko Phi Phi and Phuket, plus the road and the car ferry, which run all year. Resorts that use their own beach boats switch to the road: Pimalai's boat to its own beach runs 1 November to 30 April and from 1 May to 31 October guests come in via Khlong Mak pier by van instead. A lot of the west coast beach bars, dive shops and small resorts close outright. The upside is empty beaches and low room rates; the downside is that if a boat is cancelled there may not be another for a day. If you are travelling in this window, plan to come and go by road.

When: Annual, roughly mid-May to mid-October
Takes: About five months
Fare 2026: No charge, but expect to pay more for the road transfer that replaces the boat you wanted

SeasonSouthwest monsoon, May to October; dry northeast monsoon November to April. BookingNothing to book. Check whether your route is listed as seasonal before you buy anything else. Run byAll operators.

One way

On foot, by bike, or otherwise

scooter hire

Scooters, sidecar taxis and jeeps

Anywhere on Ko Lanta Yai, and across the Siri Lanta Bridge to Ko Lanta Noi

Almost every local rides a motorbike and rental shops line the main road and cluster in Saladan. Expect to be asked for your passport as a deposit; a driving licence card or a photocopy plus your hotel address is usually accepted instead, and is the safer thing to hand over. Check the brakes and take photographs of the existing damage before you ride away. Petrol is sold from bottles and pumps at stalls all along the road. Motorcycle taxis with sidecars will take you on the unpaved southern roads, slowly. Jeeps are hired for the day; read the insurance and the contract, because the combination of the island's roads and inexperienced drivers is hard on vehicles. An international driving permit is required for a legal rental and for your travel insurance to hold.

When: Any time, walk in
Takes: End to end on the island is about 30 km, an hour or so by scooter
Fare 2022: Scooter around 250 baht a day, petrol about 40 baht a litre, jeep about 1,200 baht a day. These are 2022 figures and no newer published rate was foundSeen in 2022: a floor, not a price.

SeasonYear-round; the unpaved southern road is unpleasant after rain. BookingNone needed. Run byIndependent rental shops, resorts and dive shops.

Not confirmed

What we could not find out

8 things the researcher looked for and did not find, in their own words, with where to ask instead. None of this goes into the planner; it stays here until someone confirms it.

01
This corrects the brief. There are not two car ferries and there are no new bridges from Krabi. The Siri Lanta Bridge between Ko Lanta Noi and Ko Lanta Yai opened in 2015 and replaced the inner of the two ferries; the outer one, Ban Hua Hin to Khlong Mak, is still the only way to drive on to the island. The mainland bridge, 2.527 km from Ko Klang to Ko Lanta Noi at 1.8 billion baht with a World Bank loan, only had its mangrove land use approved in June 2026 and its construction contract signed on 31 August 2026, with a Malaysian contractor and an opening expected around 2029. Nothing about the crossing has changed for travellers yet.
02
No tariff for the Hua Hin to Khlong Mak car ferry could be found. Krabi province, the Ko Lanta district office and the Department of Rural Roads pages were not reachable, and no operator publishes it. The 07:00–22:00 operating hours come from Wikivoyage and are not dated. Ask a Thai driver or your resort, and carry cash.
03
The Krabi Town passenger ferry that Wikivoyage describes leaving Klong Jilad or Krabi pier at 08:00 or 11:30 for 300–400 baht could not be found on any operator selling in 2026. Andaman Wave Master, which lists Krabi Klong Jilad as a station, returned no timetable in either direction for December 2026, and neither Bundhaya nor Tigerline sells Krabi Town to Lanta. It may be seasonal, it may be gone. Treat Ao Nang, not Krabi Town, as the Krabi-side pier.
04
Minivan fares are all second-hand. The 250–500 baht airport figures date from 2016 and the 350–400 baht Krabi Town figure is undated; no van operator publishes a Krabi or Trang to Ko Lanta price online, and Tigerline's system would not sell the land legs as standalone tickets. The only 2026 numbers found are resort private-van quotes, which are much higher than a shared seat.
05
Songthaew, tuk-tuk and scooter prices are from Wikivoyage and date to 2022. No Ko Lanta rental shop or transport co-operative publishes a current tariff, and several local guide sites block automated access. Expect the real 2026 figures to be higher.
06
The exact Mu Ko Lanta National Park closure dates and the current marine park fee could not be confirmed. The Thai DNP portal timed out. Dive shops confirm a fee is charged in cash on Ko Rok and Ko Haa trips but do not publish the amount, and the boats simply stop running in the wet season rather than announcing a closure.
07
Ko Haa and Ko Rok are reached by speedboat or wooden dive boat, not by longtail as the brief suggests. Longtails on Ko Lanta do short local runs and beach transfers; nothing found offers a longtail to islands 47 km offshore.
08
The southbound chain to Ko Ngai and Ko Mook is published as seasonal by every operator, but the two booking systems disagree about when. Bundhaya lists 15 October to 20 May and 1 November to 4 May for the same pairs, while Tigerline's engine returned nothing for Saladan to Ko Ngai on any date tried, including January. Confirm with the operator rather than trusting a season window.

In the planner

What the planner can route today

The options above live on the place page, not in the departure board: a boat that comes when you phone has no time to show. What the board can do for Ko Lanta is this.

Y: Scheduled flightsKrabi (KBV), 50 km
Y: Trains and coachesTransitous carries 1 timetable feed for this country, 0 with real-time
Y: Ferriesท่าเรือศาลาด่าน, 1 km; sailings estimated
Y: Driving and taxiOpenStreetMap roads; cab fare from the country band
N: Bike and scooter shareno share feed known
N: Cruisesno open itinerary source anywhere

Y routable now · F found, not yet implemented · N no source known.