How to Get to Koh Lanta

Page latest update August 2024

Even though it's less developed than other islands, Koh Lanta is very well connected to the rest of south west Thailand by many daily ferries, speed boats and minivan services.

As one of the main travel hubs in the area, Lanta is a great base to explore the dozens of islands and beaches on the southern Andaman coast of Thailand.

Koh Lanta is a well connected island with many transport options.

Find out the best time to visit Koh Lanta.

• How to get to Koh Lanta from Krabi Town
• How to get to Koh Lanta from Krabi Airport
• Koh Lanta Car Ferry
• How to get to Koh Lanta from Ao Nang, Railay and Koh Jum
• How to get to Koh Lanta from Koh Phi Phi
• How to get to Koh Lanta from Koh Lipe, Koh Buloan, Koh Kradan, Koh Muk (Mook) and Koh Ngai
• How to get to Koh Lanta from Phuket and Phuket Airport
• How to get to Koh Lanta from Trang and Trang Airport

How to get to Koh Lanta from Krabi Town

The most scenic route from Krabi Town to Lanta is by passenger ferry, departing Klong Jilad Pier in Krabi Town every morning during high season at 11:30, calling at Koh Jum 12:30 and arriving Saldan Village on Koh Lanta 13:45.

A second passenger ferry departs Klong Jilad Pier in Krabi Town 14:30, calling at Koh Jum 15:30, arriving Saladan Village in the north of the island around 16:45.

There are public minivan services leaving Krabi Bus Station every hour from 8am to 4pm.

A minivan can be arranged through hotel receptions or one of the many tour and travel offices located throughout the town. Public minivan transfers can also be arranged at Krabi Bus Station.

Public minivans will take approximately 2 - 4 hours to reach Lanta depending on car ferry queues, and the price varies from 350 - 450 Baht depending on where you book it. The price includes the the short car ferry journey from Koh Klang to Koh Lanta Noi. A bridge connects Koh Lanta Noi (Little Lanta) with Koh Lanta Yai (Big Lanta).

Private taxis and private transfers will cost around 2,500 - 2,800 Baht and are usually quicker and more reliable than the public minivan services.

The best way to get from Krabi to Koh Lanta during low season is by road/car ferry.

Arriving @ Krabi Airport

The most reliable way to get to Koh Lanta from Krabi International Airport is to book a private transfer in advance for around 2,500 Baht via road and car ferry, or to book a private taxi once you arrive at the airport, prices between 2,500 and 2,800 Baht.

During high season, a faster, but more expensive way to get from Krabi Airport to Koh Lanta is by a combined minivan and speed boat transfer. This normally takes around 1.5 hours and once you arrive on Koh Lanta at Saladan, you will be transferred by road to your resort. The speed boat transfer can be booked here Amazing Lanta

For those with a little more time and smaller budget, once you land at Krabi Airport, you can also book a public minivan to Koh Lanta in the airport arrivals hall. There is a bus stop on the main road outside Krabi Airport. Travel time can be 3 - 4 hours depending on how many stops the mini bus needs to make on the way.

Please be aware that the last minivan normally departs Krabi Town at 4 pm, and if you are arriving at Krabi Airport after this time then you will need to arrange a private transfer to Koh Lanta.

If you wish to spend the night in Krabi Town or Ao Nang then you can catch a passenger ferry to Koh Lanta the following morning. This can be booked at your hotel reception in Krabi Town.

There are also several car rental options at Krabi Airport arrivals hall, starting around 700 Baht per day.

Koh Lanta Car Ferry

The Lanta Car ferry connects Koh Lanta Noi to the mainland (Koh Klang), operating from 5 am until 12 midnight every day. There are 3 to 4 operational ferries of varying sizes working all day, every day through the high season period. The first ferry is at 5 am, and the second ferry is at 6 am, after that, the frequency depends very much on the length of the car ferry queues.

Car ferries depart as soon as they are full and the trip from the mainland to Lanta Noi just takes a few minutes, however car ferry queues can sometimes be quite long in the afternoons during the busier months of December to March.

Once you have crossed on the ferry to Lanta Noi (little Lanta), there is a short 9 km drive across the island to the Siri Lanta bridge which connects to Lanta Yai (big Lanta). Koh Lanta Yai is the main tourist island with most of the beaches, shops, restaurants, bars and resorts.

How to get to Koh Lanta from Ao Nang, Railay and Koh Jum

During high season, the ferry from Ao Nang to Koh Lanta departs from Nopparat Thara Pier in Ao Nang at 11:00, calling at Railay 11:15, Koh Jum 12:00 and arriving Saladan Village on Koh Lanta around 12:45.

There are additional ferries from Koh Jum to Koh Lanta. The first departs Krabi Town 11:30, calling at Koh Jum 12:30, arriving Koh Lanta 13:45. The second ferry departs Krabi Town 14:30, calling at Koh Jum 15:30, arriving Koh Lanta 16:45.

From Saladan, you can take a taxi or tuk-tuk to your resort for around 50 - 150 Baht per person depending on where you are going on the island. Some resorts have a free ferry pick-up service, particularly those further south on the island.

Alternatively if staying at Ao Nang, you can take a minivan/taxi to Krabi town and catch one of the frequent minivan services to Koh Lanta via the car ferry service. Price is around 450 Baht per person to Koh Lanta.

Book tickets from Ao Nang to Lanta with TigerLine Ferries.

How to get to Koh Lanta from Koh Phi Phi

In high season several ferries and speedboats run each day between Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta. Once you arrive at Saladan village in the north of Koh Lanta, you can take a taxi or tuk-tuk to your resort for around 50 - 200 Baht per person depending on where you are going on the island. Some resorts have a free ferry pick-up service, particularly those further south on the island.

Speedboats depart Koh Phi Phi at 09:30 and 13:30, usually taking 45 minutes to reach Saladan Village on the north tip of the island.

Larger passenger ferries depart Koh Phi Phi at 09:00, 11:30, 15:00 and 15:30, usually taking 1.5 hours to reach Koh Lanta (sometimes longer if they are busy and the sea is rough).

In low season, the ferry from Phi Phi to Koh Lanta is once per day and runs most days, subject to minimum numbers and good weather. Travel and tour offices on Phi Phi will confirm if the ferry is running the next day or not. Confirmation is usually in the afternoon the day before you wish to travel.

How to get to Koh Lanta from Koh Lipe, Koh Buloan, Koh Kradan, Koh Muk (Mook) and Koh Ngai

There are several ferry and speedboat services throughout high season connecting Lanta with Koh Ngai, Koh Muk (Mook), Koh Kradan, Koh Buloan, Koh Lipe and Langkawi in north west Malaysia. These can be booked at your resort reception, or one of the many travel and tour offices on Koh Lipe.

The fastest way to get from the southern islands to Koh Lanta is with Bundhaya Speedboat. The speed boat departs Koh Lipe at 09:00, calls at Koh Buloan at 10:00, Koh Kradan 10:45, Koh Muk (Mook) 11:00, Koh Ngai at 11:30, arriving Koh Lanta at 12:00.

Satun Pakbara SpeedBoat Club also has a similar schedule as Bundhaya Speedboat above.

The Tigerline Ferry departs Koh Lipe at 10:00, calling at Trang Had Yao Pier 12:30, Koh Muk (Mook) 13:30, Koh Kradan 14:00, Koh Ngai 14:30, arriving Koh Lanta around 15:30.

Other ferry services are available and your resort reception can advise the times and cost.

How to get to Lanta from Phuket or Phuket Airport

You can travel to Lanta by passenger ferry from Phuket's Rassada Pier in the south east of the island, changing ferry at Koh Phi Phi. The Andaman Wavemaster ferry departs Phuket at 8:30 am, arriving Phi Phi around 10:30. You can then connect to the Petpailin ferry to Koh Lanta which departs Phi Phi at 11:30, arriving Koh Lanta 12:30.

The Tigerline Ferry departs Phuket 08:00, arriving Koh Phi Phi 09:00 and then calling at Koh Lanta 10:00. This ferry then continues to Koh Ngai, Koh Kradan, Koh Muk, Trang, Koh Lipe and Langkawi in Malaysia.

The Satun Pakbara SpeedBoat Club speedboat service departs Phuket 08:30, calling at Phi Phi 09:30, and arriving at Koh Lanta around 10:00. There is also a later morning service, departing Phuket at 12:30, calling at Phi Phi 13:30, and arriving on Lanta at 14:00.

If you arrive later in the day, you can either stay one night in Phuket, or book a private taxi to your resort on Lanta in the airport arrivals hall. The taxi journey to Koh Lanta by road and car ferry from phuket Airport is around 4.5 - 5 hours.

The Lanta car ferry stops running at midnight, so if you are arriving in Phuket around 7pm or later, then it's probably best just to stay the night on Phuket and travel to Koh Lanta the following morning by speedboat.

Phuket bus station also has a very reliable minibus service to Lanta throughout the high season.

Known locally as the "pink and white bus", the government owned Southern Transport minivans depart Phuket town from 08:00 to 14:00, with travel time around 5.5 hours. Prices are very cheap at 400 Baht per person, and the bus should bring you to your resort, as long as it's not in the far south of the island. You can book the return trip to Phuket at Lanta Good Luck Travel & Tour in Saladan.

How to get to Koh Lanta from Trang and Trang Airport

The Tigerline Ferry ferry service from Trang connects Koh Lanta to Koh Ngai, Koh Kradan and Koh Muk (Mook), departing Trang Had Yao Pier at 13:00 and arriving Koh Lanta 15:30. This ferry also departs Koh Lanta at 16:00 for Koh Phi Phi.

Local minivan services can be booked at the airport, hotels and travel/tour offices. Minivan services also operate from Trang Train Station and Trang Bus Station. Journey times are around 2.5 - 3 hours.

Keeping Up-To-Date

We have compiled this guide from our knowledge and local information. Ferry services can change without warning here in the south of Thailand and we recommend that you contact travel operators directly to confirm ferry times and the latest travel info.

If you have any updates or new services on how to get to Lanta then we would be delighted to hear from you so that we can pass on the new details to fellow travelers.