Koh Lanta Ferry Schedule: Routes and Booking Tips
There's no single fixed year-round timetable, so plan around the pattern, then confirm exact times close to your trip.
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Koh Lanta's ferry network is mainly a high-season (roughly November to April) service, running from Krabi and connecting onward to islands like Koh Phi Phi. Outside that window, ferry frequency drops or routes pause altogether, and the road-plus-car-ferry combination via Krabi becomes the more reliable way in and out. See our car ferry guide below for how that works.
Because exact departure times, operators and prices shift from year to year (and sometimes month to month within a season), we deliberately don't publish a fixed timetable here, anything printed today could be wrong by the time you travel. Instead, treat the schedule as a pattern: expect a handful of daily sailings in high season between Krabi and Koh Lanta, with connections onward to Koh Phi Phi and sometimes Phuket, and expect that pattern to thin out or disappear in the rainy season.
For booking, the safest approach is to check current times and book through your accommodation, a reputable local travel agent on the island, or a well-known ferry/transfer booking platform a few days before you plan to travel, availability can tighten around holidays and the start/end of peak season. If you're travelling in the low season, or you want a transport option that isn't weather-dependent, the car ferry and road route from Krabi runs more consistently; it's covered in detail in the linked guide below.
Two practical rules of thumb. First, treat any timetable you find online as a starting point and confirm it with the operator or your accommodation close to travel. Second, leave slack: don't schedule a tight flight connection on the same day as a ferry, because sea conditions and delays are part of island travel.
If you're travelling in the rainy season, plan on the road route via the car ferry as your default and treat any passenger ferry as a bonus rather than something to rely on.
Passenger ferry, speedboat or car ferry: three different boats
"The Koh Lanta ferry" can mean three different services, and mixing them up is the most common planning mistake. The passenger ferry is a larger, slower boat for foot passengers that sails from Krabi and the other islands to Saladan Pier. A speedboat does similar runs faster, with fewer seats and a bumpier ride. The car ferry is a short vehicle crossing on the road route, and it is the only one of the three that runs all year.
The practical difference is reliability. The passenger boats and speedboats depend on the season and the sea; the car ferry is part of the road, so a minivan or taxi reaches the island even when no passenger boat is sailing.
| Service | Route | Crossing time published | When it runs | Fare published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger ferry | Klong Jilad Pier (Krabi Town) to Saladan Pier | 1 h 30 to 2 h | Published schedules cover November to April | About 350 to 500 THB for a foot passenger |
| Speedboat | Ao Nang, Phi Phi or Phuket to Saladan Pier | Shown live on the booking page | Mainly high season, weather permitting | Announced at 650 THB for the Ao Nang transfer |
| Car ferry | Ban Hua Hin Pier (mainland) to Ban Khlong Mak Pier (Koh Lanta Noi) | About 10 minutes (about 20 in another source) | All year, through the day | Included in most road transfers; varies by vehicle |
Figures as published by our sources and checked in September 2026 for our Koh Lanta map. Fares and times change each season: the booking page shows the current ones.
Why we don't print a timetable by company
Each operator publishes its own departure times for the season, and they can change within it. We could not verify a single timetable that holds for the whole season, so rather than print times that may already be wrong, we point you to the live results, which show the operator, departure time, duration and fare for your exact date.
What stays stable is the shape of the season. Published passenger-boat schedules cover roughly November to April, the busiest months are December to February, when popular sailings fill up, and outside that window sailings are reduced or suspended. Speedboats follow the same calendar and depend even more on sea conditions.
Boarding: tickets, ID, luggage and weather
- Tickets: a booking made online or through your hotel usually comes as a voucher. Keep it on your phone, and a screenshot in case the signal drops at the pier.
- ID: carry your passport on travel day. Booking platforms ask for passenger names, and you may need it at check-in or at your next hotel.
- Pier and time: arrive early and check which pier you leave from. Many tickets include a minivan pickup from your hotel to the pier; confirm the pickup time the evening before.
- Luggage: big bags usually go in a pile on deck or at the front, where spray reaches them. Pack a small day bag with valuables, water and a rain cover.
- Weather: if you get seasick, choose the passenger ferry over a speedboat and sit near the back, low down. In rough seas, operators can delay or cancel sailings on the day.
If your boat is cancelled
Cancellations happen mostly for weather, and mostly at the start and end of the season. When a sailing does not run, the usual outcome is a seat on a later boat or a switch to the road route by minivan and car ferry. Refund and rebooking terms depend on the operator and the platform you booked through, so read them before you pay, not at the pier.
The simplest insurance is time. Do not book a boat on the same day as a flight, and if you must connect, choose the road route, which does not depend on the passenger boats. Our missed ferry guide covers the options if a connection falls through.
Frequently asked questions
Not reliably. Direct passenger ferries are mainly a high-season (November–April) service. Outside those months, sailings are reduced or suspended, and most travellers use the road route combined with the car ferry crossing instead.
How the car ferry worksYes, and it's worth doing a few days ahead during peak season or around holidays, when popular sailings can sell out. Book through your hotel, a local travel agent, or an established transfer/ferry booking platform, and always double-check the departure pier and time close to your travel date.
In the high season a passenger service commonly links Koh Lanta with Koh Phi Phi, but it is seasonal and weather-dependent, so confirm current operation before you build a plan around it.
Koh Lanta or Koh Phi Phi?The passenger ferry from Klong Jilad Pier in Krabi Town to Saladan Pier is published at 1 h 30 to 2 h (checked September 2026). Add the pickup to the pier and the time from Saladan to your beach.
Piers on the Koh Lanta mapUsually you are moved to a later sailing or switched to the road route by minivan and car ferry. Refund terms depend on the operator and the booking platform, so check them before you pay.
Missed ferry: plan BLast verified 27 September 2026
Sources and further reading
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Times, operators and prices are shown live on 12Go; we don't publish fixed timetables or fares here because they change.
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