from Krabi to Koh Lanta

How to travel from Krabi to Koh Lanta? here some indications and suggestions to ease your choice.

Koh Lanta, three tropical islands situated just of the coast of Krabi in the Andaman coast. The three tropical islands are like paradise on earth famous for their beautiful sandstone cliffs lush green jungles and of course the long beaches and beautiful deep blue sea. The three islands can be visited quite easily since they are not that far.

The first Island that one gets to visit is just across a river that you can get too by a bridge it is called Koh Klang then there is a smaller island next to the first one called Koh Lanta Noi. The last and biggest beach in the area is the Koh Lanta Yai which is the main tourist attraction and people visit it all year round.

Travelling from Krabi to Koh Lanta

While travelling from Krabi to Koh Lanta you have to keep in mind that there are a few options but none of those options includes travelling by plane. Krabi has its own airport so when you do come in from Thailand into Krabi you have certain options at your disposal all which shall be discussed below.

Getting to Koh Lanta by roads

Now depending upon your style you have certain options. Once you’ve touched down at Krabi and your plan is to go straight to Koh Lanta and skip Krabi then you can either book a Private Minivan, A private car, rent a car, Taxi, Public Vans. This being said our little suggestion would be not to skip Krabi and definitely spend a few days checking out the beautiful town and its nightlife. The modes of transports for you are listed below.

Minibuses

Now once you’ve touched down and gotten your feet onto the soil you now have two options as far as the minibuses are concerned. You can either travel by a Private minibus or a public one.

Our top tip would be to travel via a Public bus if you are travelling light and on your own or as a couple as it is cost-effective. Public minibuses can be booked from the terminal at the airport and cost around $15 per person the catch is that you will be waiting for a long long time until the public minibus is full because they do not leave until the minibus is completely packed.

Keep in mind you can travel from the minibus terminals in Krabi if you are spending some time in Krabi. Just remember that if you are travelling in a group it is not a good option even travelling on your own can cause a slight hassle simply because not only is there less space for you if you have a lot of luggage. Also, keep in mind that even if you do book a seat on the minibus you may sometimes not get a place to sit since the drivers always pick up passengers on the way to the destination.

Public minibuses also tend to stop at all the local terminals so your ride will be slightly longer then when it would be if you were in a private one. A private minibus is great if you are a large group of friends or family. A private minibus costs around $70 at a flat rate for the entire minibus. This can work out pretty cheap and cost effective if all of you split the cost. Keep in mind a private minibus can take up to 6 people.

This is great way to travel in privacy since not only do you have your own private minivan but you also have a minivan that can blast the air conditioning on so you do not melt in the humid weather. Keep in mind though that after an hour or so from the airport you will reach the pier from where you will board a ferry which will take you Koh Lanta. It will cost $1 per person and the cost is not included in your private minivan.

Once you are on the ferry it is about 20 mins to the Island but does keep in mind these can take longer depending on where you have booked your accommodation. The perks of having a private minibus is that they will drop you off directly at the doorstep of your hotel. They will even pick you up from the hotel if you pre-book with them.

Taxi

There is not much difference between hiring a private taxi except for the fact that it costs less than the minibus and can take fewer occupants. It is best suited for a single person or maybe even a couple. You will have ample legroom and you can enjoy the ride in a relaxed manner. A private taxi can be hired from both the airport terminal and Krabi town. The cost of hiring a private taxi is around 2000 Baht which is around $65.

The good thing about the private taxi is you get a good comfortable car or even SUV if you book it. Top tip though always make sure you have booked your hotel before so your driver drops you off directly there do not just ask to be taken to one otherwise they will take you to a place where they get some extra money. The journey takes roughly 2 hours if you want to go to the southern end of the Koh Lanta Islands but around 90 minutes from the airport to the northern Koh Lanta airport.

Rent a Car

Now one of the easiest and best option to go from Krabi to the tropical paradise islands of Koh Lanta is to hire your own car and drive it around. Just remember it costs a lot and you will need to have an international driving license in order for you to even be able to drive in Thailand. It also good to keep in mind the driving standards in Thailand are quite different to what you have in Europe or the states so do keep that in mind since you may be surprised by the way the local drive around and definitely do not drive at night.

When deciding to get your own car through a rental agency remember always to book in advance since it will save you money. The agency will charge around $1500 as a security deposit which they will return when the car is handed over to them in the same condition it was returned. Hiring your own car is a great way to travel from Krabi to Koh Lanta as you have complete freedom to go wherever you want and explore the region by your own rules.

The average rate of renting a car is around $20 per day plus fuel and the fuel prices in Thailand currently come to around a dollar per litter. As far as travel time is concerned it will take the same time as it would via minibus so around 1 hour to the ferry terminal from the Airport and depending on where you are staying at the island 20mins to 2hours more from drop off point.

For directions, all you have to do is go from the airport towards Trang on route 4 and once you’ve reached Klong Thom you must go a little bit forward roughly a couple of kilometres where you will find a signpost for the Hua Hin ferry terminal.

You should take a right from there and head down that road for another 30 kilometres.

Once you’ve gotten to the end of the road you will see the pier it costs around 113 Baht per when travelling via car and once the ferry stops from there depending on which island you are staying it the sign boards will guide you to the next ferry terminal. The last ferry departs at 10 pm so if you miss it you will have to wait till the morning.

Travelling by waters from Krabi to Koh Lanta

Travelling by water is the easiest and fastest option especially if you are going by a speedboat. It might cost more but it sure is exhilarating. Just remember that travelling via the sea can only be done in the low season from May to October any other time after that is slightly difficult since the sea is rough due to the monsoon weather. Both ferries and Speedboats will be unavailable in the high season.

Speedboat

Travelling via speedboat is not only fun it’s the fastest way to travel from Krabi to Koh Lanta. The services include pick up from your hotel to the pier or from the airport to the pier. It takes 15 minutes from the airport to where the boat will be waiting for you.

Once you are in the speedboat it will take about 30minutes to get to Koh Lanta where you will be picked up by another taxi or minibus that will take you to your hotel.

It costs around $60 per person and is definitely a must-try at least once in your life. The high-speed boat tearing through the water. The high winds brushing past your hear and the salty ocean water spraying your face. Truly an exhilarating ride.

Daily Ferry

The daily ferry service will live only Ao Nang so it is ill-advised to try and catch the ferry directly from the airport since it’s most likely you won’t make it. Our advice is to spend a day or two in Krabi or Ao Nang and then book your ticket so that you can have easy access to the pier from where you can enjoy the ferry ride.

The ferry ride is a truly amazing experience. You can also take the ferry from Krabi town which takes around 2hours but our advice is to stick to the one in Ao Nang because of a special treat. The ferry will depart in the morning and costs around $20 per person.

You can sit and relax enjoying the open seas and the amazing views from the deck. Have a snack take a seat or whatever floats your boat! The twist in this journey is that the ferry from Ao Nang will take you the majestic Phi Phi Island which is one of Thailand’s most iconic islands thick with beautiful lush green jungles and sky high cliffs.

The ferry will dock there for a few hours so you will have quite a bit of time to explore the island itself and believe me it’s a treat. Once you are done exploring you will then have to get back on the ferry which will take you to Koh Lanta Island. The only thing to remember about this is that you will have to hire a taxi or minibus to take you to your hotel so do that in advance.

Conclusion

Travelling from Krabi to Koh Lanta might seem like a huge impossible and time-consuming task but we have listed the best options for you to do that with ease. Our advice is if you want to save time and enjoy a short trip take the speedboat not only is it door to door service but it will make you feel younger again travelling at that speed.

The way the boat tears up the open waters is just a feeling that is unexplainable. If you do want to save money and have a large group of friends then travelling via private minibus is the best option since you can split the fare with friends or family to save a load of money.

Travelling via public transport is also an option but the only problem with this is that not only do you have less space but you will have to wait for the minibus to fill up and wait for the minibus to pick and drop passengers at the minibus terminals along the way. The ferry is another amazing experience and one should definitely take that at least once during the round trip if you are there during the right season.

Destinations

from Krabi to Koh Lanta