The route between Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi is a well-traveled route and this means that it is easy to do, with several options. All options for going between these two Thai islands involve a boat as there are no airports on either Koh Lanta or Koh Phi Phi. What you have the choice between is the time of the boats, the speed of the boats, and whether you want to get a transfer included on Koh Lanta. However, if you don’t plan to stay overnight on Phi Phi there’s also the option of a day trip from Koh Lanta to Phi Phi and I’ve included this as well. Welcome to my quick and easy guide on going from Koh Lanta to Koh Phi Phi.
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The hardest decision you’ll have to make when booking your tickets for the boat between Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi is what time to leave. Oh, and if you want an included transfer. Oh yeah, and then if you want to just visit as a day trip. Some boats leave Lanta at 08:00 and then at several times during the day with the last one leaving at 15:30. The quickest boat from Lanta to Phi Phi takes just 30 minutes, and the slowest one, that’ll take an hour.
TRANSFER + BOAT COMBO
Easiest Way to Go from Koh Lanta to Phi Phi
The easiest way to get to Koh Lanta to Koh Phi Phi is to include a transfer in your ticket, Get picked up from your hotel and delivered straight to the boat pier. All connections are guaranteed. And it’s really easy.
Where is Koh Phi Phi?
The Koh Phi Phi islands are located in the middle of the Andaman Sea. They’re between the island of Phuket, which is to the west of the island group, and the Malacca Straits coast of Thailand. Koh Phi Phi is part of the Thai province of Krabi.
How to Go from Koh Lanta to Koh Phi Phi – Options
It takes just an hour to go by boat from Koh Lanta to Koh Phi Phi, but you’ll spend much longer in transit than that. First of all the length of your transport between Lanta and Phi Phi is going to depend on where you’re staying on Koh Lanta. When you’re booking your transport from Lanta to Phi Phi you decide whether you want to include a van transfer from your Lanta accommodation or not. If you don’t then you’ll need to pick up a songthaew taxi to the Saladan port area. You can read more about Songthaews in our guide to Thai transport here.
There are morning boats that go from Lanta to Phi Phi, lunchtime boats and also afternoon boats that go to Phi Phi from Lanta, so just pick your time and book away.
Transfer to Saladan Pier, Koh Lanta
All the boats that go to Phi Phi from Lanta leave from Saladan Pier. Saladan Pier is located at the north end of Koh Lanta near the Saladan Walking Street and the Siri Lanta bridge that crosses to Koh Lanta Noi.
There are no boats that go from Koh Lanta Old Town to Koh Phi Phi. So you’ll need to take a transfer from Koh Lanta Old Town to Saladan Pier. (this fast boat includes a transfer from your hotel in Koh Lanta Old Town and the boat).
The first thing you need to arrange is either a transfer from your hotel to Saladan Pier – or book an included transfer (which is what we did). Your pre-booked transfer will usually arrive up to 2 hours before the departure of your boat to Phi Phi. Meaning for a 13:00 boat you’ll be picked up at about 11:00. That’s not too bad. Check out at the fabulous Palm Garden House was at 11:00 so this worked in our favour. We couldn’t check in to the Phi Phi Bayview Resort on Phi Phi until 14:00 anyway, so it didn’t make sense for us to leave any earlier.
Book a Koh Lanta Transfer + Boat to Phi Phi here
If you book a pre-arranged transfer as part of your boat ticket with Bookaway, or 12goAsia then you’ll enter your accommodation name as part of the booking process, and this will also be confirmed on your ticket.
Our transfer, scheduled to arrive at 11:00 for a 13:00 boat arrived at about 11:10, we were the first people to be picked up and our transport was an air-conditioned van with enough space for one seat for each person. (and that’s not always the case!)
If you don’t book an included transfer (which is only available on Lanta, there are no included transfers available on Phi Phi as part of your boat ticket – although your accommodation on Phi Phi will send a boat to collect you if it’s any distance from the pier), then you’ll need to take a taxi/songthaew. It’s usually a fixed price of 100 THB for a transfer in a songthaew on Koh Lanta.
Arriving at Saladan Pier
When you arrive at the pier there are a row of check in tables, all have banners for the various ferry companies on, so you can easily see which ferry company you need to head to. If you’re unsure, just check on your ticket for the name.
You’ll get a sticker to go on your shirt that identifies to the staff which boat company you’re with, which service you’re on, and what your final destination (with them) is. You’ll need to show your ticket (if you’ve booked online there is no need to print it, just show the PDF or QR code on your email) and job down your name and the names of all passengers as well as your final destination with them.
You will also get a sticker for your big bags AND a boarding pass per person as well.
Then you can do what you want until boarding time.
Facilities at Saladan Pier
There are several places to eat and drink here and there’s no segregated departures area, so you’re free to come and go as you please. After check-in, turn to the left, and walk down towards the waters edge if you won’t want anything to eat. There’s seating here in the shade and plenty of space to stand if you don’t want to sit. If you’re a smoker, there’s a smoking area to the left in the seating area. Inconveniently for us non-smokers, it’s upwind of all the seats. But maybe the wind blows in other directions on other days.
Boarding Boats from Lanta to Phi Phi
There are a lot of boats that come and go here – 10 in any one day – and from a variety of companies, so they tend to be scheduled competitively around the same time. Which means it’s a bit of a zoo. And the pier isn’t quite big enough for them to all moor alongside at the same time. So that means that they’ll like moor alongside and you’ll have to walk across one onto another.
Don’t worry, staff walk around the departure area yelling for the departure boat and they’ll be looking for your stickers too.
However, this route gets a lot of family traffic (as some of these companies also go from Lanta to Phuket), so they run ramps from the dock across any boats that you have to cross to board, so your rollaboard bags will, indeed, rollaboard. And staff will always help if your bag is too heavy for you to carry.
Onboard the boat from Lanta to Phi Phi
Rollaboards and large cases get left on deck, and backpacks go into an interior cabin. There’s seating both on the top and lower level. The upper level is air-conditioned. When we boarded it was lovely and cool and then all our fellow passengers started opening the windows, so it got rather warm.
Seating is in airplane-type seats, with two seats each on either side of the aisle on the top deck. The seats are comfortable (the journey is only an hour), and the boat goes at a steady speed and does NOT bounce off the waves in a hurry to get there. There are life jackets stored on the overhead rack on the left-hand side of the cabin.
If you’re traveling in the afternoon and want to avoid the sun sit on the right-hand side of the boat. The A/C vents are in the ceiling on the right-hand side, so it’s easy to get a seat underneath one. And yes the A/C stayed on despite the windows being open, which meant we got wafts of cold air followed by hot humid ones.
Traveling onward to Phuket from Koh Lanta via Koh Phi Phi
If you’re traveling onward to Phuket on the same day you’d be wise to book a through ticket with the same company. Our boat from Lanta to Phi Phi was late in arriving at Lanta and so was late to depart (about 25 minutes), and as soon as we boarded they announced that those going onto Phuket did not need to worry, as they were holding the boat in Phi Phi for them to join.
Arriving on Koh Phi Phi
All boats from Koh Lanta to Koh Phi Phi arrive at Ton Sai Pier on Phi Phi Don (the main Phi Phi island and where all the accommodation is). This is the only pier on the island. This is where you’ll arrive, it’s where you’ll check in for ferries to leave Phi Phi, and it’s also where all the Phi Phi Day Trips depart from. It’s busy, to say the least!
When you arrive on Ton Sai Pier, you’ll walk down towards the island.
Paying your Tourist Litter Tax on Phi Phi Island
As you arrive on the island you’ll be required to pay a 20 THB per person “Environmental Fee” for entering the island. You’ll have to pay this in cash and you will get a receipt for it. This is NOT the National Park Fee (that’s extra and only payable if you take a Phi Phi Day Trip to the surrounding islands and Maya Bay). Make sure you’ve got enough cash to pay for your Phi Phi Environmental tax.
Getting to your hotel on Phi Phi Island
When you’ve paid your Environmental tax you’ll be allowed to walk further down the pier where representatives from many of Phi Phi’s hotels will be waiting with signs. Find your hotel, and they’ll transport you and your luggage to the hotel. Our transfer to the Bayview Resort was in a longtail boat (it was that or walk the 15 minutes with our bags in the heat of the day). The transfer was included in our room rate.
We opted for the Bayview Resort as it was in a quieter part of Phi Phi – and our bungalow, high on the hill overlooking Long Beach was comfortable, with a good bed, excellent shower, and a great deck. It was, as, advertised, quiet. There were four transfers a day back to Ton Sai Pier, which ran on time and took just 10 minutes, by longtail boat, or it took just 15 minutes to talk back via a part of the beach and then the paved path.
Choice of Boats & Companies from Koh Lanta to Koh Phi Phi
There are usually at least 4 different companies running boats from Koh Lanta to Phi Phi. Some of them also run a boat that goes from Phi Phi to Phuket (You’ll have to change boats in Phi Phi), but if you have a favorite brand, then you’ll be able to pick it. Chaokoh, Bundhaya, Opal Travel, Satun Pakbara Speedboat Club, and sometimes Lanta Petpailin run boats to Phi Phi from Koh Lanta.
Popular Routes in Thailand
Want to know more about different forms of transport in Thailand? Our guide to Thailand transport is here. And here’s how to travel some of the popular routes around Thailand, your options, and how we did it.
- How to go from Bangkok to Pakse (Laos)
- Going from Langkawi (Malaysia) to Koh Lipe
- How to go from Koh Tao to Krabi
- How to go from Phuket to Koh Yao Noi
- Koh Lanta to Koh Phi Phi
- How to go from Bangkok to Koh Tao
- Koh Tao to Phuket
- How to go from Bangkok to Koh Phangan
- Bangkok to Koh Kood and back
- How to go from Koh Lipe to Koh Mook
- Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta
- Phuket to Koh Lanta
- Go from Bangkok to Koh Chang
- How to go from Bangkok to Koh Samui
- How to go from Bangkok to Ayutthaya
- How to go from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai
- How to go from Bangkok to Sukhothai
- How to go from Krabi to Phuket
- How to go from Krabi to Koh Samui
- Going from Krabi to Phi Phi Island
- How to go from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island
- How to go from Bangkok to Krabi
- How to go from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi
- How to travel from Krabi to Langkawi (Malaysia)
- How to go from Krabi to Railay
- How to go from Cambodia to Thailand
The quickest way to get from Koh Lanta to Koh Phi Phi
The quickest boat from Koh Lanta to Koh Phi Phi takes just 30 minutes. If this is what you want, then it’ll cost a little bit more than the slightly slower boat. Book the quickest boat from Koh Lanta to Koh Phi Phi here. Note that this does NOT include any transfer time from your accommodation on Koh Lanta or your transfer to your accommodation on Koh Phi Phi either.
The easiest way to go to Koh Phi Phi from Koh Lanta
The easiest way to get from Koh Lanta to Koh Phi Phi is to book a combined transfer and boat trip. The transfer will provide you with a guaranteed connection for the boat that you’ll take to Phi Phi. You can book a transfer and boat to Phi Phi from Lanta here.
The cheapest way to go from Koh Lanta to Koh Phi Phi
The cheapest way to go to Koh Phi Phi from Koh Lanta is to make your own way to Saladan Pier and take the slower boat. This is the cheapest boat to Phi Phi.
The best way to go from Koh Lanta to Koh Phi Phi
Cash is expensive to get in Thailand – it costs a whopping 220 THB for each cash withdrawal you take from an ATM, so we always try and include transfers in our boat bookings. Booking a transfer and a boat on the same ticket preserves your cash for when you need it. Check the prices of the boat and transfer tickets from Koh Lanta to Phi Phi here.
Additionally, booking a hotel on Koh Phi Phi that includes a transfer from the Ton Sai Pier is the easiest way to get to your accommodation.
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Final Words on How to Go from Koh Lanta to Koh Phi Phi
The route from Koh Lanta to Phi Phi is pretty quick, it can take as little as 30 minutes in a fast boat, or 1 hour in a slower boat, you’ll spend more time waiting around than you will be traveling. (but at least it will be in the shade!). It’s easy to go from Lanta to Koh Phi Phi – you’ll just need to choose whether you want to go fast, slow, or for a day trip. And, of course, if you want include a transfer to Lanta as part of your ticket.
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