Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta

How to Go from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta

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There are 1430 islands in Thailand, and while only around 50 of them are inhabited I’m pretty sure that we’ve taken a boat between a lot of them!  Today’s trip is from the glorious beaches of Koh Lipe to the much quieter vibe of Koh Lanta.   We’ve been splitting our time between busier and quieter islands and now it’s time to head to Lanta, which is definitely quiet.  There’s a great family beach here, some fab places to eat, and reasonable snorkeling too.  Here’s our guide on how to get to Koh Lipe from Koh Lanta.

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The Easiest Way to Get to Koh Lanta

The only way from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta is by boat. You have the choice of a fast boat or a combined transfer on a slower boat. The choice is yours but book early for the best availability.

Book your ferry here

Where is Koh Lanta?

It’s a distance of 132 kilometers (82 miles) between Koh Lipe and Koh Lanta.  There are no airports on these islands and the only way to go between the two islands is to take a boat.    After the relatively small Koh Lipe, Koh Lanta is a lot bigger but more laidback.  It’s actually an archipelago of 52 different islands, but the only ones that you’d likely visit are Koh Lanta Yai (the main island) and Koh Lanta Noi.   Koh Lanta is south of Krabi, the main city of the Krabi Province, and is on Thailand’s Andaman coast.

There are TWO piers on Koh Lanta where boats arrive.  One in the south, the Koh Lanta Old Town Pier, and one in the north, which is the main pier for the island, Saladan Pier.  

Exactly How to Go from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta

There tend to be four companies running this route, and three of them go into the northern pier on Koh Lanta (Saladan Pier).  The companies that run between Koh Lipe and Koh Lanta are Bundhaya, Satun Pakbara Speedboat Club, Tigerline Sirilanta, and Ploysiam. 

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The boats that leave Koh Lipe and go to Koh Lanta’s Saladan pier, all take about 3 hours. And they all leave at the same time each day.  09:00.   We’ve traveled on all the company’s boats and they’re all pretty similar and all seem to have similar loading, so it’s not like if you pick one of these over the other you’ll get four seats to yourself.

How to get to Koh Lipe from Koh Lanta

You have some choices when it comes to picking your transport from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta. 

First of all, whether it includes a transfer from the Koh Lanta pier to your hotel on Koh Lanta.  There’s only one company that includes that as a combined ticket but is takes much longer than the other boats.  You can book that ticket here.

Then other choice, if you decide that you don’t want the combined ticket, is which company you want to go with.  And to be honest, just pick one.   There’s Bundhaya, Satun Pakbara Speedboat Club, and Tigerline Sirilanta.  They’re all pretty similar.  They all depart from the beach in Koh Lipe.  And they all leave at 09:00 (ish) and arrive at Koh Lanta’s Saladan Pier in the north of Koh Lanta at 12:00 (ish). You can book that ticket here.

Both of these islands, Koh Lipe and Koh Lanta are in Thailand, so you can ignore the immigration stations on Koh Lipe.  Those are there for the Koh Lipe to Langkawi route (I wrote about that here)

Booking Tickets from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta

You can either book tickets online to go from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta or you can get tickets from any of the Walking Street agencies in Koh Lipe,  or your hotel.  However, you’ll need to either pay cash or accept that there’s usually a 3% fee for using a card.  There are plenty of ATMs on Walking Street on Koh Lipe, but it will cost you 220THB for any cash withdrawal here.

Taking the boat from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta

Boats from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta leave from Pattaya Beach on Koh Lipe.  And the check-in areas are marked on the map, they’re all pretty close. The companies that run these boats don’t just go to Koh Lanta, they also go from Koh Lipe to Koh Ngai, Koh Lipe to Mook and, well you get the idea. So there are usually a LOT of people checking in.

Checking in for the boat from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta

You will need to check in between 30 minutes and an hour before your 09:00 departure time for the boats from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta.  And you’ll stand in a line for most of that time.  Your bags will be tagged with the relevant color for the company and the island that you’re getting off at.  And you’ll be issued with a boarding card.  The boats here are boarded via a floating pier.

If you’ve bought your ticket online, then you don’t need a printed ticket to go from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta, just have the confirmation on your phone.   You don’t usually need ID, but I always have my passport handy just in case.

If you travel this route with Bundhaya you’ll get a colored sticker for the shirt of each person who has a ticket, AND colored stickers for your big bags. 

 It’s very well organized, and they do a lot to make sure that you and your bags get on the same boat.  And also, of course, the RIGHT boat.  As the boats go to different islands, the crew pack the bags so that the Koh Lanta bags are at the bottom as that’s the last stop for this route.

There’s not much to do when you’ve checked in.  There are several cafes here and some shade, but most people just stand around waiting.  You are, after all, going to be sat down for the next three hours.

Waiting for the boats from Koh Lipe
Waiting for the boats from Koh Lipe

Luggage on the boat from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta

After you’ve left your stickered bags just after check-in, they’ll be taken by the boat crew and loaded onto the correct boat.  Believe me, it’s way easier, they’re used to carrying bags down the floating pier.

Boarding the Boats from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta

Wait until you’re called forward to board the boat to Koh Lanta.  Boarding is via the floating pier and much, much easier than climbing over the side of a longtail boat and getting transferred out to the main speedboat.

Floating Pier Koh Lipe
Floating Pier Koh Lipe

Seating on the Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta ferry

There’s free seating on the Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta boats.  Which means there are no specifically allocated seats.  The forward-facing seats are ALWAYS more comfortable, it’s much easier to brace yourself, so if there are a lot of waves, I seriously recommend trying to get one of these seats.  There are rows of seats that face forward and on some boats they also have seating around the edge of the boat, these face inwards, so you’re sat side on to the boat’s forward motion.

We did this route in January with a forward-facing seat and it was comfortable enough.  When you board you may also be given a bottle of water.  And it’s always best to drink it when the boat isn’t moving.  I’ve worn more than one bottle of water on these ferries, as I took a drink at just the wrong time…

Arriving on Koh Lanta

It depends on which boat you take as to where you’ll arrive on Koh Lanta, the three main companies that do NOT offer included transfers, although they’re likely to sell you a transfer (for cash) when you’re on the boat, arrive into the northerly pier and ferry port on Koh Lanta.  It’s called Saladan Pier, also sometimes Ban Sa La Dan.

If you take an included transfer boat, then it doesn’t actually matter where the boat gets into, as you’ll be getting straight onto a transfer to your hotel. 

Price of Tickets from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta

The slowest route from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta is the cheapest, but it also includes a transfer at the other end.  It’s slowest because it stops at a bunch of other places on the way.  You’ll pay between US$42 and US$50 for the trip.  You can check prices and buy a ticket from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta here.

Map of Piers on Koh Lipe and Koh Lanta

You can also see the ferry piers for going from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta on the full map here

Map of How to Go from Koh Lipe to 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.

Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta Transport Information

Here’s the information that you’ll need to plan a trip from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta.

Which companies go from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta?

There are four companies that go from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta, these companies are Bundhaya Speedboat, Satun Pakbara Speed Boat Club, and Tigerline.  Check availability with each of these companies here.  Ploysiam Speedboat also runs this route and includes transfers on Koh Lanta in their prices but it takes longer.

How long does the trip take from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta?

The fastest boat trip takes about 3 hours to go from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta.   You will usually check in one hour before departure. 

What time do boats go from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta?

The boats from the three companies that do not include a transfer are timetabled to leave Koh Lipe at 09:00.   Ploysiam leaves a little later at 09:30.  Be sure to check your tickets to make sure that there are no seasonal changes.

Travel Tips for Exploring Thailand

Final Words on How to Go from Koh Lanta to Koh Lipe

There are four different companies that run the transport route to Koh Lanta from Koh Lipe, it’s an easy journey.  They all depart at around the same time and apart from one (which includes a hotel transfer on Koh Lanta), they all take the same amount of time to get to Koh Lanta.  They’re similar in price and reviews.  And it’s great to have a choice!

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AUTHOR

Sarah Carter
Sarah Carter is an avid reader, writer and traveller. She loves hiking, sailing, skiing and exploring the world through food. She left a successful career in IT security and compliance in both the UK and US to travel the world with husband and partner in adventure, Nigel.