Khao Lak to Krabi

Two firms run most of the vans. On 12Go's board Black Tiger leaves Khao Lak at 08:45, 10:45, 11:45, 13:45, 15:45 and 17:15 and takes about two and a half hours, and Phichet leaves at 09:20, 11:20, 12:20, 14:20, 16:20 and 17:50 and takes about two hours forty. There's also an 08:00 that changes vans on the way and takes about five hours. Seats start at about ฿330 with 12Go's fee, and Khao Lak tour desks sell the same vans.

The meeting point for most tickets is McDonald's on the main road in Nang Thong. Hotel-pickup tickets collect you instead, which is worth it from Khuk Khak, Pakarang or Bang Sak. The scheduled times are optimistic, and reviewers mention hotel drops on the way and the odd change of van, so I'd leave a buffer of an hour before anything that can't wait.

Ao Nang is where most people are going, and the vans that end at your hotel there cost a little more. Phichet's run from about 09:00 to 17:50 and take about three hours ten, for about ฿450 with the fee, and Black Tiger's leave from about 09:10 for about ฿370 and take about three hours. They drop along the Ao Nang beach road and at Nopparat Thara and Klong Muang.

A van that ends in Krabi Town is cheaper but leaves you about 20 km short. A songthaew from town to Ao Nang costs about ฿50–80, so it works, but with bags the hotel drop is the better buy. A car from Khao Lak to an Ao Nang hotel costs about ฿2,400–2,700.

Railay has no road, so every route ends with a boat. The simplest is the van-and-boat ticket on 12Go, which leaves McDonald's in Khao Lak at 09:00 and ends at Railay East pier about three hours later, for about ฿530.

Otherwise, take a van to Ao Nang and a shared longtail from the beach, ฿100 a person and 10 to 15 minutes, or a van that drops at Ao Nam Mao, where a speedboat crosses to Railay East every 30 minutes for ฿150. Both run until about 18:00, so a van that leaves Khao Lak by early afternoon is the one to catch.

For a flight, take a car. It's about 137 km from Nang Thong and 141 km from Bang Niang, two to two and a half hours, and the airport wants you there two hours before departure, so leave Khao Lak four and a half to five hours before your flight. 12Go lists about 24 cars to the airport from about ฿2,400, and your hotel can book one the night before.

There are only two airport vans a day on 12Go, both leaving at about 09:00 and taking about three hours, for about ฿765. That suits an afternoon flight, from about 15:00. Most other vans end in Krabi Town, about 12 km from the airport, so if you take one, add a taxi from town and more time. If you haven't booked your flight home yet, Phuket airport is much closer to Khao Lak, about 75 km and 80 to 100 minutes away.

You can reach Phi Phi from Khao Lak through Krabi in one day, but only on the first vans. The 08:45 reaches Krabi Town at about 11:20, which makes the last ferry from Klong Jilad pier at 13:30 (15:00 in December) or the afternoon speedboats, which run until 16:00. A car is the safer way to make the boat. If Phi Phi is the goal and you aren't stopping in Krabi, it's easier from Phuket, because the ferries from Rassada pier are about two hours from Khao Lak and sail until mid-afternoon.

For Koh Lanta, take the van to Krabi Town and the Lanta van from there, or spend a night in Krabi and go on in the morning. My Krabi to Koh Lanta guide has the vans and the boats.

If you haven't been to Khao Sok, it's a natural stop between the coasts. Buses from Khao Lak to Khao Sok leave at about 08:20, 09:30, 10:40, 11:30, 13:10 and 15:40 and take about two hours with the stop at Takua Pa, and vans at 11:00 and 17:00 take about an hour. After two nights, vans leave Khao Sok for Krabi from about 07:30 to 16:30 and take two and a half to four hours.

The vans run all year, so the season matters at the Krabi end. December to March is the best time for Krabi's beaches and island boats, and May to October is the rainy season, when some boats are canceled in rough weather. Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Leh closes from 1 August to 30 September every year.

Coming the other way, from Krabi to Khao Lak, the vans run from about 07:00 to 16:00. My Krabi to Khao Lak guide has the times from Krabi Town, Ao Nang and the airport.