Koh Lanta to Koh Phi Phi Ferry

Every boat leaves from Saladan pier at the northern tip of Lanta. If you're staying on Klong Dao or Long Beach it's a short ride, but from Klong Khong, Kantiang or the south it's a long one, and a tuk-tuk from Kantiang costs about ฿400–800. Grab barely works on the island, so I'd buy a ticket that includes the pickup. Bundhaya's speedboat with a hotel pickup is about ฿845 on 12Go, about ฿100 more than the boat alone, Tigerline includes the pickup for about ฿600, and Jijie and Chaokoh sell ferries and speedboats with a pickup from about ฿600. Pickups come up to two hours before the boat, so be ready in the lobby early.

The fares are close, so it comes down to time and the sea. The speedboats take 30 to 45 minutes and run through the day, Bundhaya at 10:00, 13:00 and 15:30 for ฿700 (children ฿400), with Satun Pakbara, Tigerline, Andaman Wave Master and PP Cabana in between. The ferries take about an hour and leave in the morning and early afternoon, Lanta Petpailin at 08:00 and Chaokoh at 09:00 and 12:30, for about ฿600. On a windy day I'd take the ferry, because a big boat rolls less on the open water between the two islands.

Every boat but one lands at Tonsai pier, in the middle of Phi Phi Don's village. You pay the ฿20 island fee in cash as you come off the pier, and from there the Tonsai hotels are a short walk, since the island has no cars. For Long Beach, a longtail from the pier costs about ฿100, and the resorts further out usually send their own boat if you tell them your arrival time.

If you're staying at Laem Tong in the north, Andaman Wave Master's 12:00 from Saladan stops at Tonsai at 12:30 and continues to Laem Tong beach, arriving about 14:00, for about ฿1,050. That saves the longtail ride round the island.

Because the crossing is so short, you can see Phi Phi without moving hotels. On the scheduled boats, take Lanta Petpailin's 08:00 ferry (about ฿600) or Bundhaya's 10:00 speedboat (฿700) out, and Bundhaya's 15:30 or Petpailin's 16:00 back from Tonsai. That's six hours or more on Phi Phi Don for about ฿1,300–1,400 in boat fares. It's enough for the viewpoint above Tonsai, a longtail to Long Beach and lunch, but not for Maya Bay, which needs its own boat.

For Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and the snorkeling spots, the efficient way is a speedboat day tour with a pickup from your Lanta hotel. Lanta's tour operators sell them from about ฿1,595 for about eight hours, with lunch and snorkel gear, and the national-park fee (฿400 for adults, ฿200 for children) is usually paid in cash on the day on top. Maya Bay closes from 1 August to 30 September, and you can wade there but not swim. In the rainy season I wouldn't plan a same-day trip on the scheduled boats, because the 13:00 out doesn't leave time for a return.

Phi Phi is the middle of the Andaman hop, so most people go on to Phuket or Krabi. Ferries and speedboats leave Tonsai for Rassada pier in Phuket through the day (Phi Phi to Phuket), and for Krabi Town, Ao Nang and Railay, including ferries to Klong Jilad at 10:30, 13:30 and 15:30 (Phi Phi to Krabi).

Coming back, speedboats leave Tonsai from 09:30 to 15:30 and ferries at 11:00, 11:30, 14:00 and 16:00, and in the rainy season Bundhaya's 11:00 is the boat to plan on. My Phi Phi to Koh Lanta guide has every departure and the Laem Tong boat.