Krabi to Khao Lak

The van is the standard way to Khao Lak, and two firms run most of the departures. On 12Go's board, Black Tiger leaves Krabi at 07:00, 07:30, 08:00, 09:00, 10:00, 10:30, 12:00, 13:00, 13:30, 14:00 and 15:00, and Phichet at 08:30, 09:30, 12:30, 14:30 and 15:30, with a few smaller firms in between. Booked on 12Go with its fee, a seat is about ฿340 from the van station in Krabi Town and ฿400–450 with a pickup from your hotel. Tour desks in Ao Nang and Krabi Town sell the same vans.

The drive is about two and a half hours, but the van takes longer. It collects passengers around town first, and the reviews on 12Go mention waits to fill seats and a change to a second van an hour in. Plan on three to four hours and you won't be disappointed. They're 10- to 14-seat vans with bags stacked at the back, so pack light if you can, and take a morning departure so you reach Khao Lak in daylight with time to find your hotel.

A car is worth it for three or more people, for families, and for anyone with big bags. 12Go lists cars from about ฿2,400 with its fee, Khao Lak and Krabi firms quote ฿2,500–3,500, and your hotel can book one the day before. It's two to two and a half hours door to door with no detours, and you choose the time.

The car also lets you stop. Phang Nga town and Samet Nangshe viewpoint in Takua Thung are near the road north, and a driver will usually add a short stop if you agree it when you book. Grab and taxis aren't something to count on for a 130 km run, so book ahead.

Ao Nang is the busiest starting point. Phichet's vans collect from Ao Nang hotels every hour from 07:00 to 16:00 on 12Go's board and take about three and a half hours, for about ฿400–450 with the fee, and Black Tiger sells an Ao Nang pickup from about ฿400 that drops at your Khao Lak hotel. Ao Nang is a few kilometers farther from Khao Lak than Krabi Town, but the pickups along the beach road make the trip a little longer than from town.

Railay has no road, so take a longtail to Ao Nang or Ao Nam Mao first. 12Go's vans list Ao Nam Mao as a pickup point, which is where the Railay East boats land, and an early boat makes a late-morning van.

Coming off a boat from Koh Phi Phi or Koh Lanta, 12Go sells a boat-and-van ticket from Klong Jilad pier in Krabi Town, and some van firms will collect you at the pier. Take a morning boat so you land before the last vans go.

Khao Lak is a string of beaches along Highway 4 rather than one town. Coming from the south, the road passes the turn for Thap Lamu pier, then Nang Thong, the busiest strip with the shops and banks, then Bang Niang with its market, then Khuk Khak, Pakarang and Bang Sak.

Vans sold as a hotel transfer drop at your hotel. The cheaper ones end at McDonald's on the main road in Nang Thong, which suits a hotel in Nang Thong or Bang Niang, and a few go on to Bang Sak. If you're staying farther north, pay for the hotel drop or ask your hotel to collect you, because there's no taxi rank or ride-hailing to count on in Khao Lak.

Khao Sok National Park sits inland between the two coasts, and it's an easy stop on the way. Vans leave Krabi for Khao Sok about every half hour from 06:30 to the middle of the afternoon, three and a half to four and a half hours with pickups. Give it two nights, one in the village and one on Cheow Lan Lake, then head west to the coast. Buses leave Khao Sok for Khao Lak from about 08:20 to 16:00 and take about two hours with the stop at Takua Pa, for about ฿260, and vans at about 07:00, 13:00 and 17:20 take about an hour for about ฿500.

From Krabi the road reaches Cheow Lan Lake's pier before the village, so if your first night is on the lake you can go straight there. My Krabi to Khao Sok guide has the van times and the lake pier.

Because it's a road trip, the vans run all year. The season matters more at the other end. December to March is the best time on this coast, and May to October is the rainy season, when Khao Lak gets far more rain than Phuket and the sea is rough. The Similan Islands, the main reason many people come to Khao Lak, are open only from mid-October to mid-May, so check your dates before you plan a trip around them.

Going back, the vans run the other way from about 08:00 to 18:00, and most pick up at the same McDonald's. My Khao Lak to Krabi guide has the times, the drop points in Ao Nang and Krabi Town, and how early to leave for a flight. If you're flying home from Khao Lak, Phuket is the airport to use.