Phuket to Koh Lanta

Two operators run straight from Rassada pier to Saladan in about 1 hour 30 without stopping at Phi Phi, and both sail all year. Bundhaya's own site lists the route as year-round from ฿1,500, with departures at 08:30 and 10:00 in October and extra boats at 12:00 and 14:30 in high season. Satun Pakbara sails at 08:30, 11:00 and 12:30 for about ฿1,260 on 12Go, on the same schedule in October as in December.

Andaman Wave Master's speedboat is the comfortable version. It leaves Rassada at 09:15 and reaches Saladan at 11:05, and the ฿1,700 fare includes a pickup from hotels in Patong, Kata, Karon, Rawai, Nai Harn, Chalong and Phuket Town.

Book a day or two ahead from December to February, and expect a bumpier ride from May to October, when the sea is rougher.

The big ferries take the scenic route. Andaman Wave Master leaves Rassada at 08:30 and 13:45 and reaches Saladan at 12:30 and 17:00 for ฿1,350, changing boats at Tonsai pier on Phi Phi. Phi Phi Cruiser's 08:30 does the same with a connecting Lanta boat for about ฿820, the cheapest way across by sea. Chaokoh's 11:00 to Phi Phi (฿599) connects with its 15:00 Phi Phi to Lanta boat (฿400), arriving at 16:00.

These are high-season boats; Andaman Wave Master's own pages say November to April, though some sailings are sold in October too. The Ao Nang Princess also runs Phuket to Lanta in high season, leaving Rassada at 08:30; last year it restarted on 9 November. Changing at Tonsai can mean a wait on the pier, two hours on the Chaokoh connection. Whether transit passengers pay Phi Phi's pier or national-park fees isn't clearly stated by anyone, so carry some cash.

The road route goes north off Phuket, around Phang Nga Bay through Krabi, and across the short car ferry from Hua Hin pier to Lanta Noi, about 226 km from Phuket airport. Shared minivans leave Phuket Bus Terminal 2 seven times a day from 06:30 to 12:20 for about ฿750 and reach Saladan pier in about 5 hours 30. Krabi Vijit's door-to-door vans cost about ฿1,300, and one van leaves Phuket airport at 09:30 for about ฿1,170, reaching Lanta hotels in the late afternoon.

A private car takes about four hours and costs about ฿4,300–6,300, which splits well three or four ways and goes whenever you like. In December and January the car-ferry queue can add hours to any road trip, which is the main argument for the boat in high season.

Every boat from Phuket lands at Saladan pier on Lanta's northern tip, and most vans finish there too. The west-coast beaches, Klong Dao, Long Beach and the rest, run south from Saladan, so it's a short taxi or tuk-tuk ride to your hotel. Some speedboat tickets include a hotel van on Lanta for little extra, and the door-to-door minivans drop you at the hotel itself.

Going back, the speedboats leave Saladan in the morning and early afternoon: Satun Pakbara at 09:00, 13:00 and 14:30, Bundhaya at 10:00, 13:00 and 15:30, and Andaman Wave Master's speedboat at 12:00, all about 1 hour 30 to Rassada. Tigerline's last published timetable runs three boats via Phi Phi at 10:00, 12:30 and 16:00, landing at Chean Vanich pier in Rassada. The high-season ferries via Phi Phi leave at 08:00 and 13:00. By road, Good Luck Lanta's vans leave Saladan from 08:00 to 12:00 for Phuket's bus terminal, the airport or Patong.

For a flight from Phuket, take a morning speedboat and leave plenty of slack, because the boat lands at Rassada near Phuket Town, at the other end of the island from the airport. For an early flight, book a private car the day before; it's the only reliable option.

Lanta follows the Andaman calendar. The nearest weather station, in Phuket, records just 24 mm of rain in February and 350 mm in September, its wettest month, and the rain arrives in May. November to April is the season for calm crossings and the full ferry schedule; from May to October the speedboats keep running but the sea is rougher. If you're deciding between Lanta and the Krabi mainland, our Krabi vs Koh Lanta comparison goes through it.