Choose the route from your actual starting point
For Krabi to Koh Lanta, a road transfer is the straightforward starting choice if you are landing at Krabi Airport with bags. Public and private minivans use the road and a car-ferry crossing; a private vehicle avoids the extra passenger-pier transfer. From an Ao Nang hotel, the seasonal Ao Nang Princess ferry is worth comparing because the operator lists mainland hotel pickup.
Do not treat Krabi Airport, Krabi Town, Ao Nang and Railay as interchangeable departure points. A ticket from Ao Nang is not an airport pickup, and arrival at Saladan in northern Koh Lanta is not arrival at a west-coast beach hotel. Choose the full journey before comparing the headline fare.
Lanta Castaway: road and sea access to Koh LantaFrom Krabi Airport: keep the luggage journey simple
Book Krabi Airport to the named Koh Lanta hotel, not just to the island. The road journey includes a short vehicle-ferry crossing, so it is not an uninterrupted mainland drive. Lanta Castaway confirms year-round public and private minivan access and airport taxis; its approximate two-hour minivan description is not a guaranteed airport-to-any-hotel time. Queueing, shared stops and the final beach drive change the total.
A private transfer is the stronger choice for several travellers, bulky luggage or a child seat arranged in advance. With a shared van, establish whether your hotel is inside the drop-off area and whether a separate vehicle change is involved. Do not assume a shared departure leaves as soon as your flight lands. A late arrival needs an explicitly accepted flight time and ferry-crossing arrangement; there is no verified all-night crossing promise here.
Lanta Castaway: minivan access and airport taxisFrom Ao Nang: what the ferry ticket actually includes
Ao Nang Travel lists the Ao Nang–Koh Lanta ferry at 10:30–12:45, departing Nopparat Thara Pier and dropping passengers at Saladan Pier only. Its displayed adult fare is ฿700 and child fare ฿500, checked on 25 October 2026. These are operator-listed fares, not a live seat quote. The product lists free mainland transfer from Ao Nang, Klong Muang, Tubkaek and Krabi Town; the island hotel transfer is a separate part of the trip.
This service is seasonal. The product specifies an exclusion from 1 May through 10 November 2026, despite the homepage calling the route daily. For an October trip, do not plan around this sailing. For the November restart, use the date-specific product and booking confirmation rather than last season’s reopening notice. The listed crossing time also excludes hotel pickup, check-in and the Saladan-to-hotel journey.
Ao Nang Travel: Ao Nang–Koh Lanta product, seasonal exclusions and fareFrom Krabi Town or Railay: avoid an unnecessary detour
From Krabi Town, compare a road transfer with the Ao Nang operator’s included town pickup when its seasonal boat is operating. That pickup takes you to the boat’s mainland departure point; it does not turn the service into a ferry departing Krabi Town. Other pier-based products need their own verified departure terminal and travel date.
Railay has no road departure from the beach itself. If staying there, compare a confirmed through-boat product with the extra boat-to-mainland plus road journey. Do not buy an Ao Nang departure and assume Railay pickup is included: the Ao Nang product’s mainland pickup list does not establish that.
Ao Nang Travel: included mainland pickup locationsBudget for the whole transfer, not just a boat seat
For the listed Ao Nang ferry, start with the published seat fare and add any Saladan-to-hotel transfer, excess luggage charge and mainland pickup outside the included area. The operator states a 20-kilogram luggage limit and an extra ฿100 per bag above its limit. Its tickets are non-refundable, although the product permits a travel-date change before departure. Read those conditions before fixing a flight connection around it.
For road transport, compare a per-person shared fare with the total private-vehicle quote for your group. The quote should name the hotel, vehicle, ferry charges, luggage and any late-arrival surcharge. No current universal road fare is established by the sources used here, so a made-up cheapest-price comparison would be misleading.
Ao Nang Travel: luggage and ticket conditionsDo not confuse a resort transfer with a public express boat
Pimalai publishes airport transfers for its own guests and explains that weather can require a car-ferry alternative. That is a guest arrangement, not an island-wide public speedboat service. If your accommodation includes transport, settle that before paying for a second airport transfer.
Separately, Amazing Lanta’s detailed Express Transfer page says its Krabi Airport speedboat transfer is not operating for the 2026–27 high season. Do not rely on an older overview advertising a fast express boat. Use road transport or a qualified seasonal passenger service instead.
Pimalai: guest airport transfers and weather fallbackFinish at the right beach
Saladan is the northern passenger-pier arrival. A booking at Long Beach/Phra Ae or farther south still requires onward transport. Have the hotel’s actual name and address ready; “Koh Lanta hotel” is not a complete drop-off instruction.
If your trip ends with a flight from Krabi, plan that return separately. A relaxed arrival-day ferry choice can be unsuitable for the departure-day airport connection.
Lanta Castaway: Phra Ae location south of Saladan