What to expect at Koh Lanta’s car ferry

Most of the confusion about getting a vehicle to Koh Lanta comes from old information. Many pages still describe two car ferries. Since June 2016 there has been one: the short crossing from the Krabi mainland to Koh Lanta Noi. The Siri Lanta bridge does the rest. This guide covers that vehicle crossing only. Passenger boats from Saladan pier to Phi Phi, Ao Nang and other islands are a different service, compared in the article Ao Nang to Koh Lanta by ferry or road.

Car ferry crossings

1

Crossing time

about 15 min

Service hours

06:00 to 22:00

Car fare, as reported

60–100 THB

How the Koh Lanta car ferry works

You drive to Ban Hua Hin pier in Ko Klang, Krabi, buy a ticket at a booth on the approach road, queue, and drive onto a flat-decked ferry. About 15 minutes later you drive off at Khlong Mak pier on Koh Lanta Noi. From there it is roughly 10 km by road, over the 650 m Siri Lanta bridge, to Saladan at the north of Koh Lanta Yai. The operator, Songserm Tran Service, says each ferry carries up to 45 cars and 120 passengers.

Where Hua Hin pier for Koh Lanta is

Ban Hua Hin pier is on Highway 4206 in Ko Klang subdistrict, Krabi province. It has nothing to do with Hua Hin town, the resort on the Gulf of Thailand on the other side of the country. If you type “Hua Hin pier” into a map app, check that the pin is in Krabi.

By our estimate on the public OSRM router, the pier is about 64 km by road from Krabi Airport, roughly an hour or more of driving before any queue. The full airport journey, from arrivals to your hotel, is in Krabi Airport to Koh Lanta step by step.

Buying Koh Lanta ferry tickets at the booth

You cannot book ahead, according to recent traveller reports. Tickets are sold at a drive-in booth on the approach road, between a few hundred metres and about 1 km before the ramp. Travellers on Wongnai say tickets are not sold at the ramp itself. On the way back from Lanta Noi, the booth is a few hundred metres before the boarding point.

The car ticket is reported to cover the vehicle and its driver. Other passengers pay per person. Keep the ticket until you are on board, and have small notes ready.

Koh Lanta car ferry timetable and opening hours

There is no fixed timetable. Songserm Tran Service says, in Thai on its own site, that a ferry leaves every 20 minutes from 06:00 to 22:00. The Tourism Authority of Thailand gives the same hours. Travellers describe ferries leaving when full rather than on the clock, with several boats working at busy times.

Other pages disagree. A BAANLYY guide updated on 7 October 2026 gives roughly 07:00 to 22:00. We use the operator’s and TAT’s 06:00 to 22:00. If you will arrive near either end, check with the operator before you set off.

After 22:00, the operator says charter boats are available for customers. Terms and prices are not published. For flights that land late, see whether you can reach Koh Lanta after a late flight.

Crossing times also vary by source. The operator says about 15 minutes. One traveller timed 10 minutes. The Bangkok Post called it “a ferry trip of about 30 minutes” (24 August 2026), which probably includes loading. Plan on 15 minutes afloat plus loading time.

Koh Lanta car ferry price, as reported

The operator does not publish fares, and the figures online do not agree. Treat every number below as reported, not official, and read the price board at the booth.

Source	Date	Per car	Per extra person
TAT Ko Lanta page	archived July 2025	100 THB	20 THB
Wongnai reviewer	April 2025	80 THB with driver	3 THB
Roaming Wild	January 2026 visit	60 THB	20 THB
BAANLYY guide	October 2026	about 90 THB	20–25 THB

Roaming Wild reports that foreigners pay more than Thai residents, without giving the foreign rate. Older Wongnai reviews from 2022 mention 100 THB per car. The motorbike fare does not appear in any source we found.

Boarding, the crossing and motorbikes

Loading is quick. One traveller timed about 5 to 10 minutes to load around 30 cars. Follow the deck crew’s directions, use the handbrake once parked, and take care around motorbikes when you drive off.

Motorbikes and scooters travel on the same ferry, with their own section on board. If you are riding a rented scooter or driving a rental car, ask the shop before you take it off the island. With our car rental, include any off-island plans when you send your enquiry.

When queues build at the car ferry

Queues are the real variable. On 6 November 2025, Khaosod English reported traffic stretching several kilometres and waits of several hours, in both directions, as high season began. It said demand was expected to grow through December and January.

When	What has been reported	What to do
Start of high season, November	Waits of several hours (Khaosod, 2025)	Add a large buffer
December and January	Expected to be busier still	Travel early in the day
Thai holidays: New Year, Songkran (13–15 April), Chinese New Year	Long vehicle lines reported on public holidays	Avoid holiday travel days if you can
Weekends and long weekends	More private cars likely; no official data	Allow extra time
Quiet weekdays	Little or no wait (traveller reports, 2025 and 2026)	Normal buffer

What to do while you wait

Lines move in blocks as each ferry fills, so stay with your vehicle. Fill up with fuel before the pier, keep water and snacks within reach, and use a toilet before you join a long line. If you have a flight to catch, keep the airline’s check-in deadline in mind and leave the island earlier than you think you need to.

The Koh Lanta bridge to the mainland

A road bridge will eventually replace the ferry, but not before 2029. Until then, the car ferry is the only road link between Koh Lanta and the mainland.

1. June 2016 The 650 m Siri Lanta bridge opens between Koh Lanta Noi and Koh Lanta Yai, so drivers no longer need a second ferry.
2. October 2022 The Cabinet approves a 1,854 million baht mainland bridge, then expected to open in 2026.
3. 31 August 2026 The Department of Rural Roads signs the construction contract, with a 1,080-day build period.
4. 2029 Expected opening, according to the Transport Minister.

The two-lane bridge will start from Highway 4206 in Ko Klang and land on Koh Lanta Noi, crossing the Khlong Chong Lat channel. MGR Online gives the bridge as about 1,780 m with 747 m of approach road. Other Thai reports give figures between 1,825 m and 2.24 km. The 2029 date is a plan, not a promise: the earlier plan aimed for 2026.

Planning a crossing with a flight or a transfer

If you are driving yourself, aim to reach the pier well before 22:00 and add queue time from November to April. If your day includes a flight, the ferry is the one part of the trip you cannot speed up.

A private transfer puts the timing in our hands. For airport journeys, send your flight and hotel through our Krabi Airport to Koh Lanta transfer page and we reply with the vehicle and the price.

Send us your travel date, flight time and hotel and we’ll tell you what’s possible, including a pickup time that allows for the ferry.