This article gives you the details of how to catch the vehicle ferry from Hua Hin pier to Ko Lanta.
Where is the Hua Hin pier?
The island of Ko Lanta is located just a stones throw from the mainland.
A bridge is due to built one day but that seems a long way off, so for now if you want to get a vehicle across to the island, this is the only way.
The pier is located approx. one hour’s drive south from Krabi town centre.
Just make sure you’re at the correct Hua Hin pier, not the one nine hours away in the town of Hua Hin.
The ferry process
The ferry runs from 6am to 10pm and runs on a “when full” basis so it’s possible you may have to wait until the ferry is full before it moves off but in our experience the ferry was constantly full.
We counted five different ferries operating at the same time so it appears to be a constant churn of ferries to and fro.
At peak times you may have to wait in a queue if it is busy but given the frequency of ferries you shouldn’t have to wait long
Tickets
You cannot book in advance. There is a ticket tooth as you approach the pier about 1KM before the boarding point.
This is a drive-in ticket booth and is often queued, but the queue passes quickly.
The ticket booth can be hard to see as it’s not actually sign posted in English but it is on Google Maps and it’s pretty obvious as you approach because you will likely see the queue of vehicles.
Once you have your ticket you drive down closer to the ferry and wait in line until boarding starts.
Cost of the ferry to Ko Lanta
Foreigners cost more than locals and in January 2026 it cost us 20 baht per person plus 60 baht for the car, so 140 baht in total.
Boarding
As soon as everyone has disembarked the incoming ferry, just follow the directions of the staff to board the outgoing ferry.
It’s a tight squeeze but cars and vans are lined up in rows and scooters have their own section on one side.
The boat fits about 30 Cars in total and takes 5-10minutes to get everyone on.
The journey
Blink and it’s over. It takes just ten minutes. Most people stay in their car with the enginee running to keep their aircon on.
You are free to walk around if you wish.
There is a toilet if you need it although it didn’t look very inviting.
Most locals get out for a smoke but that’s about all the activity you will see.
After ten minutes, disembarking is as slick on embarking and before you know it, you’re in Ko Lanta.
Travelling onwards to Ko Lanta Yai
The ferry docks on Ko Lanta Noi which is the smaller island at the top of Ko Lanta. From here there is a long bridge that connects to Ko Lanta Yai which is where most of the tourist centres are located.
The return journey
The return journey works in exactly the same way.
There is a ticket booth a few hundred metres before the boarding point. We got straight on with hardly any queue and ten minutes later we were back on the mainland.
Enjoy Ko Lanta
