Andaman coast ferries
Thailand’s west coast faces the Andaman Sea: limestone cliffs, Phi Phi’s twin bays, long Koh Lanta and the small southern islands of Trang and Satun. Ferries link Phuket and Krabi to almost everything, and in high season speedboats hop south island by island all the way to Koh Lipe.
From Koh Phi Phi
From Phuket
From Krabi
From Koh Lanta
From Koh Lipe
From Koh Mook
From Koh Ngai
From Ao Nang
How ferries work on the Andaman coast
The main ports
Most crossings start from three places. In Phuket, big ferries use Rassada Pier near Phuket Town, not the west-coast beaches. In Krabi, they leave from Klong Jilad Pier near Krabi Town. Around Ao Nang, boats use Nopparat Thara Pier, and speedboats also leave from Ao Nam Mao. Railay has no road access, so every trip there involves a boat.
Island hopping south
From November to April, speedboats run south from Koh Lanta through the Trang islands (Koh Ngai, Koh Mook and Koh Kradan) and on to Koh Lipe near the Malaysian border. Many of these boats land on the beach rather than at a pier. In the rainy season most of them stop, and the Trang islands are reached from piers on the Trang coast instead.
Crossing to the Gulf
There is no sea route between the Andaman coast and the Gulf islands. Joint tickets combine a van across the peninsula with a ferry, so Krabi or Ao Nang to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan or Koh Tao is a single booking that takes most of a day.