The classic Andaman island-hop runs south from Phuket to Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta, the Trang islands (Koh Ngai, Koh Kradan, Koh Mook) and Koh Lipe near the Malaysian border, entirely by boat. It works only in the dry season: the island-to-island speedboats run from about mid-October to the end of April, and November to April is the safest window.
Two weeks is the right length. You spend two or three nights in each place, travel most legs in the late morning, and finish on Koh Lipe, from where you can fly home via Hat Yai or Trang, or cross the water to Langkawi in Malaysia. Every leg below is served by scheduled boats; you never need to charter one.
This page is about stringing the islands together: the order, the boat legs, the season and the costs. For each island itself, see our guides to the Phi Phi islands, Koh Lanta and Koh Lipe. For the principles that apply to any island trip (tickets, luggage, safety), start with our island-hopping guide.
The route at a glance
- Order
- Phuket → Koh Phi Phi → Koh Lanta → Trang islands → Koh Lipe
- Length
- 13–15 nights
- Season
- Island-to-island speedboats about 15 October–30 April (2026–27 operator timetables)
- Longest single leg
- Koh Lanta or the Trang islands to Koh Lipe, about 2–3 hours
- Ends at
- Koh Lipe, then Pak Bara (mainland) or Langkawi (Malaysia)
Why the route only works from October to April
The Andaman coast gets its rain from the southwest monsoon. At the Thai Meteorological Department's Ko Lanta station, the 1991–2020 averages show 24 mm of rain in February but 227–342 mm in every month from May to October. Wind and swell come with the rain, and the small, fast boats that link the islands cannot run safely in open water.
The operators' timetables follow that pattern. Satun Pakbara Speedboat publishes its 2026–27 island routes to Koh Lipe (from Phuket, Phi Phi, Lanta, Koh Ngai and Koh Kradan) for 15 October 2026 to 30 April 2027. Tigerline, the largest operator on the coast, publishes an October-to-April timetable and a separate, reduced "monsoon season" timetable for May to September.
We would plan for November to April. The first two weeks of the season can still bring rough seas, and the last two weeks of April bring the first storms further south: the Satun weather station averages 210 mm of rain in April. If your dates fall outside the window, see "Doing the route in the low season" below.
The legs: boats, times and typical prices
The table uses the operators' own figures. Times are sailing times; add check-in (usually 30 minutes) and transfers. Prices are Tigerline's published price bands for 2026, before any booking-site commission.
| Leg | Sailing time | Typical fare | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phuket (Rassada pier) → Koh Phi Phi | About 45 min by speedboat | ฿500–1,000 | Many daily departures; large ferries take longer |
| Koh Phi Phi → Koh Lanta (Saladan pier) | About 30 min by speedboat | ฿500–1,000 | Several daily departures |
| Koh Lanta → Koh Ngai / Kradan / Mook | About 30–60 min | Varies | Tigerline stops at each in turn |
| Trang islands → Koh Lipe | About 2–3 hours | ฿1,000–2,000 | One or two departures a day, late morning |
| Koh Lanta → Koh Lipe (direct) | 2–3 hours | ฿1,000–2,000 | Use it if you skip the Trang islands |
Two things stand out. First, the southbound boats to Koh Lipe leave once or twice a day in the late morning and all arrive around 13:30 (Satun Pakbara's 2026–27 timetable has departures from Koh Lanta at 10:30, Koh Ngai at 10:10 and Koh Kradan at 11:35). Miss it and you wait a day. Second, the boats call at beaches and floating pontoons on the Trang islands, not proper piers, so you often transfer to a longtail boat for the last few hundred meters.
Phuket: two or three nights to start
Phuket has the international airport, so it is the natural start. Stay near the east coast or in Phuket Town if you want an early boat; the ferries to Phi Phi leave from Rassada pier on the east side of the island, not from the beaches. Our guide to getting from Phuket airport covers the first transfer, and the Phuket city guide covers the rest.
If you would rather start in Krabi, swap Phuket for Ao Nang: boats from Krabi also reach Phi Phi in about 45 minutes, according to Tigerline. Our Krabi guide explains the area.
Koh Phi Phi: two nights
Phi Phi Don, the inhabited island, has no roads for cars, so you walk from the pier to your room. The national park fee for Phi Phi is in the higher 400-baht zone for foreign adults (October 2026), and the park uses electronic tickets. Maya Bay, on the uninhabited Phi Phi Le, closes every year from 1 August to 30 September and reopened on 1 October 2026; swimming there is still not allowed. Our pages on Maya Bay's rules and the ferries to Phi Phi go into detail.
Two nights is enough for most people: one day for the viewpoint and a boat trip around Phi Phi Le, one for the beach. Book your room before you arrive in December and January.
Koh Lanta: three nights
Koh Lanta is the opposite of Phi Phi: long, with roads, long sandy beaches on the west coast and a relaxed pace. Boats land at Saladan pier in the north. Mu Ko Lanta National Park covers the southern tip and several islands; the general park fee for foreign adults is 200 baht, but the outlying islands Ko Rok, Ko Ha and Koh Ngai fall in a 400-baht special zone (Department of National Parks notice, September 2022). Our page on the national park on Lanta covers the lighthouse and the trail.
Lanta is also the best place on the route to rest, do laundry and withdraw cash before the smaller islands. Rent a scooter only if you are an experienced rider.
The Trang islands: three nights
South of Lanta, the province of Trang has a string of small islands. Koh Mook and Koh Kradan lie within Hat Chao Mai National Park, and Koh Ngai is administered with Mu Ko Lanta National Park. Koh Mook has a village and the Emerald Cave (Tham Morakot), a sea tunnel that you swim through into an enclosed lagoon; it is reachable only around low to mid tide. Koh Kradan is mostly beach and reef. Koh Ngai is small and resort-based.
Pick one island as your base and day-trip to the others by longtail, or split the three nights between two. Our guide to the Trang islands compares them. Accommodation is limited, so book ahead in high season.
Check which beach your boat stops at on Koh Mook and Koh Ngai. Tigerline lists Koh Mook pier, Kradan beach and Koh Ngai's Fantasy Beach as its stops. If your room is on another beach, arrange a longtail or a resort transfer before you arrive.
Koh Lipe: three nights and the way out
Koh Lipe is the end of the line, in Satun province near the Malaysian border and inside the Tarutao National Park area. In the high season, boats land at Pattaya Beach on Lipe. Our existing article on traveling to Koh Lipe explains the arrival, the floating pontoon and the speedboat seats, so we do not repeat it here.
From Lipe you have two ways home. The first is a speedboat to Pak Bara on the mainland, then road transport to Hat Yai or Trang airport for a domestic flight. The second is a ferry to Langkawi in Malaysia; Tigerline gives about 90 minutes and around four trips a day in season. If you take it, you leave Thailand on Koh Lipe: check with the operator where and when immigration formalities are done, and read our guide to crossing between Malaysia and Thailand. For travelers from Malaysia or Singapore, the same route works in reverse as a way in.
Doing the route in the low season
From May to mid-October, most island-to-island services stop or run reduced timetables, and the sea is rough. You can still visit the same islands, but you go back to the mainland between them: Tigerline publishes a reduced monsoon timetable, Koh Lanta can be reached from Krabi by road (see our guide from Krabi to Koh Lanta), and Koh Lipe is served mainly by speedboats from Pak Bara. It is slower, wetter and some smaller resorts close. Our guide to the best time to visit Koh Lipe covers the Lipe end.
If your trip falls between May and October, consider the Gulf islands instead: Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao are relatively dry from June to August. Our Gulf island-hopping route explains that trip.
Costs, cash and a sample two weeks
Budget roughly 2,500–5,000 baht per person for the four boat legs from Phuket to Koh Lipe at Tigerline's published price bands (October 2026), plus park fees: 400 baht on Phi Phi, 200 on Lanta and up to 400 for the outer islands, collected separately by each park. Bring cash for park fees, longtails and small islands, and withdraw it on Phuket or Lanta.
| Nights | Where | Move on |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Phuket | Morning boat to Phi Phi |
| 4–5 | Koh Phi Phi | Speedboat to Koh Lanta |
| 6–8 | Koh Lanta | Speedboat south to Koh Mook, Kradan or Ngai |
| 9–11 | Trang islands | Late-morning boat to Koh Lipe |
| 12–14 | Koh Lipe | Pak Bara and a flight, or Langkawi |
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to island-hop in the Andaman Sea?
November to April. The island-to-island speedboats run from about 15 October to 30 April according to the 2026–27 timetables, but the first and last weeks of that window can be rough. From May to October the southwest monsoon brings heavy rain and most direct routes stop.
How do I get from Koh Lanta to Koh Lipe?
By speedboat in the dry season. The direct crossing takes about two to three hours, and the boats also stop at the Trang islands. Satun Pakbara Speedboat's 2026–27 timetable lists a 10:30 departure from Koh Lanta arriving on Koh Lipe at 13:30.
Is two weeks enough for Phuket to Koh Lipe?
Yes. Two weeks gives two or three nights in each of five places with one boat leg every few days. With ten days, drop either Phuket or the Trang islands rather than rushing every stop.
Do I pay a national park fee on every island?
Fees are charged per park, not per island. Phi Phi is in the 400-baht zone for foreign adults, Lanta's park is 200 baht with 400 for its outer islands, and the Trang islands and Tarutao parks are Category 2 parks at 200 baht. How each fee is collected varies, so carry cash.
Can I end the trip in Malaysia?
Yes, in season. Ferries run from Koh Lipe to Langkawi in about 90 minutes, according to Tigerline. You leave Thailand on Koh Lipe, so check with your operator where immigration is handled and allow time for it.
Sources
- Tigerline Ferry and Siri Lanta Speedboat – Routes, typical durations and price bands (checked October 2026)
- Tigerline Ferry – Timetables, October–April and monsoon season (checked October 2026)
- Satun Pakbara Speedboat – Ferry and speedboat timetable 2026–2027 (checked October 2026)
- Thai Meteorological Department – Climatological data 1991–2020 (Ko Lanta, Phuket and Satun stations) (checked October 2026)
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – DNP notice on special-zone park fees (in Thai) (checked October 2026)
- Department of National Parks – Maya Bay closure 1 August to 30 September 2026 (in Thai) (checked October 2026)
- Kapook – National park fees by category, citing the DNP (in Thai) (checked October 2026)
- UK FCDO – Thailand: safety and security (sea travel) (checked October 2026)