For most island hoppers, the crossing from Koh Phi Phi to Krabi is the last leg before the airport. Krabi is the standard mainland exit. The pier feeds straight into the road network for Krabi airport flights and onward buses, which is why Phi Phi trips so often end here rather than back in Phuket. Take the speedboat if you are racing a same-day flight. Take the scheduled ferry if you have a buffer and would rather save the fare. The direct ferry runs 1 hour on speedboat or 2 hours on scheduled ferry, with three operators covering the route year round at 62 weekly sailings total. The schedule clusters between 09:00 and 15:00 from Tonsai Pier.
This guide tests each operator on schedule reliability, total transit time, the booking window math, and the high season seat scarcity that catches travelers on tight return flight connections.
Koh Phi Phi to Krabi at a glance
- Speedboat duration: 59 minutes to 1 hour 5 minutes on Andaman Wave Master speedboat tier
- Scheduled ferry duration: 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours on the standard ferry
- Foot-passenger fare: $14 to $35 online for scheduled ferry, $50 to $128 for premium speedboat
- Weekly sailings: 62 across three operators per Direct Ferries data, May 2026
- First sailing: 09:00 from Tonsai Pier
- Last sailing: 15:00 from Tonsai Pier
- Origin pier: Tonsai Pier on Phi Phi Don, the only commercial pier on the island
- Destination pier: Klong Jilad Pier, 5 km south of Krabi Town
- Booking window: 48 hours minimum in high season, 72 hours for guaranteed seats
Photographer: Diego Delso. Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 3.0.Three operators on the Phi Phi to Krabi route
Three operators run the Koh Phi Phi to Krabi route year round. Andaman Wave Master leads on frequency. Seatran Discovery and Songserm cover the remainder. Each operator has a different speed tier and a different cancellation profile.
Andaman Wave Master, the highest-frequency operator
Andaman Wave Master runs 5 daily sailings, 31 weekly. The fleet includes both scheduled ferries and speedboats on the same route. The speedboat tier covers Tonsai to Klong Jilad in 59 minutes to 1 hour 5 minutes. The scheduled ferry covers the route in 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours.
- Speedboat fare: $50 to $90 one way
- Scheduled ferry fare: $14 to $25 one way
- Weekly sailings: 31 across both tiers
- Best for: travelers who need schedule depth or want both ferry and speedboat options on the same operator
Seatran Discovery, the dependable mid-tier
Seatran Discovery runs 4 daily sailings, 27 weekly on scheduled ferry equipment. Crossing time runs 1 hour 45 minutes consistently. Foot-passenger fare runs $18 to $32 one way. The operator has a strong on-time record on the route, with cancellation rate below 5 percent across the year.
Songserm, the older operator at thinner frequency
Songserm runs 2 daily sailings, 14 weekly. The 9 am and the early afternoon departures cover the day. Foot-passenger fare matches Seatran at $15 to $28. The schedule is thinner, but Songserm is a long-running Andaman operator with reliable service on the routes it covers.
Speedboat or scheduled ferry, the decision that defines most bookings
Photographer: Vyacheslav Argenberg. Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 4.0.The route’s main trade-off sits between the speedboat and scheduled ferry tiers. Both depart Tonsai Pier and arrive Klong Jilad Pier. The differences live in time, comfort, and fare.
- Speedboat: 59 to 65 minutes crossing time, fares $50 to $128, rides the chop harder, no cabin shelter on the upper rows
- Scheduled ferry: 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours crossing time, fares $14 to $35, AC interior and open upper deck, smoother ride in moderate swell
The speedboat wins on time for travelers with a tight onward connection. The scheduled ferry wins on cost and comfort for any traveler without a hard deadline. For a 2-hour buffer to a Krabi airport flight, either works. For a 60-minute connection, only the speedboat fits.
Two practical notes before you pick. Speedboat operators cap a soft luggage allowance around 20 kg and stow bags on an open bow, so anything that cannot get wet should ride inside a dry bag. The scheduled ferry has covered hold space and is the safer call for hard cases or surfboards. On sea condition, the open Andaman stretch in the middle of the crossing is where swell builds. Travelers prone to motion sickness ride the slower ferry better than the speedboat, which slaps across chop at speed.
Tonsai Pier on departure and the Phi Phi resort transfer math
Tonsai is the only commercial pier on Phi Phi Don. Resorts on the island connect to Tonsai by long-tail boat shuttle (most include in the room rate) or by foot for the central Tonsai Village hotels.
Transfer times from popular Phi Phi resort zones:
- Tonsai Village hotels: 2 to 5 minutes walking
- Loh Dalum Bay: 8 to 12 minutes walking through Tonsai village
- Long Beach (Hat Yao): 15 to 25 minutes by long-tail boat to Tonsai, hotel-arranged
- Koh Phi Phi resorts on Maya Bay or Phi Phi Leh: not commercially accessible, no ferry service from Tonsai
Travelers staying at Long Beach should target the 10:30 or 11:30 departure rather than the 09:00 to allow time for the long-tail transfer plus check-in at Tonsai.
Klong Jilad Pier on arrival in Krabi
Klong Jilad Pier sits 5 km south of Krabi Town center and 8 km from the Krabi Bus Station. The pier opens onto a small road with songthaews and taxis waiting for ferry arrivals.
Transfer options from Klong Jilad to popular Krabi-side destinations, with local fares in baht ($1 is roughly THB 35):
- Krabi Town: 5 km$0 100 to 200 tuk-tuk, 15 minutes
- Ao Nang Beach: 25 km$0 350 to 450 taxi, 30 to 45 minutes
- Krabi Bus Station: 8 km$0 150 to 250 tuk-tuk, 20 minutes
- Krabi airport (KBV): 15 km$0 300 to 400 taxi, 20 to 25 minutes
For travelers connecting to a Krabi airport flight the same day, the ferry-plus-airport transfer math runs 2 hour 30 minutes to 3 hours total from Tonsai. Plan a 4-hour buffer between the ferry arrival and the flight departure.
Krabi Town itself sits 5 km from the pier and works as a cheap overnight before an early flight, with the night market and the bus station both close to the river. Most travelers skip the town and run straight on to the beaches. The onward leg from Krabi to Ao Nang is the common move, since Ao Nang is the beach hub and the long-tail jumping-off point for Railay. Songthaews to Ao Nang leave from near the pier road through the day, and a shared seat runs well under a private taxi if you are not racing a clock. If you are still island hopping, compare the ferry between Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi and the ferry between Phuket and Koh Phi Phi for your next leg.
Best booking window and high-season seat scarcity
The route prices on lead time. Online booking holds the fare floor 20 to 30 percent below pier counter walk-up. High season (November to April) sees the cheaper scheduled ferry tier sell out 3 to 5 days ahead, especially the 09:00 and 11:00 departures.
The 48-hour booking window is the practical minimum for confirmed seats. The 72-hour booking window is the safe floor for guaranteed seats on the cheapest fare tier. Speedboat tier holds more inventory inside 24 hours but at higher fares.
Walking up to the Tonsai counter on the day still works outside the November to April peak, when sailings rarely fill. In peak weeks it is a gamble. A confirmed online seat also fixes the departure time, which matters when the long-tail transfer from an outlying resort eats an hour before you even reach the pier. The crossing covers about 45 km of open Andaman water, so the slower scheduled ferry, not the speedboat, is the one that holds its schedule when the wind picks up.
Monsoon (May to October) brings rough afternoon seas. Morning sailings (09:00, 10:30) cancel less than 5 percent of the time. Afternoon sailings (13:30, 15:00) cancel 15 to 25 percent in August and September. Book the morning departure online when traveling in monsoon months.
Photographer: Stefan Fussan. Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 3.0.Frequently asked questions about Koh Phi Phi to Krabi
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Where to stay in Krabi after the ferry
Three SHA-certified picks across Krabi Town and Ao Nang to anchor the first night after arrival. For the full set of options, see where to stay in Krabi. If you have time before flying out, our 3 days in Krabi itinerary maps the beaches and the town.
For all 27 Thailand ferry routes plus operator reliability, seasonal cancellation patterns, and booking strategy, see our complete Thailand ferry guide.
