A December island route with two ferry crossings, three nights on Lanta and a road journey to Krabi Airport.
Spend nine nights across four bases: two in Phuket, two on Phi-Phi Don, three on Koh Lanta and two on the Krabi mainland. Lanta gets the extra night because its west-coast beaches and eastern Old Town are separate outings. This is the longer alternative to the seven-day Phuket–Phi-Phi–Krabi route, with one more hotel move and two full Lanta days.
Plan for December or January, within the Andaman coast’s broader November–April visitor season. The worked calendar runs 1–10 December 2026, with ferries on 3 and 5 December and a road transfer on 8 December. Christmas and New Year bring higher room prices; the example does not cover those supplements. Arrive at Phuket Airport and leave from Krabi Airport. A return flight from Phuket needs a separate mainland journey, which is outside this ten-day plan.
An Old Town walk adds something the later beach stops do not: Thalang and Dibuk roads, decorated shophouses and Chinese-influenced local cooking. Try Hokkien noodles and o-aew, a chilled jelly dessert. Choose a Kata beach day instead if swimming is your priority.
The three-night Lanta stay leaves a day for Long Beach without a ferry or hotel checkout. Its west-coast sand and nearby restaurants make it a practical base for this route; the Klong Nin photograph shows a different beach farther south.
Lanta Old Town grew around maritime trade, including Chinese trading vessels. Its wooden waterfront buildings and restaurants projecting over the water explain why this east-coast settlement merits a visit alongside the western beaches.
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StartBooker answer
Use two Phuket nights, two on Phi-Phi Don, three on Koh Lanta and two in mainland Krabi. Take ferries on days three and five, then a car over Lanta’s bridge and vehicle ferry on day eight. Stay near Tonsai on Phi-Phi and Long Beach on Lanta for the connections described here. December–January is the focus; this example runs 1–10 December 2026 and ends at Krabi Airport after two mainland nights.
Explore tours, attractions and local experiences in Phuket, Phi-Phi Islands, Koh Lanta, Krabi along this route through Thailand.
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Choose the hotel area for access as well as scenery: Tonsai for the island piers, Long Beach for Lanta’s three-night stay, and mainland Ao Nang for the final Railay day.
4 stops · swipe
1
Old Town shophouses and food, west-coast beaches and Patong nightlife
Choose Kata for a first beach stay or Old Town for walkable food and shophouses. Patong suits nightlife rather than early nights. Two nights give you one local day before the Rassada departure; northern resorts make that pier journey longer.
Read the Phuket guide →
2
Tonsai village, the two-bay viewpoint and trips to Phi-Phi Leh
Central Tonsai keeps the pier, restaurants and early tour meeting within walking reach. A remote beach needs an extra boat. Sleep on Phi-Phi Don; the photograph shows Maya Bay on neighbouring Phi-Phi Leh, visited on an excursion.
Read the Phi-Phi Islands guide →
3
long west-coast beaches, Lanta Old Town and a forested southern road
Long Beach is a practical three-night base with west-coast sand and restaurants nearby. Klong Nin is a quieter alternative farther south. Keep Old Town as a separate east-coast outing unless village life matters more than swimming.
Read the Koh Lanta guide →
4
Ao Nang restaurants and boats, Railay limestone and the Krabi Airport road
Ao Nang is the easiest final base for this plan’s Railay day and airport road. Krabi Town suits food and local evenings but adds a coastal transfer. Keep these two nights on the mainland rather than sleeping across the water at Railay.
Read the Krabi guide →The worked dates are 1–10 December 2026. Hotel changes fall on 3, 5 and 8 December; the two uninterrupted Lanta days are 6 and 7 December.
From Phuket Airport, go to the hotel you will use for both opening nights. Kata suits a beach stay, with the sand and restaurants in the same area; Old Town suits a walking day among shophouses and food shops. Patong is the alternative for bars and nightlife. These places are spread across the island, so tomorrow’s plan should guide the room choice. The west-coast Smart Bus serves Patong, Karon and Kata; Old Town needs a town-bound service or car. A late flight can go straight to the hotel without a same-day boat connection.
Base: Phuket
For Old Town, walk Thalang Road and the neighbouring streets around Dibuk. The decorated fronts and covered walkways reflect the island’s Chinese and European trading connections and tin-mining wealth. A food stop gives that history a local flavour: Hokkien noodles are thick yellow noodles commonly cooked with seafood, while o-aew is a chilled jelly dessert served with syrup and ice. Both are worth looking for beyond the resort menus. From a Kata base, a beach day is the simpler alternative; travelling across to town takes time from swimming. A Phang Nga Bay excursion needs a separate full day and would replace this choice.
Base: Phuket
The morning ferry example in Connections reaches Tonsai on Phi-Phi Don. A central village hotel lets you walk from the pier with your bags; check the path and stairs with the property before booking. Remote bays need an additional longtail and may involve stepping into shallow water, so they are a different arrival arrangement. Spend the afternoon between the village lanes, Tonsai Bay and Loh Dalum, the bay on the other side of the narrow isthmus. Staying here gives you an island evening and access to tomorrow’s early tour, without crossing from Phuket that morning.
Base: Phi-Phi Islands
The budget includes Discover Phi Phi’s four-hour private longtail for two. Its winter morning departure is 06:15, with a meeting ten minutes earlier under the Coffee Club sign beside McDonald’s at Tonsai Pier. That early meeting suits the central hotel base used here. The outing visits Maya Bay, the enclosed limestone water at Pileh and a separate snorkelling stop; swimming at Maya Bay is prohibited to protect the recovering ecosystem. Return to Don for lunch. For a day without the tour, explore the village and consider the steep viewpoint walk above the two bays. The published 10:30 tour option is summer-only, so it is not a December substitute.
Base: Phi-Phi Islands
Use the midday Tonsai–Saladan sailing described below, then arrange the road journey to your Long Beach hotel. The short crossing does not include packing, pier check-in or the final drive. Saladan is at Lanta’s northern end; Long Beach is a west-coast base farther down the road. Ask the hotel about a pickup when booking and give it the actual boat arrival. After check-in, walk the access lane to the beach and locate nearby restaurants. This is the first of three Lanta nights, so a late arrival still leaves two complete days for the coast and Old Town.
Base: Koh Lanta
Long Beach, also called Phra Ae, is the western swimming-beach base used in this itinerary. Stay along that stretch for the day: the benefit of three nights is time on the sand without another checkout. Pick a room within walking reach of the beach and restaurants if you want this day to need little transport. Klong Nin is an alternative farther south for a different hotel stay, rather than an essential extra stop from Long Beach. The coast faces the sunset, but swimming still depends on the day’s conditions and beach flags. A driver can cover longer outings; renting a scooter is optional.
Base: Koh Lanta
Arrange a car across the island to Old Town on the eastern shore. The settlement’s history reaches back to Chinese trading vessels; wooden buildings remain along the waterfront, with some restaurants extending out over the water. Walk the street and compare this sheltered trading shore with the open western beaches. Lunch here makes the journey more than a brief photo stop. Agree a return pickup with the driver, since the room is across the island at Long Beach. If you prefer nature to the town, Ban Thung Yee Peng offers a mangrove walkway and local boat or kayak outings; choose that alternative when arranging the car.
Base: Koh Lanta
Leave Long Beach for Ao Nang by arranged car. From Lanta Yai, the vehicle crosses the bridge to Lanta Noi, then takes the vehicle ferry to the mainland before continuing north. The private SUV example below includes that ferry; confirm the Long Beach pickup and exact mainland hotel with the driver. Allow for a queue at the crossing within the journey, rather than treating the drive as a fixed arrival time. Ao Nang puts restaurants and Railay boat departures near the final base. If you choose Krabi Town instead, its riverfront and food streets are the focus, with a separate coastal journey for tomorrow’s Railay visit.
Base: Krabi
From Ao Nang, take a longtail to Railay when boats are operating in suitable conditions. Limestone cliffs cut the peninsula off from the mainland road network, which is why this short mainland outing still needs a boat. Walk between Railay West and Phra Nang for the sand and cliff scenery; East Railay has a mangrove shoreline rather than the main swimming beach. Arrange the return landing and last departure before leaving Ao Nang. A climbing lesson is an alternative main activity on the peninsula and needs its own booking. For a land-based day, stay around Ao Nang or visit Krabi Town’s riverfront instead.
Base: Krabi
Your last hotel is on the mainland, so the departure journey to Krabi Airport is by road. Arrange a pickup that meets your airline’s check-in deadline and allows time for traffic and baggage. The Lanta transfer was two days earlier; no inter-island sailing is needed this morning. A flight from Phuket changes the final journey and is not covered by this calendar or budget. If you must use that airport, book the separate mainland transfer and consider an additional Phuket night. For an onward flight through Bangkok, check whether both flights use the same airport and whether baggage must be collected between tickets.
Base: Krabi
Operator examples checked on 27 October 2026. These are separate tickets and a car booking; confirm the selected sailings before reserving non-refundable rooms.
3 transfers
Phuket Phi-Phi Islands
Ao Nang Travel: Rassada to Tonsai, THB 900 (≈ US$27) per adult. Listed Phuket-area hotel pickup is included; ask for your pickup time. Airport pickup is excluded.
Phi-Phi Islands Koh Lanta
SPC’s 5 December search shows Tonsai–Saladan at THB 700 (≈ US$21) per adult. Check in 30 minutes before departure at Cabana Tourist Center 2, Ao Tonsai; arrange the Lanta hotel ride.
Koh Lanta Krabi
Koh Lanta Private Taxi lists north Lanta–Ao Nang at THB 2,600 (≈ US$80) per SUV for up to three passengers, vehicle-ferry tickets included. Confirm Long Beach pickup, bags and the final hotel.
For 1–10 December 2026, plan THB 69,080–95,480 (≈ US$2,060–2,850) for two adults sharing rooms. Includes nine nights, meals, both ferries, the Lanta–Ao Nang car, local/airport rides, outings and a 10% reserve. Flights are extra; room allowances include planned tax and service charges.
Booking tips
Pins identify Phuket Town, Phi-Phi Don, Long Beach on Lanta and Krabi Town. They are destination points, rather than ferry berths or a driving route. Use the individual hotel address to distinguish Ao Nang, town and boat-accessed Railay.
Phuket → Phi-Phi Islands → Koh Lanta → Krabi route
The plan has three hotel moves and five full sightseeing days. It suits travellers who want two different island stays and accept the transfers. For fewer moves, omit Lanta and use the seven-day Phuket–Phi-Phi–Krabi route, or add the three spare nights to the remaining bases.
December–January is the focus, with the worked trip on 1–10 December 2026. It falls within the broader November–April Andaman season. Christmas and New Year need a higher room budget. The season does not guarantee a particular sailing; check carrier acceptance and current marine warnings.
Yes: use two Krabi nights, three on Lanta, two on Phi-Phi Don and two in Phuket, then depart on day ten. Book the road transfer and ferry products in that direction; the outbound departure times shown here do not apply in reverse.
Yes. Choose central Tonsai and a Long Beach room near restaurants, use hotel pickups for boat arrivals and arrange a car for Old Town and the mainland transfer. Ferry boarding and pier access still involve steps or uneven surfaces; confirm any mobility requirements with the operators and hotels.
For an optional Phi-Phi excursion, stay at the same hotel and use the island day. A cancelled move to Lanta changes the room calendar: contact the carrier and both hotels to rearrange nights before buying a replacement journey. The reserve allows some changes but does not guarantee the cost of an extended delay.
Editorial self-review StartBooker
Checked on 2026-10-27
Updated
How the route was verified: Editorial self-review of the ten-day/nine-night route, December–January season and 1–10 December budget. Checked the dated ferry search, operator fares, room-tariff limits and Lanta heritage; retained applicable geography, park-calendar and coordinate evidence with original dates. Reviewed complete answers, language, licensed media and desktop/mobile output. This is self-review, not independent approval.
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