How to get from Koh Lipe to Langkawi

Why visit Langkawi?

Langkawi is an archipelago of 99 islands off the northwest coast of Malaysia. Its biggest island — also called Langkawi — is dotted with white-sand beaches and jungle-clad hills. Far from a quiet retreat (it is bustling with duty-free outlets), Langkawi does still offer some natural wonders and vibrant diving spots.

The so-called “Jewel of Kedah” is an ideal place to go island-hopping, submerge yourself in waterfalls and get lost in rice fields. All of which can be seen from the Langkawi Sky Bridge. A little tip, though: go early in the morning or you’ll be sharing this view with lots of other tourists exploring Langkawi!

Customs & Immigration

Much like taking the plane, travelling by ferry from Koh Lipe to Langkawi requires you to check-in for customs and immigration in both ports.

Customs in Koh Lipe

The customs and immigration office in Koh Lipe is located at either Pattaya Beach (high season) or Sunset Beach (low season). Make sure you arrive around 90 minutes before your ferry departure as you would when taking a flight.

Prepare your luggage for checking and give your passport to the immigration officers. Passport processing can sometimes take a while. To pass the time, you can wait in a nearby cafe until your name is called.

When your ferry is ready, you will be picked up by a water taxi from the beach. This will take you to the floating dock, where you can board your ferry. A water taxi ride costs around 50 THB ($1.50).

Then off you go to Langkawi in Malaysia!

Customs in Langkawi

Customs and immigration offices are at both Langkawi entry points, Kuah Jetty and Telaga Harbour. Processing is normally quick and easy. You won’t need to fill anything out and a visa is not required for most nationalities. To avoid delays, check beforehand to see if you do need a visa to enter Malaysia.

Once done with immigration, you can proceed to your destination in Langkawi.

There are 3 ways to travel the 57 kilometers (35 miles) from Koh Lipe to Langkawi. You can choose between the ferry to Telaga Harbour, ferry to Kuah Jetty and ferry via Satun. The journey takes 1 hour 30 minutes to 4 hours 30 minutes and the quickest way is by ferry to telaga harbour. If you're on a budget, the cheapest option is by ferry via Satun with tickets starting at 69 MYR ($15.50).

Kuah Jetty is Langkawi’s main ferry terminal. It is the docking port not just for ferries from Koh Lipe, but also from Penang and Kuala Perlis.

You can choose from three ferry companies when travelling from Koh Lipe to Kuah Jetty. These are Jolly Travel, Koh Ngai Camping and Bundhaya Speedboat. A ticket costs 160 MYR ($36) when you book via BookAway.

Travel time is 1 hour 30 minutes.

Compared to Kuah Jetty, Telaga Harbour is nearer to both Koh Lipe and Langkawi’s tourist hub of Pantai Cenang.

Satun Pakbara Speed Boat Club and Baan Pun Travel are the two companies operating this route. Travel time is 1 hour 30 minutes to 3 hours, depending on whether you take a standard ferry or a speedboat. Fares start from 185 MYR ($42) when you book with BookAway.

Thanks to the growing number of tourists travelling from Koh Lipe to Langkawi, we can now enjoy direct ferry trips all-year-round. Up until a few years ago, these were not available during the low season from June to October.

There’s still fewer direct ferry trips if you’re visiting during this time, so if ever you find yourself without a ticket for the few available direct ferries, don’t worry! There is an alternate option, albeit longer, via Satun.

Below is a step-by-step guide for the indirect route from Koh Lipe to Langkawi:

First, you’ll have to take a ferry to Pak Bara, a southern coastal village in mainland Thailand. Travel time is around 1h 30m - 2h and fares start from 62 MYR ($14) when you book on BookAway.

There are several ferry companies operating this route from morning ’til afternoon every day. You can’t just take any ferry though! If you want a guaranteed connecting transfer to Langkawi on the same day, you’ll have to take a ferry that departs before noon.

Koh Lipe Walking Street

VIP

Pak Bara Pier

09:30

1h 30m

11:00

11:10

1h 50m

13:00

11:30

1h 30m

13:00

13:30

1h 30m

15:00

Lipe Ferry

From 73 MYR ($16.40)

Compare prices

• 24/7 customer support

73 MYR ($16.40)

11:10

1h 50m

13:00

Check on BookAway

• 24/7 customer support

80 MYR ($18)

09:30

1h 30m

11:00

11:30

1h 30m

13:00

13:30

1h 30m

15:00

Check on BookAway

Koh Lipe Walking Street

Standard

Pak Bara Pier

09:30

1h 30m

11:00

11:10

1h 50m

13:00

11:30

1h 30m

13:00

Lipe Ferry

73 MYR ($16.40)

Compare prices

• 24/7 customer support

73 MYR ($16.40)

11:10

1h 50m

13:00

Check on BookAway

• 24/7 customer support

80 MYR ($18)

09:30

1h 30m

11:00

11:30

1h 30m

13:00

Check on BookAway

There are only 2 ferry trips operating from Satun to Langkawi daily. This is why it is very important to time your departure from Koh Lipe correctly.

Travel time is around 2h 30m. Tickets cost 50 THB ($1.50) and you can buy them at the port. Below are their schedules: