Our international ferry crossing experience between islands Koh Lipe (Thailand) and Langkawi (Malaysia)

There is a fun international ferry connection from the Thai island of Koh Lipe to the Malaysian island of Langkawi. We traveled with Bundhaya Speedboats to the Kuah Jetty on the island's eastern side.

Langkawi

Langkawi offers a very different experience compared to Koh Lipe. It is a more developed tropical island in northern Malaysia, known for its sandy beaches, jungle, and mountains. Activities include visiting the Sky Bridge and taking mangrove tours. There's also duty-free shopping and a selection of beautiful luxury hotels right by the sea or tucked away in the jungle. It’s a great place to stay for a few days.

After your stay in Langkawi, you can take a ferry to the mainland or catch (affordable) flights to places like the island of Penang or the capital, Kuala Lumpur.

Here’s what you can roughly expect from this crossing:

The ferry service to Langkawi is quite popular and unique compared to many other ferry crossings we've taken. The ferry is too large to dock at the beach, so you have to use a shuttle service consisting of Thai longtail boats. The process works as follows:

Leave your luggage and check in

All luggage is dropped off at a collection point to be loaded onto the boat. When checking in, you will receive a ticket with a number and proceed to Thai customs. You’ll get a lovely stamp in your passport, which is then taken from you 😲. You won’t get it back until you’re on board. This process ensures that the Thai authorities can verify your departure from Koh Lipe and Thailand.

Because it’s an international crossing, you must arrive well in advance. Fortunately, the wait is pleasant at the beautiful beach. There’s also a café where you can buy food and drinks.

When the number on your ticket is called, you will board a traditional Thai longtail boat that will take you to the ferry waiting in the bay.

To access the relatively narrow pier, you’ll need to walk through shallow water, so flip-flops or sandals come in handy. In the top right of the photo, you can see the ferry waiting.

Once on board, you can choose your own seat, as seating is not based on your boarding number.

After a while, the nationalities of the passports are called out, and that's when you receive your passport back.

Arrival in Langkawi

The Langkawi ferry terminal is modern, and you're directed straight to customs. Applying for the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card in advance (3 days) is important. We weren't well prepared for this, but a Bundhaya Speedboats staff member kindly filled it out on his phone 🙏. That was very thoughtful and service-oriented, especially since there was no Wi-Fi in the terminal and we weren’t yet connected to the Malaysian mobile network.

Withdrawing Cash

After customs, you enter a shopping center. Here you’ll find several ATMs where you can withdraw Malaysian Ringgit. If it doesn’t work, it might be because you selected an amount that is too high. We were told the withdrawal limit was around RM 1000, and with that amount, it worked for us.

Taxis

If you walk straight through the shopping center, you’ll find the official taxi stand. A ride to the island's other side costs between RM 70 and RM 90. You can also use the Grab taxi app (which also works in Thailand).

Our takeaways on this crossing

• Try to check in early. That way, you’ll board sooner and have more seating options.
• Don’t wear complicated shoes. They have to come off since you might need to wade through shallow water, and the pier can get hot on bare feet.
• Customs in Langkawi took quite a while, so the quicker you get off the boat and keep moving, the faster you’ll be on your way.
• Book this crossing well in advance to be sure of a spot.
• Malaysia is 1 hour ahead of Thailand. So when you look at the departure and arrival times, the ferry ride may seem longer than it actually is, but that is just because of the time difference.