Ferries to Langkawi

Langkawi lies in Malaysia, in the state of Kedah, and is known as a duty-free zone. The island has two ferry piers: Kuah Jetty in the main town of Kuah and Telaga Harbour Marina at Pantai Kok in the west. Speedboats leave both for Thailand, among them services to Koh Lipe, Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi and Phuket; from Kuah Jetty there are also sailings to the Malaysian mainland.

Ferry piers on Langkawi

Kuah Jetty

Kuah Jetty is the berth in the main town and belongs to the Kompleks Jetty Point. You are processed not at the quay but in the complex in front of it: the operators' desks sit there, with shops, money changers and parking in between - Langkawi Ferry Line, for instance, runs its desks under numbers 1, 6 and 7. If you do not know the place, allow plenty of time for the walk from the car park to the right desk. Bundhaya Speed Boat sails from here to Koh Lipe, Koh Lanta and Phuket; together the routes run up to 4 departures a day, and crossings take between 1.5 and 8.25 hours. For the services to the mainland, Langkawi Ferry Line requires you to be in the terminal building at least 60 minutes before departure, and for departures from Langkawi it advises more lead time: the customs check for the duty-free zone backs up at weekends and on public holidays. For sailings to Thailand, a passport and border formalities come on top.

Telaga Harbour Marina

Telaga Harbour Marina is at Pantai Kok in the west of the island, on the opposite side from the main town: the terminal operator allows 30 to 35 minutes by car from Kuah Jetty and 15 to 20 minutes from Langkawi airport. Passengers are processed at Telaga Harbour International Terminal, a border post in its own right with customs, immigration and quarantine: you clear out of Malaysia at the terminal and enter Thailand only on arrival at Koh Lipe, where the boats land on the beach. Satun Pakbara Speed Boat Club sails from here to Koh Lipe, Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi, together up to 4 departures a day; crossings take between 1.5 and 9.5 hours. The service is seasonal: it runs from October to May and stops during the monsoon between June and September. The counter opens two hours before departure and closes 30 minutes before it, border control has to fit inside those two hours.