Pakbara

Bus

There's a regular minibus service between the pier and Hat Yai (170 baht). Travel agencies run minibuses to other nearby destinations like Trang (200 baht), Krabi (450 baht), Surat Thani (500 baht), and Phuket (600 baht).

Orange songthaews to La-Ngu take about 15 minutes and cost 30 baht. They leave regularly throughout the day from the parking area in front of the pier.

From La-Ngu public buses to Trang (40 baht) and Satun (40 baht) may be caught right from the centre of town.

Boat

All boats to nearby islands depart from the main pier and tickets must be purchased from one of the many travel agents in Pakbara. Travellers must pay an additional 20 baht fee to use the pier.

In high season, speedboats to Ko Tarutaro leave at 11:30 and 14:30 and 15:30, cost 350 baht one-way or 600 baht return, and take 30 minutes. Tarutao is closed for low season.

Speedboats to Ko Lipe depart at 11:30, 14:30 and 15:30, cost 650 baht, and take 90 minutes. In low season a speedboat departs everyday for Ko Lipe at 11:30.

In high season a longtail boat makes the run to Ko Bulon Lae everyday at 12:00, costing 400 baht and taking about 45 minutes. In peak season a speedboat also runs to Ko Bulon Lae for 330 baht, departing at 12:30.

In high season:
Boats return to Pakbara from Ko Lipe at 09:30, 12:30 and 13:30.
Boats return to Pakbara from Ko Tarutao at 10:15, 13:15 and 14:15.
Boats return to Pakbara from Ko Bulon Lae at 09:00.

In low season:
One boat per day returns to Pakbara from Ko Lipe at 09:30.
Ko Tarutao is closed.
There are no consistent boats from Ko Bulon Lae -- you may be required to pay 1,500 baht for a private longtail boat transfer.

Be advised: while the above prices are the going rate charged by travel companies, they are highly negotiable. If a travel agent won't come down on the quoted 650 baht price of the speedboat from Pakbara to Ko Lipe, get up and start to walk out and you'll almost certainly see the price drop to 550 baht or less. This holds true except during the highest peak season around December-January.

Also, travel agents in Pakbara will try to sell you open tickets from Pakbara to Ko Tarutao to Ko Lipe and back for just 700 to 1,000 baht and although these are not an outright scam it can be difficult to find someone to point you in the direction of the correct boat once on Lipe. The return tickets are only usable with the speedboat company that the travel agent works with, and these tickets MAY NOT be used with other boats. If the travel company in Pakbara doesn't offer specific info on the exact office where the return ticket may be redeemed on Ko Lipe, do not buy it as you could end up spending a day on Lipe just trying to figure out how to use your ticket.

Alas, travel and speedboat companies are not all happily working together, and many of the ones on Lipe are not inclined to help when the commission has already gone to someone else.