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I will fly into Phuket airport (HKT) early morning/ in the night and want to travel on to Railay (also known as Tonsai to some) as soon as possible with this Phuket ferry.

How can I book the ferry ticket including shared minivan pick-up from the airport? I assume this must be possible since I have bought the reverse itinerary from travel agents in Railay, however I don't find the option online:

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Note that if I select another means of transport (i.e. private taxi) I am perfectly able to select the airport as pick-up location but not with the shared minivan.

Are there other options on the website or are there travel agents selling me such an option at a decent market price (i.e. comparable to return journey prices from Railay, unfortunately I don't recall what I have paid or at market rate, in any case better than the prices quoted on the website or getting a regular taxi at the airport) either online (preferable) or at the airport upon arrival (but in that case without having to wait for their opening so long as to risk not catching the earliest ferry)?

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  • Tagging with climbing as Railay is a rock-climbing mecca and Q is of much interest to anyone going there straight from one of the nearest international hubs.
    – mts
    May 30, 2016 at 9:00

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Shared mini-vans, song theaws, etc are not allowed to pick up from the airport. Passenger pick up is restricted to taxis, airport limousines and tour buses. So anything the ferry company can arrange will be by taxi or private transfer. The same rules would apply to any other tour company offering tickets on the ferry.

Song theaws and shared mini-vans are only allowed to drop off at the airport, which is why you got the reverse route.

You might save a few baht by getting your own taxi from the airport, should be about 650-700 baht versus the 975 baht quoted by Phuket Ferry.

One thing to keep in mind when booking the Phuket Ferry, when they mention Tonsai in their schedules, it refers to Tonsai Pier on Koh Phi Phi, not Tonsai Beach (which actually is a different beach, not Railay, that sits between Ao Nang and Railay separated from Railay by those climbing cliffs).

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  • Great answer, +1 and accepted of course! Brief follow up: is there a place from which pick-up with the shared minivan is possible (see list in my Q) that is walkable from the airport as a workaround?
    – mts
    May 30, 2016 at 10:16
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    You could perhaps email them to see if they do shared mini-van pick ups from hotels on Nai Yang Beach, that is about a kilometer south of the airport. Most of the names on their dropdown are a fair distance from the airport.
    – user13044
    May 30, 2016 at 10:29
  • @ Tom - I hate to ping you here but couldn't in chat. Any chance you know an answer to this question I put a bounty on about camping in Vietnams Phu Quoc national park? I assume the answer is no since the guided tours that are offered seem to camp on a "private island nearby" but you might have much better info/sources than me.
    – mts
    Jun 24, 2016 at 9:16
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    @mts - To the best of my knowledge there are no organized camping spots inside the park.
    – user13044
    Jun 27, 2016 at 12:35
  • thanks a ton! Would you care making that an answer to the Q, I think that would be valuable even if it might not be a complete answer :)
    – mts
    Jun 27, 2016 at 12:40

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