How to visit Koh Lanta, what to see and when to go

What you see on Koh Lanta

Koh Lanta is an archipelago in Krabi Province. Its two big islands, Lanta Yai and Lanta Noi, are joined by the Sirilanta bridge, and holidaymakers stay on Lanta Yai. Wikivoyage gives it a length of over 30 km and a width of about 6 km (undated information). For living on the island and property, see the district page. This page covers the trip and the excursions.

West-coast beaches. From north to south: Klong Dao (3 km of sand per Wikivoyage, 2 km from Sala Dan pier), Pra Ae, also called Long Beach, a crescent of about 4 km, Klong Nin, Klong Khong and Kantiang Bay, about a kilometre long. Klong Khong has a rocky reef along the shore but good sunsets. At Klong Nin the north end is easier for swimming than the south.

Lanta Old Town. A village on the east coast with Chinese-style wooden houses, a long pier, temples and the state hospital. Wikivoyage says it is more than 100 years old. The Lanta Lanta festival is held here in March, and the Chao Le sea gypsies hold the Loi Ruea ceremony at the full moon of the sixth and eleventh lunar months.

Mu Ko Lanta National Park. The park covers 83,750 rai (about 134 km²) and has 25 islands in four groups: Rok, Ha and Hin Daeng, Ngai, and Lanta itself. Its headquarters is on Laem Tanot headland at the south of Lanta Yai. DNP describes two nature trails: Pha Samet Daeng, a 1.2 km loop of about an hour, and “Wonders of Plants”, 1.725 km, also about an hour. Wikivoyage adds a trail of about 2 km to a small beach and a lighthouse (undated information), and there are pebble and sand bays nearby.

Waterfall and cave. DNP lists the Klong Chak waterfall and the Khao Mai Kaeo cave in the park. Wikivoyage adds that a dirt track of about 1.5 km through rubber plantations leads to the cave.

Lanta Noi. The island north of Lanta Yai. Wikivoyage says it has no tourist facilities and that people tour it by motorbike on paved loops after crossing the bridge.

How to spend 2-3 days

• Day 1. West-coast beaches and sunset, Klong Dao and Pra Ae are closest to the pier
• Day 2. A boat trip: Ko Rok and Ko Ha in season, or four islands with the Emerald Cave
• Day 3. The Old Town, the national park at the south end with the lighthouse, and mangroves by kayak

The two main trips from Lanta:

• Ko Rok and Ko Ha. About 8 hours by speedboat, details on the Ko Rok page
• Four islands and the Emerald Cave. With Koh Lanta Tours by longtail, 7-8 hours: hotel pickup 8:00-8:30, boat from the Old Town pier, departure at 9:00, Koh Cheuk, the Emerald Cave on Ko Mook around 10:00, lunch on Ko Ngai around 12:00, snorkelling at Ko Waen or Ko Ma, back around 15:30. You swim into the cave through a tunnel of about 80 metres (Wikivoyage)

How long it takes and when to go

Two to three days suits the island. A day from Ao Nang means about 4 hours on the road there and back. By DNP the average temperature on Lanta is 28 °C, with March the hottest (average maximum 34 °C) and December the coolest (24 °C), and annual rainfall above 2,100 mm. The south-west monsoon brings rain and swell, which is why DNP closes Ko Rok, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang from 16 May to 15 November.

How to get there and how far it is

There is no permanent bridge from the mainland to Lanta, but the island has the Sirilanta bridge between Lanta Noi and Lanta Yai. DNP describes the route like this: turn off highway 4 onto 4206, take the car ferry from Ban Hua Hin to Lanta Noi (about 15 minutes, tickets are sold 400 m before the pier), then the bridge to Lanta Yai. The park page gives ferry hours of 6:00 to 22:00.

Times include the crossing but not any queue, calculated on 18.10.2026 (sample route).

By water, the DNP park page names passenger boats to Lanta from Krabi (Klong Jilad pier), Ao Nang (Nopparat Thara pier), Phi Phi (Ton Sai bay) and Ko Jum, without a dated schedule. Wikivoyage says there are more sailings in the high season and only 1-2 a day to Phi Phi in the low season, so check the schedule with the carrier.

On Lanta itself it is 2.4 km from Sala Dan pier to Klong Dao beach, 16.6 km to the Old Town (26 minutes) and 21.9 km to the park headquarters (34 minutes). DNP notes that the way to the headquarters has steep sections unsuitable for a saloon car.

Park fee and what is included

Source: DNP table (edition of 02.06.2023), checked on 18.10.2026. Keep the ticket with you. For its four-island tour Koh Lanta Tours lists a 200 baht fee for the “4 Islands (Trang)” zone: the stops on Ko Mook and Ko Cheuk belong to Trang Province, while Ko Ngai is in the 400 baht zone in the DNP table. We did not check how the operator splits the fee between islands.

Options: how to get there and how much time to allow

What to do in rain or heavy swell

• Boat trips. In heavy swell operators postpone or cancel, so check the terms before paying. Koh Lanta Tours allows free cancellation or a date change up to 24 hours before departure
• Closed season. From 16 May to 15 November Ko Rok is closed per DNP, so use the Old Town, the park and the beaches in dry windows
• A wet day on land. The Old Town, Lanta Noi by motorbike, the Khao Mai Kaeo cave and the Klong Chak waterfall
• The road into the park. Wikivoyage (undated) says the last 8 km to the headquarters are unpaved and harder to drive in the rain

Safety

• Jellyfish. Wikivoyage warns of jellyfish from late January to April. On 10.06.2026 the park closed the beaches at its headquarters, Ko Ha and Ko Ngai because of Portuguese man o’ war (Thaiger). The DNP status list does not show that closure on 18.10.2026, but ask the park for the current state
• Swimming. Klong Khong has a rocky edge to the reef by the shore, so watch your feet, and at Klong Nin swim at the north end
• Life jackets and insurance. Operators on Lanta provide life jackets and masks, and Koh Lanta Tours includes accident insurance in the programme
• Hospital. The island has a state hospital on the east coast, and private hospitals are in Krabi town
• Motorbikes. Many guests rent a motorbike on Lanta, so check that your insurance covers riding one

Who it suits and who it does not

• Suits couples and friends. Quiet beaches and sunsets, trips to Ko Rok and the Emerald Cave
• Suits families. Wikivoyage calls the island popular with families with young children, but the island’s hospital is a state one
• Not for a single day. From Ao Nang it is about 4 hours on the road there and back
• Not for May-October sea holidays. Rain is 228-342 mm a month and the park islands are closed
• Not for nightlife seekers. Wikivoyage describes Lanta as an island for a holiday away from the party scene

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