Koh Lanta is a long, flat-topped island in Krabi Province, with a string of sandy beaches on its west coast and mangroves on the east. Come for the beaches, a day at the national park and boat trips to Koh Rok and the Emerald Cave. Most visitors arrive by minivan from Krabi airport in 2 to 3 hours. We checked prices, seasons and timetables on 14 November 2026, and we mark every figure that is only reported.
Tours and activities to book in Koh Lanta
These five outings leave from the island, with live prices and availability.
Koh Lanta: Koh Rok & Koh Haa Snorkel Tour with Lunch Buffet
Speedboat day to Koh Rok and Koh Haa for snorkelling, with a buffet lunch.
- Duration: 7.5 to 8.5 hours
- Free cancellation
- Pickup included
4.7(703 reviews)
See prices & availabilityFrom $50per person
Koh Lanta: 4 Islands, Emerald Cave & Koh Kradan by Longtail
Longtail trip to four islands, the Emerald Cave and Koh Kradan.
- Duration: 7 to 8 hours
- Free cancellation
- Pickup included
4.4(1,140 reviews)
See prices & availabilityFrom $27per person
Ko Lanta: Half-Day Mangrove Kayaking Tour with Lunch
Half-day mangrove kayaking tour on Ko Lanta, with lunch.
- Duration: 3 hours
- Free cancellation
- Pickup included
4.7(1,134 reviews)
See prices & availabilityFrom $24per person
Koh Lanta: Phi Phi Speedboat Tour, Maya Bay, Pileh & Bamboo
Speedboat tour to the Phi Phi Islands with Maya Bay, Pileh and Bamboo Island, from Koh Lanta.
- Duration: 7.5 to 8.5 hours
- Free cancellation
- Pickup included
4.4(332 reviews)
See prices & availabilityFrom $50per person
Koh Lanta: Evening Course at Lanta Thai Cookery School
Evening Thai cooking course at Lanta Thai Cookery School.
- Duration: 4 hours
- Free cancellation
- Pickup included
4.9(253 reviews)
See prices & availabilityFrom $63per person
See more activities in Koh Lanta
Things to do in Koh Lanta: prices and seasons
| Activity | Reported price | Best months | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| West-coast beaches | Free | November to April | Klong Dao to Bamboo Bay |
| Lanta Old Town and museum | Free | All year | East coast |
| Mu Koh Lanta National Park | 200 THB, child 100 THB | All year, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm | Southern tip |
| 4 islands and Emerald Cave | About 1,500 THB, plus 200 THB park fee | November to April | Trang islands, by boat |
| Koh Rok and Koh Haa snorkelling | About 1,900 to 2,100 THB | October to May, Koh Rok shut June to September | Open sea, by speedboat |
| Hin Daeng and Hin Muang dives | About 4,500 to 5,000 THB, plus 600 THB park fee | Mid-October to mid-May | About 90 minutes by speedboat |
| Mangrove kayaking | Tours from about 30 USD, plus 40 THB village fee | All year | Thung Yee Peng, east coast |
Tour prices come from booking sites and dive centres in 2026 and move with the season. The park fee is often left out of the ticket and paid in cash on the boat, so ask before you book.
Koh Lanta beaches and where to base yourself
All the swimming beaches face west, along one road that runs south from Saladan, the port in the north. The further south you go, the quieter and hillier it gets. Pick your base by beach, because you will eat most evenings within walking distance of your room.
| Beach | Best for | Swimming |
|---|---|---|
| Klong Dao | Families, first visit, near the shops of Saladan | Shallow, gentle slope |
| Long Beach (Phra Ae) | Sunset bars, restaurants, pushchairs | Good |
| Klong Khong | Backpackers, cheaper bungalows, reggae bars | Rocky near the shore |
| Klong Nin | Couples, quiet, low season | Sandy seabed, among the best |
| Kantiang Bay | Upmarket resorts, a sheltered bay | Good |
| Bamboo Bay | Empty sand, day trips by scooter | Good in calm weather |
Klong Dao
Klong Dao is the northernmost beach and one of the two longest, about 2 km from Saladan. The sand is soft and the water stays shallow a long way out, which is why families pick it. Saladan has the biggest supermarket, Lanta Mart, banks and a night market, so errands are quick from here.
Long Beach (Phra Ae)
Long Beach, called Phra Ae on maps, is about as long as Klong Dao and has the most beach bars on the island. Hotels sit back behind the palms, and the crowd gathers on the sand at sunset. The main road here has pavements with ramps at side streets, which helps with a pushchair. Fire shows run after dark at several bars.
Klong Khong
Klong Khong is the backpacker beach, with reggae bars, coloured lights and cheaper bungalows. Parties are small and scattered rather than full-moon style. The shore is rocky, so you have to wade out before you can swim properly. At low tide the rock pools catch the sunset, as in the photo above.
Klong Nin
Klong Nin is quieter because the main road turns inland towards Old Town just before it. The seabed is mostly sand, which makes it one of the best beaches for swimming. It is also the beach that stays most alive in the rainy season: many of its bars and restaurants stay open, though without tables on the sand.
Kantiang Bay
Kantiang Bay is a cove in the south, backed by forested hills, with some of the island's upmarket resorts, Pimalai among them. Ao Nui, a tiny cove, is about a 25-minute walk away, and Klong Jark beach is next door to the south.
Bamboo Bay and the far south
Bamboo Bay is the last beach before the national park gate, so it costs nothing to reach. Few people stay this far south, and you can have long stretches of it to yourself even in high season. The road after Klong Nin is steep and winding, so take it slowly on a scooter.
Lanta Old Town (Ban Si Raya)
Lanta Old Town, or Ban Si Raya, on the east coast was the island's first port, where Chinese and Arab traders called. Its main street is a row of wooden shophouses, still lived in, with cafés and small shops. Between them, narrow gaps lead to walkways over the water and houses on stilts. Allow two hours.
The Koh Lanta Community Museum is in the old district office, a two-storey wooden building from 1901 used as the office until 1998, according to the Bangkok Post. Entry is free, and it tells the story of the island's Thai Muslim, Chao Ley sea gypsy and Chinese communities. Allow about 20 minutes.
From the Old Town pier, a longtail reaches Koh Por in about 15 minutes for around 100 THB a person, as one travel blog reports. It is a tiny island of fishing families, more a glimpse of village life than a beach day.
Mu Koh Lanta National Park: lighthouse, trail and 2026 fees
The park office sits at the southern tip of the island, at the end of the road past Bamboo Bay. Entry is 200 THB for foreign adults and 100 THB for children aged 3 to 14, plus 20 THB for a scooter and 30 THB for a car, as listed in June 2026. Children under 3 go in free. The gate is open from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
The white lighthouse stands on the headland above the beach and looks over the sea on both sides. A nature trail of about 2 km starts behind the car park. The first part is steep and rooty, with ropes in places, and the loop takes 40 minutes to an hour.
If the trail is too much, walk five minutes on the flat from the car park to the beach and climb up to the lighthouse from there. Keep food out of sight, as monkeys go through bags near the entrance. A small restaurant sells cold drinks.
Koh Lanta 4 islands tour and the Emerald Cave
The 4 islands tour is the classic day trip from Koh Lanta. It heads south to the Trang islands, most of which belong to Hat Chao Mai National Park. Most versions stop at Koh Chueak and Koh Ngai for snorkelling, then Koh Mook for the Emerald Cave, and end with a beach on Koh Kradan.
At the Emerald Cave you swim about 80 metres through a dark tunnel, with a guide and a head torch, to a lagoon closed in by cliffs. If the swell is high, boats skip it. A shared longtail tour is listed at about 1,500 THB, and the 200 THB park fee for adults is usually paid in cash on the day, 100 THB for children.
Longtails are slower and wetter than speedboats but cheaper, and the noise is part of the trip. Koh Ngai and Koh Kradan are also good for a night or two if you would rather stay than pass through.
Koh Rok and Koh Haa: snorkelling season and prices
Koh Rok is a pair of islands in the open sea south-west of Lanta, inside Mu Koh Lanta National Park, with a white beach between them and clear water over the reef. Koh Haa is a group of five limestone islets with a lagoon in the middle. Day tours combine the two by speedboat.
The national park says Koh Rok is closed from 1 June to 30 September every year, and most of its smaller islands from 16 May to 14 October. Booking sites list the trip at about 1,900 to 2,100 THB for 7 to 9 hours, with lunch and hotel transfer. One traveller reported a separate island fee of 400 THB collected on board. Ask what is included before you pay.
The day trip to the Phi Phi Islands also leaves from Lanta, with Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and Bamboo Island. It is the same circuit that boats run from Phuket, where we list the Phi Phi park fees, only shorter by sea.
Diving from Koh Lanta: Hin Daeng and Hin Muang
Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, the Red Rock and the Purple Rock, are two pinnacles in open water about 90 minutes to 2 hours by speedboat. Hin Muang drops as a wall to about 70 metres, covered in purple soft coral. Divers come for the chance of manta rays and whale sharks, which are seen some days, never promised.
Currents can be strong, and resort dive centres recommend the sites to advanced divers with recent experience. A day of dives costs about 4,500 to 5,000 THB at one centre, plus a park fee of 600 THB per diver per day. The same centre gives the season as 15 October to 15 May.
Beginners start at Koh Haa, which has shallow reefs and swim-throughs. One couple paid 3,500 THB there for two dives, and 1,000 THB for a third. Some dive centres close in the rainy season while others stay open, so check before you travel.
Mangrove kayaking in Koh Lanta
The east coast is a different island, with mangroves instead of sand. Tours leave from the pier of Thung Yee Peng, a village that runs its mangrove forest as a community project. Half-day kayak tours are listed from about 30 USD, and the village charges a 40 THB entry fee, 20 THB for a child, paid on site.
Some tours add a longtail ride to small islands or a sea cave. Avoid tours that offer to feed monkeys. It is bad for the animals, and travellers have been bitten.
Inland, the Tham Khao Mai Kaew caves are visited with a local guide waiting at the trailhead, for about 300 to 400 THB a person, according to one travel guide. The passages are tight, so wear clothes you do not mind getting dirty.
Koh Lanta in low season: what closes and which boats run
From May to October the wind turns onshore, waves get bigger and Koh Lanta empties. June to September is the wettest stretch. It does not rain all day, but boat trips are cancelled often and the national park closes Koh Rok.
Fewer boats run. In October only two speedboats a day were listed from Ao Nang and Railay, and the ferry from Krabi Town runs only from November to April. Shared minivans run every day of the year, so use them in the rainy months. In return, rooms are much cheaper and the beaches are yours.
How to get to Koh Lanta from Krabi, Phuket and Phi Phi
Koh Lanta has no airport. The nearest is Krabi International Airport, about 1 hour 30 minutes by air from Bangkok, then a road trip with a short car ferry. Phuket airport also works, with a speedboat from Rassada pier.
From Krabi airport and Krabi Town
Shared minivans leave Krabi airport from about 8 am to 8:30 pm and drop you at your hotel. Expect 350 to 540 THB and 2 to 3 hours. A private car costs about 2,100 to 3,300 THB. From Krabi Town, vans run roughly every hour from 7:40 am to 4:45 pm, and a slow ferry leaves Klong Jilad pier at 11 am from November to April, for about 516 THB.
From Ao Nang and Railay
From Ao Nang on the Krabi mainland, the fastest way is the speedboat that leaves Nopparat Thara pier at 10:10 am and Railay East at 10:30 am all year, for about 1,215 THB and 1 hour 10 to 1 hour 50. Vans take about 3 hours for 400 to 820 THB. From November to April more boats join, including the Ao Nang Princess ferry from 15 November for about 670 THB.
From Phuket
Speedboats leave Rassada pier several times a morning all year, take about 1 hour 30 and cost about 1,260 to 1,500 THB. From November to April, slower ferries go via Phi Phi in about 4 hours for 820 to 1,350 THB. A minivan via Krabi takes 5 to 5.5 hours.
From Koh Phi Phi
Phi Phi is the closest island hop. Booking sites list speedboats at 9:30 am and 3:30 pm, about 30 minutes for around 13 USD, and a slower ferry in the late afternoon. Boats land at Saladan pier, where tuk-tuks wait. Fill in the Thailand Digital Arrival Card before your flight into the country, not at the pier.
Getting around Koh Lanta: tuk-tuks and scooters
There is no public transport on the island. Tuk-tuks here are motorbikes with a covered sidecar, and the price depends on distance and passengers. One family paid 150 THB from Saladan to Long Beach. Pick-up trucks with benches handle luggage runs to the piers.
A scooter costs about 200 to 300 THB a day for a 125 cc model, less in low season, with a cash deposit of 1,500 to 2,500 THB reported by one rental shop. You need a motorcycle licence and an International Driving Permit that covers motorbikes. Wear a helmet, ride on the left and watch for potholes south of Klong Nin.
How many days in Koh Lanta
Three to five days cover the main beaches, the national park and one or two boat trips. A week lets you add the dive sites or a night on Koh Ngai or Koh Kradan at an easy pace.
| Day | Plan |
|---|---|
| 1, the west coast | Klong Dao or Long Beach, sunset at a beach bar |
| 2, the islands | 4 islands and Emerald Cave, or Koh Rok and Koh Haa from October |
| 3, the south | National park trail and lighthouse in the morning, Bamboo Bay, dinner at Klong Nin |
| 4, the east | Mangrove kayaking, then Lanta Old Town and the museum |
Koh Lanta fits well after a few days of things to do in Bangkok, since flights to Krabi are short. Of the other Thailand destinations on the Andaman coast, Koh Lipe is about three hours south by speedboat, from 15 October to 20 May.
Koh Lanta with kids
Klong Dao and Long Beach are the easiest with young children, with shallow water and a gentle slope. Many restaurants have small playgrounds next to the tables. Klong Khong is less practical because of the rocks.
Tuk-tuks and taxis have no child seats. The national park trail is too steep for small children, but the beach next to the car park has shade and calm water. The island's hospital is on Koh Lanta Noi, over the bridge, and small private clinics are spread along the west coast.
Book family rooms early for December to February, when the best hotels fill up months ahead. For a month or more, a rented house costs far less than a hotel, and the cost of living in Thailand becomes the better guide to your budget.