Mo Ko Lanta...Paiadise on Earth..

General Info:

Establised in 1990, according to the order of Mr. Chaun Leekpai, Prime Minister and Wild Animal and Plant Foundation of Thailand. It includes Ko Rok, Ko Mai Ngam Tai, Ko Ta La Beng, Ko Lanta Yai, Ko Ngai, Ko Tu Kon Lima, Ko Rok Nok, Ko Rok Nai, Ko Hin Dang and nearby islands of Ko Klang district, Ko Lanta Noi district and Ko Lanta Yai sub district, Amphoe Ko Lanta, Krabi province. It is the 62th national park of Thailand which covers area of 134 square kilometers or 83,750 rais


Mo Ko Lanta is in fact a district consisting of several islands. The two largest are Ko Lanta Noi and Ko Lanta Yai. Although Ko Lanta Noi is inhabited, Ko Lanta Yai is the primary tourist destination and this article discusses Ko Lanta Yai.


Mo Ko Lanta is popular with tourists seeking a holiday away from the parties. It's popular with a significantly older crowd than nearby Ko Phi Phi: more walking on the beach and watching the sunset than drinking and dancing. However, there are plenty of bars and the longer term stayers are friendly and know how to party! It is also popular with families with young children, and of course, with divers. You could say that while Phi Phi is chicken barbecues and Mekong buckets, Lanta is chicken flesh and buckets and spades. But you'd be wrong. Ko Lanta can certainly provide a party if you know where to look.


Mo Ko Lanta is a little less well-known than Ko Phi Phi, which has become more commercialised and corporate, but it is hardly undiscovered: the several beaches on the west coast of Ko Lanta Yai are each strung with a line of resorts and bungalows, although the farther down the island you venture, the less this is true. And even when the island is at it fullest, there will be a quiet place for you to relax - the beaches are never full. Ko Lanta is especially popular with Swedish tourists: although the "tourist language" is English as it is in most places in Thailand, and you will find menus and so on are translated into English, expect the poolside language to be Swedish much of the time. However, there are still many English and Irish bars and restaurants to visit.


Mo Ko Lanta sustained limited tsunami damage in December 2004, but virtually all businesses are now operating normally again. Around 20 people perished


Topography;


Over all geographical feature is the complexity of mountains and rather deep slope. The plain area would be found only in a beach area in the southern part. Most of area here is more than 35 percent slope, except only the middle part of island where a slope is more than 50 percent. The height of this are is range from 100 meters above sea level to a heigth of 488 meters at the peak of mountain.


Climate;


Most rainfall is in September which is about 391.4 milimeters and the lowest in January which is about 6.5 milimeters. Number of days of the highest raining is in September which is about 21.6 days and the lowest is in February, about 1.6 days.In rainy season, the national park will be closed (Rok Nok Island, Rok Nai Island, and Hin Moung - Hin Deang Rock) during 16 May - 15 November every year for visitors safety.


Flora and Fauna;


There are a lot of fertile forest resources and varieties of vetgetation which could be classified as follows :
Rainforest covers 19.42 square meters of Lanta Yai island, along the Lanta mountain which covers most of area of the national park. Upper level trees and middle level trees at average height about 15-25 meters are found in this forest. The important plants are L. siamica, Hopea ferrea Heim.,etc. And also the palm tree and cane wood species are the low level trees here, the important species are Fan palm, Calamus erectus Roxb., Calamus caesius Bl., Calamus peregrinus Furt.,etc.


Mangrove Forest could be found in Mai Ngam island, South Mai Ngam island and Ngu island. These islands are not big and most of area is covered with the mangrove forest. Mangrove trees are tall at the same height with averange about 5 meters. Plants could be found here are Avicennia alba, Rhizophora apiculata, Rhizophora mucronata



Beach Forest covers the small area between connecting area of beach and rainforest of Ngai island. The important plants are Bengal Almond, Derris indica, beach moring glory, etc.


Wild Animals;

Able to classified into 6 groups as shown below.

Mammal Animals consists of 20 families 30 genuses and 38 species which 2 species had gone from Lanta island. They are wild deers and tigers, and the other species is the sea cow which is the conserved animal. The other two species that being gone are the common barking deer and fishing cat. The rarely finding animal on this island is the the marshall big ear crow bat .


Birds on these islands are totally 58 families, 130 genuses and 185 species. Most easy find in this national park are Brahminy Kite, Birdled Tern, Emerald Dove , etc while the most difficult find are Orange-Breasted Trogon, Siberian Thrush, and Little Spiderhunter, etc.


Reptiles, mostly are Water Monitor, Reticulated Python and Cobra , etc.

Amphibians could be found two species, the first one living in canal is Giant Mountain Frog, Ornate Froglet and the second one living in building and ponds. Others amphibians in forest are Polypedates leucomystax (Gravenhorst)-1829 and Small Toads and the difficult find species is the Dorria frog.


Sea and Fresh Water Fishes which could be found in fresh water ponds of the islands, fresh water fishes that you can find here such as Blue danio. While the sea fishes would be found along the coral reef, rock beach and fresh water canals such as Lizard fish and Porcupine fish, etc.


Animals in the Coral Reef are Staghorn coral, Fungia fungites, Anemone coral, Starflower coral, etc.

Attractions within the National Park :


Ko Lanta Noi - Ko Lanta Noi was the former settlement of the Ko Lanta community, where a district office, school, as well as, traditional lifestyle, and houses are still currently available.


Ko Lanta Yai - Ko Lanta Yai’s topography is long and narrow. Sala Dan Pier is where tour operators, shops and banks are situated. Several beautiful beaches are in the west such as Hat Kho Kwang, Hat Lo Bara, Ao Phra Ae, Hat Khlong Khong, and Hat Khlong Nin. A paved road runs along the beaches all the way from the northern part of the island to the headquarters of the Mu

Ko Lanta National Park in the south. The landscape is dominated by a series of mountains covered with virgin rainforest. To the east features an old community. The district office was previously here and later relocated to Ko Lanta Noi. Most people on the island are Muslim. The communities of Ban Sang Ka-u still maintain their traditional Loi Ruea Ceremony. Not far from the headquarters, Laem Tanot features a lighthouse, where visitors can enjoy the panoramic view of a pebble beach merging with a white sandy beach. At the end of the cape features Ko Mo, an ideal diving spot. Besides Laem Tanot, tourists can enjoy the Andaman Sea’s spectacular view from many hilltop restaurants located in the central part of the island.

Activities in Mo kho Lanta :


Diving ;


There are no scuba diving sites on the island itself, all require a boat trip. However Lanta is the closest island to the famous Hin Daeng and Hin Muang sites, so it is very popular with divers. Other sites visited by dive shops include Ko Haa, Hin Bida, Ko Rok, Ko Waen and the Kingcruiser wreck. There are many dive centers on Lanta offering everything from beginner training on; if you want training, many shops can start any course on demand, particularly Open Water and Advanced Open Water. Courses are offered in English, Swedish, German and Thai at most shops and other languages will be available at some.


There are essentially two choices when travelling to dive sites: a larger, slower boat out of Ban Saladan (1.5 hours to Ko Haa, 3 or 4 to Hin Daeng and Hin Muang) or a speedboat departing from various beaches on the island (as little as 1 hour to Hin Daeng and Hin Muang). The slower boats are recommended for comfort reasons, but you will lose the entire day to the trip. Almost all shops offer free pickup from at least resorts towards the northern end of the island.


Almost all day trips are for two dives. Prices are in the range of 2500–3000 baht for a day's boat diving on the closer sites, 3000–4000 baht for Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. Gear hire will be about 500 baht per trip. Certification is all PADI: about 13000 baht for a four day Open Water course, and 10000 baht for a two day Advanced Open Water course (five dives). The speedboats tend to cost extra.


Some dive centers ask for Advanced Open Water or equivalent certifications, or 20 or more dives experience, if you are diving Hin Daeng/Hin Muang.

- Atlantis Diving, 18 Moo 1, Saladan, Tel: +66 75 684 081 (info@atlantis-diving.net), Atlantis has daily dive trips departing from Saladan on a 21m boat. Training in English and German.

- Blue Planet Divers, 3 Moo 1, Saladan, Tel: +66 75 684 165 (scuba@blueplanetdivers.net),Daily dive trips departing from Saladon.

- Dive & Relax PADI Dive Resort, 223 Moo 2 Phra Ae, Saladan,Tel: +66 848 422 191 (info@diveandrelax.com) Speedboat pickup from your beach. Training in several languages.

- Go Dive, 6 Moo 1, Saladan Tel: 66 75 684 320 (info@godive-lanta.com) PADI courses in several languages, pickup from any Ko Lanta hotel/resort. Dive sites: Hin Daeng and Hin Muang; Ko Haa; Ko Phi Phi; Ko Bida; Hin Bida; Shark Point; Anemone Reef and King Cruiser Wreck.

- Ko Lanta Diving Center, 1/3 Moo 1, Saladan Tel : +66 75 684 065, (info@kolantadivingcenter.com) PADI courses. The first dive shop on Ko Lanta, founded in 1992; dive sites: Ko Haa; Ko Bida and Hin Bida; Ko Phi Phi; Shark Point, Anemone Reef and King Cruiser wreck; Hin Daeng and Hin Muang; also 2-day trips to Ko Ngai and Hin Daeng.

- KrabiDivers.com, Sea of Love Plaza (opposite McDonalds), Aonang, Krabi, 8100, Tel: +66 075-695-480 (info@krabidivers.com), 24hr. Located in the heart of Aonang, the beachside town of Krabi, in the Sea of Love PLaza. KrabiDivers.com provides dive courses, trips, liveaboards, dive equipment sales and also helps customers with hotel bookings and other arrangements.


- Laguna Fun Divers, 147 Moo 1, Saladan Tel: 66 75 684 528 (lagfund@gmx.de) PADI courses. Speedboat trips: Hin Daeng; Ko Rok; Ko Haa; Ko Ma; Hin Bida and Ko Bida; Ko Phi Phi.

- Lanta Discovery Diver Tel: 66 75 684 035. Offers speedboat trips to various locations, with boat pickup from all the beaches.

- Lanta Diver, 197/3 Moo 1, Saladan Tel: +66 75 684 208 (fax +66 75 684 057 scuba@lantadiver.com) PADI courses. Founded by a Swedish couple and staffed mainly, but not exclusively, by Scandinavians; dive sites: Ko Haa; Ko Bida and Hin Bida; Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. Lanta Diver is one of the better known dive shops and is popular with moderately experienced divers (although they do everything from beginner certification on). Book their Hin Daeng/Hin Muang trips in advance.

- Lanta Diving Safaris, 289 Moo 1, Saladan Tel: +66 87 88 96 802 (manta@lanta-diving-safaris.com) The M/V Flying Seahorse is Ko Lanta's only live-aboard.


See the Lanta Old Town ;


The old town is a small village on Ko Lanta's East side. It's one of the region's most culturally diverse with Chinese merchants, original Thai fishing families and an ancient Sea Gypsy community.

Many years ago, Ko Lanta's Old Town acted as the port and commercial center for the island and provided a safe harbor for Arabic and Chinese trading vessels sailing between the larger ports of Phuket, Penang and Singapore. Today, Old Town is the district capital; it has a post office, police station, Buddhist temple, Chinese temple and the island's hospital as well as a long pier.

It's a charming place to visit and boasts many good restaurants and interesting shopping like handmade Hammocks and an original Batik and Art Gallery. It's also a great jumping off point to other Islands like Ko Bubu and Ko Talenbeng.



Trip get around island ;


The main road which loops around the island is recently paved with cement. Some roads are still unpaved dirt. It's worth knowing the names of the resorts near yours: both the pickup trucks and motorcycle taxis will often want to pick you up or drop you at a nearby resort with a better road.


Resorts and some of the major tourist services (like the dive shops) own large pickup trucks and transport tourists around in the tray. Very occasionally, they own minibuses instead. If you come in by ferry your resort will almost certainly meet you at pier with their truck; if you're travelling with very small children who you don't want to cling to while you bump along sitting on the side of the truck you might want to warn them in advance that you'll want to ride in the cab: it's generally assumed to be the private domain of the driver.


You will find the locals almost exclusively ride motorcycles; you can hire these in several places for a few hundred baht a day. You can also hire motorcycle taxis with sidecars. These will happily take you on the unpaved roads but the ride can be as slow as walking. A typical fare for a ride from Saladan to Klong Dao Beach is 40 baht.


Jeeps can be hired for 1200 baht per day. Be sure to check insurance, contract terms and the condition of the vehicle. The "roads" of Ko Lanta combined with the driver operation characteristics of some renters are a serious challenge for any car. The frequently available Suzuki Sporty seems primitive and therefore sturdy, and a replacement should cost around 150000 baht.



Long tail boat;

Lanta Longtail , 9/1 Moo 1, Lanta Old Town, Ko Lanta Yai Tel: +66 8916619 (info@lantalongtail.com) Private charters, island tours, beach camping and fishing trips.


Learn Thai cooking ;


Time for Lime, 72/2 Moo 3 Klong Dao Beach +66 75 684590 (info@timeforlime.net) Offers day and evening professional Thai cooking classes right on the beach, plus workshop series. Daytime courses (teaching 4 dishes) 1800 baht, evening classes (teaching 3 dishes) 1400 baht.


Sea kayaking ;

Rapu Sea Kayaking, 10/5 Moo 2, Ko Lanta Yai +66 92 871 749 (contact Chutima Junsirikamon) - guided sea kayak tours of the mangrove areas.

Accommodations on Ko Lanta :

Ko Lanta has three tourist seasons: low, high and peak.

Peak season: late December, early January and for some resorts also around Songkran in April; expect premiums of 25–50% or more over the high season price and on Christmas and New Year's Eve many resorts have a compulsory banquet costing about as much as an extra night's accommodation.

High season: from November until February, excluding peak season


Low season: April/May to October. Many resorts will be as much as 50% cheaper than the high season price. Many places used to close entirely but increasingly they're open year round.


You won't have much trouble finding accommodation as late as your arrival at the Saladan pier except in peak season. Standard accommodation on Klong Dao and Long Beaches (the two most northerly beaches) now start at about 1200 baht for a basic air-con bungalow or hotel room. The places further South offer free transport and can be much cheaper (100 baht for a spotless beach hut with bathroom), but the rides into town will be lengthy approx. 20 minutes. You can hire moterbikes for 250 baht a day a see lots of the island after a good nites sleep.


Accommodation is arranged by beach, north (most convienient to Saladan) to south (least convienient). Prices quoted here are for the high season unless otherwise specified.


List of hotel (by lacation);


Klong Dao Beach ;

- Andaman Lanta Resort, 142 Moo 3, Tel; +66 75 684 200 (andamanlanta@hotmail.com, fax: +66 75 684203),Large complex with 2-storey hotel style building and bungalows. Restaurant, bar and swimming pool. Rooms from 1550 baht, bungalows from 2900 baht.

- Best Western Maya Ko Lanta (info@mayalantaresort.com),Hotel style building - Lanta's only resort currently owned by a major chain. They have a food and a fancy (by Lanta's standards) restaurant. From 4400 baht.

- DR Lanta Resort, 206 Moo 3, Tel; +66 8 1081 5679 (fax: +66 75 684 383), Restaurant, bar and swimming pool. Rooms 1800 baht, air-con bungalows from 2000 baht.


- Lanta Summer House, 208 Moo 3, Tel; +66 75 684 099 (lantasummer@yahoo.com). Typical beach-side bungalow resort with three-bed air-con bungalows. The restaurant is in the lower price range but the offerings, while extensive, are very watered down (they don't do spicy). Nice and friendly staff. Poolside bungalows with airconditioning from about 1300 baht.


- Royal Lanta, 222 Moo 3, Tel; +66 75 684 361 (sales@royallanta.com, fax: +61 75 684 362), Luxury villa with beautiful bungalows in the Thai architectural style, pool, and laundry service. Bungalows from 3700 baht.


- Southern Lanta Resort and Spa, 105 Moo 3, Tel: +66 75 684 174 (info@southernlanta.com, fax: +66 75 684 174), Large resort with 100 bungalows, pool, restaurant and beachside bar. Bungalows 1800-15000 baht.



Long Beach (Ao Phra Ae) ;

- Chaw Ka Cher Tropicana Lanta Resort, 352 Moo 2, Tel; +66 75 637 970 (info@chawkacherresort.com, fax: +66 75 637 404) Secluded resort with tropical garden. From 2000 baht.

- Good Days Lanta Chalet and Resort, 183 Moo 2,Tel; +66 75 684 186 (info@gooddayslanta.com, fax: +66 75 684 187), Fan bungalows from 900 baht, air-con from 1400 baht.

- Lanta Longbeach, 172 Moo 3, Te; +66 75 684 198 (reservations@lantalongbeach.com), Pool and restaurant. Air-con bungalows from 1700 baht.

- Lanta Nakara, 172 Moo 3,Te;+66 75 684 198 (reservations@lantalongbeach.com),More luxurious cousin of Lanta Longbeach (same management); as a pool and restaurant. Air-con bungalows from 2500 baht.

- Relax Bay Resort, 111 Moo 2, Tel: +66 75 684 194 (relaxbay@hotmail.com, fax: +66 75 684 196), The Hotel, situadted in a green surrounding, where the original forest was as much kept intact as possible had romantic swimming pool added in 2007. French-Belgian owned resort with its own 1km beach and Thai-French restaurant.

- Sanctuary, 186 Moo 2, Tel; +6681 891 3055. Well-designed bamboo bunglaows, mosquito nets and great Indian and Thai food from the restaurant. Fan huts up to 400 baht per night (low season).

- Starwin Resort. Beautiful garden and cheap resort, 200 meters from the sea Fan huts up to 250 baht per night (low season).

Klong Khong Beach ;


- Where Else Resort, 149 Moo 2, Tel; 66 75 684 253 (fax: +66 75 684 253), Funky, chilled out bamboo eco tourism village surrounded by old coconut palm trees. Each bungalow is unique. Fan bungalows from 500 baht.


- Lanta Full Moon Bay View Resort, 261 Moo. 2 Saladan Koh Lanta Krabi 81150, Te; +66 089 647 6525 (fax: +66 75 667 143) ;Wonderful place, great staff, and low price. Food and drinks are great. Free internet in lounge, laundry service available, pool, so many shady places to relax and read. Quiet beach, but really close to the action. The staff can help you with anything you need. Wonderful house cats lounging around to teach you the meaning of beach bum:) You will cry when you have to leave (I did) Fan bungalows from 550baht-800baht AC from 1000baht.


Klong Toab Beach ;


- Lanta River Sand Resort, Te; +66 75 662 660 (piu@lantariversand.com), [Thai-style bungalows 900 baht (no air-con).


Klong Nin Beach ;


- Charlee BARleys, coming soon (martin@charleebarley.com), UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT 2008 - The Center of Klong Nin beach - Relaxed environment wood-style back-packer bungalows from 250 baht up to 350 baht with own bathroom (Fan Rooms) Situated on the best part of the beach, with no rocks, 24 hour swimming..


- Narima Bungalow Resort, 98 Moo 5, Tel; +66 75 618 081 (narima@inet.co.th), Open air beach views and wooden floors. Bungalows from 2000 baht.


Kantiang Bay ;


- Anda Lanta Resort (formerly Waterfall Bay Resort), Te; +66 28 995 919 (info@andalanta.com, fax: +66 24 157 436), Overpriced luxury bungalow resort with satellite TV and Internet access for guests. However there's no room service and the telephones don't work. Open during the low season. Room from 2300 baht, bungalow from 4500 baht.


- Bamboo Bay Resort, Aow Mai Pai, Tel +66 75 665 023 (bamboobay@bamboobay.net). Fan bungalows from 500 baht, air-con from 1300 baht.


- Kantiang Bay View Resort, 9 Moo 5, Tel +66 01 787 5192. Restaurant + "Why not?"-bar directly on the beach. Wooden bungalows. Good atmosphere and spills out right onto the sand. Not to be confused with the nearby Marine Park View Resort, which is located on the hill! Free pickup from Ban Sala Dan to Ao Kantiang, but return to Ban Sala Dan is 500 baht! 600 baht and up for fan bungalows and 1500 and up air-con. Open all year round with some great rates in low season..


- Lanta Sand Resort & Spa, 279 Moo 3, Tel +66 75 684 633 (lanta@lantasand.com, fax: +66 75 684 636),48 bungalows. Villas from 7000 baht.

- Marine Park View Resort, 7 Moo 5, Tel +66 75 665 063 (LantaMarineBookings@Gmail.com), Restaurant + Shroom Bar with the best view of the beach. Air-con rooms in large bungalow from 2100 baht.

Dining and drink in Mo Ko Lanta :


Ko Lanta has a wide variety of restaurants, the kind that most visitors travel to Thailand for: beach-front locations serving delicious and inexpensive Thai and seafood dishes. Eateries line the beaches in front of the bungalows and no visitor will starve from lack of variety or interesting places to dine.


Sunset Restaurant is a very small restaurant on Klong Dao beach close to D.R. Lanta Resort beside Mooks bar. The Thai food is the best on Klong Dao beach and cheap too. Real Thai style eating with the tables directly on the sand and no decorations at all but a nice view and cool breeze from the sea. And the food...


Abdul's Pancakes is a crêpe stall run from a motorcycle sidecar. You can most often find him in Moo 1, Saladan, opposite Lanta Diver when the boat divers come back (around 15:00). His chocolate and banana crêpe and his chicken crêpe are especially recommended.


Cook Kai is just across the street from Klong Nin Beach. Wholly built of wood and lovely decorated, it offers a spacious open dining area and bar. Run by the cook and his brothers and sisters, their Thai food, which has a bit of an extraordinary note, is probably the best you can get in the area and beyond. Go for the daily specials announced on the board at the entrance! Cook Kai also offers thai cooking classes.


River Restaurant is a friendly family operation located on the beach just south of Narima Resort. They have a delicious menu...lots of Thai dishes and a few western ones as well. The Phad Thai is excellent. It is very popular with families and the owner's children often play with tourist kids


Thai Cuisine is a long-established favorite. It is located in Phra Ae just south of the Opium night club. The menu features a wide selection of wonderful Thai dishes and Chinese as well. The "special" spring roll is excellent. There is bar service and a small artisan boutique. Say hello to the chef/owner, Somkuan... he's a great guy.


Get drink & party:


There's not much in the way of party nightlife, which, for many, is part of the Koh lanta appeal - Relaxed. But there is always something going on if you ask around .

There are a few restaurant/bars at the harbor and most hotels;


- Charlee BARleys - Under new management from a local family 2008 - a friendly bar/restaurant/bungalow in the center of Klong Nin Beach. This is a great place to meet other mellow travelers from every demographic. Relaxed sunset Happy Hours everynight. Sometimes live-music from international guests. Check it out.


- Mooks bar - on Klong Dao beach between D.R. Lanta Bay Resort and Sun Fun & Sea Bungalows, and a good spot to relaxing with a drink on the beach, listen to some reggae, and maybe watch sports on TV. Mook himself is a person worth meeting.

- Oscar's Bar - driftwood terrace on the beach.

- Where Else / Feeling Bar Indian & Thai food, in a clean, friendly, quiet, and above all relaxed atmosphere.

How to get there:


By air;


Ddirect seaplane transfers from/to Phuket International Airport and other popular Andaman coast destinations

The nearest airports are Krabi, Trang and Phuket Krabi and Trang have direct road and boat connections to Ko Lanta, and are the best options if you're only visiting Ko Lanta. Flying into Phuket is a better option if you're intending to spend time in Phuket and nearby islands, or, since Phuket has many more international flights, if you don't want to have to organize a domestic flight to Krabi or Trang from Bangkok. As an alternative to Bangkok, there are daily flights to Krabi directly to and from Singapore.


By car ;

Ko Lanta does not have roads connecting it directly to the mainland, but is served by car ferries. Take road 4206 off highway 4 about 20km south-east of Krabi airport. Drive to the end of the road, where there is a car ferry from Baan Hua Hin to Ko Lanta Noi. From the pier here, turn right and follow the "ferry" signs to the second car ferry to Ko Lanta Yai. Ferries operate 07:00-22:00.


There are plenty of car taxi and minivan taxi services from Krabi and the nearby airport. A seat in a ten person minivan from the airport to Ko Lanta costs about 250 baht. These minivans usually don't have much room for luggage (although they can usually find room for one or two large suitcases together with backpacks for the rest of the passengers) so if you're not traveling light you might need to get a private taxi.


This is what the divemasters do. A private minivan taxi will usually be quoted as 2500 baht. It's possible to bargain a few hundred baht off this price but not much more or the tolls will consume too much of the price. Car taxis cost about the same.


When travelling to/from Ko Lanta in the afternoon by road, allow 2–3 hours for the journey as the queues for the vehicle ferries can be lengthy. The passenger ferry which leaves Ko Lanta pier (high season) at 08:00 and arrives at Krabi pier at 10:00 is quicker.


By boat ;


Ferry arrival at Ban Saladan pier;


Ferry services run from Krabi, Ao Nangand from Phuket via Ko Phi Phi to Ko Lanta Yai's Saladan pier. Ferry services are subject to weather and to demand: many will not run at all during the monsoon season and at a reduced frequency during the low season. Many ferries have limited room for luggage. Often the ferries dock alongside each other, meaning that to get on and off passengers must clamber onto and across other boats with their luggage.


Services from Krabi are run by P.P. Family Co (+66 75 630 165) and depart Krabi pier at 10:30 and 13:30, taking 2 hours to reach Ko Lanta (200 baht including free pickup from Krabi hotels). There's a transit bus from Krabi town center for 10 baht.


Services from Ao Nang are run by Ao Nang Travel and Tour (+66 75 637 730) and depart at 10:30 (280 baht).

Ferries depart from Ko Phi-Phi at 11:30 and 14:00, and take 1 hour. If travelling from Phuket in a single day, you will need to leave Phuket on the 08:00 ferry to transfer to the 11:30 ferry. Tickets to Ko Lanta are 200 baht from Ko Phi-Phi and 450 baht from Phuket


To Get to Ban Hua Hin Pier;


From Amphoe Mueang, proceed along Highway No. 4 towards Amphoe Khlong Thom (the route to the province of Trang). Take a right turn at Ban Huai Nam Khao Intersection onto Highway No. 4206 for another 20 kilometres.


Air-conditioned Vans: Take the hourly Krabi - Ko Lanta Yai air-conditioned vans from Amphoe Mueang, which operate between 8.30 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. The fare is 250 baht per person. The trip takes 2 hours. On return, the vans depart Ko Lanta Yai between 8.30 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. as well. For more information, contact Krabi Lanta Tour in Amphoe Mueang, Tel. 0 7562 2792. Sala Dan, Tel. 0 7568 4121.

Alternatively, take the hourly air-conditioned vans from Trang, which operate between 8.30 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. On return, the vans depart at 8.00 a.m., 10.00 a.m., 12.00 a.m., 1.30 p.m., and 3.00 p.m. The trip takes 2 hours. For further details, contact K K Tour, which is located in front of the train station, Tel. 0 7521 1198, 0 7522 3664, Fax. 0 7521 1441.

Commuting from Trang to Krabi;


Take the ordinary local bus leaving Trang Bus Station between 6.00 a.m – 5.00 p.m. The fare is 80 baht per person. The trip takes 2 hours. Alternatively, take the air-conditioned buses, which leave Trang Bus Station between 6.00 a.m – 5.00 p.m. as well. The fare is 113 baht per person. The trip takes 2 hours.


Ferry Service during the High Season (November – May): Two ferries depart daily from Chao Fa Pier in Amphoe Mueang at 10.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. The trip takes about 2 hours to reach Sala Dan Pier on Ko Lanta Yai. For more information, contact the Chao Fa Pier, Tel. 0 7563 0470 – 2.


From Ko Lanta to Other Islands;

Private companies on Ko Lanta operate boat services to many destinations.
Ko Lanta – Ko Phi Phi: 8.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m., 350 bahtKo Lanta – Krabi: 8.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m., 300 bahtKo Lanta – Ko Phi Phi – Phuket: 1.00 p.m. and 2.30 p.m., 700 bahtKo Lanta – Ko Phi Phi – Krabi: 9.00 a.m. and 1.30 p.m., 700 baht


Royal Fern Co., Ltd. operates boat services from Ko Lanta to Krabi via Ko Cham. Two ferries depart daily at 8.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. The fare ranges from 300 - 350 baht per person.

In addition, boat services operate from Ko Lanta Yai to Ko Ngai and Ko Kradan, which costs 450 baht per person, as well as, to Ko Rok, which only offers speed boats (return tickets) costing 1,600 baht. Contact Royal Fern Co., Ltd., Tel. 0 7568 4163, 08 1719 4811 and O & M Tourist Centre Co., Ltd., Tel. 0 7568 4153, 0 7568 4281. The boat departs at 9.00 a.m. daily.

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