KOH LANTA RESORTS | Getting here and around on Koh Lanta
Koh Lanta is thin and long island. The ferry or car ferry will docking at the north most of the island call Baan Saladan; the gate way to Paradise. Start traveling on Koh Lanta at Baan SalaDan Village, a typical Thai fishing village where most of boats from Phi Phi and Krabi terminate. Boat for snorkeling or diving are available here; you can hire a motorbikes rentals from here as well. From Baan Saladan, drive down to the south with distance 30 Km will take about one hour. The road will end at Koh Lanta Marine National Park office where the lighthouse; symbolic of Koh Lanta located. Beware that half of the way is paved road, the rest is unpaved; dusty, bumpy and up hill and down dale. But both sides are stunning view.

Since Koh Lanta possesses both marine and terrestrial endowment, there are many interesting attractions and activities waiting for your to covery, be it beaches, dense rain forests, or cultural experience in sea gypsies' village. Koh Lanta are absolutely its wonderful beaches and crystal clear water. Most of the best beaches of Koh Lanta lies along the western shore of Lanta Yai Island, each of which has its characteristic beauty and provides the excellent sunsets. The east coast is the mountain covered with rich tropical rainforest. All nine beaches located west coast of the island along north to south. Try to get down to the end; The National Park area with two curved beach, is wonderful

How to get to Koh Lanta?

Koh Lanta is easy and inexpensive to reach from Bangkok , Phuket or Malaysia . Krabi is the most convenient gateway to Koh Lanta coming from Bangkok. Arriving from Phuket you can transit through Krabi or Phi Phi. Trang also serves as a regional transit point for those coming from the south. The island is served by passenger ferries from Krabi or Phi Phi and car ferries from the mainland. Remember if your arrival time is late in the day, local minibus or public passenger ferries scheduled for Koh Lanta may not be available.

The distance from Bangkok to Krabi is approximately 950 kms. or about 12 hours by car.

Route One : Petchburi-Prachab Khiri Khan-Chumporn-Phang Nga-Krabi. Distance: 946 kms.

Route Two : From Bangkok, take Highway No.4, drive south past the provinces of Petchburi, Prachuab Khiri Khan and Chumporn. Then from Chumporn take Highway No.41 past the districts of Lang Suan and Chai Ya. Once you reach Surat Thani, go in the direction of Viangsra District, then take Highway No. 4035 until the district Ao Luek and finally join Highway No.4 again. Distance: 814 kms.

From Bangkok
Daily bus services are available departing from the Southern Bus Terminal (Tel: 02-434-7192, 02-434-7862) in Boromratchchonnani Road in Thonburi. The trip takes about 12 hours. The distance is 817 kms. The fare is about Baht 710. The schedules are 6pm and 6.30pm.

From Phuket
The trip from Phuket to Krabi takes at least three to four hours. There are buses that leave from Phuket daily.

To and from Krabi province, there are daily boat from Hua-Hin Pier to Saladan Pier. The old Chao-Fa Pier in Krabi Town is no more usage. The journey from Krabi to Saladan at the northern tip of Koh Lanta takes about 2 and half hours.

* Note : This schedule maybe change without notice. Please check with us below journeys.
To and from Phuket, most visitors to Koh Lanta are traveling from Phuket by boat via Phi Phi Island. You can take a shuttle boat "Phuket-Phi Phi" departing from Phuket Pier than take a shuttle boat "Phi Phi-Lanta". The pier is a few kilometers upskirt of Phuket town, during the traveling season start November to April only. Another way is to take a bus or van "Phuket-Krabi" and take daily boat from Hua-Hin-Saladan Pier Lanta Island.

Ferry time table
Phuket - Phi Phi - Ko Lanta

* Note: This new schedule start on 1 Feb 05, and maybe change without notice. Please check with us below journeys.

Private Aircon Van Transfer, save your valuable holiday time by our Air-con VAN transfers.The service by Aircon Mini Van can pick you up from every airport; Phuket, Trang, Krabi or any appointment places around the area. This is the private transfer which there is no others people join the group and the price was quote in whole van which can sit maximum 9 people.

Why Need Private Aircon Van Transfer ?
• No need to carry massy luggage journey 20 km from Krabi airport to the Pier.
• No need to worry about missing flight when you leave Koh Lanta.
No need to transit many connections with packed tourists; airport bus to Krabi Pier, Krabi Pier to Lanta Pier and open air pick up van from Lanta Pier with dusty and bumpy road to resort.

The Air-con Minivan will take you and your family privately direct to your resort. Whereever you landing; Krabi, Trang or Phuket. Check full information on this page.

Getting around, to get around Koh Lanta by car, motorbike or bike seems to be the best way. You can hire a boat, car, motorbike, bike at your resort or Baan Saladan Village as well.

Tips from fellow travelers
The roads are now well paved compared to few years ago.So the best way to explore the island would be on a bike dropping off at various waterholes for a beer or 2.Be careful not to have one too many and weave on the road like a druken snake.The bikes are very low cc,i beleive shd be 70 cc and have a choice of automatic clutch ( slightly higher price) so should not be dangerous for begginers.Choice of 4 hrs ,half a day or full day hire which means 24 hrs. With this acquired mobility you could also visit various eating joints/restaurants to savour the varieties n fares. Not forgetting you could explore various stretches of beach on the west coast all day long without sacrificng your poor feet.

Of course you can rent motor bikes at very good rates on Koh Lanta. But take care!!! The "roads" there are still beyond any discription. Apart from a few miles all the roads are enormously bumpi, sandy and really not great fun. We did rent a motor bike for one day, to see all the nice beaches - and I think, in fact this is the quickest way to see something of the island - but it definitely needs a lot of concentration. A jeep might probably be another solution - definitely not a tuk-tuk tough, as they are even worse on these bad roads than motor bikes. The dust is dreadful! We still enjoyed our day trip, stopping at many of these lovely beaches on the West coast. But of course we also went accross to the east coast where we visited the main "town" which turned out to be just a small village, enjoying the view on the many islands lying in front of this side of Koh Lanta. Maps can be obtained at hotel receptions and the agencies.

Roads in Ko Lanta is pretty bad. Around Saladan, the roads are tarred but after 3-4 km out, it starts to get bad and non-tarred. Its DIRT ROAD, baby !! So, make sure you have something to cover your eyes (sunglasses are a good option) and nose (your hand, perhaps ?) when on the road. However, sitting in a tuk tuk, breathing in all the dirt and having a bumpy ride (you have to hang on tight to the vehicle) is quite an experience !

The ferry is the only way to move about the islands over here in South Thailand. I quite enjoyed the rides, mostly choosing to sit on the sundeck on top of the ferry. However, when the sun gets too hot, I run downstairs to the comforts of the air conditioning !

Ban Sala Dan is the port town, located on the far north end of Ko Lanta Yai, and very close to Ko Lanta Noi... From here, there is a regular ferry service to Ko Phi Phi during the high season, as well as service to a few other neighboring islands... Ban Sala Dan is the main commercial center on the island, containing the ATM machine, grocery store, shops, etc...

the ferry is the only logical way to get to lanta. from phuket via phi phi it takes roughly 2 and a bit hours. stupid us, took the wrong long silly ferry, and it took us 4 hours via krabi and railay beach! lol so warning - do not go with ao nang cruises! bad bad long yucky voyage! but i must admit, we did pass some awesome scenery near krabi! anyway, you can book a ferry ticket via any agency in phuket, which would be advised, because you won't want to rock up at the terminal and not be able to buy a ticket because its booked out, especially in the peak months! all ferries arrive at saladan port, the main town on ko lanta. in the picture, is a scene from the port. hot, dusty and packed full of tired and grumpy tourists waiting for their ferry.



KOH LANTA HOTELS




KRABI & PHI PHI HOTELS