Things to do · Koh Lanta
Two to three hours from Krabi by road and car ferry: what separates it from Ao Nang, and what to see once you are there.
Koh Lanta lies south of Krabi, off the mainland. It is really two islands: Lanta Noi, closer to the mainland, and Lanta Yai, the long one where most people stay, joined by a bridge since 2016. There is no bridge from the mainland yet, so every journey by road ends with a car ferry.
That crossing is what separates Lanta from Ao Nang. The Krabi island days, the four islands, Hong and Phi Phi, start from the Ao Nang and Krabi Town side. Lanta has its own day at sea, Koh Rok and Koh Haa, in the Mu Ko Lanta national park. So the question is not which is better, but which trip you are on.
Go to Koh Lanta for a few nights, not for a day. From Ao Nang it is about three hours each way by road and ferry, which leaves little of the day once you are there. Sleep on Lanta if you want its beaches, its old town and the boats to Koh Rok; sleep near Ao Nang if the Krabi island tours are the point of your trip.
Arriving by boat, in the north
Where the boats from Krabi land, from November to April.
A beach to stay on
On the west coast, Hat Phra Ae in Thai.
What the island was before tourism
The old trading port on the east coast, Ban Si Raya.
A day at sea
Snorkelling by speedboat from Lanta, in the season the park allows.
Getting in and out. Ao Nang is on the mainland, about 25–30 km from Krabi Airport by road. Lanta is a van ride and a car ferry away: about 2–2.5 hours from the airport and about three hours from Ao Nang, according to travel guides, one of them updated in October 2026.
The island days. The four islands, Hong and Phi Phi trips leave from the Ao Nang and Krabi Town side. From Lanta, the day at sea is Koh Rok and Koh Haa, further south. If the Krabi island tours are the reason for your trip, sleep near Ao Nang.
The boats from Krabi. They run from November to April. The rest of the year, the way to Lanta is the road and the car ferry.
You can do both: a few nights near Ao Nang for the island days, then a few on Lanta. Going the other way, Lanta is not a base for the islands off Ao Nang.
Where to stay in Krabi: Koh Lanta compared with the other bases
By road, all year. A van, or your own vehicle, takes you to Hua Hin pier on the mainland, a car ferry crosses to Lanta Noi, and the Siri Lanta bridge leads on to Lanta Yai. Travel guides put the journey at two to three hours from Krabi Town and about three hours from Ao Nang. The ferry has no fixed timetable, and one guide reports that the wait at the pier can add hours in December and January.
Hua Hin is not Hua Hin. The ferry pier, also called Ban Hua Hin, has nothing to do with the beach resort of the same name, far to the north. If you are booking a transfer, make sure the driver and you mean the same place.
By boat, from November to April. Boats run from Klong Jilad pier near Krabi Town to Saladan, at the north of the island, from November to April only: there is no departure in October. Boats from Ao Nang also run mainly in those months; one operator advertises a speedboat all year, and sources disagree on how often it goes, so check before you count on it.
The bridge you may read about. The bridge between Lanta Noi and Lanta Yai has been open since 2016. The one from the mainland to Lanta Noi does not exist yet: its contract was signed on 31 August 2026, and it is expected to open around 2029. Until then, you cross by ferry.
Koh Lanta from Krabi: the road, the ferry and the boats, with prices
Lanta Yai is the long island. The beaches face west, the old town is on the east coast, the boats land in the north, and the national park is at the southern tip, all joined by the island's roads.
The Urak Lawoi, one of the sea-nomad peoples (Chao Lay in Thai), are the island's first known inhabitants. Their village, Sang Ka U, is in the south-east of Lanta Yai, separate from the old town.
The north end of the island, where the boats from Krabi Town and Ao Nang come in from November to April. The island's port trade moved here from the old town. If you arrive by boat, this is where you land: ask your hotel about a pickup when you book.
One of the beaches on the west coast of Lanta Yai, called Hat Phra Ae in Thai, and sometimes written Pra Ae. It is a base for a few nights on the island. Not for you if you want a beach day from Ao Nang: it is a stay in itself.
The island's old port and trading centre, once a stop for boats between Phuket, Penang and Singapore, before the trade moved to Saladan. The stilt houses of its merchants still stand on the water. Sino-Thai and Muslim communities live here, and the island's only Chinese shrine is in the old town. Go by day, when you can see the houses.
The headquarters of the Mu Ko Lanta national park, on the cape at the southern tip of Lanta Yai, with a white lighthouse and a beach of about 300 m. Thai press reported it closed from 11 June 2026 because of Portuguese man o' war, until conditions return to normal, and we have seen no confirmed reopening. Sources disagree on the entry fee for foreign adults. Not for you until the park says it has reopened.
Islands of the Mu Ko Lanta national park, out at sea, usually visited together on a snorkelling day by speedboat from Lanta. The trip we have looked at lasts 7.5–8.5 hours with lunch, and does not take children aged 3 or under. Each has its own closure dates, set each year by the national parks department. Not for you if you want a short trip: it is a long day at sea.
Once you are on Lanta, the days out start from the island, and pickup is available on both of the trips we have looked at.
Koh Rok and Koh Haa by speedboat. The main day at sea from Lanta: snorkelling around the islands of the national park, with lunch, for 7.5–8.5 hours on the trip we have looked at. It is open from age 4. Ask whether the national park fee is in the price: it varies from one trip to another, so carry cash.
Mangrove kayaking. A day paddling the island's mangroves, with Koh Talabeng and a picnic lunch on a beach, for about 7 hours on the trip we have looked at.
The kayaking day does not run on Fridays, by its booking calendar. Koh Rok and Koh Haa depend on the park's closures and on the sea; ask the operator whether both are open on your date.
The boats from Krabi. From November to April. In the other months, including October, plan on the road and the car ferry.
Koh Rok. Closed from 1 June to 30 September in the national parks department's schedule for 2026. Many sites say May to October or November: that is the stretch when trips rarely go in practice, not the official closure. Trips run mostly from November to April or May.
Koh Haa. Its official closure is shorter, from 1 August to 30 September. In 2026, Thai press reported Koh Haa, Koh Ngai and Laem Tanod closed from 11 June because of Portuguese man o' war, with no reopening date announced. Check before you book.
Jellyfish. The Tourism Authority of Thailand names Koh Lanta among the places where box jellyfish are seen, and they come closer to shore during the monsoon. Ask at your hotel about the sea before you swim.
Krabi beaches: jellyfish and red flags
A day trip from Ao Nang means about six hours on the road and the ferry, there and back, for a few hours on the island. It can be done; it is not how we would see Lanta.
A few nights give you a beach on the west coast, an afternoon in the old town, and a day at sea to Koh Rok and Koh Haa in the season. In exchange, the Krabi island tours are a long way off.
Both if you have the nights: the Ao Nang side first for the island days, then Lanta, or the other way round.
| Place | Where | Best for | Getting there | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saladan | North of Lanta Yai | Arriving by boat | By road all year; by boat from Krabi Town or Ao Nang, November to April | Boats from Krabi only from November to April |
| Long Beach | West coast | A stay of a few nights | By the island's roads | Jellyfish in the monsoon |
| Lanta Old Town | East coast | The island's history, by day | By the island's roads | Not a beach |
| Laem Tanod and the lighthouse | Southern tip | The national park, once it reopens | By the island's roads | Reported closed since June 2026 |
| Koh Rok and Koh Haa | Out at sea, south | A day of snorkelling | Speedboat trip from Lanta | Park closures, a long day at sea |
Things to do · the islands
Four islands for a first day close to Ao Nang, Hong for the lagoon, Phi Phi for Maya Bay, Phang Nga Bay for James Bond Island: four different days at sea, and the boat matters as much as the island.
Things to do · the beaches
Krabi has beaches you drive to and beaches you reach by boat, beaches for a swim and one, at Railay, that turns to mud at low tide: the tide and the season decide more than the sand.
Things to do · Ao Nang
Where most Krabi trips are based and most days out begin: the beach and its tide, what is within walking distance, which boat leaves from where, and what to do when the sea keeps the boats in.
Things to do · Railay
Railay is reached only by boat. Which boat, where it lands you, what to see once you are there, and whether to sleep on the peninsula or come for the day.
Things to do · inland
Away from the coast, Krabi is forest, limestone and fresh water: a temple at the top of a long staircase, a green pool you can swim in, hot springs, waterfalls and mangrove caves. What each one asks of you, and whether to go on a tour or by yourself.
Things to do · Phi Phi
Phi Phi is two islands: Phi Phi Leh, with Maya Bay and its rules, seen on a day from Krabi, and Phi Phi Don, the island you can sleep on. What each one is, what disappoints, and how to fit them in.
Things to do · Night markets
Krabi's evening markets do not all open on the same nights. Which one runs when, where to find it, and which times we could confirm and which we could not.
Where to stay
Ao Nang for convenience, Railay for the cliffs, Krabi Town for a Thai town, Klong Muang for quiet: the base you pick decides how your days start.
Travel info · Krabi
The season and the sea decide more of a Krabi trip than anything else. When to come, which boats run, what the national parks close and charge, then the airport, the visa, money, health and the rules.
You can, but it is about three hours each way by road and car ferry, so most of the day goes on the journey. Lanta is better as a stay of a few nights.
Not from the mainland yet. A bridge has joined Lanta Noi and Lanta Yai since 2016; the one from the mainland to Lanta Noi was contracted in August 2026 and is expected to open around 2029. Until then, you cross by car ferry from Hua Hin pier.
Not from Klong Jilad pier near Krabi Town: those boats run from November to April only. The road and the car ferry work all year.
No. The pier for the Lanta ferry is on the Krabi mainland. The beach resort of Hua Hin is far to the north, in another province.
The national parks department's 2026 schedule closes Koh Rok from 1 June to 30 September. Trips run mostly from November to April or May, and the dates are set each year.
Thai press reported Koh Haa, Koh Ngai and Laem Tanod closed from 11 June 2026 because of Portuguese man o' war, with no reopening date announced. Ask the operator before you book.
Sources disagree, and we have not found an official figure for the fee actually charged. Whether it is in the price of a Koh Rok trip also varies: ask before you book, and carry cash.