Bus times from Phang Nga to Koh Lanta

By joint bus and car ferry service the journey from Phang Nga to Koh Lanta is scheduled to take from 4 to 6 hours depending upon which service you take.

Bus Timetable from Phang Nga to Koh Lanta

Click on the Phang Nga – Koh Lanta link in the timetable below for more information and to buy tickets.

Phang Nga Bus Stop

Bus services from Phang Nga to Koh Lanta depart from Phang Nga Bus Station.

Koh Lanta Bus Stop

One of the stops for bus services from Phang Nga to Koh Lanta is the Good Luck Lanta Tour Office which is close to Saladan Pier.

About Travel to Koh Lanta

Koh Lanta is a moderately popular tourist destination which attracts far fewer visitors than other better known destinations in Krabi Province, such as Ao Nang or Koh Phi Phi. Koh Lanta isn’t as easy to get to as Ao Nang, or as spectacular as Koh Phi Phi, but it does have great beaches and overall is one of Thailand’s better value for money coastal holiday centres.

Travel Route from Phang Nga to Koh Lanta

By road and car ferry it’s a 159 km journey from Phang Nga to Koh Lanta with 4 stages:

• The first stage of the journey from Phang Nga to Koh Lanta is by road from Phang Nga to Krabi. The distance travelled is approximately 75 km and the journey time is around 1 hour 10 minutes.
• The second stage of the journey from Phang Nga to Koh Lanta is by road from Krabi to Hua Hin Pier, which is in the far south of Krabi Province. The distance travelled is approximately 72 km and the journey time is also around 1 hour 10 minutes.
• The third stage of the journey from Phang Nga to Koh Lanta is by car ferry from Hua Hin Pier to Khlong Mak Pier in Koh Lanta Noi. The sea crossing is approximately 1.8 km long and takes around 20 minutes.
• The fourth stage of the journey from Phang Nga to Koh Lanta is by road from Khlong Mak Pier to Baan Saladan, which is the main town on Koh Lanta Yai. The distance travelled is approximately 10 km and the journey time is around 10 minutes.

In theory the journey could be completed in under 3 hours, however, in practice it generally takes at least an hour longer than this. Bus and minivan services will stop during the journey to drop off and pick up customers, as well as for comfort breaks. There will also normally be some waiting time for the next ferry departure to Koh Lanta and then the time it takes to load and unload the car ferry.

Geography of Koh Lanta

Koh Lanta is a cluster of 52 islands. The vast majority of the tourist accommodation, as well as restaurants and bars, is located on the largest of the 52 islands, which is Koh Lanta Yai. There are some restaurants, and several points of interest on the island to the north (Koh Lanta Noi) where the car ferry arrive, but no tourist hotels or guesthouses.

Koh Lanta Yai is one of the larger islands in Thailand. It’s 30 km long and 4 km wide. At the very northern tip of Koh Lanta Yai is the district’s main town, Baan Saladan, which has around 10,000 permanent residents.

West Coast of Koh Lanta

The east and west coasts of Koh Lanta Yai are very different. Nearly all the beaches, and as a consequence nearly all the tourist accommodation, is located on the west coast. There are lots of beaches, large and small, all the way along the west coast of the island. The beaches tend to get less busy the further south you travel from Baan Saladan. Klong Dao Beach, which is the closest major beach to Baan Saladan, is far more developed than Bamboo Beach, which is 24 km by road to the south of Baan Saladan.

East Coast of Koh Lanta

In terms of tourism, the east coast of Koh Lanta is much less developed than the west coast. The only significant settlement on the east coast is Koh Lanta Old Town. Koh Lanta Old Town was the main town in the island before mass tourism started, and the cluster of wooden shop houses built by the town’s Thai-Chinese community is now one of the island’s major tourist attractions.

The coastal views on the east coast of Koh Lanta Yai are also notable. There are many small islands located off the east coast and you can also on a clear day see the coast of the Thai mainland. There are lots of restaurants located at viewpoints on the coastal road on the east coast, as well as several restaurants in Koh Lanta Old Town which offer stunning views.

Activities on Koh Lanta

Koh Lanta doesn’t have the same range of man made activities as you find in other tourist areas of Thailand. It doesn’t have a waterpark, or a cinema, or a go-karting track for example. Other than fitness activities such as Muay Thai and yoga, the main activities for visitors to Koh Lanta are enjoying the beach or exploring the island itself.

There is a well maintained ring road around most of Koh Lanta Yai, as well as fairly good roads around Koh Lanta Noi, and many leisure visitors choose to hire a vehicle to tour the island at some point during their stay on the island. There are many different beaches to visit, as well as some natural and cultural attractions, the best of which are:

• Ao Nui Beach
• Bamboo Beach
• Mu Ko Lanta National Park (beaches and walking trails)
• Koh Lanta Old Town
• Khlong Chak Waterfall
• Tham Khao Mai Khew (cave system)
• Tiger Cave
• Baan Tae-Leng (Old Chinese style house)