There are usually three steps involved in a journey to Koh Lanta Yai. The first step is to get to Thailand or neighbouring Malaysia, then travel to one of Koh Lanta's three nearest cities or large towns of Krabi, Trang and Phuket, and from there arrange transportation to the island itself. For more information on how to complete these steps please read the sections below.
STEP 1: Entry into Thailand or Malaysia
STEP 2: Getting to Krabi or Trang from Bangkok
Getting to Krabi or Trang from Kuala Lumpur
STEP 3: Getting to Koh Lanta from Krabi
Getting to Koh Lanta from Trang
Getting to Koh Lanta from Phuket
Most students fly to Bangkok, and then find their way to Trang or Krabi via plane, train or bus, but it is also worth checking out international flight offers to Phuket. As Phuket is much closer to Koh Lanta than Bangkok, flying to Phuket is the most direct route to Koh Lanta Yai and will eliminate one "leg" of your journey. In addition, you can often find package offers making the airfare more comparable and in some cases cheaper.
Tiger Airways run flights from Australia-Singapore-Phuket: www.tigerairways.com
Air Asia has started running international budget flights. They operate cheap flights from the UK and Australia, and connecting flights from Kuala Lumpur to Krabi for approximately 4,000 baht. For students coming from Europe or Australia - this could be the cheapest option. Visit their website: www.airasia.com
As part of a wider government initiative to encourage tourists to come to Thailand, Thai Airways are currently offering a whole range of special offers and cheap flights. Check out their website: www.thaiairways.com
Flying: By far the easiest and most direct route to Koh Lanta Yai from Bangkok, is to fly to Krabi or Trang airports and arrange a transfer to the island from there. Both Thai Airways and Air Asia offer regular daily flights from Bangkok. Costs vary from around 4-6,000 baht for a round trip.
Train: Krabi doesn't have a train station, but students travelling to Koh Lanta can take a train from Bangkok to Trang. There are two trains per day and both travel overnight, taking approximately 15 hours to complete the journey.
The trains are clean, and offer 1st, 2nd and 3rd class travel options, with sleeping facilities, food, and drink available too. The trains tend to fill up quickly - so it is essential to book your ticket in advance. Prices range from 400 baht to 1400 baht for a one-way trip.
Bus: Travelling by bus from Bangkok to Krabi takes about 10-13 hours and costs between 250 and 1000 baht. The public bus service is the most reliable and safest, with buses to Krabi running daily from The Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok.
Usually there is no need to book seats in advance, though you may want to book the day before when travelling in peak season. The bus service offers a range of different classes, which vary considerably. The 24 seat VIP bus is the most comfortable and popular option.
Beware: There are a number of private tourist buses operating from Bangkok to Krabi - and they offer cheaper prices than the public bus service. However, there have been many reports of theft on these services.
By Air: Air Asia operates cheap flights from Kuala Lumpur to Krabi International Airport. Flights cost around 4,000 baht, and take a couple of hours.
By public bus: Catch a bus at Kuala Lumpur to take you over the border to Hat Yai, and from there take another bus to Krabi. From Kuala Lumpur, you can book a seat on a 24-seat VIP minivan, which takes you overnight to Hat Yai. Journey time is approximately 10 hours. The journey from Hat Yai to Krabi takes about 5 hours. Public buses leave from the bus station daily, and most travel agents operate tourist minivans.
By Train: Trains run from KL to Hat Yai daily. The journey takes around 14 hours, and the train arrives in Hat Yai the following day. 1st class options will provide you with a sleeper cabin for two people, and room service available for food and beverages.
From Hat Yai you can catch a train to Trang, but you will need to go out of your way to the Surat Thani on the east coast, and catch a connecting train to Trang from there. The best and most common option is to hop on a bus from Hat Yai to Krabi.
More information about train travel in Thailand from The Man in Seat Sixty-One.
Thai Railways.com
Online ticket booking website
You can travel to Koh Lanta Yai from Krabi by minivan, taxi or boat. A car ferry operates approximately one-hour's drive from the airport, or a passenger ferry operates from Krabi town.
Taxi: The most direct and comfortable option is to book a taxi from the airport all the way to your accommodation on Koh Lanta. The taxi will take you across the car ferry to another island (Koh Lanta Noi), and then drive you across that island to another car ferry that takes you to Koh Lanta Yai.
To hire a private taxi costs approximately 2,500 baht per car, and depending upon the queues at the car ferries it can take between 2 and 4 hours to reach your final destination on Koh Lanta.
To make this transfer cheaper it's worth trying to find other people at the airport who are also going to Koh Lanta. You can share the cost of the taxi between you, and if there are a few of you, you can get a private minivan for the same price as a taxi car.
IMPORTANT: The car ferries open at about 7am and close at 10pm. They only hold about 20 cars at a time, and sometimes there can be long queues. If you arrive in Krabi airport after 8pm or leave Krabi airport before 12 mid day, you may not be able to catch the car ferry. You will need to either book a speedboat transfer (see below), or spend a night in Krabi.
Bus & Minivan: The cheapest option is to catch the public bus from the airport to Krabi town, and then catch a mini bus from Krabi to Koh Lanta. This costs approximately 300 baht, will involve a little more waiting around, and some of the public minivans can be cramped.
Mini buses from Trang and Krabi waiting for the car ferries.
Speedboat transfer: This is a relatively new service on the island, which offers visitors a more unique and luxurious transfer experience, and surprisingly it's also great value.
For approximately 1,800 baht per person you can arrange for someone to meet you at the airport, take you by taxi to a point near the car ferries, transfer you onto a speedboat, which will take you all the way around Koh Lanta Noi and drop you on Koh Lanta Yai.
From there you will be taken by taxi to your accommodation. This transfer bypasses any potential queues at the car ferry and takes approximately 1.5 hours - guaranteed!
Important: Speedboat transfers need to be booked in advance and requires a minimum of two people. If you are travelling alone you will need to pay the price for two.
Passenger Ferry: If you arrive in Krabi in the morning you may want to take a bus or taxi to Krabi town and get the passenger ferry to Koh Lanta Yai. The passenger ferries leave Krabi town daily, around midday to early afternoon. They provide a more scenic transfer, which is the second cheapest option, however there is far more waiting around involved, and you will need to arrange transport from the ferry port on Koh Lanta to your accommodation.
IMPORTANT: Passengers ferries don't operate during low season May - October.
Private minivan/taxi: The most direct and comfortable route to travel from Trang airport to Koh Lanta Yai, is to hire a private taxi or minivan to take you straight to your final destination. This costs around 3,000 baht and can take 2-3 hours. Again the time this transfer takes depends upon the queues at the car ferries (see above).
Public Minivan: Most tour operators in Trang town provide minibus transfers to Koh Lanta. The most popular tour agent is KK travel, which is located opposite the train station. From there you can get a minivan to take you over the car ferries to Koh Lanta Yai for approximately 300 baht.
Private minivan/taxi: From Phuket airport a private minivan or taxi can be arranged for approximately 3,000 baht, and the journey time will be approximately 4 hours. The driver will take you across the two car ferries to your final destination on Koh Lanta. Journey time is dependent on car ferry queues.
Public Minivan: For a few hundred baht you can get a public bus to Krabi, where you can then either get another bus, or take the passenger ferry to Koh Lanta. There are also public minivans running direct from Phuket to Koh Lanta with a journey time of around 4 hours.
Passenger Ferry: During high season, Nov-May, passenger ferries operate to Koh Lanta via Koh Phi Phi. The journey takes approximately 4 hours and costs 700 baht per person.
One of the ferries between Koh Lanta and Phuket.
http://www.yourkrabi.com/getting-to-krabi.php
http://www.kolanta.net/getting-here.html
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