Destination · Andaman coast
Koh Lanta
- Getting there
- Krabi (KBV)2 hrs by road and ferry, or 2 hrs by boat from Krabi town
- Best months
- Nov–AprOutside that, much of the island shuts
- Temperature
- 25–33°CWarm all year
- Nights to allow
- 3 to 4It rewards staying still
- Money
- CashATMs exist but are thin on the ground south of Long Beach
A long, flat island with a string of west-facing beaches and very little interest in impressing anyone. People come to Lanta for a week and do almost nothing, which is precisely the appeal. Much of the island effectively closes in the monsoon.
Decide second
When to come, month by month.
Thailand does not have one season. Bar height is that month’s typical rainfall here, the symbol above it is the weather to expect, and the figures below it how busy it gets.
Pick a month to read it in full.
Peak season
January
The best of the year and priced accordingly. Dry, low humidity, and a sea flat enough that every island trip runs every day.
- Typical rain
- 25 mm
- Conditions
- Calm
- Crowds
- Busy
Peak season
February
January conditions without quite January prices, and the clearest light of the year for photographs.
- Typical rain
- 25 mm
- Conditions
- Calm
- Crowds
- Busy
Very good
March
Hot by the end of the month but still dry and still calm. Peak conditions with the crowd starting to thin.
- Typical rain
- 55 mm
- Conditions
- Calm
- Crowds
- Busy
Hot
April
The hottest month, with the first afternoon storms arriving late in it. Songkran falls mid-month: a national holiday, full hotels and a great deal of water.
- Typical rain
- 120 mm
- Conditions
- Mostly calm
- Crowds
- Moderate
Monsoon in
May
The south-west monsoon sets in and the Andaman changes character. Rain comes in heavy bursts rather than all day, but boat days start being cancelled.
- Typical rain
- 260 mm
- Conditions
- Turning
- Crowds
- Quiet
Green season
June
Cheapest rooms of the year and the landscape at its greenest. Mornings are often clear; plan inland and treat a boat day as a bonus.
- Typical rain
- 230 mm
- Conditions
- Rough at times
- Crowds
- Quiet
Green season
July
Much like June, and busier than the weather warrants because it is the European summer. Good value if you stay flexible.
- Typical rain
- 250 mm
- Conditions
- Rough at times
- Crowds
- Moderate
Green season
August
Wet, and the outer islands are at their least reliable. The cliffs and jungle look their best under moving cloud.
- Typical rain
- 270 mm
- Conditions
- Rough
- Crowds
- Moderate
Wettest
September
The wettest month of the year and the one we would talk you out of if the islands are why you are coming. Cancellations are common.
- Typical rain
- 360 mm
- Conditions
- Rough
- Crowds
- Quiet
Turning
October
Still wet, but the monsoon starts letting go towards the end and the islands reopen one by one. A gamble that sometimes pays very well.
- Typical rain
- 310 mm
- Conditions
- Settling
- Crowds
- Quiet
Season opens
November
The rain drops away, the sea settles, everything reopens, and the prices have not caught up yet. For value against conditions, the best month of the twelve.
- Typical rain
- 170 mm
- Conditions
- Calming
- Crowds
- Moderate
Peak season
December
Excellent weather, and the busiest fortnight of the year over Christmas and new year when rates roughly double. The first half of the month is the same weather without the surcharge.
- Typical rain
- 55 mm
- Conditions
- Calm
- Crowds
- Busy
Decide third
How long, and what shape.
Three shapes we actually sell. The nights are real and so is the pace — each one is a starting point we rebuild around who is travelling, not a fixed menu.
1 night · 2 days
Touch & Go
Lanta is two ferry crossings from the nearest airport. One night here spends most of itself moving, and we would rather you knew that first.
Day 1
In from Krabi
Minivan and two vehicle ferries, about two hours from KBV. Long Beach for the afternoon, and the sunset, which this coast gets in full.
Day 2
South, then out
The west coast by car as far as the national park lighthouse, lunch at Kantiang Bay, and back on the ferry for an evening flight out of Krabi.
If you only have one night in the province, spend it in Krabi and come to Lanta another time. We will say so rather than sell you the transfer twice.
2 nights · 3 days
Quick Getaways
Two nights is the shortest stay that leaves time for the boat trip people come here for, and still gets you down the west coast.
Day 1
In from Krabi
Arrive, and do nothing with the rest of the day. That is the correct use of a first afternoon on Lanta.
Day 2
Koh Rok
By speedboat: white sand, shallow reef and the clearest water in the southern Andaman. A full day and the reason to come.
Day 3
The west coast, then the ferry
Klong Nin for lunch, Kantiang Bay for the swim, the lighthouse for the view and the monkeys that come with it. Afternoon ferry.
Much of the island closes in the monsoon. From May to October many southern resorts and most of the boats simply stop, and we will not sell you a Lanta week in September.
4 nights · 5 days
Destination Deep Dive
Four nights on Lanta is not four days of activity. Two boat days, two empty ones, and that balance is the whole appeal.
Day 1
In from Krabi
Arrive and stop. The island rewards it.
Day 2
Koh Rok
The full day, on the sandbar between the two islands and in the water either side of it.
Day 3
Koh Haa
Five islands, a cathedral cave and the visibility that makes this one of the best dive sites in Thailand. Snorkellers get more out of it than they expect.
Day 4
The island, slowly
Down the west coast at your own pace, then across to Lanta Old Town on the east side — stilt houses over the water and dinner at the end of a pier.
Day 5
A last morning, then out
The beach until midday, the ferry after it, and an evening flight from Krabi.
There is no airport on Lanta and there is no nightlife to speak of. Both of those are features. If either sounds like a problem, Phuket is the right island instead.
What you came for
Three things worth the day.
Koh Rok and Koh Haa
The clearest water in the province, and the reason to take a boat day here rather than in Krabi. Both sit inside a national park that closes in the monsoon.
- Time
- Full day
- Season
- Mid-Oct to mid-May
- Park fee
- ฿400 / ฿200
The four southern beaches
Klong Khong, Klong Nin, Kantiang and Bakantiang get progressively quieter and prettier as you go south. Kantiang is the one people remember.
- Time
- A whole trip
- Getting around
- Scooter or taxi
- Cost
- Free
Mu Ko Lanta National Park
The southern tip, with a lighthouse, a short jungle trail and monitor lizards on the path. Worth an afternoon.
- Time
- Half day
- Getting there
- 40 min from Long Beach
- Fee
- ฿200 / ฿100
For Indians
Entry requirements
- Route
- Visa exemption
- Maximum stay
- 30 days
- Fee
- None
When this starts India was moved to this 30-day exemption by the Thai Cabinet on 16 July 2026. It commences 15 days after the Ministry of Interior announcements are published in Thailand’s Royal Gazette. We confirm in writing which rule applies to your travel dates before you fly, and we will not let you travel on the wrong one.
Every traveller must also file the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online within 72 hours of arrival. It is free, and airlines check it at the gate — without it you will not be allowed to board.
Applies to Indian passport holders. Last reviewed 12 August 2026. Entry rules change; we confirm the current position at the time of booking.
Packages through Koh Lanta
Nothing published through here yet, which usually means the trips we run to this part of Thailand are built to order. Tell us your dates and who is travelling, and we will price one.
Plan my ThailandWorth knowing
What we would tell you on the phone.
Check what is open
Many places on the southern beaches close entirely from May to October. Confirm your hotel is trading before you book flights.
The road south is rough
It improves every year but is still a slow, steep drive in places, and worse in the rain.
Two ferries, or a bridge
Getting here from Krabi crosses to Lanta Noi and then Lanta Yai. The first crossing is now a bridge; the second still runs on a car ferry at some hours.
Sandflies
More of a problem here than on the mainland, particularly at dusk on the quieter southern sand.
Pairs well with
Where most people go next.
Krabi
Two hours back to the mainland and a much wider choice of day trips.
Trang islands
South again, and quieter still.
Phuket
A long half-day, but a straightforward way to fly home.
Koh Lanta, built around you.
Tell us who is travelling and when. We will build the rest around the season.