Donsak to Koh Lanta

By joint bus and ferry service the journey from Donsak to Koh Lanta is scheduled to take from 5 to 8 hours depending upon which service you take.

Bus Times from Donsak to Koh Lanta

There are currently 4 services a day from Donsak to Koh Lanta available to book online.

Buy Tickets from Donsak to Koh Lanta

Use the Search Box below to buy your tickets from Donsak to Koh Lanta.

Donsak Raja Ferry Bus Stop

Raja Ferry bus services from Donsak to Koh Lanta depart from the bus station on the approach road to Donsak Raja Ferry Terminal.

Koh Lanta Bus Stop

Raja Ferry bus services from Donsak to Koh Lanta terminate at Saladan Pier.

About Travel to Koh Lanta

Travelling by bus direct from Donsak is the easiest way to reach Koh Lanta by public transport from Koh Samui or Koh Phangan.

Travel from Donsak

Donsak is where car ferry services from Koh Samui and Koh Phangan arrive in Surat Thani Province. Donsak is located 65 km by road from Surat Thani City.

There are several daily bus services to Koh Lanta departing from various locations in Surat Thani City. The only bus services from Donsak to Koh Lanta, however, depart from the small bus station close to the Raja Ferry Terminal. If you are unable to board the bus service from Donsak to Koh Lanta, the alternative is to take one of the more frequent bus services from Donsak to Krabi Town, and from there take a bus and ferry service to Koh Lanta:

• See bus times from Donsak to Krabi
• See bus and ferry times from Krabi to Koh Lanta

Arrival in Koh Lanta

Bus services from Donsak to Koh Lanta terminate at Saladan Pier, which is the main long distance ferry terminal located at the northern end of Koh Lanta Yai.

Passengers on bus services from Donsak to Koh Lanta complete the sea crossing to Koh Lanta on a car ferry service which docks into a port on the north coast of Koh Lanta Noi. From the car ferry port on Koh Lanta Noi, passengers continue their journey south to Koh Lanta Yai by road over the Siri Lanta Bridge to reach Saladan Pier.

Saladan Town

Saladan Pier is located in Saladan Town, which is the main town in Koh Lanta. The car park in front of Saladan Pier is one of the main pick up and drop off points for long distance bus services to and from Koh Lanta.

Saladan Town is fairly large, with a population of over 10,000 and plenty of tourist hotels, bars, restaurants, and the best selection of shops on the island. Some visitors to Koh Lanta like to stay in Saladan Town. There are several attractive guesthouses built on piers overlooking the mouth of an estuary where Saladan Pier is located which are particularly popular with independent solo travellers and couples.

Most visitors to Koh Lanta, however, choose to stay close to a swimming beach to the south of Saladan Town.

Beaches in Koh Lanta

Koh Lanta is generally described as having 9 beaches, all of which are located on a 30 km stretch of coastline on the western side of Koh Lanta Yai. There are no beaches on the east coast of Koh Lanta Yai, and none on the smaller island immediately to the north, Koh Lanta Noi.

The beaches in Koh Lanta Yai get quieter as you travel south from Saladan Town. The busiest beach is the 2 km long Klong Dao Beach, the northern part of which is within easy walking distance of Saladan Town. Klong Dao Beach has lots of inexpensive and mid range accommodation facing onto the beach and it’s very popular with European families.

By way of contrast, Bamboo Beach (24 km by road to the south of Saladan Town) is 800 metres long and has only two resorts. Even less developed than Bamboo Beach is Ao Nui Beach, located 21 km by road to the south of Saladan Town. Ao Nui Beach is only 260 metres long, and has no accommodation just a single beach bar built from drift wood.

Accommodation on Koh Lanta

Hotel booking websites list over 330 hotels, guesthouses, and rental properties on Koh Lanta. A notable feature of the accommodation on offer in Koh Lanta is the wide price range.

Koh Lanta is one of the few popular islands in Thailand where you can still find a wooden bungalow close to a beach for 500 THB or under a night. Green Chilli Bungalows and Check in Lanta, both near Klong Khong Beach, as well as Andaman Sunflower, near Long Beach, all offer fan bungalows for less than 500 THB a night outside of the December/January peak season period.

At the other end of the scale resorts such as Layana Resort & Spa (Long Beach), Lanta Palace Beach Resort & Spa (Klong Nin Beach), and Twin Lotus Resort and Spa (Klong Dao Beach), all charge over 10,000 THB and operate a no children policy through out the high season.