Mu Ko Lanta National Park

Mu Ko Lanta National Park is not one place but a scattered protected area: the southern headland of Koh Lanta Yai, the whole of Koh Lanta Noi, and a handful of outer islands reached only by boat. Entry costs 200 THB for foreign adults and 40 THB for Thai adults, paid at the park headquarters on the Lanta Yai headland — this is a paid national park, not a free attraction, whatever older listings may say.

The headquarters sits on Laem Tanot, the cape at Lanta Yai’s southernmost point, alongside a working lighthouse and a short nature trail through coastal forest — this stretch is covered in more depth on the Laem Tanot (Tanot Cape) page. From here the park’s jurisdiction spreads out to sea: Koh Rok Nai and Koh Rok Nok, twin limestone islands about 250 m apart with some of the clearest snorkeling water off Krabi; the Koh Ha group, known for the swim-through cavern at Koh Ha Yai; and Koh Talabeng, a limestone karst island with sea-level caves explored by kayak. Both Koh Rok and Koh Ha close to visitors from 16 May to 31 October each year — the same seasonal reef-recovery closure used at the Similan Islands — so a trip built around them only works in the November-April window.

Back on Lanta Yai, mangrove channels at Thung Yee Peng, just north of the headland, fall within the same protected area and are paddled by kayak rather than walked. Longtail and speedboat trips to the outer islands run from Lanta’s main piers and from Saladan; day tours typically bundle two or three of Koh Rok, Koh Ha, and Koh Talabeng together since they sit close to each other south of the main island.

Insider Tip: Book an outer-island trip for the first departure of the day if you can — afternoon boats often find the water at Koh Rok and Koh Ha already churned up by the morning’s snorkeling crowds.

Watch out: The headland’s lighthouse and trail are an easy half-day from town, but the outer islands need a full day and calm-water conditions — check the marine forecast before committing to a Koh Rok or Koh Ha trip outside the November-April dry season.