Koh Larn sits forty minutes off Pattaya, and there are two ways to get there: ฿30 (≈ $0.8) on the ferry, or ฿1,200 (≈ $33) a head on a boat tour with lunch. The difference is not only money — it is what you get on the far shore. Below: how the crossing works, how the island's six beaches differ, and when each option is cheaper.
- Ferry and speedboat: fare, time and two different ports
- Six beaches and one short list of differences
- Tawaen, Samae and the rest, one by one
- What the island has besides sand
- Koh Larn by boat from Pattaya: three formats
- What a day costs for two
How do you get to Koh Larn?
The ferry leaves from Bali Hai pier at the southern end of Walking Street. The fare is ฿30 (≈ $0.8) each way per person, the crossing takes 35–45 minutes, and you pay as you board at the kiosk beside the boat — no booking needed.
There are two ports on the island, and that is the thing to sort out before boarding. One ferry runs to Na Ban village, which faces the mainland; the other to Tawaen Beach on the opposite side. At the end of Bali Hai pier the Tawaen boat is on the left and the Na Ban boat on the right. You can return to Pattaya from either port, whichever one you arrived at.
Faster is the speedboat: a seat costs ฿150–200 (≈ $4–6) per person, the ride takes 15–20 minutes, and the boats serve every beach rather than just the two ports. A group can hire a whole boat for ฿1,500 – ฿3,500 (≈ $42–97), with the size of the boat setting the price. The people behind kohlarn.com warn plainly that at speed the ride can be a rough one.
Tip
if you drive, parking by the pier is ฿250 (≈ $7) a day in the large automated garage and ฿200 (≈ $6) in the lots around it. At Wat Chaimongkron monastery it is ฿40 (≈ $1), the same as a motorbike space.
How many beaches does Koh Larn have, and how do they differ?
Six main ones, plus several smaller. All of them have toilets, showers and food; accommodation exists only at Samae and Tawaen. A beach chair is ฿50–100 (≈ $1–3), and since the chair is what you are paying for, nobody stops you bringing your own food and drink.
| Beach | Where | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Tawaen | East side, ferry port | The busiest, over 3,000 visitors a day, a 7-Eleven and a Cafe Amazon |
| Samae | West side | 537 metres of sand, a wind farm on the hill, sunsets |
| Tien | West side, south of Samae | The bluest water, no roads — a five-minute walk from the drop-off |
| Nual | Southern end | Monkeys on the hillside, no permanent buildings |
| Tonglang | Next to Tawaen | A 10–15 minute walk from the ferry, no road access |
| Ta Yai | Southern tip | Smallest of the main beaches, one restaurant |
Tawaen — where the ferry lands
The most developed and most visited beach on the island: by kohlarn.com's own estimate, over three thousand visitors on an ordinary day and roughly double that at weekends, when Bangkok comes down. There are more than twenty-five restaurants and around thirty souvenir shops along the walkway, plus a 7-Eleven and a Cafe Amazon.
For a family Tawaen has two practical advantages. The swimming areas are fenced off from boat traffic, and the slope into the water is gentle, so wading is easy for a child. Jet ski rental and the other beach activities run from here too, and about a hundred and fifty guest rooms sit back from the walkway if you decide to stay the night.
Samae — 537 metres and turbines overhead
Samae lies on the west side, runs 537 metres and takes between eight hundred and three thousand people a day in high season — which on a quiet day makes it noticeably roomier than Tawaen. The sand is a little grainier, but the breeze comes in off the sea all day. Transport from Na Ban pier to Samae is ฿50 (≈ $1).
A wind farm stands on the hill above the beach, with motorbike trails leading to the viewpoint. The site owner who describes those trails adds a warning of his own: they are narrow and steep, and riding two-up is a bad idea. Sunsets are watched from the northern end of the beach, where the sun drops straight into the sea.
Tien, Nual and the three small ones
Tien is a mid-sized beach with the bluest water on the island and restaurants a notch above its neighbours. No road reaches it: from the drop-off point it is about a five-minute walk along a raised walkway, and people arrive by speedboat, charter or local taxi. There is almost nowhere to sleep — five to ten rooms. A lounger here is ฿100 (≈ $3), and it is a proper deck lounger rather than a plastic chair.
Nual, at the southern end, gets by without permanent buildings: a large resort was planned and local protest stopped it, so everything here is portable — toilets, showers and beach kitchens. A troop of monkeys lives on the slope above, which is why Nual is sometimes called Monkey Beach. Important: people feed them by hand, but kohlarn.com records two recent bites — teasing them is a bad idea.
Tonglang is a small beach immediately past Tawaen: no road access, so you walk 10–15 minutes or take the footbridge from next door. Ta Yai on the southern tip is the smallest of the main beaches, with one restaurant and big rocks at either end of the bay. Sangwan, joined to Tawaen by a wooden walkway, is the smallest on the island.
What is there to do on Koh Larn besides the beach?
Go round the whole island: local taxi drivers run a circuit with a short stop at every beach for ฿400–800 (≈ $11–22), so you can pick your own. A motorbike for the day is ฿200–300 (≈ $6–8) — an option for anyone genuinely comfortable on one.
The second thing is to see the island from above. A tandem flight with Fly Koh Larn Sky Park starts on the ridge above Samae Beach: the pilot runs down the slope, you are clipped in front of him, and the wing rides the air the sea breeze pushes up the hill. Ten minutes cost ฿2,500 (≈ $69), or ฿3,000 (≈ $83) filmed; twenty minutes are ฿4,500 (≈ $125) and twenty-five are ฿6,000 (≈ $166).
Important
the crossing is not in the flight price — getting to Koh Larn is on you. The operator's booking form does offer a pick-up once you are on the island: from the Amazon café by Na Ban pier or the 7-Eleven at Tawaen. Sky Park is open daily 08:00–18:00, and flights are set by the wind rather than the clock: there is a live wind gauge on the operator's front page.
Koh Larn by boat from Pattaya: three formats
The Coral Island tour is the most direct: boarding at 08:30 at Manta Marina on Bali Hai pier, back to the same spot around 14:30, ฿1,200 (≈ $33) per person, up to twelve guests. Speedboat transfers, snorkel gear, a Thai lunch, life jackets and a guide are inside the rate; the national park fee and the island's own activities are paid separately.
The unhurried version of the same day is the 73-foot catamaran Serenity: 09:30 to 16:30 out of Ocean Marina, ฿2,700 (≈ $75) per person in low season and ฿3,250 (≈ $90) in high. Children aged 3–12 pay half and under-threes go free. Hotel transfer within Pattaya, the marina fee and island entry are inside the rate, as are the Thai buffet, a kayak, a paddleboard and the slide off the deck.
The third format is the whole boat. A yacht from Ocean Marina is ฿25,000 (≈ $692) for four hours and up to ten guests, heading for Koh Larn and Koh Sak; the 41-foot Sea Lord is ฿19,000 (≈ $526) for the morning four-hour block and twelve guests, over the same water plus Koh Rin and Koh Man Wichai.
What does a day on Koh Larn cost?
Count the day, not the ticket. For two by ferry that is ฿120 (≈ $3) of travel there and back, ฿100–200 (≈ $3–6) for two chairs, and lunch off a beach restaurant menu. The same day on a boat tour is ฿2,400 (≈ $66) for two, but that already includes lunch, masks and the crossings, and the timetable does not depend on the queue at the pier.
The rule is simple. If you are going to lie on the sand and are in no hurry, the ferry is cheaper several times over. If the day has to include snorkelling, lunch and a return at a set hour, the gap between ฿1,200 (≈ $33) and going alone is eaten up by gear hire and a meal.
