Islands near Pattaya - Koh Larn

Pattaya is situated in the Gulf of Siam coast line where there are a lot of beautiful islands. Their wonderful nature, clean beaches and magnificent sea attract not only Pattaya tourists, but also local Bangkok citizens.

Koh Larn, which is also called Coral island, is one of the nearest to Pattaya (9 km from the mainland).

Travelling time to the island depends on the type of water transport - the trip can take from 15 minutes to 1 hour.

How to get to Koh Larn:

All water transport leaves from Bali Hai Pier which is situated in the centre of Pattaya, at the beginning of Walking Street. You can get there by taxi, tuk tuk, motorbike or on foot.

It is also possible to book a sea tour to Koh Larn. You will be picked up from your hotel and taken back. You will be accompanied by an English-speaking guide. In addition to the boat trip and lunch the price of the tour can also include different water entertainments - scooters, kayaking, paragliding, water tubing, banana riding, etc.

Despite its small size (4 km in length), Koh Larn is an island with well-developed infrastructure. There are cafes, restaurants, a 7/11 shop, Kasikorn bank ATM and more than 10 hotels. It is comfortable to stay at the island for several days.

Beaches of Koh Larn

There are 5 official beaches on the island. The price for a sun chair is about 100 THB per a day. The beaches have toilets and showers and tourists can use them for an extra fee.

Besides official beaches in Koh Larn there are many wild nooks. To some of them it is only possible to get to from the water as their coast line is surrounded with jungles and rocks.

Because of narrow paths, serpentine and steep roads and hilly relief, it is difficult to walk in every part of the island, even though it is not big in size.

The most convenient transport to use in Koh Larn is a motorbike. You can get one at the price of 200 THB at Na Ban Pier. This way you will have an opportunity to visit all the beaches in one day and choose one to your liking.

Main beaches of Koh Larn

Ta Waen is the most crowded beach, probably because ferries from Pattaya arrive right there.

Samae Beach is situated in the western part of the island. It is also quite crowded. A cruise boat lands at this beach.

Tien Beach is 500 m long, situated in the north-east of the island. It is a quiter place in comparison to other beaches. This beach is suitable for snorkeling because there are beautiful rocks, stones, coral reefs and sea flora and fauna which inhabits them.

Nual Beach is situated in the south of the island. There are fewer people, but it is not quite comfortable to walk into the water because of the rocks and corals on the sea bottom. Here monkeys live, so this beach is sometimes called “Monkey Beach”. You can meet wild monkeys on the beach and feed them. However, we recommend to be very careful with these animals - they can bite you or steel your belongings.

Ta Yai Beach is a calm and peaceful beach with emerald water and white sand surrounded with green bushes. Here there are many sea-urchins, so you also need to be very careful when walking into the water. Remember that sea-urchins’ needles can be dangerous and it is difficult to pull a needle out of the foot.

Anyway, we absolutely recommend to visit Koh Larn. You will love the clean sea and white soft sand. Here on the island you can take beautiful photos which will look like touristic advertisments of Thailand trips. Koh Larn is a favourite place of professional photographers. Wonderful landscapes and sea views are a perfect background for any kind of photo session - let it be individual, family or wedding photo shooting.