Koh Larn is a small island in Thailand forgotten by the millions of backpackers that visit the country. The reason why? Because Thailand has many more islands that beat the beauty of Koh Larn and Koh Larn is near one of the tourist hotspots in Thailand that backpackers usually skip: Pattaya.
I have been to many islands in Thailand, but Koh Larn still is a beautiful island and I decided to visit it as it is actually not that far from Bangkok. I was on a short trip to Thailand so I figured I would go somewhere near Bangkok.
Bangkok to Pattaya
Koh Larn was an option and I didn’t regret it! To reach Koh Larn from Bangkok, first I went to Pattaya. Pattaya is a very known destination in Thailand for sex tourism, just like Phuket. But if I gave Phuket a chance I could give Pattaya one too. Pattaya is easily accessible from Bangkok. I went directly to Bangkok bus station that is near Ekkamai BTS station, called Bangkok bus terminal (Eastern). From here I simply waited for the next minivan departing to Pattaya and it didn’t take long until we departed. There are minivans departing hourly.
The journey took a bit more than 2 hours because the traffic was pretty bad when reaching Pattaya. The trip is easily done.
Pattaya to Koh Larn
Even though my destination was Koh Larn, I slept in Pattaya anyway because the island is about 40 min away by ferry, and the ticket costs 30 bh (less than 1€). In fact, I ended up going there two days in a row haha I thought the boat trip was worth doing another day so I could enjoy the beautiful sea.
On both days I went in the morning and came back on one of the last ferries to depart back to Pattaya. The last one was at 6 pm. You don’t have to buy tickets in advance. Just head to Bali Hai Pier and buy the ticket directly at the counter.
I explored the island very calmly and all by foot. The ferry docked at Na Baan Pier and from there I walked to the beaches.
Tawaen Beach viewpoint
On my first day, I walked to Tawaen Beach viewpoint. It is not that far from the pier and it is actually a nice walk… steep, tiring but worth it. It took more than 40 minutes to walk to the highest viewpoint. This viewpoint offers gorgeous views of Tawaen Beach, a very beautiful beach seen from above, with stunning shades of blue. Loved it!! So beautiful. From this viewpoint, there is this Giant Buddha statue but it is possible to keep going until a smaller temple all the way uphill that offers even wider views of Tawaen Beach and even a sneak peek into Tien Beach. So beautiful! Very worth a visit. As a slow traveler, I spent a lot of time going all the way up and down and admiring the beauty in front of my eyes. I spent a couple of hours walking to this place and visiting it. From this viewpoint, it is clear that Tawaen Beach is busy. I see lots of people walking on the sand, jet skis, and boats, seems like a lot is going on down there. But, the beach was wide and there was a place for everybody.
Tawaen Beach
So, after the Tawaen Beach viewpoint, I headed to Tawaen Beach itself. There is a small path through the jungle for pedestrians to reach the beach. This path is marked on “Maps.me” app and it is a very handy shortcut to get to Tawaen Beach even if you walk from the pier.
There are many restaurants, beach umbrellas, and beach chairs for rent at the beach. I stopped for lunch and then proceeded on my walk to Tong Lang Beach.
Tong Lang beach
The proper street ended up at Tong Lang Beach and there was nowhere else to go further. This beach was also beautiful and not as crowded as Tawaen Beach just 5 min away. I decided to call it a day here and enjoyed the rest of my day with gorgeous blues to admire. I was so tired of all the walking I had done that day that this was all I did in one day. I still had more than 30-minute walks to do until I reached the pier, so it seemed fair. I saw no one else walking. It felt like people chose other ways to move around the island. There are motorbikes to rent at the pier, or guides that will take you on a day trip by motorbike, and there is also a Songthaew service that I didn’t use that day, but was handy the following one.
Walking to Tien Beach
On my second day on Koh Larn, I decided I would walk to other beaches within a reasonable walking distance from the pier. Maybe what is reasonable for me under Thai hot weather isn’t the same for you, but a one-hour walk seemed OK to me. That’s what I did. I went all the way from the pier to Tien Beach on foot, and I totally recommend it!!! I went to Tien Beach through the street that connects the pier to Tawaen Beach, yes same as the day before, and ended up finding another view of Tawaen Beach, which was nice, but after that, there was no more view. I’m glad I used this street, even though it was farther, because my walk was absolut piece. After Tawaen beach the street narrows and there is almost no one using it. Some occasional motorbike riders obviously stopped to ask where am I going, because no one walks there haha. I gently refused some help offers as I was enjoying this walk too much.
It is through the jungle and filled with trees that provide shade at all times, so very easy to walk even when it is sunny. The lack of traffic made it a very tranquil walk surrounded by the sounds of a million cicadas. So pleasant and not that hard to do. There is a proper street, this is not a trail, but only motorbikes fit, I would say.
Samae Beach
My first beach of the day was Samae Beach. A very wide beach, quieter than Tawaen Beach. It has some nice blue shades to offer, but not as nice as Tawaen. From here I followed the path along the coastline that offers a nice view from above to Samae Beach and then I proceeded all the way to Tien Beach where I decided to stay the rest of the day just chilling and resting from my very long walk.
Tien Beach
Tien Beach is very beautiful. Lots of people but not too many. I was able to find a bit of shade under a small tree and stayed there the rest of the day enjoying the water and finding seashells. Luckily, from Tien Beach, there is a Songthaew that goes to the pier. Uff, cause I wouldn’t handle all that major walk haha. Well, I would handle it, but I felt like enjoying my time relaxing instead. The last Songthaew departs at 5, or 5.30 pm I’m not quite sure and it was cheap, 30bh as far as I remember.
While on the beach I met a Thai woman who started a conversation and ended up asking if I wanted to sleep there on the beach haha. Well, I had my dorm waiting for me, so I said no to this very unique opportunity. Wasn’t really feeling like it anyway. I ended up leaving the beach back to the pier with her and made a friend ☺
And those were 2 days spent in Koh Larn. I have been to the most beautiful and popular beaches and it was definitely worth the trip. I liked it. Nature is always beautiful in its creations.
The beautiful scenery of Pattaya makes me linger. I plan to customize the characteristic buildings and beautiful scenery of this place into Custom Pins, which can be worn on travel bags as decorations.
Of course, during the trip, if you want to concentrate on taking pictures with your camera or looking at the scenery, you might as well hang your mobile phone or other items around your neck with Lanyards, which can not only free your hands but also prevent the loss of items.
