Lanta 4 Islands + Emerald Cave Snorkeling Tour

Being able to say “snorkel. 30 minutes. There”(pointing), does not define someone as an English speaking guide. Due to the lack of an English speaking guide, we were given no information (other than the directions for each stop). Problems that occurred would likely have been avoided if we’d been properly informed of what to expect. On the boat, there was not enough covered seating for everyone, so some people had to sit in the sun. The “sunny” seats were more uncomfortable than the shaded ones. No one should be made to sit in the sun…it should be your choice. The snorkeling was mediocre. Sadly, plenty of dead coral with only a few colorful fish. Speaking of snorkeling…there was a basket with all the snorkels in it. There wasn’t a separate bin for used ones, so people returned them to the same basket as the clean ones. Later, with another snorkeling stop, people were taking those used snorkels to use again. There was no cleaner, wipes, disinfecting solution, nothing! 🤢. I have to wonder if they even get cleaned between trips. When we arrived at the cave, the guide pointed and said “go”. Swimming in the cave was awesome…until it wasn’t. There were a couple of guides with lights, but at times, I had minimal to no light and couldn’t see a thing. Some people were struggling to swim under the one opening, which, by the time they were returning, required an underwater swim to go back. While I waited for my turn to go, I asked a returning swimmer (who I thought was in our group) if the exit was that way. He said no, that you have to come back this way, so I decided I may as well just turn around and head back. If I’d known there was a beautiful lagoon on the other side, I would have done it, but again, a lack of English speaking direction and information caused me to miss a beautiful sight! There were also dangerous areas in the cave, especially when you had little to no lighting. One in our group had quite a goose egg on his forehead and another had a cut on his foot. Once back on the boat, the crew did tend to their injuries. There was also a problem with non swimmers having to take off their life jackets and swim underwater to get back. This created a delay of approx an hour for our boat. The lunch was surprisingly good! (I had doubts when I saw it being poured out of ziplock bags.) The ladder for getting in and out of the boat is rungs, not steps, and painful on the feet. I ended up wearing my sandals to make it easier. Overall, we found this tour disappointing, but as I said, the lack of an English speaking guide had quite a bearing on that.

Great experience. The crew were super friendly, caring and supportive. They have really taken a great care of us with a wonderful attitude.rain no rain, the trip was really nice.

The sea was WAY too choppy to be travelling out in. It was not safe, half of the people on the boat were throwing up from sea sickness and another person had a panic attack. They took us everywhere anyway. The sea at Emerald Cave did not look safe at all to swim in, even for a strong swimmer. The drivers spoke limited English so you didn't really know where you were going, how long you were there for, or any other safety instructions. There were not enough life jackets for everyone. On my life jacket, only one of the clips worked. Safety is not a priority and it's a death trap. Lots of waiting around at the start before you get on a boat (45 mins - 1 hr!)

Great guide ensuring no one was left behind. We even brought bake some people that were left behind from another company. Conditions got a bit rough at the end and there are alot of company's doing the same thing. But It is impressive on how everyone works together in tough conditions.

The four islands tour is very good. We recommend that you choose a tour with the Emerald Cave. It is stunning. Please note that you have to swim 100m through dark cave before reaching centre.

Excellent host & fantastic day. Only reason for 4/5 is the swim to the Emerald Cove. Guide dealing with a non swimmer and swam ahead with fins. It was pitch black without his torch and once he rounded a bend it was black and very difficult to avoid crashing into a wall - that was quite painful. Nice sized group of great individuals. Food lovely and guide was great

Great trip and very good value. Fish in the stops are beautiful even if the coral is pale, lunch was excellent and was great to Visit the other islands for future stay homework!

We had absolutely amazing snorkelling in two different locations, and saw a wonderful array of colourful fish and corals. But sadly a visit into the emerald cave was not possible due to the presence of small but stingy jellyfish, which can’t be helped. However we could maybe have been offered another snorkelling or swimming stop, but instead spent an extra long time on the island where we had lunch. However here the waters were very shallow and full of tourist boats, making an after lunch swim less than enjoyable. Also, whilst we certainly don’t expect a perfect grasp of the English language, I do think anyone working as a guide needs a good enough grasp to enable basic communication.

The only thing really worth seeing was the Emerald cave though there was quite insane traffic! Snorkelling was a weird experience: few small fishes, not the clearest water (as hundreds and hundreds of tourists visit it daily), no living corals (actually the first snorkeling was my own mistake as I didn’t ask the guide where exactly is the m2 with promoted corals - maybe they still are there somewhere…) and really strict time schedule, always hurry to somewhere else, it is important to jump into the water very quickly right after the boat has stopped and also to swim quickly. One thing that made me wonder: there is no toilet on longtail boats and trip lasts 5-6 hours - though organisers seem to believe that ocean handles everything, this insane amount of tourists may be too much… I can control myself but not sure in others, so just in case avoided swimming in the Emerald Cave laguna more than necessary. But the place itself and experience of going there are really unique and magical. Last stop was a paradise beach and they magically managed to offer us a very tasty warm Thai meal, suddenly there was also enough time for sunbathing and swimming. It is a beautiful place and heavily overcrowded just as all previous islands. Guides are really nice, helpful and friendly, be prepared that their English needs to be translated into English ;)

The transportation was on time. The service was hight guality. The staff was energetic and helpful. Lunch was good and there was enought food and drings. We are very satisfied and happy!

Super cool! took us to some really unique places and told us some history of each. had a very yummy lunch and snacks along the way!

Swimming through the cave, paddling in the dark, only to emerge onto a beautiful beach hidden in the middle of the island was the highlight of the excursion and perhaps the entire Thailand trip.

A wonderful day! The beach we visited was beautiful, the team were super nice and made sure everyone was safe in the water, and the lunch and drinks were plentiful. The team sailing the boat were the highlight for me, they were great guys! I only gave it a 4 because my day started a little rocky, I was late to be picked up by almost an hour - more communication would’ve been helpful. But the tour itself was really fun!

Very nice experience. We choose the longtail boat knowing it will travel longer and we did enjoy all our time on it. We head to the 1st island to snorkel 30min, we head to the 2nd island and snorkeled 30min, we head to the cave (it is on the 3rd island) and stayed there other 30min (I had my diving torch so could see way more than the other tourists) and as final stop, we head to the 4th island to have a delicious lunch and the longest break (=1h). I am glad we took our find because they didn't provide that, but they did give mask and snorkel. I can recommend this tour and I hope my review helps in understanding the 4 island set up :)

My first time snorkeling was amazing. A bit crowded tour but I was lucky to be on the last boat (of many) going out which meant we had some alone time on each spot. Lots of fish, not so much colorful reeves. Our guide Ya was great, he seems to love his job and was very excited to help and take photos of everyone. Swimming through the cave into the hidden lagoon is a spectacular experience. They could go out with more space in between the boats so every group would have a little less crowded experience, but maybe that's tricky to arrange with tide etc. Anyways it's a cool trip, recommended.

The sea was a bit choppy when we went out but it was good fun! The first island is about an hour away and the snorkelling is good. The reef isn’t the loveliest but there are fish galore there. Spotting a giant clam was the highlight for me. The next snorkelling site was 15 mins away and was just as good. We then went to another island for lunch, which was a delicious curry on a really beautiful beach. We then went to the emerald cave, which is a unique experience; an 80m swim through a twisting cave until we reached a small beach surrounded by 100ft cliffs. After that it’s a 1 1/2 hour trip back to Old Town. We really enjoyed it ; the views were amazing, the cave was worth it all by itself, the guide was lovely and lunch was great. Highly recommend!

Tour was really good. Islands were good spots and snorkeling was ok considering not so good visibility on the day. Unfortunately the cave was packed with people. If there was a limit, it would have been over. Would be interesting to do this tour again pn a week day. Guide said they close the national parks in May and reopen in October.

This is a great tour of beautiful islands. The snorkeling was really good and not rushed like some tours. The Emerald Cave is something you must experience while on Koh Lanta and definitely a highlight of the day. Our crew was friendly and accommodating. We recommend this tour.

We would have appreciated an overview of the day before setting sail as our captain spoke little English. The tour is a lot of time on the boats, with little time on the 4 islands. Not completely sure what they considered the 4th island, maybe one we cruised by. The boat ride is neat, but we hoped for more snorkeling and swimming and adventuring time.

First pick a speed boat tour, you waste a lot of time On The long tail boat The first two stops are very bad, the cave was nice The lunch is not good either Rok and Ha tour is much better

Very good pick Up service, you can count in it. We went with longboat it was good but slow. We spent more than half of the trip by traveling. 2 stops with snorcheling and one at cave (very good and higlight of the trip. Then good lunch eat on beach and boring one hour stay. I expected more but you do not ruin your days.

First, the driver forget to pick me up at my hotel, I waited 1 hour more for them to come, the car was crowded. Second, the boat was really crowded. Then, the snorkeling was nice and the Emerald Cave too. But there are so many people doing the same that there is no pleasure to do it anymore. The food was good and the crew was nice. It worth the price, but pretty sure there are better boat tour/trip. :)

One of the best trips we had in Thailand. It was very well organized. I was able to book the trip online instantly and was able to use my mobile ticket without any hassle of printing out tickets. We were picked up from our hotel on time, the trip was on an authentic long tail boat. Our guide is very helpful. He ensured I felt safe at times and even took me to the Emerald cave where you need to swim through a pitch dark cave to reach the Emerald pool. I am ever so thankful to guide for going the extra mile to ensure I experienced everything. Would recommend this tour to anyone in a heartbeat!

Great experience - snorkelling destinations were excellent and the staff were very nice. Lunch was also really good.

The islands were absolutely beautiful but there were way too many people, so they weren't the best snorkelling sites. You only snorkel at the first two islands, then go to the emerald cave (which is the highlight of the tour). The last island is just to have lunch, no snorkelling. But overall, the tour was good. I would recommend it for anyone staying in koh lanta.

The guide was really helpful, the cave is amazing and the snorkelling was good. Lunch was really good.

Had a great tour of the islands in a small group! The guide and boat driver were excellent. The lunch was delicious and snorkeling equipment brand new. The boat was in good condition and the trip states insurance is in place. Great value - includes lunch, fruit and water/beverages.

Beautiful trip, where especially the visit to the Emerald Cave was a highlight. Beach at Koh Ngai was disappointing, was very narrow due to high tide. Many different fish when snorkeling. Unfortunately, the coral is dying due to climate change.

Excursion et guide très sympa on a passé une bonne journée. Trop de méduses dans la première plongée on est vite remonté lol. Repas très bon .

A lot of time spent on a boat or in a car. Hence 3 stars. But once we stopped and did things it was very nice!

En fin tur, men med altfor mye sjø og bølger!! Vi ble gjennomvåte da bølgene slo over oss. Dette er ingen tur for folk som blir lett sjøsyk! Men vi to som par hadde en fin tur med fine opplevelser!

A nice excursion with the group tin adventure beautiful professional team they take care of you Beautiful place to see and for the emerald cellar for those who are a little or a lot claustrophobic to abstain because you swim in a tunnel with only light from the front guide for 20 meters. But I liked it. The buffet that served us very good and the island very nice swimming. But those who really want to go diving take the 2 island package and it’s just for beautiful diving

The “snorkeling spots” are absolutely none (deep water, no visibility, no rocks/corals/anemones so necessarily no underwater life). The material provided is correct. Emerald cave is amazing but spoiled by the crowds and lack of organization of the team. Equipped with lifejackets we have to swim along a rocky tunnel and if, like us, your guides do not advance at your own pace, you find yourself plunged into complete darkness, with nothing to locate you (Thanks to the guides of the other many groups present who could help us to get out). Claustrophobic abstain. The staff is lovely, speak some English. Apart from the name of the islands you have no information on what you see. Stop on an island for lunch: The meal is good but you have 1 hour top stop to eat and enjoy the beach before being taken back to Koh Lanta, so no time to go around the island. The only interest of the excursion: see the islands from the sea.

Der Ausflug hat uns persönlich nicht so gut gefallen! 30 Minuten Verspätung bei Abholung. Keine Infos am Anfang, zwischendurch und am Ende, Boot viel zu überfüllt, leider enttäuscht!

Ich muss sagen, dass wir uns am Anfang von diesen Bewertungen hier leicht abschrecken ließen und wir sind so froh, dieses Erlebnis trotzdem gebucht zu haben! Es war einfach ein toller Ausflug. Wir sind erst an Riffe gefahren und waren erst 1 Stunde und dann nochmal ca. 30-40 Minuten schnorcheln. Danach sind wir auf eine wunderschöne Insel wo wir Mittag gegessen haben und noch Schnorcheln, Sonnen und einfach die Umgebung genießen konnten. Danach kam das Highlight! Wir fuhren zum Emerald Cave… 80m durch einen Tunnel und danach kommt eine traumhafte kleine Lagune! Das muss man selbst sehen. Die Guides waren immer top freundlich, hilfsbereit und haben alles super erklärt. Ich kann es nur jedem empfehlen.

Disappointed, We were crammed all day in a boat that was uncomfortable and I found the day long... the only thing I liked was the caves

Of course Emerald Cave, magic. Perfect organization, friendly attendants, good equipment on board We made this tour in 20018 through Lanta Business Travel & Tour. Perfect. Since we entrust him with all our boat and land outings from koh Lants Ps the TripAdvisor date selection being restricted, (we did it in March 2018) I validated March 2022, because again in Lanta and made the Phi Phi excursion still with Lanta Business Travel & Tour

The two snorkeling spots are superb as well as the cellar. The beach for dining is heavenly and the food served very good!

Excursion très bien organisée avec guide sympathique. Paysages magnifiques et repas sur le bateau excellent!

Les plongées n offrent pas de grand intérêt ... par contre le pic nique est bon !! La sortie dans la grotte est sympa ... à faire

Génial, super organisation, pique-nique sur la plage,Plages paradisiaques. En bouquet final emerald cave, c'est merveilleux👍👍

G adoré la grotte émeraude .repas très bon .staff super manque que les poissons et un beau corail. A faire quand même.