Ko Lanta (เกาะลันตา) is an island district off the west coast of Thailand. Like many other destinations in Krabi Province it is known for its diving and long white beaches.
Ko Lanta is in fact a district consisting of several islands. The two largest are Ko Lanta Noi and Ko Lanta Yai. Although Ko Lanta Noi is inhabited, Ko Lanta Yai is the primary tourist destination and this article discusses Ko Lanta Yai.
Ko Lanta is popular with tourists seeking a holiday away from the parties. It's popular with a significantly older crowd than nearby Ko Phi Phi: more walking on the beach and watching the sunset than drinking and dancing. However, there are plenty of bars and the longer term stayers are friendly and know how to party! It is also popular with families with young children, and of course, with divers. You could say that while Phi Phi is chicken barbecues and Mekong buckets, Lanta is chicken flesh and buckets and spades. But you'd be wrong. Ko Lanta can certainly provide a party if you know where to look.
Ko Lanta is a little less well-known than Ko Phi Phi, which has become more commercialised and corporate, but it is hardly undiscovered: the several beaches on the west coast of Ko Lanta Yai are each strung with a line of resorts and bungalows, although the farther down the island you venture, the less this is true. And even when the island is at it fullest, there will be a quiet place for you to relax - the beaches are never full. Ko Lanta is especially popular with Swedish tourists: although the "tourist language" is English as it is in most places in Thailand, and you will find menus and so on are translated into English, expect the poolside language to be Swedish much of the time. However, there are still many English and Irish bars and restaurants to visit.
Ko Lanta sustained limited tsunami damage in December 2004, but virtually all businesses are now operating normally again.
See
Ko Lanta Yai (เกาะลันตาใหญ่) Ko Lanta Yai’s topography is long and narrow. Sala Dan Pier is where tour operators, shops and banks are situated. Several beautiful beaches are in the west such as Hat Kho Kwang, Hat Lo Bara, Ao Phra Ae, Hat Khlong Khong, and Hat Khlong Nin. A paved road runs along the beaches all the way from the northern part of the island to the headquarters of the Mu Ko Lanta National Park in the south. The landscape is dominated by a series of mountains covered with virgin rainforest. To the east features an old community.
Ko Lanta Noi (เกาะลันตาน้อย) Ko Lanta Noi was the former settlement of the Ko Lanta community, where a district office, school, as well as, traditional lifestyle, and houses are still currently available.
Lanta Old Town is a small village on Ko Lanta's East side. It's one of the region's most culturally diverse with Chinese merchants, original Thai fishing families and an ancient Sea Gypsy community. Many years ago, Ko Lanta's Old Town acted as the port and commercial center for the island and provided a safe harbor for Arabic and Chinese trading vessels sailing between the larger ports of Phuket, Penang and Singapore. Today, Old Town is the district capital; it has a post office, police station, Buddhist temple, Chinese temple and the island's hospital as well as a long pier. It's a charming place to visit and boasts many good restaurants and interesting shopping like handmade Hammocks and an original Batik and Art Gallery. It's also a great jumping off point to other Islands like Ko Bubu and Ko Talenbeng.
Ban Saladan Ban Saladan, approximately 3 km from Klong Dao Beach, is the tourist center of Ko Lanta. Facilities include inexpensive and easy to find transport, diving trips, banking and shopping.
Khao Mai Kaew Caves Getting away from the beach for the day, tourists can visit the stunning Khao Mai Kaew Caves which are located in the centre of the island, offering a wonder of rocks and caverns and housing spectacular stalactites and stalagmites, some of the caves are just huge and one of them contains a pool. For getting around inside the caves you will need a guide, but one is cheap, around 50baht per person. The caves are located just off the lower of two cross-island roads, down a narrow 1.5 kilometer dirt path through the rubber plantations.
Sea-Gypsy Village Known to the Thais as Chao-Le, sea gypsies have occupied the area for hundreds of years settling along the coast in stilt-built houses erected between the water level of high and low tide. They are unique in that they mix very little with the general population, speak their language and have their very own supernatural and traditional beliefs and rituals. And example of the latter is the Loy Ruea (floating boat) ceremony where the village men build a symbolic boat and place wooden statues of themselves in it along with nail pairings, hair and popped rice. By performing this ritual, they ask for forgiveness from the sea gods and for any wrongs that may have done to the sea. It is believed that all evil is carried away in the symbolic boat.
Orchid nursery farm This farm is recommended to all those who like flowers. The Orchid Nursery Farm is located at Long Beach (Pra Ae beach) and the entry fee is 30 Baht per person. It’s easily accessible by bike or motorbike.
Beaches
Kor Kwang This beach, with its attractively curved shaped has lovely sand and clear aquamarine water.
Klong Dao Over the years, Klong Dao has developed into the most popular beach on the island with a spectacular 3km long beach of fine white sand and shallow clear water. Yet, because of its length, it is never really that busy. It is located just 2km from Saladan Pier. The beach has an abundance of accommodation ranging in cost from just a couple of hundred to a few thousand. It is more than ideal for those who like a quiet beach but prefer to have all the usual tourist mods and cons such as international food, music and bars etc.
Pra Ae (Long Beach) This beach, situated in the north of the island, is a stunning crescent of sand about 4km long. There is a lot of accommodation there but since it is spread out a lot, visitors get the feeling that place is peacefully quiet.
Klong Khong For most of the length of Klong Khong beach there is a klong (small river) running opposite the beach and an old coconut plantation. Towards the southern end is an area where the local fishermen tie up their boats to the shore. A rocky reef runs along the length of the shore making it difficult for swimming but great for admiring the sunset.
Klong Nin This beach is separated by a klong that runs down to the beach at the northern third of the beach dividing it in two. The beach is covered with coconut and pine trees and the back end is tropical rain forest. Like almost all beaches on Koh Lanta, Klong Nin offers a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere and its sand is white and fine. The northern stretch is the best for swimming as it has far fewer rocky paths than the southern part of the beach.
Kan Tiang This small beach is only one kilometer long, so giving visitors more of a feeling of privacy. There are excellent corals for snorkeling as well. Lying 18 kilometers south of Baan Saladan, Kan Tiang beach is one of the most beautiful beaches on the island.
Beaches Far South There are a few beaches in the south of Koh Lanta. All are the beaches are small, just a few hundred meters long. The beaches are very quiet with little in the way of accommodation - ideal for those who want to ‘get away from it all’. They are:
Ao Nui
Ao Mai Pai (Bamboo Bay)
Klong Jark
Ko Lanta National Park There are two beaches in the National Park, they are:
