Ko Lanta

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 beach

Understand

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. Around 20 people perished.

Get in

By air

• Destination Air Shuttle - direct seaplane transfers from/to Phuket International Airport and other popular Andaman coast destinations

The nearest airports are Krabi, Trang and Phuket. Krabi and Trang have direct road and boat connections to Ko Lanta, and are the best options if you're only visiting Ko Lanta. Flying into Phuket is a better option if you're intending to spend time in Phuket and nearby islands, or, since Phuket has many more international flights, if you don't want to have to organize a domestic flight to Krabi or Trang from Bangkok. As an alternative to Bangkok, there are daily flights to Krabi directly to and from Singapore.

By car

Ko Lanta does not have roads connecting it directly to the mainland, but is served by car ferries. Take road 4206 off highway 4 about 20km south-east of Krabi airport. Drive to the end of the road, where there is a car ferry from Baan Hua Hin to Ko Lanta Noi. From the pier here, turn right and follow the "ferry" signs to the second car ferry to Ko Lanta Yai. Ferries operate 07:00-22:00.

There are plenty of car taxi and minivan taxi services from Krabi and the nearby airport. A seat in a ten person minivan from the airport to Ko Lanta costs about 250 baht. These minivans usually don't have much room for luggage (although they can usually find room for one or two large suitcases together with backpacks for the rest of the passengers) so if you're not traveling light you might need to get a private taxi.

This is what the divemasters do. A private minivan taxi will usually be quoted as 2500 baht. It's possible to bargain a few hundred baht off this price but not much more or the tolls will consume too much of the price. Car taxis cost about the same.

When travelling to/from Ko Lanta in the afternoon by road, allow 2–3 hours for the journey as the queues for the vehicle ferries can be lengthy. The passenger ferry which leaves Ko Lanta pier (high season) at 08:00 and arrives at Krabi pier at 10:00 is quicker.

By boat

Ferry arrival at Ban Saladan pier

Ferry services run from Krabi, Ao Nang and from Phuket via Ko Phi Phi to Ko Lanta Yai's Saladan pier. Ferry services are subject to weather and to demand: many will not run at all during the monsoon season and at a reduced frequency during the low season. Many ferries have limited room for luggage. Often the ferries dock alongside each other, meaning that to get on and off passengers must clamber onto and across other boats with their luggage.

Services from Krabi are run by P.P. Family Co (+66 75 630 165) and depart Krabi pier at 10:30 and 13:30, taking 2 hours to reach Ko Lanta (200 baht including free pickup from Krabi hotels). There's a transit bus from Krabi town center for 10 baht.

Services from Ao Nang are run by Ao Nang Travel and Tour (+66 75 637 730) and depart at 10:30 (280 baht).

Ferries depart from Ko Phi-Phi at 11:30 and 14:00, and take 1 hour. If travelling from Phuket in a single day, you will need to leave Phuket on the 08:00 ferry to transfer to the 11:30 ferry. Tickets to Ko Lanta are 200 baht from Ko Phi-Phi and 450 baht from Phuket.

Get around

The main road which loops around the island is recently paved with cement. Some roads are still unpaved dirt. It's worth knowing the names of the resorts near yours: both the pickup trucks and motorcycle taxis will often want to pick you up or drop you at a nearby resort with a better road.

Resorts and some of the major tourist services (like the dive shops) own large pickup trucks and transport tourists around in the tray. Very occasionally, they own minibuses instead. If you come in by ferry your resort will almost certainly meet you at pier with their truck; if you're travelling with very small children who you don't want to cling to while you bump along sitting on the side of the truck you might want to warn them in advance that you'll want to ride in the cab: it's generally assumed to be the private domain of the driver.

You will find the locals almost exclusively ride motorcycles; you can hire these in several places for a few hundred baht a day. You can also hire motorcycle taxis with sidecars. These will happily take you on the unpaved roads but the ride can be as slow as walking. A typical fare for a ride from Saladan to Klong Dao Beach is 40 baht.

Jeeps can be hired for 1200 baht per day. Be sure to check insurance, contract terms and the condition of the vehicle. The "roads" of Ko Lanta combined with the driver operation characteristics of some renters are a serious challenge for any car. The frequently available Suzuki Sporty seems primitive and therefore sturdy, and a replacement should cost around 150000 baht.

See

• 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.

Do

Longtail boating

Long tail boat

• Lanta Longtail , 9/1 Moo 1, Lanta Old Town, Ko Lanta Yai +66 8916619 - private charters, island tours, beach camping and fishing trips.

Learn Thai cooking

• Time for Lime, 72/2 Moo 3 Klong Dao Beach +66 75 684590 offers day and evening professional Thai cooking classes right on the beach, plus workshop series. Daytime courses (teaching 4 dishes) 1800 baht, evening classes (teaching 3 dishes) 1400 baht.

Sea kayaking

• Rapu Sea Kayaking, 10/5 Moo 2, Ko Lanta Yai +66 92 871 749 (contact Chutima Junsirikamon) - guided sea kayak tours of the mangrove areas.

Diving

There are no scuba divind sites on the island itself, all require a boat trip. However Lanta is the closest island to the famous Hin Daeng and Hin Muang sites, so it is very popular with divers. Other sites visited by dive shops include Ko Haa, Hin Bida, Ko Rok, Ko Waen and the Kingcruiser wreck. There are many dive centers on Lanta offering everything from beginner training on; if you want training, many shops can start any course on demand, particularly Open Water and Advanced Open Water. Courses are offered in English, Swedish, German and Thai at most shops and other languages will be available at some.

There are essentially two choices when travelling to dive sites: a larger, slower boat out of Ban Saladan (1.5 hours to Ko Haa, 3 or 4 to Hin Daeng and Hin Muang) or a speedboat departing from various beaches on the island (as little as 1 hour to Hin Daeng and Hin Muang). The slower boats are recommended for comfort reasons, but you will lose the entire day to the trip. Almost all shops offer free pickup from at least resorts towards the northern end of the island.

Almost all day trips are for two dives. Prices are in the range of 2500–3000 baht for a day's boat diving on the closer sites, 3000–4000 baht for Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. Gear hire will be about 500 baht per trip. Certification is all PADI: about 13000 baht for a four day Open Water course, and 10000 baht for a two day Advanced Open Water course (five dives). The speedboats tend to cost extra.

Some dive centers ask for Advanced Open Water or equivalent certifications, or 20 or more dives experience, if you are diving Hin Daeng/Hin Muang.

• Go Dive, 6 Moo 1, Saladan +66 75 684 320 - PADI courses in several languages, pickup from any Ko Lanta hotel/resort. Dive sites: Hin Daeng and Hin Muang; Ko Haa; Ko Phi Phi; Ko Bida; Hin Bida; Shark Point; Anemone Reef and King Cruiser Wreck.

• Ko Lanta Diving Center, 1/3 Moo 1, Saladan +66 75 684 065, - PADI courses. The first dive shop on Ko Lanta, founded in 1992; dive sites: Ko Haa; Ko Bida and Hin Bida; Ko Phi Phi; Shark Point, Anemone Reef and King Cruiser wreck; Hin Daeng and Hin Muang; also 2-day trips to Ko Ngai and Hin Daeng.

• Laguna Fun Divers, 147 Moo 1, Saladan +66 75 684 528 - PADI courses. Speedboat trips: Hin Daeng; Ko Rok; Ko Haa; Ko Ma; Hin Bida and Ko Bida; Ko Phi Phi.

• Lanta Discovery Diver +66 75 684 035. - offers speedboat trips to various locations, with boat pickup from all the beaches.

• Lanta Diver, 197/3 Moo 1, Saladan +66 75 684 208 (fax +66 75 684 057 ) - PADI courses. Founded by a Swedish couple and staffed mainly, but not exclusively, by Scandinavians; dive sites: Ko Haa; Ko Bida and Hin Bida; Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. Lanta Diver is one of the better known dive shops and is popular with moderately experienced divers (although they do everything from beginner certification on). Book their Hin Daeng/Hin Muang trips in advance.

• Lanta Diving Safaris, 289 Moo 1, Saladan +66 87 88 96 802 - The M/V Flying Seahorse is Ko Lanta's only live-aboard.

• Narima Diving, 98 Moo 5, Klong Nin Beach +66 75 662 671 (fax +66 75 607 709 ) - Nestling in a quiet corner of Narima’s Resort, this truly friendly dive centre promises a relaxed & safe diving environment. Offering the shortest journey times to some of Thailand’s best dive sites, they are an ideal dive base, whether you're starting out, fun diving or continuing your dive-education. Narima Diving is fast becoming the dive centre of choice for divers in the south of Ko Lanta and returning guests to this area.

• Scubafish, 152/3 Moo 5, Kantiang Bay +66 75 665 095 (fax +66 75 665 096 ) - A small & personal, eco-friendly, PADI 5 Star, Gold Palm IDC Dive Centre. If comfort, safety, small groups and fast journey times are important to you, this has to be the dive centre for you. Departing from Kantiang Bay in the south of Ko Lanta, Scubafish is ideally located to reach some of the best dive sites in Thailand and still have you back on the beach by 2.30pm. A relaxed and professional atmosphere, genuine commitment to the environment and experienced guides who know the dive site’s secrets will ensure this dive holday will rank as one of your best.

Eat

Ko Lanta has a wide variety of restaurants, the kind that most visitors travel to Thailand for: beach-front locations serving delicious and inexpensive Thai and seafood dishes. Eateries line the beaches in front of the bungalows and no visitor will starve from lack of variety or interesting places to dine.

• Baan Laanta Bay View Restaurant (located in Kantiang Bay) is simply the best, fresh, seafood BBQ on the island. Enormous Tiger Prawns, fresh squid, snappers galore - all fish & seafood is caught fresh, locally each day, and cooked in any style you like, served with baked potatoes and a free salad bar (with the best dressings you can imagine!!). The view out over Kantiang Bay is beautiful and you can request a table on the beach for extra romance! Aqua Bar - the in-house cocktail bar, serves the freshest and most adventurous cocktails on the island - Mango Daquiri and Fresh Lime Margueritas are at the top of my list!

• Sunset Restaurant is a very small restaurant on Klong Dao beach close to D.R. Lanta Resort beside Mooks bar. The Thai food is the best on Klong Dao beach and cheap too. Real Thai style eating with the tables directly on the sand and no decorations at all but a nice view and cool breeze from the sea. And the food... mmm.

• Abdul's Pancakes is a crêpe stall run from a motorcycle sidecar. You can most often find him in Moo 1, Saladan, opposite Lanta Diver when the boat divers come back (around 15:00). His chocolate and banana crêpe and his chicken crêpe are especially recommended.

• Cook Kai is just across the street from Klong Nin Beach. Wholly built of wood and lovely decorated, it offers a spacious open dining area and bar. Run by the cook and his brothers and sisters, their Thai food, which has a bit of an extraordinary note, is probably the best you can get in the area and beyond. Go for the daily specials announced on the board at the entrance! Cook Kai also offers thai cooking classes.

• River Restaurant is a friendly family operation located on the beach just south of Narima Resort. They have a delicious menu...lots of Thai dishes and a few western ones as well. The Phad Thai is excellent. It is very popular with families and the owner's children often play with tourist kids

• Thai Cuisine is a long-established favorite. It is located in Phra Ae just south of the Opium night club. The menu features a wide selection of wonderful Thai dishes and Chinese as well. The "special" spring roll is excellent. There is bar service and a small artisan boutique. Say hello to the chef/owner, Somkuan... he's a great guy.

Drink

There's not much in the way of party nightlife, which, for many, is part of the Koh lanta appeal - Relaxed. But there is always something going on if you ask around - There are a few restaurant/bars at the harbor and most hotels.

• Charlee BARleys - Under new management from a local family 2008 - a friendly bar/restaurant/bungalow in the center of Klong Nin Beach. This is a great place to meet other mellow travelers from every demographic. Relaxed sunset Happy Hours everynight. Sometimes live-music from international guests. Check it out.

• Mooks bar - on Klong Dao beach between D.R. Lanta Bay Resort and Sun Fun & Sea Bungalows, and a good spot to relaxing with a drink on the beach, listen to some reggae, and maybe watch sports on TV. Mook himself is a person worth meeting.

• Oscar's Bar - driftwood terrace on the beach.

• Where Else / Feeling Bar - Indian & Thai food, in a clean, friendly, quiet, and above all relaxed atmosphere.

Sleep

Basic wooden bungalows as found in cheaper resorts

Ko Lanta has three tourist seasons: low, high and peak.

• Peak season: late December, early January and for some resorts also around Songkran in April; expect premiums of 25–50% or more over the high season price and on Christmas and New Year's Eve many resorts have a compulsory banquet costing about as much as an extra night's accommodation.

• High season from November until February, excluding peak season

• Low season: April/May to October. Many resorts will be as much as 50% cheaper than the high season price. Many places used to close entirely but increasingly they're open year round.

You won't have much trouble finding accommodation as late as your arrival at the Saladan pier except in peak season. Standard accommodation on Klong Dao and Long Beaches (the two most northerly beaches) now start at about 1200 baht for a basic air-con bungalow or hotel room. The places further South offer free transport and can be much cheaper (100 baht for a spotless beach hut with bathroom), but the rides into town will be lengthy approx. 20 minutes. You can hire moterbikes for 250 baht a day a see lots of the island after a good nites sleep.

Accommodation is arranged by beach, north (most convienient to Saladan) to south (least convienient). Prices quoted here are for the high season unless otherwise specified.