Koh Lanta
Introduction
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Lanta is now firmly established on the Thai tourism map but, as one of Thailand’s largest islands, it has been able to absorb the tourism boom of recent years without significant environmental impact or overcrowding. |
The lack of crowds on Lanta’s long beaches and its laid-back atmosphere are big draws, along with Lanta’s convenient location for some of the kingdom’s best diving and snorkeling spots - plus it is within day-trip range of Koh Muk’s amazing Emerald Cave (see '4-island trip', below).
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During the dry season (Nov to Apr) spectacular sunsets are a near daily certainty. |
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Koh Lanta is long (27km from north to south) and narrow (4 km) and has a spine of 500 metre high hills clad in untouched rainforest running down the middle. |
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The western-facing coast is studded with a series of fine long beaches, while the east coast is edged by mudflats and mangrove swamps, making swimming impossible.
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The southern tip of the island is reserved as a National Park, where visitors can explore virgin jungle, admire the dramatic coastline and bathe in crystal-clear waterfalls.
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A 2 ½ km cliff-top trek starts at the National Park headquarters at Hat Hin Ngam and offers the chance to spot deer, wild pigs and monitor lizards, as well as to enjoy scenic sea and mountain vistas from a small white lighthouse at the trek’s highest point. |
The island’s infrastructure has improved considerably in recent years and has caused a veritable explosion in tourism to the island, to the detriment of the ferry pier at the main town, the rather unsightly Saladan.
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As well as the ferries from Ao Nang, Krabi and Phuket, minivans from the mainland arrive here – almost every visitor to Lanta arrives at the pier at Saladan. |
The interior of the island is mainly covered in plantations of rubber, cashew-nut, fruit and palm trees. |
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There are still pockets of primeval forest left, mostly on the most southerly and steepest hillsides. |
The island is a great place for independent exploration, whether on foot along the beaches, trekking to the waterfalls and viewpoints in the interior, or touring the southern tip’s National Park by moped. |
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It's difficult to get lost, as there are so few roads and tracks to choose from, so you can just forget planning and randomly explore - if your chosen track ends in a dead end, it will do so pretty quickly, so you won’t have to back-track far. |
Beaches
Khlong Dao Beach
This silky-soft beach starts on the edge of the town at which the ferries arrive, and was consequently the first to be developed for tourism. Most if the island’s best mid-range family hotels are located here.
Phra Ae (Long Beach)
A couple of kilometers south of Khlong Dao beach, 4 km-long Long Beach is shaded by large numbers of coconut palms and has soft sand and good waters for swimming, both at low and high tide, making it a perfect and archetypically tropical idyll. These prodigious charms, combined with the beach’s proximity to the ferry pier, have made it Lanta’s main tourist destination, and a beach on which all the resorts are nearly full all high season.
Unfortunately this has led to high prices and complacency, as most resorts on Long Beach have now ceased to care about the quality of their establishments or service, as they know they will get enough guests whether or not they make an effort. Unless you can afford to stay at one of the more expensive places such as the Layana, Long Beach is now best avoided, as the mid-range resorts offer bad value for money.
Khlong Khong Beach
Whilst this laid-back 3 km-long beach just south of Long Beach isn’t the island’s best swimming beach, it offers great snorkeling at low tide. Accommodation is cheaper than on the preceding two beaches, with the emphasis being on more modest, but still clean bungalows. The beach is a lively place at night, with dining on the beach, fire-shows and rustic beach bars among the charms on offer.
Klong Nin Beach
This large beach is approximately 30 minutes south of Long Beach, and is well worth the extra travel time. The central portion of the beach, which is covered in silky, soft sand but not too many people, is best for swimming. The accommodation here consists primarily of stylish resorts, and this beach is at the moment arguably the best destination for travelers not quite deep-pocketed enough to be able to afford the Layana or Pimalai Resorts, on Long Beach and Kantiang Beach respectively.
Kantiang Beach
Framed by two headlands and to the back by jungle-clad hills, this lovely beach is dominated by the exclusive Pimalai Resort, currently one of the top two resorts on the island (the other being Long Beach’s Layana).
Koh Lanta Tours
Koh Lanta Resorts
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