Take a trip to Koh Lanta

Posted by Andaman Sam on August 6th, 2010 filed in Beach life, Day tripping

Just a short boat trip away from Phuket, Koh Lanta is comprised of two adjacent islands: Koh Lanta Yai and Koh Lanta Noi. The islands are popular for the beautiful long sandy beaches and are good places for scuba diving.

Koh Lanta Yai is home to the “Chao Le” or sea gypsies, who have preserved their traditional lifestyle and beliefs, such as the custom of setting a boat adrift to drive out evil and bring good luck, which is practiced during the full moon in June and November.

Most of the beaches on Koh Lanta Yai such as Koh Kwang, Khlong Dao, Phra Ae, Khlong Khong, Khlong Nin and Ba Kan Tiang can be found on the west coast of the island. They are easy to reach by road and offer a wide range of accommodation and restaurants.

The area is part of the stunningly beautiful Koh Lanta National Park, which contains 15 islands including Ko Rok Nai, with its very pretty coral reefs. You can camp on Ko Rok Nok and Koh Ha, whilst Ko Talabeng has attractive limestone cliffs, best viewed by taking a long-tail boat tour.

If you are interested in diving and snorkeling, the best place to go is the area around Ko Ha, where you can see sharks, tuna, whale sharks and manta ray.

A good way to explore the islands is to hire a motorbike and drive around at your own pace, stopping at the small stretches of sand as you go. Bikes can be hired easily for between 100-150 baht per day and petrol is very cheap. Walking is also pleasant and there are plenty of places to watch the sunset.

Ban Koh Lanta is also known as ‘Lanta Old Town’. Here you will find wooden stilt houses and shop fronts which are more than 100 years old. While there, pay a visit to Gypsy House, which is an old house made of driftwood. Here you can buy handicrafts and jewelry made on the island.

Tham Khao Maikaeo is a series of pretty limestone caves just waiting to be explored. There is also a large pool to swim in, filled with curious fish. Another interesting cave is Tham Seua, which means Tiger Cave in the Thai language. Here you will find a network of caves to explore, and one particularly interesting way to get there is by going on an elephant trek from the pretty white sand beach of Hat Nui.