LandForRent
 | Home | About Koh-Lanta | Location & Map | Leasing Price | Contact Us |

:: About Koh-Lanta ::

Ko Lanta (เกาะลันตา) Lanta Islands National Park covers 152 square kilometers of Lanta Islands. This island forms the most southern district of Krabi Province. It was known long ago by its name in the Malay language, Pulao Satak, which means Long Beach Island. Later so many Thais, Both Buddhist and Muslim,came to live on island that there seemed to be a million eyes, which is what some people think Lanto menas in Thai. Others hold that the name is corrupted from Javanese lan tas, and means a fish grill (which is built of wood with a square grill on top where the fish are set in a circle). Several important islands are in the national park:

Lanta Yai Island where the District and National Park offices are located. Island geograaphy is mountainous and rugged, especially near the southern trip; some beaches are gravelly, others have fine white sands. A clan of Chao Ley, or sea gipsies are resident on Koh Yao Yai, and they preserve many of their ancient custmer and ceremonies; e.g.the setting of ceremonial boats adrift to bring good luck and prosperity on the full mon nights of the sixth aqnd eleventh months. This and other features of their lives are open to view. To visit the island take a regularly scheduled ferry from Ban Hua Hin Pier in Tambon Kon Klang;Bor Muang Pier in Tambon Sai Kao; or Jao Fah Pier in Krabi Town.

Taleng Beng Island This island is in some ways a smaller version of Phi Phi Ley: Made of Limestone, Honeycombed with caves, inhabited by the same swifts whose nests are made into soup. Small beaches and caves appear when the tide abbs.

Hah Islands A group of five islands. Hah Yai Island has a field of grass on its ridgeling. Another is land resembles in shape a saiboat; one has water that passes from one side to another beneath it. There is some coral in shallow waters.

Ngai Island A fine sandy beach and coral reefs rundown the east side of this island. It is perfect for diving. Regular ferries and charter craft are available from Pak Meng Beach in Trang Province.

Rok Nai Island The southeast and southern ends of this island have fine sand beaches and shallow water corals. Also not to be missed are Man sai Bay and Talu Beach. Transport to the island is viacharter from either Pak Meng Beach in Trang Province of form Lanto Yai Island. There are tents for rent, contact Lanto National Park
 

 

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

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 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.
Ferry arrival at Ban Saladan pier
[Ferry arrival at Ban Saladan pier]

 
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

  • Lanta Longtail , 9/1 Moo 1, Lanta Old Town, Ko Lanta Yai +66 8916619 (info@lantalongtail.com) [1] - 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 (info@timeforlime.net) [2] 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.
 

Long tail boat
[Long tail boat]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diving

There are no scuba diving 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.

  • Atlantis Diving, 18 Moo 1, Saladan, ☎ +66 75 684 081 (), [3]. Atlantis has daily dive trips departing from Saladan on a 21m boat. Training in English and German.

  • Dive & Relax PADI Dive Resort, 223 Moo 2 Phra Ae, Saladan, ☎ +66 848 422 191 (), [5]. Speedboat pickup from your beach. Training in several languages.

  • Go Dive, 6 Moo 1, Saladan +66 75 684 320 (info@godive-lanta.com) [6] - 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, (info@kolantadivingcenter.com) [7] - 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 (lagfund@gmx.de) [8] - 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. [9] - 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 scuba@lantadiver.com) [10] - 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.

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.

  • 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 nightlife, which, for many, is part of the appeal. There are a few restaurant/bars at the harbor and most hotels.

  • Chalee BARley's - a friendly bar/restaurant/guesthouse on Klong Nin Beach. This is a great place to meet other mellow travelers, and if you are stuck without accommodation, you can always crash on the floor.
  • 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 - [12] Indian & Thai food, in a clean, friendly, quiet, and above all relaxed atmosphere.

Sleep

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.

Basic wooden bungalows as found in cheaper resorts
[Basic wooden bungalows as found in cheaper resorts]

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 away offer free transport and are much cheaper (100 baht for a spotless beach hut with bathroom), but the beach may not be so attractive and rides into town will be lengthy.

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.

 

Klong Dao Beach

  • Andaman Lanta Resort, 142 Moo 3, ☎ +66 75 684 200 (, fax: +66 75 684203), [13]. Large complex with 2-storey hotel style building and bungalows. Restaurant, bar and swimming pool. Rooms from 1550 baht, bungalows from 2900 baht.

  • Best Western Maya Ko Lanta (), [14]. Hotel style building - Lanta's only resort currently owned by a major chain. They have a food and a fancy (by Lanta's standards) restaurant. From 4400 baht.

  • DR Lanta Resort, 206 Moo 3, ☎ +66 8 1081 5679 (fax: +66 75 684 383), [15]. Restaurant, bar and swimming pool. Rooms 1800 baht, air-con bungalows from 2000 baht.

  • Lanta Summer House, 208 Moo 3, ☎ +66 75 684 099 (). Typical beach-side bungalow resort with three-bed air-con bungalows. The restaurant is in the lower price range but the offerings, while extensive, are very watered down (they don't do spicy). Nice and friendly staff. Poolside bungalows with airconditioning from about 1300 baht.

  • Royal Lanta, 222 Moo 3, ☎ +66 75 684 361 (, fax: +61 75 684 362), [16]. Luxury villa with beautiful bungalows in the Thai architectural style, pool, and laundry service. Bungalows from 3700 baht.

  • Southern Lanta Resort and Spa, 105 Moo 3, ☎ +66 75 684 174 (, fax: +66 75 684 174), [17]. Large resort with 100 bungalows, pool, restaurant and beachside bar. Bungalows 1800-15000 baht.

Long Beach (Ao Phra Ae)

  • Chaw Ka Cher Tropicana Lanta Resort, 352 Moo 2, ☎ +66 75 637 970 (, fax: +66 75 637 404), [18]. Secluded resort with tropical garden. From 2000 baht.

  • Good Days Lanta Chalet and Resort, 183 Moo 2, ☎ +66 75 684 186 (, fax: +66 75 684 187), [19]. Fan bungalows from 900 baht, air-con from 1400 baht.

  • Lanta Nakara, 172 Moo 3, ☎ +66 75 684 198 (), [21]. More luxurious cousin of Lanta Longbeach (same management); as a pool and restaurant. Air-con bungalows from 2500 baht.

  • Relax Bay Resort, 111 Moo 2, ☎ +66 75 684 194 (, fax: +66 75 684 196), [22]. French-owned resort with its own 1km beach and Thai-French restaurant. Fan bungalows from 1000 baht, air-con from 1700 baht.

  • Sanctuary, 186 Moo 2, ☎ +6681 891 3055. Well-designed bamboo bunglaows, mosquito nets and great Indian and Thai food from the restaurant. Fan huts up to 400 baht per night (low season).

  • Starwin Resort. Beautiful garden and cheap resort, 200 meters from the sea Fan huts up to 250 baht per night (low season).

Klong Khong Beach

  • Where Else Resort, 149 Moo 2, ☎ +66 75 684 253 (fax: +66 75 684 253), [23]. Funky, chilled out bamboo eco tourism village surrounded by old coconut palm trees. Each bungalow is unique. Fan bungalows from 500 baht.

Klong Nin Beach

  • Narima Bungalow Resort, 98 Moo 5, ☎ +66 75 618 081 (), [25]. Open air beach views and wooden floors. Bungalows from 2000 baht.

Kantiang Bay

  • Anda Lanta Resort (formerly Waterfall Bay Resort), ☎ +66 28 995 919 (, fax: +66 24 157 436), [26]. Overpriced luxury bungalow resort with satellite TV and Internet access for guests. However there's no room service and the telephones don't work. Open during the low season. Room from 2300 baht, bungalow from 4500 baht.

  • Bamboo Bay Resort, Aow Mai Pai, ☎ +66 75 665 023 (). Fan bungalows from 500 baht, air-con from 1300 baht.

  • Kantiang Bay View Resort, 9 Moo 5, ☎ +66 01 787 5192. Restaurant + "Why not?"-bar directly on the beach. Wooden bungalows. Not to be confused with the nearby Marine Park View Resort, which is located on the hill! Free pickup from Ban Sala Dan to Ao Kantiang, but return to Ban Sala Dan is 500 baht! 1000 baht and up for fan bungalows and 1500 and up air-con.

  • Lanta Sand Resort & Spa, 279 Moo 3, ☎ +66 75 684 633 (, fax: +66 75 684 636), [27]. 48 bungalows. Villas from 7000 baht.

  • Marine Park View Resort, 7 Moo 5, ☎ +66 75 665 063 (), [28]. Restaurant + Shroom Bar with the best view of the beach. Air-con rooms in large bungalow from 2100 baht.

Get out

Retrieved from "http://wikitravel.org/en/Ko_Lanta"

[Top]
"Lanta Island, Krabi, Thailand"

© 2006 Copyright by OTOP Land