Koh Lanta: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Koh Lanta is a long, quiet island south of Krabi, about thirty kilometres from end to end, with a row of beaches facing the sunset on the west and mangroves on the east. It is calmer than Phi Phi or Phuket, and from May to October the sea is rough and many places close. Half a day by scooter or tuk-tuk.
Live camera
The ten best sights in Koh Lanta
1SaladanThe village at the north tip, with shops and the ATMs
2Ko Lanta NoiThe little island across the channel, by bridge
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3Klong Dao
A long gentle beach for families
4Long BeachPhra Ae, the island’s main beach
- 5Lanta Animal Welfare
Visit the rescued cats and dogs; walk a dog
6Tung Yee PengA village-run mangrove boardwalk and kayaks
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7Khlong Khong
A rocky beach of backpacker bars
- 8Khao Mai Kaew Cave
A jungle cave to crawl through with a guide
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9Lanta Old Town
Stilt houses of the old trading port
- 10Sangka U
The village of the Urak Lawoi sea people
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Koh Lanta →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Koh Lanta:
Free walking tours in Koh Lanta
The west coast beaches
Koh Lanta is a long, quiet island south of Krabi, about thirty kilometres from end to end, with a row of beaches facing the sunset on the west and mangroves on the east. It is calmer than Phi Phi or Phuket, and from May to October the sea is rough and many places close. Half a day by scooter or tuk-tuk.
- Saladan · The island’s little port town at the northern tip, where the ferries and boats arrive. Lanta is really two islands, Lanta Yai and Lanta Noi, car ferries carry the road across to the mainland, and a bridge now joins the two islands.
- Klong Dao · A long, gently shelving beach, the favourite of families, where the water stays shallow far out and sunsets are watched from the sand every evening.
- Long Beach · Phra Ae, the island’s main beach, about four kilometres of sand backed by casuarina trees, with bungalows and small restaurants that set tables on the sand at night.
- Lanta Animal Welfare · A shelter founded in 2005 that rescues, treats and neuters the island’s stray cats and dogs. Visitors can take a tour and walk a dog on the beach, and some adopt one to take home.
- Khlong Khong · A rockier beach where at low tide pools appear among the stones, and in the evening the reggae bars light fires on the sand.
- Kantiang Bay · In the south the road climbs over jungle-covered hills to small deep bays like this one, where the forest comes down to the sand and the island feels empty.
Old Town and the people of Lanta
Lanta’s east coast faces the mainland, and it is where the island’s peoples live: Muslim fishermen, Chinese traders and the Urak Lawoi sea people. Two to three hours.
- Lanta Old Town · A row of wooden shophouses on stilts over the water, once a trading port where Chinese merchants met boats from Penang and Singapore. The families still run shops and restaurants above the tide, and the pier looks across to the mainland.
- Sangka U · The village of the Urak Lawoi, one of the sea peoples of the Andaman coast, who once lived on boats and moved with the seasons. Their boats, houses and spirit ceremonies, when they float small model boats out to sea to carry away bad luck, are their own.
- Tung Yee Peng · A Muslim fishing village that runs its own mangrove boardwalk and kayak trips, keeping the money in the community. In the mangroves you see mudskippers, fiddler crabs and monkeys.
- Khao Mai Kaew Cave · A cave system in the jungle of the island’s centre, explored with a local guide by climbing ladders and crawling through tunnels past stalactites and bats.
- Ko Lanta Noi · The smaller island, almost without tourists, of rubber plantations and villages, reached by a bridge across the channel.
- Bamboo Bay · At the southern end of the road, the last beach before Mu Ko Lanta National Park, declared in 1990, whose lighthouse stands on the island’s tip among forest and monkeys.
The four islands
South of Lanta, in the sea of Trang, lie small islands of white sand and clear water. The classic day trip by longtail or speedboat visits four of them. A full day.
- Saladan Pier · The boats leave in the morning from the pier, heading south along the coast past the national park to the islands of Trang province.
- Ko Mook · The Emerald Cave: you swim about eighty metres through a dark tunnel in the cliff, following a rope, and come out into a hidden lagoon and beach enclosed by cliffs, open to the sky — once said to be a pirates’ hiding place.
- Ko Kradan · An island of very clear water and coral, where every year around Valentine’s Day couples are married underwater in scuba gear, signing a waterproof register on the seabed.
- Ko Ngai · A small island with a beach of fine white sand and a reef just off the shore, where lunch is usually served on the boat trip.
- Bamboo Bay · On the way back the boat passes the green cliffs of the national park at Lanta’s southern tip.
- Long Beach · Back on Lanta in time for the sunset over the sea from the long beach, with dinner at a table on the sand.
Getting to Koh Lanta and getting around
- Saladan Pier · Boats to Krabi, Phi Phi and the islands; Krabi airport is two hours by road
Cheap eats in Koh Lanta
Lanta eats from the sea and the Muslim kitchen: grilled fish and squid by the beach, massaman curry, khao mok gai — a yellow rice with spiced chicken — and roti with banana. The stilt restaurants of Old Town serve fish over the water; the roadside stalls are the cheapest meal.
- Lanta Old Town · Fish over the water
- Saladan · The evening market
- Long Beach · Grilled fish on the sand
- Ko Ngai · Lunch on the island trip
Museums in Koh Lanta
Lanta’s history is its peoples: the trading port of Old Town and the village of the sea people.
- Lanta Old Town · The stilt port
- Sangka U · The sea people
Nature and day trips near Koh Lanta
Jungle hills, mangroves, caves and some of the clearest water in Thailand around the islands to the south.
- Tung Yee Peng · Mangrove kayaking
- Khao Mai Kaew Cave · The jungle cave
- Ko Mook · The Emerald Cave
- Ko Kradan · Clear water and coral
Things to do in Koh Lanta with kids
With children: gentle beaches, dogs to walk, a cave adventure and a swim through a tunnel to a secret beach.
- Klong Dao · Shallow water
- Lanta Animal Welfare · Walk a rescued dog
- Ko Mook · The secret beach
Holy places in Koh Lanta
Lanta is mostly Muslim, with Chinese shrines in Old Town and the spirit ceremonies of the sea people.
- Sangka U · The boat-floating ceremony
- Lanta Old Town · The Chinese shrine
Nightlife in Koh Lanta
Lanta’s nights are slow: reggae bars with fires on the sand and sunsets from the beach.
- Khlong Khong · Reggae bars
- Long Beach · Beach bars and fire shows
- Klong Dao · Sunset drinks
Frequently asked questions about Koh Lanta
What is there to see in Koh Lanta?
The top sights in Koh Lanta are Saladan, Ko Lanta Noi and Klong Dao. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Koh Lanta?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Koh Lanta without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Koh Lanta?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Koh Lanta, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The west coast beaches.
How do you get to Koh Lanta and get around?
The main ways are Saladan Pier. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Koh Lanta, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Koh Lanta that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Koh Lanta for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.