Beaches

Since Koh Lanta possesses both marine and terrestrial endowment, there are many interesting attractions and activities waiting for your discovery, be it beaches, dense rain forests, or cultural experience in sea gypsies' village. Visitors can start traveling on Koh Lanta at Ban Sala Dan Village, a typical Thai fishing village where most of boats from Krabi and Phi Phi terminate. Motorbikes rentals are available here; you can hire a boat for snorkeling or diving from here as well.
The highlighted spots of Koh Lanta are absolutely its wonderful beaches and crystal clear water. Most of the best beaches of Koh Lanta lie along the western shore of Lanta Yai Island, each of which has its characteristic beauty and provides the excellent sunsets.

Island

Since Koh Lanta embraces more than 50 islands, there are several interesting islands to visit for its excellent snorkeling and diving sites.

Koh Ha: Consisting of five uninhabited islets, Koh Ha is under responsibility of the Koh Lanta National Marine Park. These five islets are visited for their flourishing corals, reef fish, caves and swim-through caverns which cerate a good dive. The large pelagic sharks and whale sharks are often seen here.

Koh Rok Nok: With its crescent shaped bay featuring cliffs, white powdery sandy beach and a stand of banyan trees inland, Koh Rok is extraordinarily magnificent. Camping is permitted on the island. The offshore coral bed is good for snorkeling.

Koh Rok Nai: The sub-division of the Koh Lanta National Marine Park office is located on this island. The island is featured by the sheer towering limestone cliffs facing the white fine beaches on the east side. Its waters are clear aquamarine, so clear that the colorful fish and abundant corals underwater can be seen. The virgin nature of Koh Rok Nai is still intact, and this is one of the most wonderful dive sites of Lanta. The inland area is covered with a dense tropical rain forest which offers a natural walk to appreciate its floras and faunas. There are also the camping sites on the island.

Transportation to Koh Rok Nok and Koh Rok Nai can be made from the Pakmeng Pier in Trang, taking about 3-4 hours. Or, you can take a speed boat from Kho Lanta; the boat service is available at tour agencies, hotels and resorts on the island.

Other Attraction

There are many more interesting things Koh Lanta has to offer, so take a break from the seas and come to explore other faces of Lanta.

Sea-Gypsy Village: The large community of sea-gypsies is settled in the Village of Ban Sangkha-Ou on the southern tip of the island. Sea gypsies are called in Thai as Chao Le or Chao Nam, and are known as the minority group of "Thai Mai", meaning new Thai People. Originally, the sea gypsies of former centuries were living in their boats and were feared as pirates. Nowadays, as being considered eligible for citizenship in Thailand, they began to settle along the coast in their stilt-built houses erected between the water level of high and low tide. They earn their living on fishing, catching lobster, and other sea foods as well as collecting bird's nest for the Chinese cuisine. Despite the close relation to other villages, the sea gypsies do not integrate into Thai population. They still retain their own language, traditions and ceremonies. Their belief in supernatural and traditional spiritual worship is still influential in the community as seen in their traditional ceremony "Loy-Rua (Floating Boat)".The village men will build a symbolic boat and place wooden statues of themselves in it along with nail pairings, hair and popped rice. By performing this ritual, they ask for forgiveness from the sea gods and for any offences they have made to the sea. It is believed that all evil is carried away in the symbolic boat. Visiting their village is thus a worthwhile experience.

Cock-fighting arena: Most Muslims on the island enjoy cock-fighting as their hobby; and in this hobby, gambling is also involved. You can experience the exciting fight of the well-trained cocks. The skilled fighting cock is considered as the apple of its owner's eye and also costs much.

Khao Mai Kaew Cave: A couple of caves are located in the center of the island, offering a wonder of rocks and caverns and housing the spectacular stalactites and stalagmites. Some sections in the cave create a cavern pool that you can swim in. To explore the cave, a guide is needed; a Muslim family who lives near the trailhead to the cave offers guide service for 50 Baht per person. The cave is located off the lower of two cross-island roads, down a narrow 1.5 kilometer-dirt path through the rubber plantation that ends up at the Muslim home.

Lanta Old Town: This is a good place for experiencing the living of local people. Situated on the southeastern coast of the island, the district capital locally called the Old Town offers the rustic atmosphere of the town of the past years. Wooden houses, post office, police station and hospital represent well its existence as a center of the island.

Orchid nursery farm: It is a must for flower lovers. The orchid farm is located on Long Beach or Pra Ae beach. It is easily accessible by bike or motorbike. The entry fee is 30 Baht per person.