Lanta Island, a small island in Thailand, has a high degree of freedom

The good thing about Lanta is the high degree of freedom. In other words, you can do whatever you want here. Stay in a hotel, island hopping, island hopping, cycling, hiking, petting cats... you can do anything. Anyway, there are few people.

80% of people who go to Koh Lanta probably depart from Krabi. Another 20% may come from Phuket during the peak season. From Phuket, you can just take a boat. It takes about 4 hours and costs about 800 baht.

🚌1. Charter a car

For a family trip, if you are afraid of trouble, you can book a car to Lanta on TB before departure. A 7-seater minivan (usually can seat 4-5 people) costs about US$60.
It is also OK to book at the airport, the price is about the same, 2200-2500 baht/one way, buy and go.

The journey is about 2.5 hours.

🚌2. Carpooling

You can buy a carpooling ticket at the airport counter, about 400 baht/person, and set off when you have enough people, and it will be directly delivered to Lanta Hotel. It is also very convenient.


There are several such counters at Krabi Airport

PS: Because there is a section to Koh Lanta that requires car and boat transportation, and there are no boats at night (after 5 o'clock). Therefore, whether you are chartering a car or carpooling, if you arrive in Krabi at night, it is recommended to visit Krabi city first and then set off from Krabi during the day.

Departing from Krabi Town/Ao Nang Beach, There are also two ways to carpool and charter a car. It takes about 3 hours to reach Lanta from Ao Nang and 2.5 hours from Krabi town.

If you choose carpooling, minivan will pick you up at the hotel and deliver them to Krabi Town, and then depart from Krabi Town to Lanta.
  
The same goes for the return trip.

🏍Intra-island transportation

In addition to chartering cars and renting motorcycles, there are basically no taxis or songthaews. You can book a chartered car in advance on TB, and there are local agents everywhere. You can book by the day or by the hour. It is recommended that if there are few people and you can ride a motorcycle, you should rent a motorcycle. Because Lanta is actually quite small, you will be much freer on a motorcycle. There are also many Europeans and Americans who ride bicycles around the island. Everyone should do what they can. Talk about the road conditions: Although Lanta also has 18 bends in the mountains, the steepness is incomparable to Koh Chang, and it is relatively easier to ride. Only relatively. Once again, whether it is a motorcycle or a bicycle, please wear a helmet throughout the journey! First, it is for safety, and second, if you don’t wear it, you will really be fined! I was fined 1,000 baht!

Play

For a traveler like me (a person who likes to travel around), the most fun thing about Koh Lanta is to go around the island! Koh Lanta is not big, and I can go around the island twice a day without feeling tired. Although the map roughly divides the northern beach, the central beach, and the southern beach, when riding a motorcycle, you can find a place to play that belongs to you anytime and anywhere, and stop the car immediately to occupy this deserted beach.


Anytime, anywhere, contracting a sea

The vendors selling seafood and fruits are also mobile. They set up stalls here today and do business in another place tomorrow. They are very casual. Every time I find them, I am very surprised. The bigger surprise is that if Koh Chang is a paradise for dog lovers, then Lanta is a paradise for cat lovers.

The bigger surprise is that if Koh Chang is a paradise for dog lovers, then Lanta is a paradise for cat suckers.



By the way, there is a group of foreign young people on Koh Lanta who have taken in many stray cats and dogs and are taking good care of them. They have designed a series of original peripheral products, and the proceeds are used for the daily expenses of this animal rescue organization. I have posted a canvas bag in my bag search post, which came from here. Friends who are interested can go and pet the cats and dogs.


I am very happy to be able to do something for furry children.
  
In terms of attractions, Lanta National Park is worth visiting. Especially the hiking trails are very interesting. There are just too many monkeys, be careful not to get your bags and snacks taken away.


As for Lanta Old Street, there are just a few shops selling souvenirs. , if it’s inconvenient without a car, there’s no need to go all the way.

In addition to Lanta Island, friends who come during the peak season must visit several nearby outlying islands. Rok Island, Ngai Island, Kaladan Island, Emerald Cave (Mu Island)... all have clear water and fine sand, and are extremely beautiful! Among them, Rok Island can be booked for a 1-day tour or a 2-day tour (staying in a tent).


The following islands are included in the 4-island tour from Lanta. You can choose a 1-day tour + snorkeling, or you can choose to stay overnight. There are resort hotels on the islands. If you can still see some Chinese people in Lanta, these islands really belong to you.

PS: The outlying islands are not open all year round. If you want to go there, pay attention to the closing time. For example, the closing time of Rok Island is basically from May to November every year.

Eat

To be honest, there are not many decent restaurants in Lanta, so you may need to lower your expectations for food. Especially in the off-season, many restaurants are closed; the ones that are open are mostly popular online restaurants that I am skeptical of, so there are really few choices! The restaurants are mainly concentrated on the main street of Saladan, but as a coward, I never dare to go in every time I pass by there, so the task of discovering delicious food is left to you.

Let's talk about the seafood in Lanta Island.

Although the restaurant will strongly recommend you to order lobster, unfortunately, most of the waters in Thailand do not produce lobsters, and they are basically imported, and the same is true for Lanta. So, unless you rarely have the opportunity to eat lobster, try not to order it. If you want to eat seafood, fish, tiger prawns, and crabs are more guaranteed in price and freshness.

For non-seafood, I would like to recommend a stall that I have eaten many times. It is a halal restaurant that opens at 5 pm. There are not many dishes, but the taste is quite good and very cheap, so it gathers a lot of locals.


Get the address~

The downside is that the business is too good + Thai people's slow attitude towards life, you may have to wait a long time before you can eat, so be mentally prepared and remember to fill your stomach before leaving (I remember once, I was so hungry that I cried). Let's talk about a few more popular restaurants

— L Maladee

It's near the hotel where I live, so I came here to try it. His service staff can speak a little Chinese, and when they see Chinese people, they will recommend crabs and lobsters. We didn't eat seafood, so we just had a simple meal. From the porridge, fried rice, to shake, they are all average, the seasoning is heavy and too salty. The price is also expensive. I don't recommend it. But I also saw two families from China coming here for dinner. I asked about the taste and they thought it was OK. So, it depends on your opinion.

— Diamond Cliff Beach Restaurant

Friends who pursue cost-effectiveness don't have to go. The taste is standard, the price is slightly higher, and the portion is small. The important thing is that during the island tour, you will encounter many restaurants built on the edge of the cliff, with a very wide view and a panoramic view of the sea.

Stay

My favorite is Twin Lotus, a resort hotel opened by the Twin Lotus Group. By the way, this group has a wide range of business, even including the Twin Lotus toothpaste we often see. It is cost-effective, and you can stay in a villa room for 400 yuan in the off-season. The best thing is that it is only for adults, so it is quiet at any time.

Advantages:



The hotel mainly consists of single-family villas, which are quiet and private, suitable for a relaxing vacation;

You can choose the fragrance of the room when you check in, including orange blossom, lemongrass, lotus... The standard is quite high;

Although the breakfast variety is not large, the taste is OK;

Infinity pool + private beach, almost no one in the off-season, you can enjoy it to your heart's content. The beach is very fine (but not very white);

It is close to the pier and convenient to go out to the sea;

There are several popular restaurants nearby, which are convenient for finding food.

Shortcoming:



The hotel's main meal is average;

It's a bit too primitive, so don't be afraid if you see a big lizard or something. But this is also a common problem in garden hotels.

By the way, let me mention the popular hotel: Pimalai Resort & Spa

Unless you are sure that you just want to stay in the hotel and will not go out, you should choose carefully. It is far, really far. Especially in the off-season, there are really few people around. It is not very convenient if you need to buy some snacks. However, you can experience it on the last day of the trip, because the room rate includes the transfer fee to Krabi Airport or Krabi Hotel, which is still worth it.

Generally speaking, Koh Lanta is suitable for:

1. Couples. There are fewer tourists, and any photo taken on the deserted beach is a great movie; the surrounding outlying islands are all beautiful, and they are all snorkeling paradises, and there are even fewer people, which is a paradise for the two of you.

2. Outdoor enthusiasts. There are many national parks, hiking trails, and cycling trails for you to explore;

3. Animal lovers. You will get the opportunity to get close to monkeys, kittens, lizards (???)...

Not so suitable for:

Families. Unless you stay in a hotel, transportation, life, and foraging are not very convenient. If you want better scenery, you will want to go island hopping around, which may not be very convenient with the elderly and children.