Ko Lanta

Overview

Several years ago, Ko Lanta was an offbeat destination inhabited only by Muslim fishermen who couldn't understand why anyone would visit their hot, remote island. Ko Lanta today has over a dozen bungalows stretched along the west coast, from the northern village of Ban Sala Dan down to Ban Sangka U at the southern tip. Getting to this island can be a bit difficult. A long ride in a small ferry from Krabi must be taken. You can also take a train to Trang and find a local truck with seats in the back that will take you for an hour long ride to another ferry point.

Ko Lanta archipelago consists of 52 islands, but only Ko Lanta Yai and a few small islets have formal accommodations. Ko Lanta offers some fairly good beaches almost completely untouched by mass tourism, and a bit of skin diving over offshore coral beds. Another sidelight is the near-complete dominance of Islam on the island, a world where Muslim mosques vastly outnumber Buddhist wats. Public nudity is discouraged.

The monsoons bring heavy downpours June-October. Getting around is difficult since transportation along the west coast is sporadic; visitors often find themselves limited to a single beach. You can usually find bicycles to rent to explore the island. Bring water and food with you though as supplies are hard to come by on the east side of the island. Finally, most of the bungalows are needlessly crammed together to the point of absurdity and constructed from concrete and tin...more

History