25 Apr Ko Lanta – Thai Island that Offers Seclusion and Serenity

Third destination on our Thailand trip was Ko Lanta, Krabi’s island destination that is rapidly gaining in popularity. Some might say that visitor who arrive in Ko Lanta have made a quite an effort, but if you are looking for an unspoiled, go-slow kind of place, free of big hotel names and neon lights with clear, bath-water warm sea, mangrove forests, beach bars and restaurants with driftwood, palm fronds, bamboo chairs and tables dotted along the sand – you will be delighted with the charm of the island and its culture.

After landing in Krabi our transfer was waiting for us and after two hours of driving we reached Twin Lotus Resort and were ready for a relaxing and enjoyable week. Our only plan when in Ko Lanta was to take our time, go with the flow and decide a day by day what we will be up to.

A serene atmosphere of Twin Lotus Resort, a truly oasis where you feel at peace, was a good enough reason to spend our first day in the resort while pampering our self with aromatherapy massage, followed by relaxation at the beach, at the infinity pool, and delicious food at resort’s beach restaurant. This lazy day was just what we needed before we get ready for following day’s activities and new experiences on our way.

As soon as we decided to move around the island, we figured out that renting a scooter is the best idea, and we spent a couple of days heading away from the beach following the one lane road and started to explore both sides of the island.

Mu Ko Lanta National Park

Mu Ko Lanta National Park is on the very south of the island, and is also a home to nomadic sea gypsies called Chao Le who lives in the village on the eastern part of the island, called Sang-ga-u. Be aware that the village is not a tourist attraction, and if you visit the village in the eastern part of the island, it is advisable to show a respect, and not to take photos of people living there. Visit to the national park can be combined with a 2 km trek through the jungle or you can go straight to the beach and enjoy in the scenery in front of you.

Beaches along the west coast

All the beaches are on the west coast and all of them can be explored by scooter. One of the advantages of Ko Lanta’s beaches is that every day you can enjoy in a beautiful sunsets, long walks down the beach, delicious dinners in many of beach restaurants, or chilling in a beach bar while local guys are preforming a fire show. Weather we choose to stay at the beach of our resort, Klong Dao beach, or we moved south to Long beach or Klong Nin beach, it was easy to find a peaceful spot for ourselves. Finishing the day with a massage on the beach while watching the sunset, followed by a tasteful seafood dinner and a lovely evening in a beach bar with a live music is one of the things we’ll hold on for a long time to our memories.

Lanta Old Town

The beauty of this charming place lies in numerous colorful details that occupy you all the way while walking through the street. The street is full of small family run restaurants serving fresh seafood and nearly every house is a kind of shop. Lanta Old Town is considered a cultural highlight of the whole island and some of the big festivals in Koh Lanta take place here.

4 Islands Island Hopping & Snorkeling

The only organized excursion we took on the island was the one which took us to explore Ko Lanta’s archipelago (Ko Ngai, Ko Chuek, Ko Kradan, Emerald cave & Ko Ma) . An organized transfer has picked us up at our resort and we started our day trip with a long-tail boat from Lanta Old Town Pier. This trip is convenient for those who want to see a bit more of the islands. We enjoyed in several snorkeling opportunities, in swimming into the cave through the tunnel to see a secret lagoon and a sandy beach with a limestone cliff, laid back lunch at the beach, and a view on a bat cave.

Pristine destinations like Ko Lanta fortunately still exist in Thailand, and there is a chance it will stay like this for a while. If you have ever wondered what Thailand’s island destination you should visit, I’m pretty sure Ko Lanta have something for you, weather you are looking for a pure relaxation, or you have an adventurous spirit, and are ready to give a chance to all day and night opportunities the island can offer.

Through our two weeks Thailand journey we didn’t have only the opportunity to explore a new destination, learn about Thai culture, enjoy in amazingly delicious food, picturesque sceneries, but also we met new friends along the way, learned something about ourselves, moved our boundaries, and had some amazing moments that will definitely continue to live in our memories and will be part of our happiness.

Photo credits: magic4.club