Everything you need to know when visiting Koh Lanta Thailand
If you are planning a trip to Thailand and trying to decide which islands to visit, Koh Lanta may be your perfect fit. Koh Lanta is one of the larger islands in southern Thailand which boasts relaxing beaches, good food, a National park, and all types of accommodations from hostels to 5 star resorts. If you want an island that is way less touristy than Koh Sumui, Phuket, and Koh Phangan but still has good bars and restaurants than you should go to Koh Lanta!
In this guide you we see:
- What to do
- Where to eat
- How to get there
- Where to stay
- Things you should know
Top 10 reasons to visit Koh Lanta
- You can explore the entire island by scooter and it is safe!
- Has incredible restaurants and bars
- Way cheaper than other islands
- Accommodations for all types of travelers
- Lots of fun activities such as yoga, Muay Thai, and cooking classes
- A big national park to explore
- Not overloaded with tourists
- Extremely friendly people
- Incredible sunsets and so many beaches
- Nightlife and social events are fun
What to do in Koh Lanta
Go beach hopping on your scooter. We spend an entire day beach hopping starting at the North part of the island going all the way to the southern part of the island. Beaches we visited in order were:
- Long Beach (has fun bars on the beach)
- Secret Beach
- Beautiful Beach
- Klong Khong Beach
- Kantiang Bay
- Nui Bay
- Bamboo Beach
You do not need to go to every one so we highlighted our favorites! We also stopped at restaurants throughout the day which are listed below in the things to eat section.
Drive to Old Town
Old town is on the other side of the island and has a walking street full of restaurants and shops. It is a fun place to spend an hour or so in and the drive across the island is beautiful! However the best part we thought is to keep going south on the other side of the island and go to Baja Taco (a legitimate taco restaurant on the beach) the fish tacos were the best we have ever had! Keep going on that road and you will find a hidden bar at the southern most point of the island right on the water. There is also a tiny hike to visit the islands oldest 1000 year old tree.
Do a yoga class at Oasis Yoga
The classes are in the morning and are around 400 baht per person but it is so worth it! The whole experience is a lot of fun and you will learn new yoga techniques. You can also visit Oasis cafe right after for an amazing breakfast / brunch.
Do a Muay Thai class
These classes are a lot of fun and only cost around $9 each. You will learn the basics of Muay Thai and also get a great workout in! We recommend to do the class in the morning before it gets too hot outside.
Visit the Saladan Night Market
Koh Lanta has a night market and walking street at the very north point of the island near the pier. It has a lot of great food stalls and shopping so it’s fun to spend a few hours one of the days trying some street food and walking around
Go see a fire show on the beach
There are fire shows every night on Koh Lanta on the beach. Two bars have a show every night (Why Not Bar and Indian Bar) We went to Indian Bar and it was so much fun. The owner of the bar is the one who puts on the show and he is incredibly talented. He also is so personable and talked to us for 20 min before the show. The bar is decorated really well and has lots of cool seating options. You won’t regret going here. The fire show starts at 7:30 pm every night!
Get a massage
You can get a message pretty much anywhere in Thailand but it’s always a nice activity to do. You can get a one hour Thai massage for under $9 in Koh Tao. We recommend a place called Nader Massage.
Do an island hopping tour
Island hopping tours are popular around this area and it’s a fun thing to do if you are wanting to snorkel and see some cool spots. Here is the one we did:
Do the lighthouse hike at the National park
There is a national park at the southern tip of the island you can visit to do a nice hike, visit the beach, see some monkeys and walk to a light house. This national park is beautiful and is very easy to get to from any point of the island.
Play connect four at Joker Bar
One of our favorite memories was playing connect four at joker bar one night after dinner. If you go to Mays Kitchen it’s right next to it. The owner is a world champion of connect four and will play you if you want. You won’t win though because he’s unstoppable
Go see a dj at a beach bar
If you look at the nightlife rotations there are bars on the beach that have live djs playing some nights. The one we went to was called Fusion Bar and it was very fun! It’s more chill than bars you would see in Phi Phi or Phuket which we liked.
Where to stay in Koh Lanta
We originally were only going to be here for 3 nights but we loved it so much that we ended up staying 5 nights. This meant that we had to stay in 2 different places which both were really great but quite different. The first place we stayed was an Airbnb called Home Number 9. It was directly in the middle of the island on the west coast which we loved because you could easily explore the north and south all within a 10 min ride. Our room was very clean and comfy and our host blank was so helpful and kind. We were able to rent a scooter directly from her and she picked us up from the pier.
The next place we stayed was called Andawa Lanta Resort. We also loved this hotel which was more towards the north end of the island right across from Long Beach. The hotel has an incredible pool and the rooms were big and cozy. We felt like we were living in luxury here and when we arrived they gave us complimentary coconut drinks. You can also rent a scooter directly from the hotel for a good price.
How to get to Koh Lanta
You can get to Koh Lanta by plane, bus, or ferry. The island is below a more popular destination in Thailand called Krabi so you can fly to Krabi Airport then take a bus or taxi to Koh Lanta. You can also fly into Phuket and take a ferry to Koh Lanta. Each option is very easy to book. Here is the link to the ferry we booked through.
Once you arrive to the pier by ferry there will be taxis waiting to take you to your hotel.
How many days to stay in Koh Lanta
We always recommend that you shouldn’t stay anywhere for less than 3 nights so you can avoid travel stress and get to know the place your in better. We think the perfect amount of days in Koh Lanta would be 5 or 6 nights but depending on how long your trip is you can stay here without getting bored anywhere from 3-10 nights.
There are many other places you can book in Koh Lanta but we always recommend to book hotels that have a 9.0 or higher on booking.com.
Where to eat in Koh Lanta
We were pleasantly surprised with the amount of great restaurants we found in Koh Lanta. Another bonus is that most of them were super affordable (almost twice as less than Phuket).
Here is a list of the places you can’t miss!
Breakfast
- Peak Cafe
- Free Tree Coffee
- Oasis Yoga
- Escape cafe
Lunch
- Pattys Secret Garden
- Drunken Sailors
- Baja Tacos
Dinner
- Yawee
- Diamond Cliff
- Le Colobri
- Mays Kitchen
Nightlife in Koh Lanta
If you are wanting to spend a night or two going to some fun bars, Koh Lanta has a rotating night life schedule depending on what day of the week it is. Here is a link to the current schedule.
Other tips for Koh Lanta
To have the most fun in Koh Lanta we recommend you rent a scooter on your trip. This way you can explore the island at your own pace. Also the cost of renting a scooter for the entire day is the same cost of hiring a taxi for just one ride. If you don’t feel comfortable riding a scooter, you also can rent a car (would advise to book early)
When to visit Koh Lanta
The best time to visit Koh Lanta is bewteen December through April because it is dry season in Thailand. This applies to all of the islands.
