Koh Lanta
Long, quiet beaches and a slow, family-friendly pace. A laid-back Andaman island of long, west-facing beaches and sunsets, linked by bridges and short ferries. Calmer than Phi Phi or Phuket.
What Is Worth Your Time on Lanta
Lanta is a long thin island with one road down the west coast. The beaches get quieter and prettier the farther south you go, and the two best things on it are at the very bottom.
Mu Ko Lanta National Park
National park feeThe southern tip: a white lighthouse on the headland, a short jungle loop trail, monitor lizards on the lawn and a small beach on either side. The best sunset on the island.
Kantiang Bay
FreeA deep horseshoe of sand backed by jungle hills in the far south, and the prettiest beach on Lanta by some distance. Good swimming, a handful of bars, no crowd.
Lanta Old Town
FreeA sea-gypsy and Chinese trading village on the east coast, stilt houses over the water, a wooden pier and seafood restaurants built out on it. Nothing to do, which is the point.
Long Beach (Phra Ae)
FreeThe island’s longest stretch of sand and the main base: bars, beach restaurants and enough room to still feel empty. Easy swimming and the best sunsets outside the park.
Klong Dao
FreeThe first beach south of the pier, shallow, flat and calm, which makes it the family choice. Walkable to Saladan for the morning market and the boat piers.
Koh Rok & Koh Haa
Boat tour + park feeThe day boats south: Koh Rok for shallow reef straight off a white beach, Koh Haa for the cathedral cave and the best diving in the area. Both are inside the marine park.
The Four Islands & Emerald Cave
Boat tourEast to Koh Mook, where you swim through an 80 m (260 ft) pitch-dark tunnel into a hidden beach walled by cliffs, plus Koh Ngai, Koh Chuek and Koh Kradan. Not for the claustrophobic.
Tung Yee Peng mangroves
Kayak rentalA community-run kayak route through the mangrove channels on the east coast, past a stilt village and a boardwalk. Quiet, shaded and the antidote to a week of beaches.
Lanta closes down more than most Andaman islands in the monsoon. From roughly June to October many resorts, restaurants and all the day boats shut, and the ferries thin out to a skeleton service.
How to Spend 2 to 3 Nights
Don’t Miss
Best Areas to Base Yourself
Long Beach (Phra Ae)
Long sandy beach with dining and easy access.
Klong Nin
A calmer, scenic beach mid-island.
Old Town
Historic stilt village on the east coast.
An easy add to a Krabi or Phi Phi trip. See how it all connects on the map and overview.
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Written by Belle, a Thai American who travels to Thailand every other year and has family in Bangkok. Everything here comes from my own visits unless the text says otherwise. Prices and journey times are typical cases rather than quotes, so recheck anything time-sensitive before you pay. Brand mentions are never paid placements, and the guide is reader-supported: some links may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
How we research →Photographs on this page that are not mine are used under the licenses below and hosted on this site rather than hotlinked. Uncredited photographs are my own.
- Wide shot: long west-coast Lanta beach at sunset, few peopleStefan Fussan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source