Ko Lanta

Ko Lanta Yai is a long, low island off Krabi, strung with west-facing beaches that get quieter the further south you drive. Klong Dao and Long Beach hold most of the rooms and the sunset crowd; Klong Nin and Kantiang Bay trade nightlife for a rockier shoreline and a handful of kitchens. The southern tip belongs to Mu Ko Lanta National Park, where a short forest trail runs past dusky langurs to an old lighthouse on a rocky point. On the east coast, Lanta Old Town keeps its stilted shophouses out over the water, and the Urak Lawoi sea-people community at Sangka-U lives on quietly past the end of the tourist strip. Bridges from the mainland keep the island reachable year-round.

What you actually see

• Kantiang Bay - the deep southern cove, the quietest of the developed beaches.
• Mu Ko Lanta lighthouse - a short trail past dusky langurs to the island's southern point.
• Lanta Old Town - stilted timber shophouses over the water on the east coast.
• The west-coast sunsets - flat sea and low sun from any beach on the Andaman side.

When to go

November to April is the dry stretch, with calm water and every business open. May to October brings squalls, cheaper rooms and a shorter list of places that bother unlocking the door; ferries thin out even though the bridges keep the road open. Late afternoon light on the west coast is why most people stay longer than planned.

Honest expectations

The island is long, and without a scooter or car you will pay for taxis constantly, since there is no cheap shared transport. Low-season closures can leave whole beaches shuttered. The national park charges a foreigner fee for a small area, the lighthouse monkeys go through bags, and the west-coast water turns choppy and litter-strewn in the monsoon.

Nearby

Krabi's mainland cliffs, Ko Jum to the north and the Trang islands south.