KOH LANTA- UNHEARD, LAID-BACK ISLAND IN KRABI'S PROVINCE
Ko Lanta is an island district in Krabi Province on Thailand's Andaman coast. It’s known for its less crowded beaches, mangroves and laid-back vibe. It is often overlooked by most of the tourists who come to Krabi, hence it came under Wander Isles bucket list ;)
KOH LANTA ISLAND is very special to us since we took our first baby step and hosted a family of 3 for our first group trip.
HOW TO GET TO KOH LANTA ?
Quickest and the cheapest way to reach Koh Lanta is by taking a flight to Krabi and then getting into a shared mini van that goes till Koh Lanta. There is an option to book a private transfer from Krabi airport to Koh Lanta as well but its expensive.
Singapore Airlines is the best & cheapest airline that flies from Mumbai to Krabi and return ticket costs around 20k if booked in advance. Other airlines travelling in this route are Thai airways, Bangkok airlines etc.
Koh lanta is around 3 hours away from Krabi.
PLACES TO SEE :
Koh Lanta works as a great base since there are many beautiful islands close to it which can be covered in a day trip.
DAY 1 : PHI PHI ISLAND TOUR
We started off with Phi Phi, the most popular island in Krabi.However we chose to do a tour from Koh Lanta so that we can get less crowd during our visit and the plan worked perfectly. We booked a private long tail boat exclusively for our group. Phi Phi is around 1.5 hours from Koh Lanta by long tail boat.
Our first stop was Phi Ley Lagoon. Look at the colour of the water <3
Since it was a private trip, we spent more time at this beautiful place without any rush. We then moved to our next stop which was Bamboo island for snorkeling. On the way our boatman showed us several unique beaches which were closed for public. Snorkeling was not the best to be honest, but we did see many fishes.
After some snorkeling, we went to one of the most prettiest beach ever, Monkey Beach. Well there were only 2 monkeys there at that time , getting all the attention and acting like super stars :D
Here were the 2 superstars of that day.
Well, its their island and they can do anything :D
We had lunch in our boat facing this beautiful beach. Our boatman had got packed seafood fried rice for us along with coke. It was super delicious.
After lunch we moved to the most awaited place, MAYA BAY,which is also the most crowded place. It got so crowded and popular over the years that tourism authorities had to shut down the place indefinately for tourists. Its only allowed to see the place from far.
Next stop was Koh Phi Phi Don and we stopped at the beach for relaxing. This was more of a commercialized beach,not to my liking but still very beautiful.
This was the last stop of the day and proceeded with our return journey of another 1.5 hours. Our boatman and his wife made sure our trip was great.
DAY 2 : KOH MOOK AND KOH NGAI DAY TRIP
Trip to Koh Mook emerald cave was one of the biggest reason why I went to Koh Lanta. A secret beach out of nowhere which can be reached by swimming through a pitch dark cave, is no other than wonder of nature. This place can only be visited during low tide, when water levels are low. The entrance of the cave looks like this.
We need to wear life jacket compulsorily and enter through this cave. Our tour guide wore a torch on his head to guide us through this pitch dark cave. This activity is not for people with a weak heart. Even an adventurous soul like me felt a bit scared. This is just the beginning of the cave, you can imagine how dark it will get further. It is super scary when you cant see anything and hear the sound of waves crashing the surface of the cave.
After swimming for 10 minutes you can see some light and that’s where the cave ends.
Once you cross this, you will see something that will blow your mind. A beautiful, hidden each out of nowhere, such a true wonder of nature.
After spending some time here, we decided to go back from this exit point.
This was the best moment of the trip and I cannot believe how beautiful this place is. Here is the drone footage of this place I found on the internet.
After finishing Koh Mook and having lunch on the boat, we went to Koh Ngai Island Resort which is a private island resort.
This resort has lovely beach bungalows and garden rooms with an amazing private beach for the guests. We were lucky to visit this place without any entrance fee.
The beach was super clean with soft sand and crystal clear water.
Imagine staying on a private island resort and waking up to this view <3 I managed to check the rates and it was around 8000-12000 INR per night for a garden or beach bungalow. We left this island after snorkeling straight from the beach and the return journey was equally refreshing and beautiful.
Would like to thank our amazing crew who made this trip special.
DAY 3 : KOH ROK DAY TRIP
Koh Rok is known for its clearest water and amazing snorkeling. We booked one of the best and most expensive private longtail boat agency in Koh Lanta for this trip, since they take us to deserted islands and less crowded beaches. I knew this trip was going to be the most special trip, hence kept it at the end.
Trip to Koh Rok takes 2 hours by longtail boat. Here is our boat for the day :D
The journey was very long but totally worth it. We stopped at Koh Rok beach first which had super soft sand and crystal clear water.
This beach was perfect for relaxing and taking a dip in the water.
Look at the clarity of the water <3
Our next stop was going to a deserted island with NO ONE OTHER THAN US. Imagine having a private island only for you for 2 hours <3
This has to be the most beautiful island I have ever seen. I soon began to realize why this company charges a bit more than other agencies.
We went for snorkeling straight from the beach and our boatman came with us to show us the underwater life of Koh Rok. Snorkeling wasn’t the best like it is usually, since it was a bit cloudy and less sunny.
However we saw many beautiful fishes including nemo <3
After a good 1 hour snorkeling session, we felt super hungry and our crew already had lunch prepared for us along with a surprise guest ;)
Look who joined us for lunch :D
Monitor lizards are found in plenty on Koh Rok and they come out occasionaly when they smell food. Our guide found one specially on my request since I wanted to see one. We then moved to have lunch at a special place more precious than having lunch at a 5 star restaurant.
Super tasty Chicken curry with veggies, rice and coke. Look how this company served rice for us
It was indeed very sad to leave this beautiful paradise and I will never forget it in my entire life.
All thanks to our amazing boat crew for making this trip so special for us.
PLACES TO STAY
KEEREELAY LANTA RESORT
Koh Lanta has many accomodation choices, we chose KEEREELAY LANTA RESORT which has the best rating amongst all hotels.
We booked this entire bungalow for our guests with a great view from balcony. The owners of this homestay were sweetest people I have ever met and they had 2 lovely cats who used to wake us up every morning.
The owners were the biggest reason why this homestay has such amazing rating.
PLACES TO EAT
There is ample of choice for people who want to eat local or international cuisine in Koh Lanta. There are many restaurants that deliver to your hotel as well.
We loved the cold storage section in 7/11 all over Koh Lanta. They had huge selection of burgers,sandwiches, rice meals which we used to heat and eat for dinner. We tried some local Thai food as well as western food like pizza, chicken satay etc. There are very few Indian restaurants in Lanta, but we dint try any.
THIS TRIP WAS INDEED VERY SPECIAL SINCE IT WAS OUR FIRST GROUP TRIP EVER AND I HOPE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE JOINING US INCREASES :D
SEEING THE HAPPINESS ON THE FACE OF OUR GUESTS WAS OUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT AND WE ARE HAPPY TO SHOW UNIQUE ISLANDS TO MANY MORE PEOPLE.
