A large travellers’ village, with restaurants oriented to Western tastes, beach bars and tour offices, has grown up along sandy Hat Phra Ae. The beach has suffered erosion and is getting extremely thin on the southern end, but there's a nice stretch on its northern flank.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
18.92 MILES
Dramatically flanked by green-clad cliffs, majestic Ao Maya sits on Phi-Phi Leh's western shoreline. In 2000, its beautiful sands were controversially…
6.5 MILES
Located halfway down Lanta's eastern coast, Ban Si Raya was the island's original port and commercial centre, providing a safe harbour for Arab and…
19.65 MILES
The strenuous Phi-Phi viewpoint climb is a steep, rewarding 20- to 30-minute hike up hundreds of steps and narrow twisting paths. Follow the signs on the…
10.42 MILES
Established in 1990, this marine national park protects 16 islands in the Ko Lanta group, including the southern tip of Ko Lanta Yai. The park is…
5.33 MILES
Monsoon rains pounding away at limestone crevices for millions of years have created this complex of caverns and tunnels. There are cathedral-size…
10.49 MILES
The wild, jungled mountainous southern tip of the island has sheer drops and massive views for intrepid motorbikers. The road to the Mu Ko Lanta National…
27.4 MILES
Part of the Mu Ko Lanta National Park, Ko Rok Nai is very beautiful, with a crescent-shaped bay backed by cliffs, fine coral reefs and a sparkling white…
23.74 MILES
A beautiful limestone tunnel leads 80m into a cave on Ko Muk's west coast. No wonder pirates buried treasure here. You have to swim through the tunnel,…
Nearby Ko Lanta attractions
2.1 MILES
Hat Khlong Dao was once an outstanding 2km stretch of white sand perfect for swimming, but the erosion has become so bad that at high tide there's no…
2.69 MILES
This is thatched-roof, Rasta-bar bliss, with beach volleyball, moon parties and the occasional well-advertised mushroom shake. Still, it’s all pretty low…
4.01 MILES
This rocky beach isn't suitable for swimming and is mainly used as a harbour by local fishing boats. It's about 12km south of Ban Sala Dan on Ko Lanta's…
4.81 MILES
Lovely white-sand Hat Khlong Nin has lots of small, flashpacker-type guesthouses at its northern end. It’s easy to get dropped off here, then shop around…
5.33 MILES
Monsoon rains pounding away at limestone crevices for millions of years have created this complex of caverns and tunnels. There are cathedral-size…
6.14 MILES
Reached via a signposted track heading east off the national park headquarters road, 2km south of Hat Khlong Nin, Tham Seua has interesting tunnels to…
6.5 MILES
Located halfway down Lanta's eastern coast, Ban Si Raya was the island's original port and commercial centre, providing a safe harbour for Arab and…
7.88 MILES
On the eastern side of Ko Lanta Yai, Ko Talabeng has dramatic limestone caves that you can visit on sea-kayaking tours.