Thailand: Krabi and Koh Lanta

From Koh Samui we flew to the Krabi Province on the Andaman Coast. When most people picture the sexy Thai islands with karst mountains and clear, green water, images of this area spring to mind. We spent just one night in the small town of Krabi, mostly using it as a jumping off point to the Andaman Coast islands. Krabi is known for its picturesque limestone mountains sitting atop the beach, so we went to check out the local scenery. After a harrowing taxi ride on the back of a pickup truck (see photo for reference), we spent the afternoon in a small fishing village to the south of Krabi where most of the population is Taoist-Confusion and Muslim, and watched the long boats come in at low tide.

The next day we took a two-hour ferry to Koh Lanta. Long and thin, Koh Lanta is the largest of the Thai islands in this region. We stayed on Khlong Dao beach, not far from the main pier, which was bustling with restaurants and bars on the sand catering to tourists like us.

Koh Lanta is relatively flat when compared to other nearby islands so we spent a good amount of time exploring the island on a motorbike. On Tuesday, we scooted along the entire western side of the island stopping at five different, secluded beaches to cool off with a swim in the ocean. It was pretty wild to have a beach to ourselves, even in the middle of peak season. A noteworthy highlight from our motorbike journey was stopping abruptly as three wild monkeys casually crossed the road.

We found Koh Lanta very laid-back, but after two days we decided to continue our island-hopping and move along to the infamous Koh Phi Phi.