Koh Lanta

Currency

A handful of booths in Saladan at the north of the island, with ordinary rates. Change what you need in Krabi before the ferry.

ATMs & cards

Machines are clustered in Saladan and thin out completely down the west coast. The 220 THB foreign card fee applies, and most beach restaurants and bungalows take cash only.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

Very safe and very quiet, with almost no crime aimed at visitors. Two practical things instead. The single island road is narrow, steep in the south and gravelly, and scooter injuries are the most common way a holiday ends here. And much of the island closes from May to October — ferries reduce, many places shut entirely, and the choice of anywhere to eat or stay narrows sharply. Much of the population is Muslim, so cover up away from the beach in the villages and around the Old Town.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.

Worth having

• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid
• Tetanus up to date
• Rabies if you will be near animals or staying a while
• Japanese encephalitis for long rural stays

Getting treated

One of the best places in the world to have an accident. Private hospitals in Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai are excellent, fast, English-speaking and cheap by Western standards — a consultation runs a few tens of euros. They expect payment or an insurance guarantee up front.

Dengue is present year-round and worse in the rainy season; there is no prophylaxis, so repellent is the defence. Rabies is present in street dogs and monkeys — any bite or scratch means a clinic the same day.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

The stilted seafood restaurants along the Old Town pier are the island’s best eating and cost a fraction of the west-coast resorts. Southern Thai curries here run hot, and much of the island is Muslim, so halal food is easy to find and pork is not.

Getting around

• Scooter — effectively required, since one road runs the length of the island
• Songthaew — between Saladan and the beaches, 100-300 THB
• Car ferry — from Krabi via Koh Lanta Noi, now joined by bridges
• Longtail boat — the way to the offshore snorkelling and to Koh Jum
• No airport: Krabi airport is about two hours away including the crossing

Must-see

Things to do

• Walk the length of Long Beach at sunset
• Wander the stilt houses of Lanta Old Town
• Dive or snorkel Koh Haa
• Ride south to Mu Ko Lanta National Park
• Swim at Kantiang Bay
• Take a longtail to the Four Islands

Nearby day trips

Religion

Theravada Buddhist

About 93% Buddhist, and it governs a lot of daily etiquette. Monks may not be touched by women. Never point your feet at a Buddha image or climb on one — people have been prosecuted for it.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Return the wai greeting — palms together, a slight bow — when someone offers it first
• Remove shoes before entering temples and homes
• Cover shoulders and knees at temples, including for men
• Keep your cool; visible anger loses you the argument and the respect

Don't

• Do not touch anyone’s head, including children — it is the most sacred part of the body
• Do not point your feet at people or at Buddha images, and never step over someone
• Do not say anything critical of the royal family; lèse-majesté carries prison sentences and is enforced
• Do not climb on Buddha statues for photographs