Ko Lanta Things to Do

I did lots of research online about Learning to Surf in Thailand and found out that Koh Lanta Watersports did good courses. I was not dissappointed. Sam is an excellent teacher. I did the full learn to surf course. It was broken down over a few days which was great as I was really tired after learning to paddle the first day. Sam also showed me safety and how to catch the waves and stand up. The beach - Klong Dao is really safe and the wave size perfect for beginners. I really liked the personal service and that there were no other crowds. I am hooked and cant wait to try again - even though the water wont be as warm at home! Great service and a fun time. They also teach windsurfing and kiting, wish I had moree time. Lanta was great in low season also - just the locals, really chill, and the weather not bad at all.

There are a number of snorkelling tour operators. We ended up taking Opal. They overbooked and the boat was too packed when it started to rain... so a number of people got very cold in the driving rain. Plus there ended up being only enough fins for half of us.

Snorkelling is a serious tourist trap with 4-6 boats moored at every location we visited. The snorkelling itself was quite disappointing - not much sea life except for the feeding frenzy of fish they lured to the boat with food. The coral, like most in the region, were bleached and devoid of color.

We went in late December... so perhaps the visibility is better at other times of the year.

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We rented some SUP stand up paddleboards from the people at Lanta Paddlesports and had a great time. They were very friendly and gave us tons of free advice. We rented SUP boards one day and then took a tour to an island later that week. The water was clear and we could see lots of fish during our paddle. The kids had a great time as well. They are highly reccommended.

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"Time for Lime" cooking school, is a very pretty place where you can do a cooking class in an open air pavillon kitchen right next to the beach. There is a beach bar and a dining area (time for lime is also a restaurant) and they also offer bungalows to stay (but i can't evaluate them).
We spent a very relaxing afternoon at time for lime, tasting, smelling, cooking, decorating our self-cooked dishes and feeling the breeze from the sea while drinking lemongrass-margharitas. perfect!!

Two classes daily: 12:30-17:30 (intro, curry paste+4 dishes)
18:00-22:15 (intro+3 dishes)
babysitting arrangable for parents

everyone gets a cooking apron to take home.

dining everyday from 6 pm

+++ There is also another cooking school on ko lanta, the lanta thai cookery school. also nice, outdoor kitchen, not on the beach though. less "staylish", more tradiotional, very nice chef!!www.lantathaicookeryschool.com+++

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The roads are now well paved compared to few years ago.So the best way to explore the island would be on a bike dropping off at various waterholes for a beer or 2.Be careful not to have one too many and weave on the road like a drunken snake.The bikes are very low cc,I believe shd be 70 cc and have a choice of automatic clutch ( slightly higher price) so should not be dangerous for begginers.Choice of 4 hrs ,half a day or full day hire which means 24 hrs.
With this acquired mobility you could also visit various eating joints/restaurants to savour the varieties n fares.
Not forgetting you could explore various stretches of beach on the west coast all day long without sacrificing your poor feet.

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Jump on your bike and scoot on over to Lanta Old Town, located on the East side of the island, it is one of the region’s most culturally diverse with Chinese merchants, original Thai and Muslim fishing families and an ancient Sea Gypsy community who have lived in harmony for over a century. Today, the same daily activities and traditional structures, such as traditional markets, longtail fishing boats and Chinese shop houses built over the sea remain as they did when the town served as one of Thailand’s busiest merchant hubs. It has a variety of very good restaurants both Thai and western all with in walking distance.
Don't forget to stop in Hammock House for Hammocks and Batiks, Book a Longtail to outer islands like Ko Bubu, with Lanta Longtail, and visit the newly opened Islander's Museum.

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This is the beach were we stayed. As the name says it´s a very long and big beach and for that reason you never have the feeling that it is crowded and when we were there it was very calm but maybe it had something to do with the fact that the season was almost finished (end March).

This beach is very clean, nice blue water and seats are available for free!

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In what it seems to a ritual when I come to Koh Lanta, I once again got another tattoo. Well actually it was part my oldest tattoo getting recolored and then getting more added to it. Over the course of 10 days I ended up getting 3 seperate tattoos in the same area, to finally make 1 larger version of my old tat. Each session took on the average 3 hours each to complete, and cost me only around 8000bht.
It was great seeing my old friends at Bamboo tattoo and meeting up with some new ones as well. The artist that did my tattoo this time around was only 15 years old. I was a little shocked when I heard it was going to be him doing my tat, but after seeing him do some work, I knew it would be OK.
I already have plans for my next one and can't wait to get it on my next trip. It will be an addition to my first bamboo tattoo design, just with more shades of color added around it. I enjoyed my whole stay on Koh Lanta this time, but as always getting a new tattoo makes it that much better for me. On that note it was quite funny to see my picture hanging on display in the tattoo shop, it was from my previous trip when I got my name done in Thai.