Hi everyone and welcome to our new travel series
This time we take you with us through the land of ever-present smiles, temples, and untouched beaches -Thailand. Our first stop will be the untouched beaches and surrounding islands of Koh Lanta in the southernmost part of the country.
Switch off from everyday life - that's what we needed. And we found it on the very relaxed and cozy Thai island of Koh Lanta. The beaches on Koh Lanta's south and west coasts are renowned for their beauty. So we chose accommodation at the southernmost point we could find: the La Lanta Hideaway Resort on Bamboo Beach, right next to Mu Ko Lanta National Park.
We landed in Krabi by plane quite late. To have as uncomplicated a journey to the hotel as possible, we have organized a private driver through our accommodation. Yes, we paid a fair amount of money for it, but after such a long journey and arriving late at night after being on the road for the last ~20h, we didn't want to take any chances. Our eyes already kept closing after entering the jeep. Again and again, we thought, 'It can't be that far - we'll definitely be there soon. And after a three-hour drive (and a short distance by ferry) we were finally there. We immediately went to bed and fell asleep.
The next morning it rained cats and dogs. We hadn't imagined it that way... We had hoped that the rainy season would be over by the end of October... but the rain showers accompanied us almost every day. But we didn't let that spoil it for us. It was still warm, so we could go swimming in the pool or the sea even if it was raining. And the rain showers were quite predictable in length and timing during the day, you just had to be prepared, while the rest of the time the sun was shining.
The Resort was nice and our beach section was very quiet and the beach very flat. We were able to walk very far into the sea. It was dreamy.
After two days of relaxation, we wanted to see something of the beautiful hilly island. Koh Lanta is the perfect size to explore on your own and always discover something new. So we rented a scooter and drove off.
Luckily, riding a scooter is quite easy here (despite left-hand traffic), as there is very little traffic on the roads. We always drove along the coast, past beautiful landscapes, to the hinterland on initially very steep roads. We didn't have a goal. We just stopped wherever we liked. We were particularly surprised when we landed in Koh Lanta's old town in the east of the island. Koh Lanta Old Town consists of a quiet, pretty street with restaurants and shops on the left and right. A perfect place to have lunch overlooking the sea.
In the east of Koh Lanta is also the mangrove forests, one of the most productive and biodiverse ecosystems on earth. That's what we wanted to see. Numerous tours are offered, including in combination with a kayak tour. That sounds like an adventure - we booked such a tour right away.
The following day we were picked up at our hotel around 8 a.m. and taken to Tung Yee Peng, a small village on the east side of Koh Lanta.
There we boarded a longtail boat and cruised comfortably through the mangrove forests towards Koh Aung.
After about two hours, we were nearly at our first destination. We made a short stop on an unnamed island with the perfect view of the limestone cliffs before continuing.
Another couple of minutes later, we arrived and switched to the kayak from our tumbling board to paddle along the huge limestone cliffs of Koh Talabeng. Getting into the kayak while carrying your not waterproof camera is quite an adventure.
And the adventure does not really end as my girl loves to take pictures while we are on the water and steering a kayak close to the rocks without the support of the other paddle as a first-timer is kind of stressful as you can see on some of the pictures 😅
Around the island, the water is sometimes so shallow that beaches are exposed and you can make a short stop to relax and take pictures with a bit more of a safety net.
We also paddled through a large sea cave. Inside the cave are various rock formations that have been formed over thousands of years. In the cave, we were attacked by swarms of mosquitoes but it was nonetheless a fascinating experience.
After our kayak trip, we took the longtail boat south to the island of Koh Bubu to have lunch and relax there. The previous tourists luckily just left on their boat.
Koh Bubu is a very small island with tropical rainforest and a beautiful and very tranquil sandy beach with turquoise water. There are huge tropical trees on the beach that provide shade. There is also a place for tourists to buy small souvenirs or snacks in the shade of the trees.
Finally, we took the boat back to the mangrove forests to feed the macaques. Wow... the monkeys were just waiting for another boat to come.
They jumped on the boat (and on us) like savages and ate the fruit bowls leftover from our day's tour. It was a bit scary when these monkeys with their huge sharp teeth were sitting on your shoulder or even your head. But nothing happened except for some strained nerves 😅
Around 3 pm we were back at the hotel and spent our last evening relaxing on the beach.
This time we booked a minivan for the return transport to Krabi Airport. This is significantly cheaper than the private shuttle, but of course, you have to plan for more time traveling, since the driver stops wherever someone wants to get on. And it's tighter and warmer with less impact of cooling in the car because of the many people.
We arrived at the airport without any major problems (except for the one-stop where our driver just vanished without a word for 1h - he later told us, that he was supposed to pick somebody up but they were not there)
Next stop of our trip in the next post: Bangkok.
Thanks for reading and we are looking forward to your comments!