KOH LANTA

Ideally situated in the growing southern Thailand province of Krabi, Koh Lanta has converted from an 80's backpacker haunt into a new hot spots in South East Asia. And while budget travelers still find ample space to cool their heels, Lanta has gone up-market in the past years with new four and five star resorts dotting its picturesque 40 kilometers Andaman coastline. The island's proximity to Phuket, Phi Phi, Krabi and even Bangkok, makes it a great holiday alternative to other crowded and commercial tropical island destinations.

Koh Lanta is actually made of two islands; Koh Lanta Noi and Koh Lanta Yai. Koh Lanta Noi is the smaller of the two islands and doesn't have tourist facilities. Visitors traveling by road from the main land pass through the smaller island on the way to resorts on Koh Lanta Yai.

Historically Koh Lanta Yai played a major role as a safe-haven port for traders from Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Originally, Si Raya (known today as Lanta Old town) on the east coast, acted as the port and commercial center for the island and provided safe harbor for Arabic and Chinese trading vessels sailing between the larger ports of Phuket, Penang and Singapore. Today Old Town is a sleepy tiny village with 100 year-old shacks and shop houses built on stilts over the water. Nowadays, Ban Saladan on the northern tip of the island is the business and commercial center where most visitors arrive on the island.