Ko Lanta: A Scandinavian island in Thailand

Beach in the south of Koh Lanta
We were extremely happy when we found out that our new friends continued their journey from Koh Pha Ngan to Koh Lanta, just like us. We found a nice hotel that looked like an American residental street so we decided to call it Holiday Alley instead of its real name Lanta Manda. It was a little walk from the beach but perfect as a homebase. The trip fom Koh Pha Ngan to Koh Lanta was quite long, by pickup truck, ferry, another ferry, bus and minibus, but the scenery is worthwhile and we even found a nice restaurant for lunch in Krabi.

Lisa riding a motorbike
As I learned now how to drive a motorcycle we rented one and started to discover the island immediately. Koh Lanta is on the west side of the Thai mainland and even bigger than the islands we have visited before. 

Long beach is not only very long, but also much wider than all the other beaches we went to before. Between the hotels along the beach you find also long parts of forest, which makes it natural and beautiful. The sand is partly covered with shells in different colors, a paradise for collectors.

Enjoying a fruit shake with a great view
We checked out many bars and restaurants around the island as we met our friends every evening for dinner after our adventure days of exploring woods, villages and other beaches by motorbike. A perfect place to relax without getting bored. The southern end of the island offers a beautiful national park, you can see monkeys and elephants already on the way there.

According to some locals, the island gets „invaded“ by Scandinavians every high season, starting from 1st November every year. As we arrived there a couple of days before that date, we couldn't believe that. It all seemed very off season still, the restaurants, beaches and most of the hotels looked almost deserted. But on 2nd November suddenly many busses arrived and Scandinavians spread all over the place. We were very surprised how fast the atmosphere in a village could change and wondered whether these changes between seasons touristwise are everywhere that drastic.

A friendly visitor on Lisa's arm
We liked that it all got alive suddenly and enjoyed the new company. But with more demand of infrastructure and supplies the prices increased suddenly and our purses were thankful that we continued our journey a day later to less crowded and less touristy places.

More pictures from Koh Lanta

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