|  Koh Lanta Island
is located approximately 70 kilometres south of Krabi on the east side of Southern
Thailand's Phang Nga Bay. Koh Lanta Island stretches for 27 kilometres in the
north-south direction and is traversed by a mountain range that is still
covered by virgin rain forest. The mountains reach heights of 500 metres in its
northern and southern parts, the most southern tip together with 15 islands in
the Andaman Sea have been declared Mu Koh Lanta National Park in 1990, this is
Thailand’s 62nd national park. The waters of the Andaman Sea off the west coast
of Koh Lanta Island are crystal clear and the beaches powdery white.
To get around Koh Lanta Island
you'll have to rent a motorbike or a car and this can be done at most
resort counters and travel offices. Make
sure that you are familiar with the vehicle and test the front and
rear brakes, the lights and horn. Drive with extra care when passing through or
by Koh Lanta Island villages and schools and remember, that swimming suits and
naked upper body are fine for the Koh Lanta beaches, but not the right attire
for a drive through the local villages of Koh Lanta Island.
Koh Lanta Island has a population of approximately 25,000 people,
who make their living on fishing, rubber farming and prawn breeding. Today many
are working in the Koh Lanta tourism industry. The local trade, especially
in Saladan and Baan Sri Raya is predominantly under the control of Thai's from
Chinese descent. The name Lanta
is derived from a kind of rack (Lantan), that the people of the South
used, to grill the catch, that they regularly found in the waters off these islands
when travelling along the Andaman Coast. Since 1996 Koh Lanta Island
has been connected to Southern Thailand's electrical grid and since 2001 to the
telephone network. The Island can be easily reached by 2 car ferries, that now
operate from approximately 06:00 to 22:00. Most streets on Koh Lanta Island have
been paved by now, only few roads are still unsurfaced.
Accommodation
on Koh Lanta Island ranges from simple A-frame bungalows without private
bathroom to a wide choice of middle-class bungalows, some with swimmingpool, and
tops with properties in the 4- and 5-star category. Local laws do not permit buildings,
that are higher than the coconut palms, a law that protected Koh Lanta Island
from the negative impacts of tourism. During
the last years, the number of resorts along the western Andaman Sea coast
increased to about 100, offering a choice for everybody's taste.
Making Koh Lanta Island your home, or at least stay here for
extended periods every year, has become much easier in recent years. You do no
longer need to find a Kho Lanta bungalow resort where they offer a good deal on
a long-stay contract or rent a private house. Acquiring a land plot on Koh Lanta
Krabi to build a home by your own is no longer necessary, with Koh Lanta property
houses and Koh Lanta apartments built in different locations, from Saladan on
the northern tip all the way down to the very south of Koh Lanta Island. The
increase in real estate offers on the Koh Lanta property market is a
direct response to the growing demand from people who want to make Koh Lanta Thailand
their home, because the climate on Southern Thailand's Andaman Sea coast is very
attractive to “cold-struck” Americans and Europeans. When the weather is at its
coldest in America and Europe, Koh Lanta Island is at its most attractive. While
in many places, the prime locations are already sold, there is still
a huge variety of stunning property and Koh
Lanta Real Estate available on Lanta Island. | 
