In a nutshell
- Our favorite Koh Lanta beach is Long Beach in the north of the island. Right nearby is the lovely Avani Plus Koh Lanta Krabi Resort.
- The best beach for backpackers is Klong Nin Beach. Our top pick for where to stay in Koh Lanta here is the Lanta Infinity Resort.
- For a stunning beach in the south, head to Kantiang Bay. A great place to stay is LiLi’s Rooms.
Koh Lanta's Beaches on a Map at a Glance
Here we show you the most important beaches on Koh Lanta. Our photos were taken during the off-season, so the beaches are virtually deserted.
And in case you’re wondering why the island looks hazy in most of our photos — we were there in October 2015, when rainforests in Indonesia were being burned and the wind was carrying smoke northward. That’s all it is.
In this guide you’ll find a short description of each beach — from north to south.
The Most Beautiful Beaches in the North of Koh Lanta
Kawkwang Beach
Kawkwang Beach is located at the very north of the island and just a few minutes’ drive from the ferry terminal in Saladan. It sits in a small bay — long and narrow, with white sand and turquoise water.
The beach slopes into the sea so gently that you can walk 50 meters out without losing the sand beneath your feet. Because it’s tucked into a small bay, the water is usually very calm — making it ideal for families with young children.
Our hotel recommendations at Kawkwang Beach
Klong Dao Beach
Klong Dao Beach sits directly south of Kawkwang, also has white sand, stays very shallow, and is perfect for families with kids.
Our hotel recommendations at Klong Dao Beach
Long Beach
Long Beach (Prae Ae) borders Klong Dao Beach to the south and stretches for approximately 3 kilometers — great for a long walk along the water.
You’ll find a mix of upscale resorts and more affordable places to stay right on the waterfront. The beach drops off into the sea a little more steeply than Klong Dao or Kawkwang — though “steep” here still means pretty gentle.
There are also lots of great beach bars and restaurants along this stretch, where you can kick back in a hammock and enjoy your beach vacation properly.
Our Long Beach hotel recommendations
The Most Beautiful Beaches in the Middle of Koh Lanta
Klong Khong Beach
This beach probably has some of the most affordable accommodation on the island, and the stretch is long enough to find a good spot. You’ll also find plenty of nice beach bars and restaurants.
Honestly, though, it doesn’t quite have the same charm as the beaches further north. There are rocky patches in the water, so you’ll want to be a little careful when swimming — and at low tide, getting in is pretty tricky.
Our hotel recommendations at Klong Khong Beach
Klong Nin Beach
Klong Nin is noticeably different from the northern beaches — it drops off more steeply into the sea. The tsunami pushed the sand up higher here, giving the beach a steeper profile. It’s still beautiful, though.
This is where you’ll find the highest concentration of backpacker-friendly places to stay right on the beach. Behind the hotels, along the main road, there’s also a supermarket, several cafés, and restaurants.
The waves here are often relatively high — great for splashing around near the shore. Just don’t swim out too far.
Our hotel recommendations at Klong Nin Beach
The Most Beautiful Beaches in the South of Koh Lanta
Ba-Kantiang Bay, Klong Jark & Bamboo Bay
In the south, the coastline gets wilder and the beaches take on a completely different character. Compared to those in the north, they’re much smaller and crescent-shaped — with jungle and rock formations as a backdrop.
It genuinely feels like a Robinson Crusoe escape down here. You’d almost forget you’re still on Koh Lanta.
The south is home mostly to luxury resorts, with some more affordable bungalow properties scattered in between. The tourist infrastructure is fairly sparse, so for meals you’ll largely be relying on what your hotel offers.
The northernmost of these southern beaches — Kantiang Bay — is the most popular and lively of the bunch. It has the widest range of accommodation options, including budget picks, and it’s also where you’ll find the 5-star Pimalai Resort.
Beyond Kantiang Beach, the coastal road gets steeper and hillier. Two people on a scooter can already struggle on some of those climbs.
As a result, the beaches near Klong Jark and Bamboo Bay stay essentially deserted and quiet year-round. One heads-up: monkeys are common here and they have their eyes on your stuff, so keep your bags close.
The southernmost point is the beach at Mu Lanta National Park – Cape Tanod, which falls within the national park. Entry costs 200 Baht (approx. 5 euros per person) — but your ticket is valid for a year, so you won’t need to pay again on repeat visits.
The beach itself is really beautiful, though there are a few rocks in the water to watch out for. You can also stay overnight inside the national park if you want to make a proper adventure of it.
Our hotel recommendations at Ba-Kantiang Bay
General Tips for Your Koh Lanta Vacation
You’ll find every type of accommodation on the island — from luxury resorts that leave nothing to be desired to simple beachfront huts without air conditioning.
During high season between November and April/May, it can be genuinely difficult to find a great beachfront spot at short notice. We’d strongly recommend searching early and booking ahead.
In the off-season it’s easier, and prices can be up to 50 percent lower. That said, many hotels close during the off-season, so you end up with fewer tourists but also fewer options.
Hotel prices on Koh Lanta during high season run a little above the typical Thai average — though by most Western standards they’re still very reasonable.
For a beachfront location, budget on average about 10–20 euros more per day compared to places set back from the water.
Also worth checking: make sure your accommodation isn’t right on the island’s main road, which runs along the west coast. If traffic noise doesn’t bother you, you can of course take advantage of lower prices there.
Accommodation on Koh Lanta generally falls into three zones:
- Directly on the beach
- Between the beach and the main road
- Behind the main road
A few more things to think about before you book:
- Do you need air conditioning, or is a fan enough?
- Is a pool important to you?
On Booking.com you can filter by these preferences in the left-hand column and sort hotels by beach or neighborhood — really handy for narrowing things down.
Our Favorite Beach on Koh Lanta
We absolutely loved Long Beach. We originally chose it because it’s home to the island’s only coworking space, the Kohub — but in hindsight, we’d pick it again even without that.
It’s not as secluded as the southern beaches, but even in high season it never feels crowded. Long Beach has the perfect mix of laid-back beach life, great restaurants, and just enough going on to keep things interesting.
Our Hotels on Koh Lanta
For Koh Lanta, we found the best selection and prices on Booking.com. We spent three weeks in a bungalow at the small but excellent Escape Cabins and can wholeheartedly recommend it.
The Escape Cabins aren’t right on the beach — they’re set back behind the main road, about a five-minute walk from the water. But you get a pool and seriously beautiful bungalows that would cost a lot more if they were beachfront.
For our last two nights, we treated ourselves to a proper luxury hotel.
The Avani Plus Koh Lanta Krabi Resort is right at Kawkwang Beach, next to Klong Dao Beach and just a short distance from Long Beach. Some rooms even have private pool access. If you want to splurge, we’d highly recommend it.
Check out the Avani Plus Koh Lanta Krabi Resort
In general, overcrowding is really not something you need to worry about on Koh Lanta.
The rule of thumb is simple: the further south you go, the quieter it gets — and the less infrastructure there is. At the smaller beaches, for example, you’ll often find no restaurants that aren’t attached to a hotel.
That’s a matter of personal taste, of course — and it’s not a dealbreaker, because even at those spots you’ll find great food at fair prices.
