Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [591]
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KO JAM & KO SI BOYA
Like Lanta’s two baby brothers, Ko Jam (also called Ko Pu) and Ko Si Boya eagerly wait for tourists to come play on their streamers of white sand. The islands share a relaxed ambience where travellers can wander around friendly Muslim fishing villages or fill up their vacation days with afternoons of blissful nothingness.
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Sleeping & Eating
Limited transportation forces most resorts to close between June and October. Most accommodation has an on-site restaurant.
Siboya Bungalows (0 7561 8026; www.siboyabungalows.com; bungalows 200-1200B) The well-designed huts sit on a lush lawn and are shaded by expansive palm and rubber trees. Verandahs and hammocks come as standard, and there are also a couple of self-contained houses that are ideal for long-term rentals.
Oon Lee Lodge (08 7200 8053; www.koh-jum-resort.com; bungalows 700-3800B) The timber bungalows at this Swiss Family Robinson-esque resort (well, actually the owners are a French-Thai family) sit along quiet dunes of the Ko Pu part of Ko Jam. You’ll love the restaurant’s excellent fusion food.
Koh Jum Lodge (0 7561 8275; www.kohjumlodge.com; bungalows 4000-5000B) An ecolodge with style: imagine lots of hard woods and bamboo, gauzy mosquito netting, manicured grounds and a hammock-strewn curve of white sand out front. Bliss.
Getting There & Away
From December to April, boats between Krabi and Ko Lanta can drop you at Ko Jam, but you’ll pay full fare (450B, one hour). In November and May, only the early-morning boat will make the stop. The islands can also be accessed by boat from Ban Laem Kruat, a village about 30km from Krabi, at the end of Rte 4036, off Hwy 4. The cost is 80B to Ko Si Boya and 100B to Ko Jam.
KO LANTA
pop 20,000
Long and thin, and covered in bleach-blond tresses, Ko Lanta is Krabi’s sexy beach babe. The largest of the 50-plus islands in the local archipelago, this relaxing paradise effortlessly caters to all budget types with its west-coast parade of peach sand – each beach better than the next.
Ko Lanta is relatively flat compared to the karst formations of its neighbours, so the island can be easily explored by motorbike. A quick drive around reveals a colourful crucible of cultures – fried-chicken stalls sit below slender minarets, creaking chow lair villages dangle off the island’s side, and small Thai wát hide within green-brown tangles of curling mangroves.
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Orientation & Information
Ko Lanta is technically called Ko Lanta Yai, the largest of 52 islands in an archipelago protected by the Ko Lanta Marine National Park (below). Almost all boats pull into Ban Sala Dan, a dusty two-street town at the northern tip of the island.
The village has plenty of restaurants, mini-marts, internet cafes, travel agencies, dive shops and motorcycle rentals. There are five 7-Elevens spread along the island’s west coast –each one has an ATM. The Lanta Biker Map (below) is a must for anyone who wants to get off the beach and explore the island.
Ko Lanta Hospital (0 7569 7085) The hospital is 1km south of Ban Lanta (Old Town).
Police station (0 7569 7017)
Sights
BAN LANTA (OLD TOWN)
Halfway down the eastern coast, Ban Lanta (Old Town) was the island’s original port and commercial centre, and provided a safe harbour for Arabic and Chinese trading vessels sailing between the larger ports of Phuket, Penang and Singapore. Some of the gracious and well-kept wooden stilt houses and shopfronts here are over 100 years old, and are a pleasure to stroll through. A few pier restaurants offer up fresh catches of the day and have prime views over the sea. A stop at the Hammock House (0 4847 2012; www.jumbohammock.com; 10am-5pm) is a must. The friendly owners have amassed the largest selection