Ko Lanta Yai

Ko Lanta Yai is the largest island in the Ko Lanta archipelago in Krabi Province, southern Thailand, located in the Andaman Sea off the mainland coast. It is the main inhabited and tourist-developed island of Ko Lanta District, featuring a long western coastline with multiple sandy beaches, a forested mountainous interior, and Mu Ko Lanta National Park at its southern tip. It is notable for its beaches, diving access, and traditional Old Town settlement.

Visitors can expect a large coastal island with a developed tourism infrastructure along the west coast and quieter traditional villages on the east coast. The west coast has a series of sandy beaches such as Klong Dao, Long Beach and Kantiang Bay with resorts, restaurants and shops. The interior is hilly and forested, while the southern tip is protected as Mu Ko Lanta National Park with a lighthouse and nature trails. The east coast features mangroves and the historic Ko Lanta Old Town with wooden stilt houses and piers.

Ko Lanta Yai was historically inhabited by Chao Leh (sea gypsies) and later settled by Malay and Chinese fishing communities. Ko Lanta Old Town on the east coast developed as a trading port and commercial center in the early 20th century, serving as the district's original administrative and trading hub before tourism development shifted to the west coast.

The island has a predominantly Muslim population with traditional fishing and farming communities, alongside Thai-Chinese heritage visible in Ko Lanta Old Town. Local culture is reflected in stilt-house architecture, fishing piers, mosques, and community lifestyle centered on fishing and tourism.