Thailand: Koh Lanta and Krabi

As we hadn't booked anywhere to stay on Koh Lanta, we walked from the ferry port down the island until we saw somewhere we liked the look of. This proved to be more difficult than we expected as the majority of accommodation were resort-style hotels and very spread out! We came across a small restaurant which also had small bungalow-type accommodation to rent. Once checked in, we rented a bike and went to the old town and explored further down the island. We expected the island to have sections to it - most places have an obvious 'holiday' or 'backpacker' area - but Koh Lanta was pretty much the same all the way down the island; a mix of local cafes, tour agencies and hotels.

We still had the bike until 3pm the next day, so went to the national park at the south of the island and did the jungle walk there. There were lots of monkeys roaming around and we watched one making a good snack out of a discarded coconut for a while and another attempted to steal someone's phone from one of the picnic benches. On our way back, we almost ran over a snake which had been sunbathing in the road! A few Google searches later, we guessed it to have been a radiated rat snake.

After returning the bike, we moved to a hostel down the road and went for a swim in the sea, then to an Irish bar for food and a few drinks. We also booked onto a 4 Islands snorkelling tour for the following day, as well as a bus to Krabi the day after that. Our first stop on the 4 island tour was to Koh Chueak to do some snorkelling, very similar to the day before on Koh Phi Phi but still great fun!

Next stop was Koh Waen for more snorkelling, again it was similar, but this time we saw a tiny clown fish hiding in the seaweed. We had to dive under to get a good look and video him which was a bit of fun.

Our third island was Koh Muk where we visited the Emerald Cave. This involved swimming through a narrow 80m cave which is only accessible during low tide, then arriving into the cove. Apparently it was used for pirates to bury their treasure back in the day!

The pictures don’t to it justice as it was even prettier in person.

Our last stop was Koh Ngai where we had a buffet style lunch then chilled out on an idillic beach before heading back to Koh Lanta.

Once back at the hostel, we had a quick shower then watched the sunset and had food and a cocktail at a nearby beach bar.

We left Koh Lanta at 10.30am and arrived into Krabi about 3 hours later. After a few days of sun and snorkelling, we were happy to have a slow day here. We had lunch and planned how we were getting to Penang then walked down the street to see the black crab statue. In the evening we visited a local market and the markets of walking street where we treated ourselves to fresh fruit juice and a chocolate brownie each before heading back to our Harry Potter-themed hostel!

The next morning we left Krabi for Penang, Malaysia at 10.30am.

Accommodation:

Koh Lanta:

El Greco Bungalows, 1 night, 800 baht for a private double bungalow. This was a really clean bungalow with the comfiest bed we've slept in so far! The bathroom was also fairly big, but the shower wasn't the most powerful. There was a patio area outside the bungalow with some chairs and a table which would be perfect for a few drinks in the evening. We also got 10% discount at the Greek restaurant onsite which was a bonus. The owner was also kind enough to keep us supplied with water for our stay, and gave us desert on the house with our meal. 8/10. Blanco hostel, 2 nights, 300 baht per night for a dorm bed. It's sister hostel on Koh Phi Phi is a well-renown crazy party hostel, so we were a bit dubious about staying here, but it turned out to be perfect for us. Clean, spacious dorms and and a social but chilled vibe in the evenings, this beachside hostel was great for catching up on some sleep after a day of snorkelling. Breakfast of unlimited toast, jam and fruit was also included. 9/10. Krabi: Hogwarts Hostel, 1 night, 280 baht per night for a dorm bed. Obviously, this hostel was Harry Potter themed which was awesome! The dorms were really clean, the beds had built-in steps to the top 'bunk' rather than an awkward ladder, and there were curtains around the beds which made them feel really private. Breakfast of toast, cereal and bananas was included. The dorms didn't have a bathroom in them, but all showers and toilets were the floor below us which wasn't a massive issue. It wasn't a social hostel but a really nice place to stay for a night. 9/10.