Anchoring is possible all along the West coast during the NE monsoon (Dec – Mar) with the more southerly bays offering the most beautiful and secluded backdrops, whilst the more Northerly beaches offer a greater range of facilities as these are the most populous tourist spots. There are some rocks (shown on the chart) but these are all within a few meters of the beach. If you stand off at least 300m you will be in safe water.
Holding is generally good on a sand bottom in 3-7m with the exception of Klong Kong beach which has a rocky bottom in places, making it difficult to find comfortable swinging room and more difficult for the dinghy at low water.
Anchoring on the East coast is possible all year round with the best area being near to ‘Old Town’ in 3-5m with a sticky mud bottom. The pier gives all tide access to the town with its provisions and restaurants etc, making this an excellent anchorage during the SW monsoon. During the early part of the NE monsoon (Jan/Feb) the wind is occasionally strong and, whilst the anchorage remains safe, it is more comfortable in the lee of neighboring Ko Po(Por) a few hundred meters away.
The area to the North of ‘Old Town’ is generally too shallow to navigate at anything other than HWS and thus not tenable as an anchorage.
The Islands to the east of Lanta offer good protection in both seasons.
The normal approaches to ko Lanta are from the NW if cruising from Phuket or Phi Phi and from the SW – SE if cruising from langkawi or any of the islands to the South of Lanta. There are no significant dangers on the approaches from either direction.
For West coast destinations; stand off 500 metres until you reach your ’spot’ and head in perpendicular to the shoreline and anchor in 3-8 metres. Make sure you set your anchor properly as there can be significant sea breezes at times and wind ‘reversals’ and ‘bullets’ are not uncommon, (because of the high ridge in the center of the island) in the strong part of the NE monsoon (Jan-Feb). The sea breeze usually dies with the sun.
For East cost anchorages and islands; head mid channel between Ko Lanta/Ko Kluang to port and Ko Po (Por) to stbd and anchor off the town pier at Old Town, or the pier at Ko Por. There are tidal overfalls to the South of the Island, extending for a few hundred metres to the South of the Lighthouse. It is deep water and no danger to yachts but for your comfort, a wider turn maybe better, particularly in the SW monsoon when heading from the North to anchor on the East coast.
Ko Lanta Yai is 6km wide and over 30km long, located approximately 70km from Krabi Town. The island has 9 attractive white sandy beaches, with splendid scenery all around the island. The eastern coastline has many small islands with beaches, caves and most are heavily forested. Coral reefs and under water life can be found on the Islands to the W and SE of Ko Lanta Yai. The island is divided by a mountain range that runs from North to South with the beaches and tourist resorts lying to the west of this range. The East side of the island remains largely unchanged by tourism, with communities of Sea Gypsies, Muslims, Thai Chinese and Thai Buddhist all living in harmony, as they have for many generations. The area between Ko Lanta Yai and Ko Lanta Nio is given over to a mangrove forest with many channels that are navigable by dinghy or Kayak.
A paved road runs along the West coast beaches all the way from the northern part of the island (Ban Saladan) to Kantiang Bay in the South, with partially paved roads from there to the headquarters of the Mu Ko Lanta National Park in the far south. Paved roads also run from Ban Saladan down the East coast through local villages and communities to [Lanta 'Old Town'] and on to the Sea Gypsy village of Sang Ga U. These roads form a ‘ring’ road of the island with the only break being the National Park area. There are 2 further paved roads that cross the island making access to all parts of the island easy and safe on hired scooters or cars.