Photographers on Koh Lanta

Koh Lanta is the island people choose when they want the Andaman without the bustle. Its west coast is one beach after another, each facing the sunset, with soft sand and calm water in the dry season — a natural fit for families with small children and for couples who want an unhurried evening session. The east coast is a different island: Lanta Old Town, once a stop for traders sailing the coast, is a single street of wooden shophouses and century-old stilt houses over the water, with a Chinese shrine and wooden piers that look their best in soft morning light. At the southern tip, Mu Ko Lanta National Park ends in a rocky headland with a white lighthouse above the sea and a short forest trail. Lanta has no airport — the nearest is Krabi — and is reached by road and ferry, which keeps it quieter than Phuket. The dry season from about November to April is the time to come; from May to October the monsoon brings rain and rough seas, and some boat services run less often or stop.