Koh Lanta Old Town, Ban Si Raya, is the old trading village on the island's east coast, with wooden shophouses on stilts over the water and the island's post office. It makes an easy half-day trip from the west-coast beaches, best combined with the Urak Lawoi village of Sang Ka U nearby.
Most visitors to Koh Lanta never leave the west coast, where the beaches and almost all the hotels are. The east coast faces the mainland, has mangroves instead of swimming beaches and feels like a different island. Ban Si Raya is the reason to cross: a village that was once the island's link to the outside world and is still its administrative "capital", as the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) puts it.
This page covers the Old Town and its people. For the beaches, see our guide to Koh Lanta's beaches from north to south; for the island as a whole, our Koh Lanta guide.
Lanta Old Town at a glance (November 2026)
- Names
- Lanta Old Town, Ban Si Raya (also Sriraya, Sri Raya), Ban Koh Lanta
- Where
- East coast of Koh Lanta Yai, Krabi province
- What is there
- Wooden stilt shophouses, the post office, the community museum in the old district office
- Nearby
- Ban Sang Ka U, an Urak Lawoi (Chao Leh) village
- Festival
- Lanta Lanta Festival, held in March; 2026: Friday 27 to Sunday 29 March
- Banks, clinics, boats
- At Saladan in the north, not in the Old Town
From trading port to the island's capital
Long before the beach resorts, Koh Lanta made its living from the sea and from trade. A 2008 feature in the Thai newspaper MGR describes it as an island that used to be a commercial port trading with foreign countries, with old Muslim, Buddhist and Chao Leh communities. The east coast, sheltered and facing the mainland, was where that trade happened, and Ban Si Raya grew up around it.
In 2011 the governor of Krabi said the old-town community has a history of more than 500 years, and that its houses still keep the architecture of old Chinese homes. Treat the 500 years as a round figure rather than a date. He also said that 2011 marked 110 years since the Koh Lanta district office was founded, which explains why the Old Town became the seat of local government.
The same MGR feature remembers Si Raya as a lively place at night, with rong ngeng dancing, rammana drums and a cinema. Today the island's commercial life has moved north. TAT places the main arrival point, the tourist office, banks, clinics, markets and motorbike rental at Ban Saladan, where the boats and car ferry passengers come in. The Old Town keeps the post office and its role as the island's administrative capital.
The stilt shophouses and the waterfront
The reason to come is the main street itself. Old wooden houses line the waterfront, many of them raised on stilts, and the governor's description of old Chinese-style homes fits what you see. Walk it slowly and look at the buildings themselves rather than for a single sight.
People live and work here, so treat it as a neighborhood rather than a museum. Keep to the street, ask before you photograph people, and do not walk onto private platforms behind the houses. A morning visit, before the midday heat, shows the street at its most ordinary and pleasant.
Bring cash from Saladan. TAT puts the island's banks at Saladan, not in the Old Town. If you plan to eat, shop or pay a museum entry on the east coast, take cash with you from the north or from your resort area.
We could not confirm any scheduled boat service from the Old Town's waterfront to the islands to the south or to the mainland in 2026. All the regular boats and the car ferry route described in our guide to getting from Krabi to Koh Lanta arrive in the north of the island.
Three communities in one village
Koh Lanta's people are a mix, and the Old Town shows it more clearly than anywhere else on the island. At the opening of the 2011 festival, the show presented four groups living together: Thai Buddhists, Thai Muslims, Thai-Chinese, and the Chao Leh, the Urak Lawoi sea people, also called "Thai Mai" (new Thais). The governor called the Chao Leh the first community to settle on Koh Lanta, which he put at about 500 to 600 years ago.
For visitors, the mix shows up in the food. If you eat halal, ask whether a restaurant is Muslim-run; our guide to halal and vegetarian food in Thailand explains the halal logo and what to ask for. Dress modestly in the village, with shoulders covered; our page on beachwear and dress rules in Thailand explains where swimwear stops being acceptable.
The community museum in the old district office
The Ko Lanta Community Museum is housed in the old Koh Lanta district office, a building from the reign of King Rama V in a Western colonial style. According to MGR, restoring it as a museum was a community project after the 2004 tsunami, carried out by the Lanta community recovery network. The builders came from villages across the island, including Ban Jae Lee, Si Raya and Sang Ka U.
Our source for the museum dates from 2008, and we could not confirm its current opening hours or entry fee. Check locally, or ask at your accommodation, before you plan the day around it.
Ban Sang Ka U, the Urak Lawoi village
Near the Old Town is Ban Sang Ka U, a village of the Urak Lawoi, one of the Chao Leh or sea peoples of the Andaman coast. TAT lists it as one of Koh Lanta's three highlights under the name "Sea Gypsy House (Baan Sangka U)". The Urak Lawoi call themselves Lawoi, and many people find the label "sea gypsies" disrespectful, so we use their own name.
The village is in Moo 7 of Koh Lanta Yai subdistrict and had more than 400 Urak Lawoi residents in 2019, according to the Thai newspaper Khaosod. Sang Ka U means "manta ray". Villagers believe a manta ray led their ancestors to Koh Lanta, and a rock pile called Hin Ngue, where they plant red flags, is revered as its home. Urak Lawoi on Koh Lipe and Adang, far to the south, believe their ancestors came from Koh Lanta. Another Urak Lawoi community, To Ba Liu (Sala Dam), lives in Saladan subdistrict.
This is a residential village, not a show. Walk quietly, ask before taking photographs, keep away from the shrine on the rocks unless invited, and buy food or crafts from residents rather than giving money or sweets to children. The same approach applies to the Moken village described in our guide to the Surin Islands. If you would like to stay with a local family on the island, our page on homestays in Thailand explains how community stays are organized and booked.
The Lanta Lanta Festival in March
The Old Town's big event is the Lanta Lanta Festival, held in March on the old street. The Thai government's portal lists the 21st edition from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 March 2026, with multicultural parades, cultural shows, exhibitions on local life, live music and local food. Its 2026 special feature was the "Hermit Crab Homecoming" exhibition by Mu Ko Lanta National Park, which the government says won a Green Destinations Top 100 Story award at ITB Berlin 2026.
Ignore the April dates for 2026 on some commercial websites; the official dates were in March. Earlier editions included rong ngeng dances by Urak Lawoi groups, a song-and-dance form sung in Malay that mixes European and Asian traditions. No 2027 date had been published in November 2026, so watch for the announcement early in the year.
Getting there and making a day of the east coast
Koh Lanta Yai is over 30 km long and about 6 km wide, according to TAT, with a paved road running north to south. From Saladan you follow the main road down the island; from Klong Nin on the west coast, a road crosses the island to the east coast and the Old Town. We could not find an official figure for the distance from Saladan, so ask your hotel how long the ride takes from where you are staying. Most visitors come by rented scooter, car or the island's sidecar taxis.
Half a day is enough for the street, the museum and Sang Ka U. Combine it with a morning at the national park at the end of the road south, where our page on Mu Ko Lanta National Park and its lighthouse covers the fee and the trail. If you like the slower, village side of the Andaman, the small island between Krabi and Lanta covered in our guide to Koh Jum is worth a look.
Frequently asked questions
Is Koh Lanta Old Town worth visiting?
Yes, for half a day. The stilt shophouses, the community museum and the Urak Lawoi village of Sang Ka U show a side of the island that the beach strip does not. It is a short street, so combine it with the east coast or the national park rather than making it a whole day.
Where is the Old Town on Koh Lanta?
On the east coast of Koh Lanta Yai, facing the mainland. It is also called Ban Si Raya or Ban Koh Lanta. The boats and the car ferry arrive at Saladan in the north, so you reach the Old Town by road down the island.
When is the Lanta Lanta Festival?
It is held in March in the Old Town. The 21st festival ran from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 March 2026, according to the Thai government portal. The 2027 dates had not been announced in November 2026.
Can you visit the Urak Lawoi village on Koh Lanta?
Yes. TAT lists Ban Sang Ka U among the island's highlights. It is a living village, so walk quietly, ask before taking photos, respect the shrine on the rocks and buy from residents rather than handing out money or sweets.
Sources
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – Ko Lanta (checked November 2026)
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – Ko Lanta attraction page (checked November 2026)
- Thai government portal – 21st Lanta Lanta Festival, March 2026 (checked November 2026)
- MGR Online – Lanta Lanta Festival at Ban Si Raya, 9 March 2011 (Thai) (checked November 2026)
- MGR Online – Koh Lanta's old town and community museum, 6 January 2008 (Thai) (checked November 2026)
- Khaosod Technology Chaoban – Ban Sang Ka U, the Urak Lawoi of Koh Lanta, 15 February 2019 (Thai) (checked November 2026)