Potholes and Waterfalls: Koh Lanta By Road

The best and most commonly used way of getting around this island is by moped, but if like us you don’t ride then there are tuk tuks and backs of trucks, but it’s around 300-350 baht each way to cross the island, so hiring a small car for 24 hours at 1200 baht is a decent option.

A grocery store near our home in Klong Nin has hire cars available; there’s no insurance forms to complete, you can’t pay by card (cash only), they don’t even check driving licences. They take no deposit, but instead hold my passport hostage until we return the car. Husband is slightly moody as he hands the key over and we can’t help but suspect that we are simply borrowing the family car for the 1200 baht fee. 

The roads are bumpy and potholed, either dusty as hell or muddy if the water lorry has passed through, littered with mopeds and tuk tuks. Tight bends, steep hills. Consequently the driving is like the way of life here; slow and courteous.

First we head south, towards the national park at the southern tip, though the 12km drive is punctuated by regular viewpoint stops along the beautiful coastline. 

Despite the heat, a couple of hikes form part of today’s plan. First up we follow a steep trail through the forest within the national park, colossal trees with spectacular root structures, heavy vines draped between boughs. But the real joy of the day comes with our second walk stop…

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Leaving the car in a dusty clearing, we head off past an emerald pool up into the forest, following the upstream route of a mountain stream which must be a torrent in the rainy season. The path is brilliant, crisscrossing the water, clambering over rocks and fallen trees, sometimes alongside the stream, sometimes high above it. We see large lizards, stunning butterflies, chattering monkeys, and eventually come to the target destination close to the spring which is the source of the river. Here, high up towards the centre of the island, deep into the forest, the cold fresh spring water cascades over a waterfall into a natural pool. Wading across the pool, we stand under the waterfall, showering in the cold spring water which feels wonderfully refreshing on our overheated bodies. The feeling is one of exhilaration. It’s a beautiful experience. 

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Back to the car, it’s now over the very top of the island and on to the dirt road on the eastern shore, to the end of the road at Sang Kha Ou, a so called “sea gipsy village” where the Chao Leh people live, very different from the resort shores just a matter of kilometres away. A couple of faces appear, another beaming Thai smile, even here there is only friendliness.

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Buying petrol here is an experience. Petrol stations are rare and for the most part you pull up at a single, unmanned self service pump, usually outside a grocery store. It’s cash only; you pay first and then fill up, pushing buttons at the right moment. At our first fill up, we are working through our confusion when inevitably, a neighbour offers to help. Once done, the MO becomes clear. Interesting though that this particular neighbour is standing just a few feet from the petrol pump – and he’s lighting his barbecue. Health & Safety? Oi vay!

Our day on the island’s roads is completed with a return to Saladan, its Walking Street again alive with the fantastic street food aromas. Night driving is even more of an obstacle course: potholes jump out at you, roughly a third of all mopeds have no lights. Pedestrians loom out of the dark on unlit roads. Little wonder the pace is slow.

Today means we’ve now seen the greater part of this lovely island. The following morning we return the car, carefully operating another standalone petrol pump to ensure the amount of fuel in the tank is right, wanting to avoid a charge and wanting to do the right thing. We happily return the car without a scratch. We hand over the key, she returns my passport. She doesn’t even check the car, let alone the fuel level.

Laid back or what.