4 Islands Tour – Koh Lanta

A snorkeling tour of 4 islands near Koh Lanta in Thailand that we did in April 2019.

Date: April 17, 2019 Weather: 100’s (ºF), sunny, humid Islands: Koh Ngai, Koh Chuak, Koh Kradan, Koh Mook (Emerald Cave) Cost for 2 people: 2000 baht; $64.89 USD

Purchased tickets from Lanta Together Tour & Motorbike for Rent in person. The rental place was right across the street from our hotel. We rented our motorbike from them as well.

We set our alarm for 7am so we had time to eat before the boat was going to pick us up. We went out on the beach 10 minutes before 8:20am (our pick up time) and waited for the boat to get there. It’s pretty cool that they literally come right up on the beach to pick you up.

When the boat got there we walked out to it and got on. They made 3 more stops to pick up people before we headed out to the four islands. It was a 25 minute ride to the first island, Koh Ngai. We got off there and went snorkeling for about 45-50 minutes.

It was incredible! There were tons of fish, many with bright, beautiful colors. If I just floated and held still they would surround me and swim really close. There were beautiful, tiny bright blue ones; stripped white, yellow, and black ones (Sergeant Major.) We saw a few moorish idol (like the black and white stripped fish from Finding Nemo). My favorite was the multicolored ones that looked like a beautiful oil spill except better (Rainbow Parrotfish.)

After we snorkeled for a while, we got back in the boat and they took us over to the next island, Koh Chuak, except this one had no beach around it. It just had rock coming straight up from the water. We jumped in the water and snorkeled around there for about 1/2 an hour.

The water was deeper than where we’d been snorkeling before, but there were still a lot of fish, but more were on the ocean floor. There was a large school of tiny silver fish that would change directions depending on how I moved. It was really cool. We saw more Sergeant Major; they seem to be the most prolific.Some of the tour boat guides got in the water and free dived. It was cool seeing how deep they could go and how long they could hold their breath.

Next we went to Koh Kradan where we had an hour and 15 minute break. The water near the shoreline was incredible! We got out and they provided us with lunch on the beach. They had some vegetable stir fry which I ate, as well as some pineapple and watermelon.

After lunch I took some pictures of the beach, then Dad and I went snorkeling the rest of the time. There weren’t as many fish at the reef, there was a strong current, especially when the boats came in. We snorkeled until it was time to go. I started to feel worn out from all the swimming.

We then went on to Koh Mook to the Emerald Cave. We all put on life jackets and jumped into the water. You wouldn’t know there was a cave unless you knew the area. The guide said it was about 80 meters to the lagoon. So we swam through the cave. There was one section where it was really dark, but if you just kept going you could see the light really soon.

There was a lot of seaweed and leaves in the water that would touch and wrap around my legs which totally freaked me out. I’m not big on caves and I’m definitely not big on things touching me when I’m in the water.

Once we got the the other side we came out in the lagoon. It was so rewarding. Rocks went up on all sides and were covered in jungle. It was nearly vertical on every side. There was no way in or out except through the cave. There were quite a few butterflies. We were there for about 20 minutes and then we swam back through the cave and got back on the boat.

It was hard to climb back on because the life jacket was soaked and would pull me down in the water when I was trying to pull up. One of the guides grabbed the back of my life jacket and helped pull me up. They did that for a lot of people. Then it was about a 25 minute boat ride back to the part of Koh Lanta where everyone was staying.

We stopped by a fisherman’s boat on the way back. They were dropping off some water for him. He had a really big fish he caught that we got to see. We arrived back at our hotel sometime between 3-3:30pm. I was exhausted!

This was one of my favorite days from our trip in Thailand. It was so cool to get to see what’s beneath the surface of the blue water. My favorite island on the 4-island tour was Koh Kradan because the water was unbelievably gorgeous. A lot of water is pretty from a distance, but not as pretty when standing right next to the edge of the water. But Koh Kradan’s water was just as pretty from a distance as when I was standing knee deep in it. It was the most beautiful water I saw my whole trip in Thailand.

I’ve always loved reefs and getting to see the water ecosystem. This was the perfect way to do it. I’d definitely recommend taking a snorkeling tour if you’re ever in Thailand.

I’d like to go back to Thailand sometime and get my PADI Scuba Diving Certification. That way I can go even deeper in the ocean and see things up close for longer.

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