Andaman Sea, Krabi Province
The island is long and narrow, with one road down the west side through Klong Dao, Long Beach, Klong Khong, Klong Nin and Kantiang Bay, each a separate bay facing west over open sea. They get quieter the further south you go, and by Kantiang and Bamboo Bay you are on beaches with a single resort and jungle behind. For a sunset session the question is not whether the light will be good but which bay suits you: wide and flat in the north, smaller and framed by headlands in the south. The island is quiet by design — no big town, no high-rise, almost no nightlife south of Long Beach — which is why families and long-stay couples choose it, and why a session here rarely has anyone else in the frame. Distances are real, though: from Saladan in the north down to Kantiang is the better part of an hour by road. On the east coast, Lanta Old Town is a different picture — wooden shophouses on stilts over the water, a pier, fishing boats. It faces east across to the mainland, so it is lit from the front in the morning and in shade by the afternoon; combining it with a western sunset on the same day means a morning and an evening, not one long session. The southern tip is Mu Ko Lanta National Park, with its lighthouse on a headland; it charges an entrance fee, has monkeys that know what a bag is, and drones need the park’s permission. Most visitors get around Lanta by scooter; for a session we meet at your hotel or on the beach, and if the second location is in another bay we move by car, not with the outfit on the back of a bike.
Lanta is busy from November to April and quieter than Phuket or Krabi even then. From May to October the monsoon arrives on the west coast in full: big surf, rain, and many resorts and restaurants close for the season, while boat links from Phi Phi and Ao Nang are reduced to what the weather allows. The road connection from the mainland keeps the island reachable all year. Low-season sessions are possible and the island is green and empty, but they need flexibility on the day.
Here is where to shoot in Koh Lanta, with ideal times and permit notes.
A deep, west-facing bay in the south, enclosed by jungle-covered headlands, with fine sand and a calm swimming sea in the dry season. It has the shape that the long northern beaches lack — the headlands frame the sunset on both sides.
Several kilometres of open sand in the middle of the west coast, close to most of the island’s accommodation. Wide enough at low tide for running and walking shots with the whole sky in the frame — the practical choice when you want a big, simple sunset.
A century-old trading village of wooden houses built out over the water on the east coast, looking across to the mainland islands. Lit from the front in the morning, flat and in shade after lunch. Quiet, slow, and the one place on Lanta that is about people rather than the beach.
A white lighthouse on a grassy headland at the southern tip of the island, between two rocky coves. A short walk from the park office. The monkeys here steal food and bags, so everything stays zipped and in hand.
A west-facing beach with scattered rocks along the waterline, halfway down the island. The rocks give foreground and texture to the sunset that the smooth northern beaches do not, and the beach bars here are low-key.
These beaches and areas come under the Koh Lanta rate: the photographer comes to you at no extra charge, and the session costs exactly the same.
By road from Krabi airport, roughly two hours including the short car ferry crossing; or by boat from Phi Phi or Ao Nang in the dry season. We cover Lanta for guests staying on the island rather than bringing people across for a session.
All the west-coast beaches get the sunset over the sea. Long Beach and Klong Dao are wide and open; Klong Nin has rocks in the foreground; Kantiang Bay is framed by headlands and the most photogenic of the three. We usually choose the one nearest to your hotel.
The island is, but much of it slows down: many resorts and restaurants close from about May to October, the sea is rough on the west coast and boat connections are reduced. Sessions still happen, with a flexible time and the session on the sand rather than in the water.
