Feeding monkeys in the mangroves by long-tail boat on Koh Lanta, Thailand!

Text & Photos byHappy Cloud

Our itinerary on Koh Lanta was pretty laid-back. Since we were visiting during the rainy season, the weather was unpredictable every day, so we had to stay flexible. On good weather days, we’d head out to sea for some fun, and on bad weather days, we’d just explore the island—Up!!

While renting a scooter, we were pitched an island-hopping tour. When we mentioned the weather concerns, the owner assured us: “The weather will be great. If not, I’ll give you your money back...”

He sounded as confident as if he were the Almighty himself. Maybe it was that confidence that made us book a sea tour with him on Koh Lanta. Hahaha, not because we hoped for a refund, but because we wished his confidence would bring us good weather too!!

Before heading out to sea in the morning, we took a little detour to the northern part of the island.

Koh Lanta is bigger than we imagined, and its beaches are more beautiful than expected. I wonder what the sea trip will be like??

When we returned at the agreed time, our pickup vehicle was already there. We asked how many people were joining.

He said: Just us. Hahaha, is this a VIP tour? Earlier in the morning, our schedules didn’t align, and he mentioned that a private boat would cost 8,000–12,000 Thai baht, but joining a group would only be 1,000 baht per person. So, we ended up joining a four-hour afternoon tour and set off by long-tail boat.

After being picked up by the vehicle, we arrived at a place we’d never been to before. Checking the map, we realized it was actually Green Lanta State Park. The long-tail boat didn’t depart from the beach but from the forest!

When we got there, we met two foreign beauties. It was the four of us setting out to sea today, hahaha. Isn’t this almost like having a private boat?? The staff gave us life jackets, gave a brief safety talk, and we were ready to set sail!!

We walked across a bridge and boarded the boat. There were two staff members on board—one was the boat driver, and the other assisted with water activities and helped the boatman. Hmm~~~ haha, two staff for four guests—this was definitely a VIP experience!!

Cruising along the river surrounded by familiar mangroves,

Before long, we headed out to the open sea. The weather was indeed sunny, with blue skies, white clouds, and crystal-clear waters—so beautiful and refreshing!!

The long-tail boat is a bit slower than a speedboat, which allows you to better appreciate the scenery along the way. It definitely felt different from the hotel shuttle boat we took yesterday.

Our first stop was a small island that seemed to appear and disappear with the tides. After the boatman parked the boat, he let us go explore.

Another staff member wrote “KOHUNG” on the island. Hmm~~ Is that the island’s name? Or does it just mean “island”??

I couldn’t quite catch what he said. He picked up a crab leg shell and gave it to me, saying the crabs here are huge!! Hmm~~ But I didn’t see any actual crabs!!

After exploring the island and chatting a bit, he learned we were staying at Pimalai and told us it’s the best resort on the island, even having its own boat that shuttles back and forth here daily... Hmm~~ No wonder—it really is the best resort on Koh Lanta!!

After wandering around the island for fifteen minutes, we headed to our next destination. That spot in the distance was our target.

It looked far away, but it was actually quite close. The long-tail boat was faster than we thought!!

We arrived at Kau Dalabeng (or so we think!). The internet signal was unstable, and based on the aerial map and location, we guessed it must be this place!!

This island seemed to be uninhabited. After parking the long-tail boat, we waded into the water and walked toward the island. The staff had somehow pulled out a canoe from somewhere on the island.

Hmm~~~ For this part of the journey, we paddled the canoe around the island and nearby areas. Ah~~~ It was my first time kayaking in the open sea. Though it wasn’t my first time kayaking, it was definitely the most serious attempt I’ve ever made!!

Hahaha, wow!! Kayaking in the sea wasn’t as easy as I imagined, and later we even experienced cloudy and rainy weather. Ah~~~ What an unforgettable experience!!

While kayaking, we saw small islands that looked like elephants, bat caves, and the snake-shaped rocks we saw yesterday on the boat ride to Pimalai. Ah~~~~ I’ll never forget seeing Pimalai boats passing through this area every day. These natural sights are also a livelihood resource for the locals!!

As we paddled the canoe and got a closer look at the island, there were quite a few unique rock formations. Compared to the foreign girls on the boat, we clearly lacked athletic ability.

We paddled clumsily and stupidly, worried about capsizing and getting our cameras wet, so we only took a few simple photos. Most of the memories are etched in our minds.

The island didn’t look very big on the map, but paddling a canoe, it somehow felt endless.

There used to be a family of monkeys at one of the island’s bays, but for some reason, they didn’t show up today.

Hmm!! That’s just as well—otherwise, if the monkeys came to snatch our bags or paddles, we definitely wouldn’t win that fight!!

Circling the island and the fjords, sometimes stopping to enjoy the view, other times paddling hard with our heads down, it was actually quite physically demanding!!

Sometimes the water was calm, but other times there were waves, which really kept our nerves on edge—afraid that a sudden wave might capsize the boat.

We think we paddled for about one or two hours (or so), having circled the island (we think), even venturing into some smaller inlets, and even reaching a spot where the staff said there was a connecting path—but it’s deep nearby!!

Hahaha, the clouds can’t swim, so they didn’t try. Two foreign girls with us immediately took off their clothes, revealing their swimsuits, snapped some beautiful photos, and then one of them plunged into the sea to become a mermaid!!

Hmm~~~ While paddling the canoe, I accidentally swallowed some water and realized how salty the sea here is. I wonder if she felt the same while swimming??

After playing for a while, we got back into the canoe and continued toward where the boat was, enjoying the strange rocks along the way and exercising our imaginations!!

Back on the long-tail boat, the staff pulled the canoe back to a spot on the island and stowed it away. We prepared to leave Kau Dalabeng and head back the way we came. By then, it was already dark, and rain had started to fall!!

The staff brought out some fruit—wow~~~ Where did they have that hidden?? It was ice-cold fruit. As we braved the wind and waves and ate the fruit, accompanied by a light rain, we slowly made our way back to the mangrove area.

He asked us, “Is the monkey okay??” At first, we didn’t understand what he meant, but then we got it—he was asking if it was okay for the monkey to climb on us.

He used leftover fruit peels as bait to lure the monkeys onto the boat, letting us get up close.

Hahaha, these monkeys are no pushovers—they’re a bit intimidating. Aside from snatching the peels from our hands, some even went straight for the fruit plate and grabbed the leftovers we hadn’t finished. Ah~~~ They’re really smart!!

We used the peels to attract the monkeys closer and took some close-up photos. But these monkeys that came aboard also peed and pooped on the boat—hahaha, what rascals!!

The long-tail boat stopped at two spots in the mangroves, each home to a different monkey family.

Monkeys that didn’t make it off the boat in time, seeing it about to leave, jumped into the water and swam back to shore.

We headed to the next mangrove area with another monkey family—this one had the monkey king!!

The staff warned us to be careful, saying the monkey king had a bad temper and was a bit fierce, so we needed to be cautious when feeding him.

There were also mother monkeys with babies, who seemed to have a harder time getting food, so we set some aside for them.

Getting up close with them, we discovered that the soft part of a monkey’s palm is really squishy!!

Hehehe, that was my first time finding that out. We asked the staff if the monkeys had names, and he said no.

Does feeding the monkeys like this affect the ecosystem?? I don’t have an answer, but this journey was certainly fun!!

Venturing out to sea, in the brackish zone where saltwater meets freshwater, the mangrove area where these monkey groups live—what an interesting trip, with such diverse sights, really great!!

As the sky gradually darkened, the boat slowly made its way back. After disembarking, we walked back along the path and waited to be picked up again. The long-tail boat trip around Lanta Island was natural and raw.

The scenery along the way wasn’t touristy or commercial—friends who love nature and the wild should definitely give it a try next time!!

There are also speedboat trips that go even farther—I think I’ll wait until after Krabi before heading out to sea!!

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