#I love reading too deep into things so hop into my scuba with me please

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                   Tuvok “If you know that I’m lonely” - FUR

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Koh Lanta is the perfect Thai island for us. It’s not too developed or crowded but has enough facilities to live comfortably.

We love the laid-back atmosphere, long empty beaches, jungle-covered mountains, and spectacular sunsets. There are plenty of places to eat and things to do in Koh Lanta and there’s accommodation for all budgets.

We’ve visited three times and have spent over five months on the island in total. It’s the ideal island for both holiday makers and digital nomads.

Our Koh Lanta guide shares all our tips including the best things to do and places to eat, where to stay, and how to get there. It also includes a video so you can see for yourself why we love this beautiful island so much.

This post was originally published in 2012 and was most recently updated in 2019 after our latest visit.

The Best Things To Do in Koh Lanta

Tour the Island by Scooter

We do love zipping around on a moped and Koh Lanta is a great place for it (much easier than the crazy roads on Koh Jum or in the busy cities).

Koh Lanta is quite a large island (27 km long) so having your own transport makes it easy to explore. The roads are mostly paved (although with plenty of potholes), there is no traffic, and it’s hard to get lost when there’s only one road that goes around the island and a couple that cut across it.

If you rent a moped you’ll be able to explore many of our Koh Lanta itinerary suggestions below, but it’s also just fun to drive around enjoying the views and stopping off at quiet beaches.

If you don’t want to hire a motorbike, you could rent a car (much more expensive) or bicycle (but be prepared for the heat and big hills in the south). You could also take a local taxi—a tuk-tuk with a sidecar attached to a motorbike, but this will be more expensive. 

If you rent a motorbike make sure your travel insurance covers you as accidents do happen. We recommend True Traveller (for UK/EU residents) and World Nomads (worldwide). Both of these are available if you are already travelling, so if you forgot to buy insurance before you left home, there’s still time to buy a policy. 

Read our Koh Lanta scooter post for tips on learning to drive and renting a bike. 

Take a Walk on Long Beach

Long Beach (Pra-Ae) is the longest and one of the most attractive beaches on Koh Lanta. It’s in the north of the island and is a great place to stay if you want to be close to the action as there are plenty of restaurants and a wide range of accommodation—see our post on the best Koh Lanta hotels for recommendations. 

The golden sand is backed by casuarina trees and the warm clear water is perfect for swimming. It never gets too busy as there’s plenty of space for everyone. We love walking here at sunset. 

Just south of Long Beach you can find the lovely small bays Relax Bay and Lanta Secret Beach (also known as Beautiful Beach). 

Secret Beach

Laze on Koh Lanta’s Southern Beaches

Kantiang Bay

Koh Lanta beaches get quieter and even more beautiful the further south you go along the west coast.

Our favourites for day trips are at the very south—Kantiang Bay, Waterfall Bay (Ao Klong Jark) and Bamboo Bay (Ao Mai Pai). You can combine a trip to Waterfall Bay with a hike to the nearby waterfall.

Bamboo Bay, Koh Lanta

Explore Koh Lanta National Park

Beach at Koh Lanta National Park

For another beautiful empty beach keep driving even further south until you reach the end of the road at Koh Lanta’s National Park. There’s a 200 baht ($5.20) entrance fee, but you can then hike trails, visit the lighthouse, and relax on the beach.

Just watch out for the monkeys though—Simon got attacked by one that was trying to get into our bag in search of food. And please don’t feed the monkeys and encourage this kind of behaviour.

If you do get scratched or bitten by a monkey (or dog) you’ll need to get a rabies vaccination straight away and then four more at intervals over the following month.

Stroll Around Koh Lanta Old Town

Lanta Old Town

The west coast is where all the beaches are, but we also enjoy visiting the less developed east coast over the lush green mountains.

It’s quiet and peaceful here with a few small settlements of simple bamboo huts and the historic Old Town—a village of teak stilted houses overlooking the sea.

There are only a few shops and restaurants so it won’t take long to explore, but it makes a good break from the beaches.

Island Hop on the 4 Island Boat Tour

Kayaking at Koh Ngai

One of our favourite Koh Lanta activities was taking a day trip to visit the Trang Islands with Freedom Adventures. We spent the day snorkelling, kayaking, and island hopping around the gorgeous limestone islands.

Our snorkelling spot Koh Maa

The highlight of the 4 island tour was definitely visiting the Emerald Cave. Swimming through the cave the water really did glow emerald green before it became pitch black. When we reached the other end of the cave we emerged into the sunlight to find a hidden white sandy beach surrounded by limestone cliffs. We’ve never visited anywhere like it.

Emerald Cave

There are many boat trips to choose from, but we chose Freedom Adventures because their boat is large and comfortable (with a toilet), they limit groups to 16 people (there were only 4 of us in low season), and they bring kayaks. Our guide Ned was friendly and helpful and we had a hot Thai lunch cooked aboard the boat.

A full day boat trip with Freedom Adventures costs 1600 baht ($51) per person including pick up/drop off from your hotel, lunch, fruit, water, soft drinks, kayaks, snorkelling gear and national marine park fees.

The 4 islands are closed from June to September. 

Snorkel at Koh Rok 

Snorkelling at Koh Rok

Another beautiful day trip from Koh Lanta is to Koh Rok. Freedom Adventures doesn’t offer group trips to Koh Rok so we had to charter the entire boat, but as there were six of us this worked out to be only slightly more expensive than taking one of the group speedboat trips.

When we got to Koh Rok and saw how crowded the speedboats were, even at the end of the season, we were happy with our decision as we had plenty of space to spread out and we got to visit quieter spots.

The Koh Rok trips focus on snorkelling as it’s known to have some of the best snorkelling in the area. It took us about two hours to get to Koh Rok, but as we had plenty of space to relax, either undercover or on the sunny roof deck, this wasn’t a problem.

During the day we had plenty of time at three different snorkelling spots, lunch onboard the boat, and time to relax on a private beach away from the other tour groups.

Simon kayaking at the empty beach we stopped at

It was a true beach paradise with soft white sand and crystal clear turquoise water. You can do camping trips to Koh Rok and it would be amazing to have this undeveloped island to yourself.

The snorkelling was decent, but as you’d expect, not as good as the dive trip to Koh Haa we did from Koh Lanta. We still enjoyed exploring the underwater world and saw plenty of life including titan triggerfish, Moorish idols, false clownfish, and parrotfish.

If you only have time for one boat trip, I’d choose the Four Island trip to see the stunning Emerald Cave, but Koh Rok is also worth it.

Again we recommend Freedom Adventures for the more spacious boat and their ability to avoid the crowds. Our only issue on this trip was that considering half of us were vegetarian or vegan there wasn’t quite enough vegetarian food.

A private day boat charter to Koh Rok with Freedom Adventures costs 10,000 THB ($320) for 1-2 people or 13,000 THB ($417) for 3-6 people. A Koh Rok trip on one of the crowded speedboats costs about 1700 THB ($54) per person. 

Go Scuba Diving

Our dive spot at Koh Haa

Although Koh Lanta isn’t as well known a diving destination at Koh Phi Phi or Koh Tao, it has some of the best dive sites in Thailand and made the perfect place for us to get back underwater after four years without diving.

After our brief refresher course we did two dives at Koh Haa. The visibility was an incredible 30 metres and we were able to fully appreciate the thousands of colourful fish and vibrant corals.

A highlight was swimming up through a narrow cavern known as The Chimney. It’s really a magical world underwater and we’d definitely recommend giving scuba diving a try.

Read more about our dive trip with Scubafish.

Clownfish. Photo by Natasha Lambelin, Liquid Lense

Watch the Sunset

Watching the sunset is a must do on Koh Lanta. We’ve seen some truly spectacular sunsets on the island and made sunset walks along the beach a daily routine. Khlong Dao, Long Beach, and Khlong Nin are all fantastic places to watch the sun go down. 

Practice at Oasis Yoga

Oasis Yoga is the perfect yoga studio. Classes take place in a stilted wooden treehouse in a lush tropical garden with the sea in front and the jungle-covered mountains behind. The sounds of the waves and chirping birds helped me calm my mind and hold the most difficult poses, and I always came away ultra relaxed.

Farra and Kate opened the studio in 2013 and have since expanded it to include lovely bungalows and an excellent cafe.  

Farra is originally from Oklahoma and has a wonderful soothing voice and positive attitude. She’s down to earth and encouraging, giving you the option of more challenging poses but reminding you to listen to your body and takes breaks if you need to.

There are usually two to three classes a day. The Flow class is the most energetic, but Farra gives options for all ability levels. Chill Flow is slower and stretchier and Yin is very gentle with deep stretches that you hold for 3-5 minutes—it’s as much about calming the mind and being still as it is about stretching. 

Oasis Yoga is my favourite yoga studio in the world. I highly recommend it whether you are completely new to yoga or an experienced yogi.

Classes cost 400 baht ($13) or there are various passes available. See the Oasis Yoga website for the latest schedule. They close from mid-May to end of September. 

Take a Cooking Class

We didn’t take a Koh Lanta cooking class as we’d already done one in Chiang Mai, but we recommend taking a class during your trip to Thailand. It’s a great opportunity to spend the day eating (a lot!) and learn more about Thai food.

Beachfront Koh Lanta cooking class.

Get a Massage

We aren’t massage fans so we didn’t get one on Koh Lanta, but if you are then you’ll want to take advantage of Thailand’s excellent value massages.

Our friends Jenny and Tom recommend Serenity Spa in the main village Saladan. It’s not the cheapest place but it has a pleasant ambience and after your treatment they provide tea and fruit for you to enjoy on their deck overlooking the sea.

Walk Dogs at Lanta Animal Welfare 

If you are wondering what to do in Koh Lanta on a rainy day, animal lovers can visit the non-profit Lanta Animal Welfare to meet the rescued cats and dogs and even take the dogs for a walk. There’s also a vegan cafe. 

Be a Trash Hero

Rubbish washing up on the beaches is a big problem during the rainy season on Koh Lanta. Help out by joining one of the Sunday beach cleanups run by Trash Hero Koh Lanta. It’s amazing the difference two hours can make.

Koh Lanta Video

Take a video tour of some of Koh Lanta’s highlights to see why we love it. It features the national park, many beaches, Khlong Dao Monday market, and a boat trip to Koh Rok.

  Koh Lanta Accommodation

Pimalai Resort

See my post on where to stay in Koh Lanta for a detailed comparison of the different beaches and reviews of accommodation from budget bungalows to luxury resorts. 

All Koh Lanta’s beaches are on the west coast so most visitors stay in one of the beach villages here.

If you want to be closer to the ferry in Saladan and near lots of restaurants, I recommend staying on Khlong Dao or Long Beach.

For more of a get away from it all feel head further south to Khlong Nin (in the middle of the island) or Kantiang Bay.

The most remote hotel is LaLanta Hideaway Resort on quiet Bamboo Bay. 

We often take advantage of huge low season discounts and stay in luxury resorts. Our favourites are Pimalai Resort at Kantiang Bay (the most luxurious), Rawi Warin at Khlong Nin (the best value), and Layana Resort on Long Beach (the quietest as it’s adults only). 

The Best Koh Lanta Restaurants

We didn’t find the food on Koh Lanta as good or as inexpensive as in Chiang Mai, but things have improved over the years and there are some excellent options. 

These are the best restaurants on Koh Lanta we found. Most are on the western side of the island and we generally found the quality better on the road rather than on the beach. All these places have vegetarian options.

Khlong Dao

Time for Lime

Oasis Yoga Bungalows

Veggie tacos at Oasis Yoga Bungalows

The Oasis Kitchen is my favourite place for lunch on Koh Lanta and I often went here after classes at the excellent yoga studio. They make some of the best Western food on the island including breakfasts and delicious veggie tacos and bean burgers. They have excellent kombucha and smoothies too. It closes in low season.

Bajen Pizzeria

Good thin crust pizzas and they have a reliable delivery service so it’s very convenient.

Two Scoops Gelato

Tasty creamy gelato in interesting flavours and delicious cakes. They change daily but we loved the banoffee pie, red velvet cake, and apple crumble—I’m a huge crumble fan and was amazed to find it so well done in Thailand.

They have air conditioning so it’s a great place to cool off. The Khlong Dao branch closes in the low season, but the one in Old Town stays open. You can also find their ice cream at various restaurants on the island like Happy Veggie, Malee Highlands Bistro, and Escape Cafe. 

Long Beach

Red Snapper

Tapas at Red Snapper

Red Snapper serves tasty fusion tapas and is the best restaurant on Koh Lanta.

There are plenty of vegetarian options on the creative menu, which changes regularly. We enjoyed everything we tried including cheese and jalapeño croquettes, roast vegetables in a sun-dried tomato sauce, chickpea, jalapeño and orange salad, and the tasty bread with garlic butter and olives.

Yawee

Yawee is a simple, friendly Thai restaurant serving delicious food at low prices. There are a few things that make them stand out from similar restaurants—there are over two pages of vegetarian options, they provide free iced drinking water, they use metal straws instead of plastic ones, and when you say you want spicy, they believe you!

The massaman curry and the fried red curry with tofu were both delicious. The tofu is deep fried and much tastier than elsewhere on the island.

It’s open every day including in the low season.

May’s Kitchen

Pad thai with penang curry

May’s Kitchen is another friendly restaurant with consistently good food. There aren’t many vegetarian dishes on the menu, but they understand the concept and are happy to do vegetarian versions of everything, so just ask.

We loved the fried yellow curry with vegetables and the pad thai with penang curry. Our friends raved about the Thai grilled beef salad and they even asked for a vegan version made with mushrooms which they said was fantastic.

Happy Veggie

Tofu satay and samosas at Happy Veggie

This vegetarian restaurant has a large menu of meat-free international and Thai dishes. The food is a little more creative than the typical restaurant and they use red rice. We particularly like the starters—the vegetable samosas and tofu satay. The veggie burger and stir fry were also tasty. It stays open all year.

Fruit Tree Coffee Shop

This cute cafe is our favourite on Koh Lanta. The owner is very friendly and makes some of the best coffee on the island. Their cakes are delicious (especially the passionfruit cheesecake) and they have vegan options and bliss balls.

Other items are probiotic honey lemonade, smoothies, salad specials for lunch, and excellent breakfast/brunch dishes including pancakes, waffles, avocado toast, and beetroot hummus on toast.

They also sell homemade granola, peanut butter, and coconut oil.

Escape Cafe

It’s unusual to find a cafe that does quality coffee right on the beach. Escape Cafe has comfortable seating and platforms right on the sand so you can enjoy the view while enjoying a frappe or Two Scoops ice-cream.

Le Colibri

A French restaurant that does good pizza and wine.

Irie

Banana flower salad

At the north end of Long Beach, Irie is a good option for vegetarians as everything can be made with tofu and they have some creative vegan salads like banana flower, wing bean, and cashew. We also liked their western salad with sunflower seeds and feta and their tasty spicy potato wedges.

Khlong Nin

French Bakery

Simon’s favourite pizza on the island. They also sell good baguettes and croissants.

Shanti Shanti

Caramelised apple and cinnamon crepe

Shanti Shanti is a cute French cafe with good coffee, crepes (the caramelised apple and cinnamon was so good) and homemade ice creams including interesting flavours like chai. They close in low season.

Kantiang Bay

Drunken Sailors

Tom Yam Vegetable Noodle soup at Drunken Sailors

Drunken Sailors is one of those rare places that manages to do both excellent Western and Thai food. The tom yum vegetable noodle soup, vegetable samosas, Tex Mex veggie burger, and passionfruit shakes are all delicious. It’s also a good place for breakfast and proper coffee. 

We appreciated that they don’t tone the spice down for tourists (although you can ask them to if you want), and that you can order everything vegetarian or vegan. All the Thai dishes are packed full of veggies and you can choose to add meat as an optional extra.

The service is great, the atmosphere relaxed with hammock chairs and beanbags, and there’s WiFi and books to browse or exchange.

East Coast

Baja Taco

Refried bean tacos at Baja Taco

It’s worth heading over to the East Coast to a quiet location beyond Old Town for the best Mexican food on the island. This rustic restaurant overlooks the water (there are kayaks to rent) and has a small menu of surprisingly delicious tacos and nachos.

There are meat fillings as well as the vegetarian options of refried beans (very tasty), mushrooms, or tofu. Tacos come with three very good homemade salsas. The margaritas are good too.

Afterwards head to Old Town for a wander and an ice-cream at Two Scoops (the branch here stays open in low season).

Self Catering on Koh Lanta

We usually stay in apartments and villas on Koh Lanta with access to a kitchen.

For Western food like cheese, muesli, bread, and pasta we shop at Lanta Mart in Saladan. Everything else we buy from Mai Yod Market, a vegetable shop in Saladan with a big selection of vegetables, fruit, fresh noodles, tofu and rice.

There are also markets on various days around the island where you can pick up fresh fruit and vegetables. It’s in Saladan on Saturdays and Khlong Dao on Mondays. Pick up a copy of the free Lanta Pocket Guide when you arrive to check the times.

Koh Lanta for Digital Nomads

Koh Lanta has become one of the most popular Thai islands for digital nomads since the co-working space KoHub opened at Long Beach. 

We haven’t tried KoHub ourselves, but it looks great with fast fibre optic WiFi and a garden work space as well as air-conditioned rooms. It’s a good option if you want to meet other digital nomads as there are regular social events. 

The staff can help you find long-term accommodation and motorbike rental. They also offer all-inclusive packages including co-working, accommodation, and two meals a day. 

There’s plenty of affordable accommodation on the island, but apartments with kitchens are usually quite expensive. On our last three-month visit we stayed at Malee Highlands on a hill above Khlong Dao—the stylish apartments have fibre internet and are a good deal in low season. 

Airbnb does have some longer-term accommodation options, but it’s not as cheap as on Koh Phangan. It will be cheaper to find somewhere once you arrive on the island (ideally before high season starts) by asking locals and posting in Facebook groups like Koh Lanta Info. 

How To Get to Koh Lanta

Getting to Koh Lanta is fairly easy. Most people arrive on the island from Krabi on the mainland which you can reach by bus, train or plane.

AirAsia runs cheap flights from Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur and Scoot has direct flights from Singapore. Search on Kiwi to find the best deals. 

Krabi Airport to Koh Lanta

The nearest airport to Koh Lanta is Krabi International Airport (KBV). From Krabi you can take the ferry or shared minibus (350 baht) to Koh Lanta. Both take about two hours (longer if you are staying in the far south of the island).

The minibus is more convenient than the ferry as they drop you off at your hotel. They are quite cramped and hot if you sit at the back though (the A/C didn’t reach us very well). You can book minibus tickets at the airport when you arrive. 

You could also get a private taxi (around 2500 baht), which would be a good option if you have a lot of luggage or have just arrived after a long flight. We did this on our most recent visit and it was much faster and more comfortable. 

Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta

You can also travel to/from Koh Lanta by ferry to other islands in the Andaman Sea.

We took the ferry from Langkawi, Malaysia to Koh Lipe, Thailand (2 hours, 135 MYR/ $42), spent the night there (although it is possible to continue on), and then took the Tigerline ferry from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta (5 hours, 1530 baht/ $47) which was an easy and comfortable, if expensive way to travel.

Ferries to other islands don’t run in the rainy season. 

Phuket to Koh Lanta

You can take a two-hour ferry from Phuket to Koh Lanta that stops at Koh Phi Phi on the way (one hour from Koh Lanta). Ferries depart Koh Lanta at 15:00 and cost 1500 baht. 

When To Visit Koh Lanta

The high season on Koh Lanta is from November to March and this is when most people visit. The weather is dry and warm and the beaches look their best with calm water for swimming. Prices are at their highest (especially over Christmas) and there are more people around, but it never gets too crowded. 

The rainy season (or green season as it’s known here) is from May to September.  It’s very quiet and you’ll find empty beaches and some hotels and restaurants close. Hotels reduce their rates by 50% or more. Some ferries and tours don’t run. 

The weather is mixed. Although there are days when it rains all day, it can also go weeks without raining (or just the odd shower at night). The sea is rougher at this time of year and lots of rubbish washes up on the sand.

April and October are shoulder months. We’ve visited three times in April and think it’s the perfect month—not too much rain and the beaches look good, but prices start to drop in the middle of the month. It is particularly hot before the rain arrives though. 

Koh Lanta Map

Explore More Thai Islands

Koh Jum – A quiet island an hour by ferry from Koh Lanta. 

Koh Mak – A quiet island closer to Bangkok. 

Koh Phangan – Known for its full moon parties, but it is possible to escape the crowds and it’s great for digital nomads. 

Koh Lanta is our favourite island in Thailand and we’ll be returning next time we’re in Asia. If you are looking for a relaxing Thai island away from the party scene but not too remote, then we highly recommend Koh Lanta.

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Scuba Diving in Alor – The Ultimate Diver’s Guide

Alor is spoken of in hushed tones amongst scuba divers. Few places on Earth have such a plethora of reef fish and have amassed such healthy and vibrant coral reefs as this mid-sized island in far eastern Indonesia.

Although currents can be strong at times, it’s the motion in the seas that draws in such huge numbers of fish. Alor boasts some of the best visibility for divers in the world, so the colours of the fish and coral really come to life, even below a depth of 15 meters.

I recently had the opportunity to go scuba diving in Indonesia for 2 weeks with the Ministry of Tourism Indonesia and Wonderful Indonesia. I can honestly say that it was one of the most epic trips I’ve ever done!

The “Trip of Wonders” as it was called, took us to 3 different dive locations all across Indonesia. Alor Island was our first stop and it easily had the clearest water and healthiest coral life of the entire trip. In this article I’m going to explain the logistics of planning a dive trip to Alor so that you too can experience the incredible diving in this region.

Indonesia is often cited as having the best scuba diving in the world and many of the top 100 dive sites are located in the azure waters of the Coral Triangle.

The Best Dive Sites in Alor

There are literally dozens of dive sites to choose from around Alor. We managed to fit in 6 amazing dives in 3 days, but you could easily spend a week and not see all of the sites on offer here. Below I’ve listed a few of my favourites.

Babylon

You won’t want to miss this one! A shallow reef wall drops off to 28 meters, with most of the action happening between 15 – 25 meters. The coral and fish life here is bewildering and there are numberous photo opportunities for both macro and wide-angle lenses.

I’ve probably never seen so many different species of reef fish in one place. In the shallows here, you might be lucky enough to see Bubu fishermen retrieving catches from their traditional bamboo woven traps.

Check out this quick video of the traditional fishing methods of the Bubu fishermen.

Mike’s Delight

Another fantastic dive site, Mike’s Delight is a slow drift dive (depending on currents) reaching a maximum of 25 meters. We saw 5 sea snakes, lobster, lion fish, tons of box fish and countless other reef fish.

Aquarium

The aptly named aquarium is probably the most visually stunning dive in Alor. The amount of fish here rivals Babylon, but the clarity of the water and the colour of the coral is simply spectacular. The dive site is along a drop off that goes down to around 30 meters.

Clown Valley

Another dive site that’s appropriately named, clown valley is known for having the highest concentration of sea enenomes anywhere in the world. Not surprisingly, there are also countless clown fish who find refuge in the swaying tentacles of the brightly colored soft corals.

You’ll literally see hundreds of clown fish on this dive.

School’s Out

This dive site gets its name because, depending on what time you finish your dive, the children from a nearby school in the village often come down to greet the divers! They swim down as deep as they can with their hand carved wooden goggles and play in the divers’ bubbles. A truly amazing dive experience.

On top of adorable kids, School’s Out dive site offers a beautiful slow drop to 30 meters with plenty of soft corals, sharks, octopus and of course, an uncountable number of reef fish. Again, the population of small fish on these reefs in Alor is truly spectacular.

Kal’s Dream

This is said to be the best dive site in Alor and unfortunately, due to currents, we had to skip it! Kal’s Dream is a stunning, coral-crusted sea mount where you often find large pelagic. The sea mount is named after Kal Mueller, the famous author of  “Underwater Indonesia” and “Diving Indonesia”.

Things To Know About Diving in Alor

The main thing you need to know about diving in Alor is that the currents here can be ferocious and many of the dive sites are inaccessible from time to time due to strong currents. Whirlpools often swirl in the waters around here and gain enough force to sink massive cargo ships.

Diving with a reputable dive shop is extremely important you should know that your dive plans will likely change due to conditions. Don’t force it, trust your dive guide and you will be completely safe diving here.

We dove with Pulo Alor. Donnovan (an Australian dive instructor who has been diving Alor for 18 years) was our dive guide and he was safety-focused, professional and fun to hang out with. We highly recommend seeking him out.

Another thing that you should know about diving in Alor is that the nearest decompression chamber is in Bali, so it’s important that your travel insurance completely covers all of your diving risks including airlifting with a decompression chamber onboard. World Nomads covers numerous adventurous activities, including scuba diving.

Here is some information from the World Nomads website:

Scuba Diving & Travel Insurance

If you want to scuba dive on your travels, we totally understand why. But if you’re not properly trained before you dive into your underwater adventure, the risk of serious accident can be substantial. That’s why, to be covered you either must:

be certified, that is, hold a valid scuba diving licence

dive under qualified and licensed instruction if not certified

dive no deeper than your dive license allows and/or your policy allows

What we cover

Recreational scuba diving is only covered when you choose the right plan or adventure sport option when buying your policy . Then, if something goes wrong there’s cover for:

Overseas medical expenses for sudden illness or serious injury

Medical evacuation to the nearest facility for treatment

Treatment in a decompression chamber if required

Repatriation home if something serious has happened

To get a free travel insurance quote from World Nomads, just enter your information below:

The best way to avoid getting the bends with no decompression chamber nearby is to dive well within the limitations of the dive tables and start the day with your deepest dive, progressively getting shallower with each dive that follows. It’s also a good idea to dive with a dive computer. I use and recommend Aqua Lung i200.

Click here to see the latest price on Amazon.

Getting To Alor (And Back)

It’s pretty easy to get to Alor by flight from Bali with a stopover in Kupang KOE. The total flight time will be around 3 – 3.5 hours and the airlines will likely be Lion and Wings (both of which were okay in my experience). You can also fly via Meumere (MOF) and then hop on a liveaboard through Alor from there.

The flight cost will likely be around $175 USD return, depending on the season you fly in.

Comming from Jakarta, Surabaya or Denpasar (Bali) you reach Alor via Kupang (West Timor). Kupang is serviced by different airline companies (Garuda, Lion Air and Sriwijaya Air) daily. TransNusa and Wings Air offer daily flights from Kupang to Alor.

Accommodation in Alor

There aren’t that many options for accommodation in Alor and Booking,com and HostelWorld don’t even list it for their hotels. We stayed at Pulo Alor Hotel, which was decent, but you can also find nice places on AirBnB. If you click that link you’ll get a free travel credit from Goats On The Road to go towards your first booking.

After claiming your free travel credit from the Goats, Click Here to see what’s available on the island of Alor through AirBnB.

Costs Of Diving in Alor

If you go with DiveAlorDive.com, they have a ton of different packages on offer, including accommodation and dive packages, multi-dive packages or single fun dive rates. Click Here to read their detailed price sheet for 2017.

As an example, a 5 day 4 night package including 4 nights in Alor Hotel, 3 days of boat diving with 2 dives per day and 3 meals per day will cost 9 million rupiyah, which is about $675 USD at the time of writing. Other dive rates are in the link above.

Why Dive Alor

If you love having great visibility and enjoy incredibly colourful dive sites, Alor is for you. Out of the three dive locations we experienced on the Trip Of Wonders (Alor, Komodo & Raja Ampat), Alor definitely had the clearest water and the brightest coral.

Had we seen Kal’s Dream dive site, I would’ve likely been raving about it as it’s where you’re most likely to see the big stuff! Unfortunately we didn’t make it there, but the diving was so good in Alor that I’ll return soon and hopefully have the opportunity to dive Kal’s Dream.

Special Thanks to The Ministry of Tourism Indonesia and Wonderful Indonesia for putting together this incredible bucket list dive trip and inviting “The Goats” to take part!

If you have any questions about diving in Alor, Indonesia, please feel free to contact me by clicking here.

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