Northern warm-up loop — Saladan, Klong Dao, Long Beach

The flat northern strip, and the right first ride for anyone who has just picked up a bike. Saladan out to the northern tip at Laem Kaw Kwang, then south past Klong Dao and Long Beach to the hidden coves before Klong Khong. Sealed road the whole way with one short dirt track if you want Beautiful Beach.

Along the way

1. Laem Kaw Kwang (Twin Beach) at the northern tip

   shallow and muddy at low tide, better for a walk and a coffee than a swim

2. Klong Dao, about 2 km from Saladan

   fine sand, shallow gentle slope, swimmable even at low tide

3. Phra Ae (Long Beach)

   the island's longest beach and the best swimming in the north; the southern end turns rocky

4. Beautiful Beach, reached by a signed dirt track of roughly 3

   Beautiful Beach, reached by a signed dirt track of roughly 300 m with proper scooter parking; Secret Beach is a walk on from there

5. Lanta Animal Welfare

   a bookable one-hour tour, around 300 THB adult and 200 THB child (market observation), closed Sundays, book ahead online

Road notes

Flat, sealed and well surfaced, with the island's highest density of shops, fuel and clinics. Nothing here demands more than a 110 or 125 automatic. The only unsealed sections are the short tracks down to Relax Bay and Beautiful Beach, a few hundred metres each, and they are fine on a scooter ridden slowly. Watch for traffic pulling out of resorts and for dogs. This is the one route we would put a nervous first-timer on.