Thailand – Talabeng Kayaking in Koh Lanta
I wasn’t sure what to expect when “booking” this tour and still wasn’t sure what to expect as we were doing it! But what this tour with Talabeng Sea Kayak lacked in preliminary information, it more than made up for in stunning views and a unique tour. The Talabeng Kayak Tour is essentially a long boat ride to a remote island that looks like a skull (I am serious!).
Not only do you get a good look at the island, but you also climb around inside! After you get dirty, you take another boat ride to where the kayaking begins. From there you kayak alongside and into Talabeng island. After lunch with a stunning view, you do a little more kayaking through the calm waters surrounded by karsts reaching hundreds of feet in the air. In this post I’ll take you step-by-step through the wild and crazy kayaking Koh Lanta tour.
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Talabeng Kayaking in Koh Lanta
Morning Pickup for Kayaking Koh Lanta
When researching things to do on Koh Lanta, Rebecca and I kept finding the same two snorkel trips. After reading reviews, we were fairly certain that the different tour operators all fed into the same couple of boats. Wanting to avoid another large group (like at the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary), we scoured the web for something, anything else. We then found a blog that detailed out the Talabeng Kayak Tour. Since we were only booking a day in advance, we didn’t have expectations and were thrilled they could pick us up at our Airbnb in Old Town Lanta and drop us off at our Time for Lime Cooking Class. Little did we know what we were in for.
Our pickup came right on time at 8:00 am. We were the first pickup and hopped in the back of a rickety open-back truck. As we made our way across the island, we picked up one couple, two other sets of girlfriends, and two single ladies. We drove nearly to the top of the island and back over to the east side of the island to what looked like a locals-only town and a dock. Here we waited and applied sunscreen. We asked the other guests how much they knew about the tour we on and each of them kind of shrugged – they had about as much information as we did. We were all just waiting for adventure.
After our guides grabbed another kayak, they asked us to board an iconic longtail boat and we were off. We drove toward islands in the far distance. It was a beautiful morning and luckily we knew it was going to be a loud ride based on our morning at Railay Beach. The sea was not too choppy and we were flying for about 20 minutes before we saw a small round island in the distance. Our guide, whose’s name I can no longer remember (Fariz perhaps?)excitedly pointed out that the island looks a skull. And it did!
At a Glance:
- Rating: 3 (out of 4) stars, would do it again if I had the energy!
- Intensity: Swimsuit, shorts, sunscreen, strap-on shoes
- Location: They will pick you up anywhere on Koh Lanta, including Old Town Lanta
- Cost: 1,300 baht per person, plus tip
- Restrooms: None, but you will be in the ocean….
- Timing: 6 hours
Highlights:
- Kayaking on the smooth ocean water amongst the giant islands
- Hiking around an island that looks like a skull
- Wading in the beautiful water
- A small group of about 10 or 12 people
Lowlights:
- Safety not a priority, but fun and enthusiasm are!
Skull Island
I wrongly assumed that we were going to get a little closer then turn around to go to another island. Instead, we pulled into a small dock area. Our guide told us to leave everything behind and to hop on out onto a rickety old dock. We did so and climbed onto the island. We saw a tire ladder with another small group coming down and I realized we were going to climb into the skull. I didn’t find the tire ladder that difficult thanks to my long limbs, however, climbing around inside was a different story.
Inside the island, our guide, who wore athleisure green pants and no shirt jumped around to show us different poses that could be done on the geological features of the island. He encouraged us by yelling, “EASY BANANA!!” His enthusiasm was next level and we all ended up doing the entire climb. There was one spot where you could pose like king and queen, another balancing rock, and after more climbing with a footrest assist from our guide and his assistant, a romantic silhouette. We ended up having a pretty fantastic view from the skull’s eye sockets.
Whooping and hollering, our guide encouraged us back down the same route we came up. Without many safety precautions, we all made it back to the boat a little dirtier than before, but in one piece. The sweetest pineapple I’ve ever tasted was waiting for us on the boat.
TALABENG Kayak
We took a 10-minute boat ride toward a huge island – Talabeng. It was steep and imposing. A little more than halfway down the island, we stopped to discover 6 kayaks waiting for us. We all jumped in the water and claimed a kayak. The water was a delightful way to cool off and remove dirt smudges from our skull island hike off. We each picked from identical double kayaks. One girl couldn’t swim well and partnered up with our guide and another preferred one woman had a single one for herself. It worked out well. Once we were all aboard our double kayaks, we set off down the side of the island. The sea was extremely calm, making it a little easier on our wimpy arms. Our guide stopped us at various points of interest, which was informative as well as a good arm break.
Eventually, we turned a corner in between the northern and southern islands (apparently there are two parts to the island). Although I was already enjoying the view, this was phenomenal to have the islands jet up on either side of you, like a narrow tropical canyon. The water was a greenish-blue color and completely calm between the islands. So lovely. And even better, this is where we had lunch.
Lunch with Monkeys
In between the islands, there is a small beach – just big enough to spread out a couple of blankets and food for lunch. Lunch included white rice, roasted vegetables, and a chicken dish, and watermelon. We worked up an appetite! Before long we had the company of various sized monkeys who were eyeing our lunch. I finished quickly so I could explore the area around the beach. I was in love with the clarity and temperature of the water and could have frolicked here for hours.
Once everyone finished their meal and had time to relax, we jumped back in our kayaks to paddle further into the islands. Again, our guide stopped us periodically to show us natural features like an inlet where the cliffs reached hundreds of feet above us in a semi-circle, or another beach where our guide is befriending the local monkey population and giving them a bit of the leftover lunch foods, and a cave. There were ropes hanging in the cave, which you can explore, but I was happy to know that we would not be climbing around one!
The Return Trip
Inside the final cave, we waited for our boat. After a quick kayak or swim out to the boat, we loaded up our kayaks on top of and inside the middle of the longtail boat. The boat was packed with the kayaks on board and we all found seats wherever. It was about 30 minutes back to Koh Lanta, where instead of the dock, we made our way to a nearby house. Here we washed off our feet and had a platter of fried plantains and a recovery drink with a fruit I couldn’t identify – round gooey balls with a crunchy center. Kind of like chia seeds. Do you know what it is??
Our dessert gave us enough time to airdrop photos to each other and ask for fellow contact information. We then loaded up into the open-back truck once again for the long drive back to the main side of the island. This time we were the first ones dropped off – at our cooking class. Luckily we were early, so we could change and freshen up slightly. I loved both the kayaking and the cooking class but wouldn’t recommend doing both on the same day – it was exhausting!
Overall Thoughts: TALABENG KAYAKING KOH LANTA
Our Talabeng Kayak tour was probably the most adventurous thing I did in Thailand, except for driving a motorbike for the first time. It was partly the adventure it was because no one knew what to expect next. Sure it would have been nice to have a briefing for the day, but it was also fun not to know every single detail. I would recommend this tour for able-bodied people who enjoy kayaking. And if you don’t feel comfortable climbing around a skull island, skip it! It was fun, but what I truly loved was the kayaking portion. If you’re interested, check out the Talabeng Sea Kayaking website.
Although unexpectedly adventurous, the tour is still geared toward beginners. The kayaking was not technical nor very long. If you’re looking for some intense kayaking, you could ask for a single kayak and do some additional kayaking during the lunch period. I just couldn’t believe my own eyes at how stunning the water and islands were. It was so fantastic to be able to experience these phenomenal islands up close and in a small group.
Would you go on a kayaking adventure with very view instructions? Or would it weird you out? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Travels,
Hanna
