Thung Yee Peng Mangrove Forest

Thung Yee Peng is a community-run mangrove forest on the east side of Koh Lanta, managed by the local village as a community-based tourism project. You explore it by kayak, by longtail boat or on foot along wooden boardwalks, threading through tidal channels lined with mangroves. Admission is around 40 THB, kayaks and boat tours run about 500 THB each, and it’s open through daylight hours. This is a wetland and a working community, not a national park — there are no waterfalls or hiking trails here, and earlier page descriptions that mention them are wrong.

What to expect

The mangroves shelter a rich tidal ecosystem — river snails, blood cockles, crabs and mudskippers in the mud, waterbirds in the canopy — and villagers raise fish in floating baskets you can see up close. Paddling a kayak through the channels at high tide is the most immersive way to experience it: quiet, shaded and close to the water. Longtail boats cover more ground in less time, and the boardwalks let you walk in without getting on the water at all.

Insider Tip: Time your visit to high tide. At low tide the channels drain to mud and kayaking becomes a slog; at high tide you glide right into the mangroves. Ask at the entrance for the day’s tide times before you choose kayak, boat or boardwalk.

Getting there and booking

The mangrove entrance is at Tung Yee Peng on Koh Lanta Yai, a short drive from the main beaches. You can turn up and arrange a kayak or boat at the gate, or book a half-day tour through any Lanta travel agent (roughly 1,000 THB per person, often combined with Old Town). The money supports the community that maintains the forest.

Watch out: Bring sun protection, water and insect repellent — mangroves mean mosquitoes, especially at dawn and dusk. There’s little shade on the water.

Thung Yee Peng Mangrove Forest is on Koh Lanta Yai, Koh Lanta District, Krabi 81150. View on Google Maps.