It’s here you will find the ancient Sea Gypsy Village, home to the indigenous settlers on Ko Lanta who live in harmony with the sea. Sanga-U Village lies in the southern tip of Koh Lanta in Krabi Province. This Uraklavoy or Sea Gypsies village has a population of 420 people with 117 households, settlement in a small traditional fishing village called “Ban Sangkha-U”. The name “Sangkha-U” means “stingray” in Chao-Le dialect.
The legend is that there was once a large stingray that landed and beached in Ao Prao inlet. The stingray later turned to stone. From that moment the local villagers saw people walking in that area as if there was a settlement there, they believed that these were the 'Lords of the Sea' and their own ancestors. Since the stingray is called Sagga-U in the Chao Le dialect they called these people Toh-I-Sagga-U and this is where the name Sanga-U Village came from. The unique lifestyle of the Chao-Le (sea-gypsies) in Ko Lanta has been almost completely unaffected by the booming tourism on the island.
They still retain their own unique language, traditions and ceremonies. They earn their living on fishing or catching lobster, other tasty shellfish and collecting bird's nests for the Chinese cuisine.