DirectRooms.com – Cliff jumping is being launched on Koh Lanta in January 2011

According to DirectRooms.com, January is a popular time to visit the spectacularly beautiful Thai island of Koh Lanta, famed for its clear blue waters and its water sports. In January 2011 a new adventure activity is being launched – cliff jumping.

Popularised in Hollywood movies where the hero launches himself into space an unlikely distance above the ocean and actually survives the experience, this latest fad is not for the nervous! The limestone cliffs above Koh Lanta and its smaller surrounding islands' blue sea provide plenty of launching pads for adventure tourists, and the sheer cliffs' descent right to the water ensures enough depth for a painless jump.

Careful instructions on how to avoid belly-flops are given as well as advance on the angle of entry. How many tries an average jumper needs to make before he gets to the 'painless' stage, however, is not mentioned. Higher jumps start at 50 feet above the water and the world record for a jump is an unbelievable 172 feet! This is an activity with a difference and, carefully done, can be thrilling.

For those who find lazing on a beach boring, there's a great deal of sport and activity going on here and lots of people wiling to teach beginners. As well as the more usual watery sports such as diving and snorkelling, there are overnight camping trips in the jungles, treks through mangrove forests and a great deal more.

January is Koh Lanta's busiest time for tourism as thousands arrive on a getaway from miserable northern winters. Koh Lanta hotels can get booked solid very quickly at this time. Lek Boonlert, DirectRooms.com's marketing head, recommends that a suitable hotel near a beach be booked well in advance of arrival to get the best high season price as well as ensuring a bed for the night.