Kayaking at Krabis Hong Island
Krabi Travel Guide & Tourist Information – Krabi is located in southern Thailand’s west coast facing the Andaman sea. Krabi province is divided into eight provinces which also includes Koh Lanta and Phi Phi Islands.
Krabi tourism centres around the tourist town of Ao Nang, Koh Lanta, Phi Phi and Hat Noppharat National Park although there are dozens more offshore islands that attract nature lovers, scuba divers, yachtsmen and climbers. Krabi province is an area of extreme natural beauty, featuring huge limestone cliffs, untouched jungle, mangroves and beaches.
Ao Nang, Krabi attracts travellers who find the development of Phuket Island too much. The development is low key with efforts being made offer tourist facilities while preserving the natural beauty of the area. For example, jet skis are banned on Ao Nang beach, as are rows of sun loungers.
Ao Nang is clean and easy to walk around, ideally suited to families with children.
Things to Do and Sightseeing
Krabi Rock Climbing
Krabi activities & tours centre around the natural highlights of the area. Boat trips to nearby islands are very popular. There are over 80 small islands off the coast from Ao Nang and boats take tourists out to them daily. They are great for swimming, sunbathing and relaxing.
Top Krabi Tours
- Krabi Sunset Cruise
- James Bond Island & Sea Canoe
- 4 Island Tour Krabi
- Phi Phi Island Tours
- Hong Island Tours
Many islands have good shallow reefs ideal for snorkeling. Before you depart to these islands it is worth checking what is there because many of the smaller islands are not much more than sand banks with no restaurants or shops to get food and drink. Long tail boats can drop you on these deserted islands and leave you there for a few hours giving you a total deserted island getaway.
Railey Beach is famous for it’s beauty and is worth seeing as is the adjoining Phra Nang beach. The nearby Princess Lagoon is a popular area for rock climbers and if you want to learn the basics you can take courses here.
Hong Island is about an hour north of Ao Nang beach by slow boat. It has a very pretty beach surrounded by steep limestone cliffs and is a popular area for kayaking. Ao Thalane is another popular area for kayaking in the mangroves. Friendly monkeys often come and sit on tourists kayaks here.
Scuba Diving as well as snorkeling is possible from Krabi. Although the waters around the nearby islands are not that clear the best dive sites of Phi Phi islands are close by as is the manta ray feeding station of Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. The best months for scuba diving are November to April.
Day trips to Phi Phi are popular from Krabi. There are lots of small islands to explore including Monkey Bay and Bamboo island. Approaching Phi Phi from the Krabi side avoids some of the crowds that arrive daily from Phuket.
How to Get There and Around
Getting to Krabi is easy. Krabi international receives daily flights from Bangkok from Thai Air, Air Asia and Bangkok Airways. Tiger Air also operates direct flights from Singapore.
The road network to Krabi is excellent. Phuket to Krabi by road takes just 3 hours. Bangkok is approximately 800km away and buses take about 14 hours traveling either by day or over night. From Krabi you are also close to Trang, Phang Nga and Lanta. The nearest train station is Trang which connects at Surat Thani for Bangkok.
From Krabi you can also travel by ferry to Phuket, Phi Phi and Koh Lanta although many services only run in the high season from November to May.
Krabi has an efficient network of local songtaew buses which start in Krabi town and run to Ao Nang beach and Noppharatara beach in a loop. These are pick up trucks with seats in the back that offer a jump on jump off service. There are a few tuk tuks but most convenient for short trips along the beach road are motorbike and sidecar taxis that can sit 3 or 4 passengers and are very cheap (about 20 baht for a journey in Ao Nang).
At the south end of Ao Nang beach a large sign shows the prices of taxi fares to all areas so tourists can easily see what the correct fare is. In the same area long tail boat fares are posted for water taxi trips to Railey beach and other islands. Long tail boats offer a shared service to the offshore islands and they depart when a boat is full. Or you can charter a private long tail
When to Travel to Krabi and the Climate
Krabi’s tourist season is split between November to April (north east monsoon) and May to October (south west monsoon). The climate is pleasant all year, with temperatures from 25-34 C. November to April is the tourist high season which is warm and dry. Krabi is also busiest at this time of year. From May to October tropical showers are common but rarely last long. This is a quieter time of year in terms of tourist numbers. The hottest months are between April and May when temperatures range from 30-36 C. More about current weather in Krabi on the Thai Meteorological department.
Where to stay in Krabi
Scenery – Wareerak Hot Spring Resort
Most Krabi hotels are concentrated in the Ao Nang beach area and this is where we recommend that you stay to be close to most of the facilities attractions in the area. Most restaurants are in Ao Nang and it is the only place with any nightlife at all (but not much). If you prefer seclusion there are resorts located away from Ao Nang at Nopparattra beach, Klong Muang and Ao Namao. Staying in these areas will limit your restaurant choices in the evening and cost you more in taxi fees.
Krabi town is the administrative centre of Krabi with few accommodation options apart from backpacker lodges.
Krabi Pro and Cons
To have an Easy Holiday we believe it is important to say what we think is good and what we think is not so good about Krabi. So this is what we think you should know.
Not So Good – There is very little night life in Krabi. Apart from a small collection of bars in the Center Point complex of Ao Nang, the only other night life revolves around eating in restaurants.
Also there are limited shopping options apart from tourist stalls along the street. There are no big shopping malls with brand name shops like Phuket offers.
While good tourist restaurants are everywhere you may find it more difficult to find genuine Thai eateries for Isaan food or such like.
There are fewer flight options to Krabi airport.
Good – Ao Nang is great for families. Streets have wide side walks, the area is clean and there are no girly bars. There are no noisy jet skis. Many of the hotels have rooms with joining doors designed specifically for families.
Prices for taxi’s and water taxi’s (long tail boats) are fixed. There are signs posted with the correct fares so that no haggling is required. Prices are reasonable. A short taxi ride in Ao Nang costs 20-40 baht where in Phuket it would cost 200 baht.
Interested? Let us know… !
Easy Day Thailand can book and organize your stay in Krabi at all our recommended hotels and resorts, arrange Tours & activities and more. Just use our 1-2-go contact form below.