Krabi – quick travel guide

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Popular southwest coast of Thailand…beautiful beaches, developed commercial areas, nightlife, boat tours…like other Thai destinations, but cleaner air and lower cost. Considered less touristy alternative to Phuket.

Krabi region (with its capital Krabi town), has diverse coastline and numerous islands nearby…with wide range of beach-stay experiences. On the popular of beach of Ao Nang, you get a less-touristy version of Phuket (famous spot) with its vibrant beach city life, well-developed commercial establishments with food, shops, bars, and NIGHTLIFE! But go farther out or cross onto an island and you’ll find a more peaceful remote experience.

With so much nearby, you can choose to stay in places of different vibes. And then at night, travel to another town of a different vibe. During the day…you can stay in and chill in the AC, wander around in town, or do one of the many tours and outdoor activities.

In all honesty, Krabi is just ok. I don’t like it. Even though it’s not as touristy as Phuket and others, it’s still over touristy. Not enough accommodation options to get you everything. You’re stuck between choosing overly noisy party place or inconveniently remote spot. Beaches have long tide schedules so it looks ugly a lot of the day (when water is out). Many tour boats means noise and crowds during the nicest hours. This is if you’re even staying near the beach. Cuz if not, then you ARE the annoying crowd that comes to the beach. So you don’t really get to enjoy the thing you came for. But yes, it’s pretty and you’ll have nice photos and see nice things. But your day is sandwiched between running to crowded place, then running away from crowded place.

3-5 days is general recommendation. You can understand Krabi and do a comprehensive tour in just 2 days. But a couple more days would be nice to enjoy the vibe. Stay longer and you’ll realize it’s impossible to explore all of Krabi.

Where to stay:

  • Ao Nang Beach – Krabi’s main beach and busiest area. Feels like a small but commercial city beach, many shops and restaurants on boardwalk. Most popular spot for backpackers, many party hostels and bars…noise on all main streets at night. AN beach looks pretty but not swimmable, lots of seating (especially east side) and tree shade to enjoy the view. Crowded and over-touristy at night, can feel dead during the day. Beach only looks nice at high tide.
    • AN beach (west) – go further west of AN beach and you reach more chill areas without the tourist crowds. I’ve read Nopharat Thara Beach is still quite touristy, so perhaps you can go all the way to Klongmuang Beach.
  • Railay Beach – multiple pretty beaches and swimmable, looks like living in nature village. Requires boat to reach, therefore more remote and chill vibe, but not many things open at night (everything closes 9-11pm, latest bar 1am). Has both big resort hotels and smaller cheap accommodations. If you like busy vibe of AN, here may feel too quiet. If you like remote but still easy-enough boat access to busy AN, this is a good balance. Many nature activities (kayak, caves, bioluminescent plankton, bay, lagoon, rock-climbing). Unfortunately crowded much of the day because of all tour boats coming here.
  • Tonsai Beach – even more remote beach right between Ao Nang beach and Railay beach. Fewer accommodations and commercial options. Definitely the nicest oasis of the 3, especially since there’s no pier so fewer boats come here. Has rock-climbing. If you want remote and actually chill vibe, this is the place.
  • Krabi Town – cheaper accommodation but hassle to reach beach area (especially with constant traffic, 25min drive). More like a dirt road town than a city, has restaurants for both foreigners and locals. But the cute shops, nice developed roads, are all by AN beach area. Generally this area is more for living and longterm stay than for first-time tourists. Be careful when booking, you might end up in this area if you don’t check map location.

Choose your accommodation based on #1 how badly you want to be near a beach, #2 what vibe you want (party vs chill), and #3 what day activities you’ll be doing (boat tours vs hiking vs chill).

Let’s have an honest chat about the beaches. They look nice for photos, but are not that pretty for swimming. Especially with the long tide schedules where the beaches look crappy or unswimmable for half the day. And then when they look nice, is when all the tour boats arrive and crowds everywhere taking photos…so you rarely have a pretty beach all to yourself (except for maybe west of Ao Nang Beach and on Tonsai Beach).

Even at night when you walk the beach, you will for sure hear noise from a nearby bar. You will never feel like you’re on a peaceful beach island. Ao Nang area feels like a beach city.

Hostels & Hotels:

  • Party hostels (Ao Nang) – K-Bunk, Base, Nomads…pretty much all the ones by Ao Nang Beach are party hostels. Loud music from the hostel itself or the bars next door. Some issues with cleanliness, poor internet, cramped space, limited AC time (only 5-9pm)…but lots of meeting and partying with people!
    • Nomads Krabi Ao Nang – 10mins walk from beach, away from the noisy streets but still very close by. Looks like a big motel with a big pool in the middle. Beautiful looking place, nice people, but overly loud party music in the common area from 6-11pm everyday.
  • Leisure Hostel (Krabi town):
    • Big hostel 30mins drive from main Ao Nang Beach. Looks like a not-so-recently repainted concrete wall government building. Has 3 common areas, big ground level lobby with couches and pool table, 2nd floor with work desks by the balcony, 3rd floor rooftop bar and terrace (nice music for socializing or coworking). Not my favorite hostel, but I appreciated many things.
    • Big building with many rooms but never crowded, since many people leave to beach area. Or it’s too hot and people hide in their private rooms. So you always have a comfortable amount of people. Common areas are too big and they don’t have social activities…but people are still sociable. Seems everyone here wants to socialize but didn’t wanna stay in party hostel.
    • Staff are friendly and helpful. Tour packages are all standard priced. No overcharge like many hostels do. Reliable internet, laundry machines available 24/7, motorbike rentals. The 30min distance to the beach isn’t so bad when you’re taking tours during most days anyway.
    • My private room had awful toxic bathroom smell. I don’t know from sewer, or mold or what.

Neighborhoods, walking areas, public squares:

  • Ao Nang Beach – main beach of the area, busiest area. During the day is dead or very chill, but more lively than anywhere else. Some people walking the sidewalk in the sun, some people sitting at outdoor restaurants and bars. But most people are home with AC. At night, very lively and full of people, noise and loud music at many establishments. Fire shows on the beach every 2 hours.
  • Ao Nang Landmark Night Market – definitely the place to wander around at night. Live music, fire shows, shops and food stalls.

Activities to do:

  • Beaches, bridges, water-points:
    • Generally, beaches are not crystal clear like in other places. Water can be murky even on sunny days, making it easy to get stung by jellyfish. Sand can be brown.
    • Center going east:
      • Most common beaches for tourists since most beach accommodations are here.
      • Ao Nang Beach* – main beach of the area, pretty but NOT swimmable (polluted water). Nice long beach, big rock landscapes at the sides, many places to sit with tree shade, watch sunset, chill on your own. Fire shows on this beach every night. People usually come for the busy town part (more during nighttime).
        • Pai Plong Beach* – prettier less crowded little beach (still murky water), east next to AN. Accessible by boat or 10mins Monkey Trail stair hike (yes there’s monkeys, not recommended for kids or elderly). Or rent kayak before the trail. Go early to avoid crowds.
      • Tonsai Beach* – most remote beach in main beach area. Accessible only by boat. Can walk to Railay Beach in 5-10mins. Definitely the nicest Oasis of the main 3 beaches. Stay here if you want to stay in nature and don’t plan to visit the busy AN beach area.
      • Railay West Beach* – nicer beach (than Railay east), swimmable water, has beautiful sunset. Lots to explore around the sides, go north to reach Tonsai Beach or south to see many nature things (cave, bay, lagoon, bioluminescent).
        • Phra Nang Beach* – beautiful beach short walk from Railey beaches, natural landscapes (big rocks & greenery), clear water, not crowded. Monkeys in the trees, big monitor lizards casually walking around. Bat Cave and Princess Cave nearby.
        • East Railay Beach – not nice. Has boat pier, trash and dead jealous fish, smelly waste water. Everyone walks 10mins through the land to reach Railay west.
      • Ao Nam Mao Beach – this is the main pier area with tons of tour boats, so noisy and dirty water. Only go here if you want to find a tour boat.
        • West end can walk 40-60min to Railay beach at low tide. Beware: many rocks and not so easy, you need shoes, and partly submerged in water. Also not that scenic, and giant lizards on the rocks, large stray dogs along the way.
      • Fossil Shell Beach – SKIP! Very small beach, nobody there, little to see, costs money to go in. Paid part can only see shell fossils during low tide. There is a free part but either way, you spent time getting here.
      • Go into river/mangrove area like Ban KoLek Restaurant.
    • Center going west:
      • Noppharat Thara Beach* – scenic area and national park, common stop for Hong Islands tours.
      • Klong Muang Beach* – nice beach and much quieter than main city beaches, but still has restaurants and bars nearby. Lots of car parking. I read this is the peaceful pretty local area.
      • Tubkaek Beach* – beautiful and quiet, white sand, nice sunsets, view of islands in the distance. Dragon’s Crest (Ngon Nak Nature Trail) is nearby.
    • Islands
      • Koh Phi Phi (Phi Phi Island) –
        • Koh Phi Phi Lee – Maya Bay, Viking Cave, Pi Leh Bay.
      • Bamboo Island* – one of those MUST-SEE nicest beaches in the world. Pure nature reserve, clear turquoise waters, fine white sand (with some small stones), beautiful wildlife (fish, jellyfish, sharks). Often included on Phi Phi Islands tour.
      • Hong Island –
      • Yung Island (Mosquito Island) – magical beautiful place for diving, closed for coral restoration now.
  • Tours:
    • Island tours are split into 3 areas…4/7 Islands, Hong Islands, Phi Phi Islands. Everything else is either other activities like hiking, kayaking, zipline, rock-climbing, etc…or doing just a single stop (but spending more time at one of the islands.) Usually, prices are same everywhere…the gotcha is whether they include hotel pickup, national park fees, snorkel equipment, etc.
    • 4/7 Islands – nearby islands south of Krabi…Ko Poda, Tup, Thale Waek, Ko Kai (Chicken Island), then some time on Railay Beach. Stops with swimming, snorkeling (nice corals/fish), bioluminescent plankton (5min unimpressive activity), maybe dinner with sunset (worth it). I did the 7 Islands sunset tour (12-8pm) and enjoyed it. Cheap price since it’s closer, and can go by longtail boat. More time spent on stops than riding around. I’m happy with the value for the money paid, but it’s crowded and not THAT beautiful.
    • Phi Phi Islands – most popular tour destination (from DiCaprio’s movie “The Beach”). Far islands south of Krabi, requires speedboat and costs more. Phi Phi Island, Maya Bay, Pi Leh Bay, Monkey Beach, Viking Cave. Swimming, snorkeling, taking photos from boat. Very crowded and you spend more time taking photos than actually enjoying. But very beautiful.
    • Hong Islands* – nearby islands just west of Krabi. Has many sights just as beautiful as Phi Phi Islands and Maya Bay but nowhere near as crowded. You also spend more time enjoying the sights than being on a long boat ride. Easily, my recommendation is to choose the Hong Islands tour. I imagine the others are only more popular because 4/7 Islands seems like good deal for the money and Phi Phi Islands is more well-known.
    • James Bond Island (Ko Tapu) – far island in Phang Nga Bay area west of Krabi. Popular because of James Bond movie shot there. It’s more of a bay destination than a beach destination. Taking photos of rock landscape, kayaking and canoeing, cave tour, I think also floating village. Beautiful, but many people feel it’s overrated and overcrowded. Can also do this tour from Phuket.
    • Emerald Pool, Hot Spring, Tiger Cave – full day 8am-4pm. Tour price is cheaper than you taking a Grab to those places yourself, and paid entry yourself. If you’re 2 people, calling Grab is cheaper than the tour. I highly recommend TripGuru Thailand because it seems the arrive at all places 20-60mins before other groups so you enjoy all the space to yourself. The pool and hot spring are nice for some photos. The Tiger Cave hike to viewpoint is awesome. Overall though, I wasn’t impressed…especially for the money paid and time spent.
    • Private boat tour – get a group of friends together and get your own boat. Then you can stay however long you want, moving only you want. Not only that but it’s so much better than boat tours which always unloads everyone all at once. But by on your own schedule, you’re more likely have the beaches to yourself when they’re not around.
  • Viewpoints, landmarks, sunsets, hikes:
    • Sunsets – all west-facing beaches have a sunset. I felt AN was most convenient because the space is bigger, and then you can quickly go into the city after to eat. Railay is really nice but the beach is smaller and therefore feels more crowded with all the sunset boat tour people. Tonsai, I haven’t seen during sunset but I assume it’s most lovely and peaceful.
    • Tiger Cave* – climb 1260 steps up the mountain to a beautiful view of surrounding nature. Hike up takes 25-60mins depending on your fitness level, most ppl take 30-40mins. You’ll see temples at bottom and top, monkeys along the way. Don’t openly carry food as monkeys WILL attack you, they’re also known for stealing from your backpack from behind.
    • Dragon’s Crest (Ngon Nak Nature Trail)* – hard hike with beautiful views and wildlife. Total of 8km in and out, 460m elevation through jungle dirt and rocks, stairs and maybe support ropes at some point, lots of tree shade. Going up and down can take 3-5 hours. Last entry allowed at 2pm but you’ll be starting much earlier anyway. Bring shoes for stability, water for the heat, pants for the thick underbrush. Do not attempt in the rain.
  • Parks, gardens, green spaces:
    • Chao Fah Park – local park by the river. Right in Krabi town.
    • Thara Park – big park by the river. Big space with trees, recreation facilities, calisthenics exercise stuff.
    • Emerald Pool – this area has several pools with crystal clear waters. Beautiful for a photo, the Emerald one you can get inside for a bit and enjoy before it gets crazy packed. I suppose you could spend a whole day here and treat it like a picnic day but I don’t there’s enough to make it worth that much time. It’s better as a tour stop.
    • Hot spring – not that magical to me. Is skippable, unless part of a tour.
  • Krabi Snake Park and Kingcobra show – snake show. If you don’t have time, Phuket has a ton of these and Bangkok has some too.
  • Markets, shopping:
    • Night markets:
      • Ao Nang Landmark Night Market* – nicest biggest most touristy one. Lots of food options, many shops from cheap to boutique, live performances (music & fireshows). It’s nice, grab something to eat while you walk around, then cross over and sit by the beach if you want to get away from the noise.
  • Silver Bracelet Massage – favorite one in Krabi, owner has 20 years experience and you really feel it. Lovely warm lady, great reviews, the other masseuses here are awesome as well.
  • Buildings & architecture:
    • The big metal animal structures throughout the beaches. Giant crab, etc. Not historically important, just a photo to say you’ve been to Krabi.
  • Arts, museums, culture:

Restaurants & Cafes:

Bars, clubs, and nightlife:

  • There many bars everywhere. Just follow the noise.

Miscellaneous tips:

  • Thailand – quick travel guide
  • Transportation:
    • Motorbike – very useful to get around quickly between many places.
    • Boat – necessary to get from one beach to another.
  • Mosquitos – lots of mosquitos. Very annoying when trying to eat outdoors. It’s best if you have a fan directly hitting you.

Itinerary:

  • DAY 1 – check-in and head to Ao Nang Beach area. If you’re staying on Tonsai or Railay beaches, then you can stick to those beaches. Hang around for sunset on the beach and catch a fireshow. Then run over to the night market for food and festivities.
  • DAY 2 – do a boat tour of Hong Islands. Get a massage afterwards, go eat at a nice restaurant.
  • DAY 3 – do a day hangout on Tonsai or Railay beach (both can walk to each other). Can explore caves and other viewpoints nearby.
  • DAY 4 – do a hike, Tiger Cave if you want easier or Dragon’s Crest if you want harder. Can switch with DAY 3 itinerary. And it’s never a bad idea to sneak in another massage. 🙂

Nearby towns:

  • Koh Yao – got curious after reading reviews of Annie Meen’s Place.

Unfiltered notes:

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