Krabi travel guide

Where to base yourself

The Tourism Authority of Thailand describes Krabi through beaches, islands, hot springs, caves, and limestone, and it says Ao Nang is what most visitors mean by town. Noppharat Thara is the quieter beach it places inside the national park that also includes the Phi Phi Islands.

Places and experiences

• Ao Nang beach and the pier. Learn the pier on the first evening. It is the difference between a calm boat morning and a missed one.
• Noppharat Thara. TAT calls it a quiet, shady beach and part of the national park. Use it as the non-boat day.
• Railay and Phra Nang. Go by boat for the cliffs and the cape. Climbers use the limestone; this guide does not certify routes or schools. If you climb, use a locally qualified outfit and do not invent one from a flyer.
• A Phi Phi day or an overnight. TAT’s Krabi page places Koh Phi Phi inside the wider park story. The island has its own guide. A day trip is only sane if the return boat is confirmed before you leave.
• Koh Lanta as a move, not a glance. Lanta is far enough that it wants a night. See Koh Lanta. Do not “swing by” on the way back from Phi Phi.
• The shell cemetery and the markets. TAT lists a 75-million-year-old shell cemetery among Krabi highlights, and names Maharaj Walking Street on Friday to Sunday evenings and the Chao Fah pier market. Use one of these when the sea is a bad idea. Confirm the walking-street days.
• Hot springs or a cave, as the inland spare. TAT mentions hot springs and sea caves in the province. Pick a named site from the TAT page or a park office on the day, and skip anything that cannot tell you who manages it.

A three-day pace

1. Day one, Ao Nang and the pier. Beach, food, and a look at tomorrow’s boat without paying for a tour you do not understand.
2. Day two, Railay or Noppharat Thara. One limestone or park beach, back before evening.
3. Day three, a boat or a refusal. Phi Phi only if the sea is settled and you hold a return that can slip. Otherwise the shell cemetery, a market, or another beach.

If the weather turns

TAT’s own tip is to buy a one-way island ferry when you can, so the return can change. If the morning boat is withdrawn, stay on the mainland beaches. Do not stack a speedboat on top of a cancelled ferry. Peak-season rooms around late December and early January are the period TAT tells you to reserve early; that is a demand note, not a price.

Getting there and getting around

Krabi is an airport and a road trip from Phuket or the mainland. This page does not quote the transfer. Ao Nang to Noppharat Thara can be a walk or a short ride depending on where you slept. Railay is a boat. Island ferries leave from piers that are not all the same pier; read the ticket for the pier name.

Before you leave

• Check the marine forecast and the operator the afternoon before a boat day.
• Ask whether the beach you want sits inside the national park and needs a separate fee.
• No tour on this page has inclusions, because none are being sold.

Information Tourism Authority of Thailand — Krabi.