Ao Nang Beach, Krabi
First of all I would like to highlight that I stayed in Krabi Ao Nang, which is a beach resort town
Where as Krabi Town is a more local with less tourists, but also with less things to do.
Therefore if you are after socializing, beach days and island trips, Ao Nang is definitely the place for you.
WHERE TO STAY
If you are looking for a social but not party hostel, which offers social events and activities, K-Bunk Central is the perfect place for you.
I spent 6 nights here and never got bored as they have social events in the evenings such as bingo, quizzes and even fire shows.
If you enjoy partying they also have free pub crawls every day where they go to 3 different bars.
If you are however looking to relax they have a swimming pool, a tv with Netflix, beach chairs outside and a pool table.
My personal favorite? The activities that they offer:
7 island boat trip
- every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
- from 1-8pm.
- This costs 1200 Baht and includes national park fees, snorkels, drinking water and a sunset BBQ
Kayaking day trip
- every Monday, Wednesday and Friday
- from 2.30-8pm
- This costs 600 Baht and includes kayaking in the secret lagoon, enjoying sunset at the beach and visiting the landmark night market
Visit Ao Nang Beach and the markets
Ao Nang beach is just a 10 minute walk from k-bunk hostel and on the way there you will go past a lot of shops where you can buy things such as bikinis, bags, beach towels, water poof phone case and everything in between.
I would especially recommend to go to this beach if you arrive before 2pm which is the usual check in time for hostels around here.
Its a great way to relax and rest from your travel journey and it is really easy to get to.
Visit Railay Beach
The only way to get here from Krabi Ao Nang is to get a 15 minute longtail boat as Railay id surrounded by cliffs.
Boats run all day and the last one is at about 6pm.
Tickets costs 100Baht each way so if you’re only going for a day you can purchase a 200Baht return boat ticket from the stand outside the beach.
You can stay here for the full day as there are restaurants where you can get food and drinks.
You can also get Thai massages here, however it is 500Baht for a Thai massage, double the price of what they would be in Ao Nang.
Watch a fire show
If you get the last long tail boat at 6pm, you are probably going to get to Ao Nang beach just in time for sunset.
I suggest you stay here and take a seat on the stairs in front of the beach as there is a fire show everyday here at around 6.30
It’s honestly really impressive and although you don’t have to pay to watch, you can tip them for their hard work
Monkey trail hike
Feeling a bit adventurous, but also need some relaxation at the end of your adventure and you want to see some cute monkeys?
Then the monkey trail hike is perfect for you as the starting point is just a 15 minute walk away from K-Bunk central.
The hike itself is also not too hard as it only takes 10/15 minutes to walk the wooden stairs through the forest area.
It’s called monkey trail because you will encounter a lot of monkey on your way up there.
Although you can feed them, I wouldn’t recommend to as they will probably end up jumping on you to get the food.
Also keep your belongings such as backpacks safe as they can also try to get these.
I mentioned relaxation earlier right? Well this trail leads to Pai Plong Beach, a very quite, uncrowded and beautiful private beach.
Because it is a private beach you will have to sign when you arrive and out when you leave but apart from that you will have a pretty quite beach to enjoy
Tiger cave temple hike
The 15 minute monkey trail hike wasn’t challenging enough for you and you need something more intense?
Then you should definitely do the tiger cave temple hike.
This is a Buddhist temple, also known as Wat Tham Suea and it is located in the north of Krabi Town.
Therefore if you are staying in Krabi Ao Nang I suggest you either:
- share a taxi with a group of people, it’s a bout a 30min drive
- If it’s just one or two people, you can rent a moto bike and bike there, it also takes around 30 minutes to get here.
I suggest doing this hike just before sunset as the views are absolutely stunning there.
It is made of 1260 (very steep) steps and takes 30-40 minutes to complete, depending on how fast you go.
Also bear in mind that there will be a lot monkeys during the first third of this hike
therefore keep your belongings safe as they are known for pickpocketing to find food/water in peoples bags.
I personally found the hike very difficult however the views from the top are absolutely beautiful and 100% worth the steep steps.
Because of the Thai humidity you will find this hike extra hard so make sure that you bring enough water and wear comfortable clothing and footwear.
Day trip to the emerald pool
They are locates a bit further out than all the other activities so if you are trying to avoid long journeys, I suggest you skip this.
The emerald pool and the Blue pool are two crystal clear pools and entry costs 400 Baht
You are not allowed to being food inside past the entrance however you can buy food at the stalls and restaurants before you enter.
There are also drinks, snacks and ice cream shops inside.
Once you get in you can rent a small locker for 20 Baht where you can keep your valuables safe.
To get here you can either:
- go with organised tour
- book a taxi if you have multiple people
- rent a moto bike from K-bunk hostel which costs 250Baht for 24h
It will roughly take 1 hour and 20 minutes to get here from Ao Nang.
Did I find it worth it? Not really as the only thing to do here was relax, something I could have done at the beaches in Ao Nang.
However the water in this pool is slightly warmer and could be an overall cool experience if you want a change of scenery.
It’s also surrounded by beautiful nature and you can go on a couple of forest walks
