Krabi is a popular coastal region in southern Thailand. Whether you’re interested in island hopping, relaxing on white-sand beaches, or unwinding at a luxury resort, Krabi is the perfect tropical paradise! Mike and I spent three full days in this region and it quickly became one of my favorite beach destinations.
Where to Stay in Krabi
During our time in Krabi, Thailand, we chose to stay at the Varana Krabi Hotel. This is a modern wellness-focused luxury hotel, located about 20 minutes from the town of Ao Nang in the Khlong Muang area of Krabi. This area is quieter and calmer than Ao Nang, which was perfect for us as a couple who were looking for some relaxation time. We stayed here for four nights.
Mike was still super sick, so I did most of this part of the trip on my own.
Getting Around
Day 1
Hong Islands Half Day Trip
The Hong Islands are a small group of islands off the coast of Krabi, famous for their dramatic limestone cliffs and gorgeous blue water. They are only about 30 minutes from the coast by longtail boat, and a half day trip was the perfect amount of time to visit them.
We’d booked the boat trip through our hotel ahead of time. The boat trip was perfect because it was private and left directly from our hotel. Mike wasn’t feeling up to being out and about so it was just me and the driver. We left from the hotel lobby at 8:30am and they escorted me to the beach where my driver was waiting in his traditional longtail boat. The driver spoke limited English, so we spoke mostly through my Google Translate app. He said we could go anywhere I wanted to, and I was glad I had done a little research ahead of time.
Hong Island
We first headed to Hong Island, which is the main island. When you get off the boat, make sure to take a picture of the boat’s name so you’ll be able to find it later. The operator for the national park has a loudspeaker and will call out the boat name once you are ready to be picked up. The driver dropped me off and we made a plan for him to pick me up in about 45 minutes. I paid my national park fee and headed straight to the lookout, which is accessible via a climb of about 419 stairs. Most of the climb was in the shade and nearly everyone was climbing up in their swimsuits (including me). It was already so hot out and I was drenched by the time I reached the top.
The view at the top is absolutely worth it, and it gives you an incredible view of the ocean and surrounding islands. I definitely recommend doing this first on your tour while it’s the coolest part of the day!
Hong Island also has a beach you can visit, but I used most of my 45 minutes for the trip to the lookout.
Hong Lagoon
Our second stop was to Hong Lagoon, which is accessed through a narrow opening between two large limestone cliffs. The lagoon is very shallow, and boats can only access it during high tide. It was too shallow while we were there, so my driver dropped me off at the entrance and I waded around through the knee-high water. It was really peaceful and beautiful!
Lao Lading Island
Next was Lao Lading, which features a small crescent-shaped beach surrounded by limestone cliffs. We stopped here for about 30 minutes. It was incredibly hot out, so I enjoyed dipping in the ocean to cool off. The beach was fairly crowded at this point, so I was ready to be picked up at the end of the 30-minute time slot.
Pakbia Island
Next we visited Pakbia Island, a small uninhabited island. It’s best known for its beautiful sandbar and crystal-clear water perfect for snorkeling. The beach was absolutely packed when I was here and almost too crowded to get in the water. I ended up heading back to the boat a little before my driver and I had agreed upon and we headed back to shore.
The Beach Club Krabi
My driver dropped me off at the beach club right by our resort. It was around 12:45pm, so it was perfect timing to get lunch. Mike met me at the club and we got a table to eat at. Note that if you have the half board plan through Varana Hotel, the meal vouchers are not valid at the Beach Club. The menu offers a wide variety of dishes, including burgers and sandwiches, salads, seafood, pizza, and Thai food. Everything we got was good!
If you are a guest of the hotel, you can hang out on the bean bags on the beach for free. If you want to sit on one of the loungers or cabanas by the pool, there is a minimum food/drink spend.
We spent the rest of the evening around the hotel and had dinner at one of the hotel restaurants.
Day 2
Tiger Cave Temple
Tiger Cave Temple is one of the most iconic landmarks in Krabi. Visiting this temple requires a challenging 1,260-step climb, but you’ll be rewarded with a huge golden Buddha statue and panoramic views of Krabi.
I arrived at the parking area around 8:30am, and I’d recommend getting there even earlier if possible, as it gets hot quickly! I was blown away by how ornate the temple and surrounding grounds are right by the parking lot. There was plenty of parking and a bathroom I made sure to visit before making the climb. Follow the signs to “Mountaineer” and you’ll see the stairs that climb straight up.
The climb is relentless – it was incredibly hot and humid (you’re also required to cover your shoulders and knees since you’re at a temple), the stairs are steep, and there are no breaks! It takes most people around 30 to 60 minutes to get to the top. It took me about 40 minutes, and I was taking frequent but short breaks to catch my breath.
The view at the top is amazing and there was a nice breeze to help me cool down. I spent about 20 minutes wandering around and taking pictures.
Going down was much easier and only took me about 15 minutes to speed down. There were several monkeys hanging out near the steps on my walk down!
When I arrived at the bottom, I wandered through the temple by the parking lot, which was elaborately decorated.
I suggest spending the second half of your day around the town of Ao Nang. It is a really cute beach town with tons to do!
Zama Local Thai Restaurant
This was possibly our favorite restaurant of the trip and we visited twice while we were in Krabi. We ordered the fried shrimp with pepper to share, shrimp fried rice with shrimp oil, and crab fried rice. Everything was incredible! My mouth is watering as I write this just thinking about it!
Beach or Pool
The beach right in town is nice and a great spot to spend a couple hours. Also if you’re staying nearby, you could hang out at your hotel’s pool if you prefer.
Massage
There are tons of massage parlors in the area and I recommend getting one while you’re here. You are in Thailand after all!
Ao Nang Night Market
The night market in town is open from 5 to 11pm. There were several free parking spots right in front around 5pm. There are lots of food stalls to pick from and plenty of shops to get souvenirs. If you’re looking for the classic elephant pants, you’ll find lots of options here! For dinner, I got a loaded potato from the grilled potato stall (which was outstanding), followed by mango sticky rice for dessert.
Sunset & Fire Show
The night market is a little bit outside of the main town, so I walked about 30 minutes down to the main strip to see a fire show. The Luminous Fire Team does a free nightly show at 6:30pm or 7pm (depending on the season) on the main beach. I arrived a little after 6pm and found a large crowd sitting and waiting for the team to set up. It was a beautiful sunset, and a nice way to enjoy the time while waiting for the start of the show. They started their show a little after 6:30 and it lasted for roughly 45 minutes. I loved that it started at sunset and continued after dark. Definitely worth checking out! There are also a few restaurants/beach clubs in the area that offer shows, but I thought this one was fun!
Day 3
Railay Beach
Railay Beach is one of the most famous parts of Krabi, known for its towering limestone cliffs right by the beach. It is technically part of Krabi mainland, but is only accessible by boat because the sheer cliffs cut it off from any roads connected to the rest of the province. This does make getting here a bit more challenging, but I found it to be pretty simple when I arrived.
Ao Nam Mao Pier
Railay is a very popular tourist spot, so there are constantly boats going in and out, both from the town of Ao Nang, and the pier of Ao Nam Mao. When doing my research ahead of time, it looked like parking in Ao Nang near the beach can be difficult to find, so I opted to drive to Ao Nam Mao Pier, where there is a paid parking lot right next door. There was a big sign with a parking “P” that says Railay parking on it. I parked my car, found the parking attendant, and paid him 100 baht to leave my car there for the day.
Then I walked to the pier and was able to catch the 9am boat. There were several other people waiting as well. I recommend buying round trip tickets. This was helpful for my return trip so I could make it clear exactly where I was going. The round trip ticket costs 200 baht. The boat departs directly from the pier, which is nice compared to the boats that leave from Ao Nang, which you’ll have to wade through water to get to. Something to keep in mind if you are staying overnight at Railay and have luggage with you!
The boat to Railay takes about 10 minutes. They will drop you off at East Railay Bay, while boats from Ao Nang will drop you off on Railay West. It’s a quick and easy 10 minute walk on a cute pedestrian street to get between the two sides.
Railay West Beach
I knew the west side would get crowded, so I headed straight there from the beach. Most of the shops along the pedestrian street weren’t open quite yet. I walked around on the beach and took some pictures. It really is so beautiful!
Pedestrian Street
On my way back to the east side of Railay, I popped into some shops that were opening up. There are also lots of restaurants and bars here.
D’Oasis Cafe
Next, I was walking to the southern-facing beach of Phra Nang, and stopped in East Railay for an acai bowl at D’Oasis Cafe. This is a cute cafe right on the water. I loved their acai bowl and it was nice to stop here for about 20 minutes to cool down.
Phra Nga Beach
Next, I continued on to Phra Nga, which may be even more beautiful than Railay West! There are some limestone islands right off the shore that make it extra scenic. On the way, you’ll walk through a jungle-y area, where you are likely to see monkeys. There is a hiking trail from here that goes to a popular lookout spot. This beach also has a popular rock climbing cliff that had many climbers on it when I was there.
I arrived at the beach around 11am and it was so hot outside already. The shady parts of the beach were absolutely packed with people, but then I walked a little ways down the beach and there was almost no one there. I found a little section for myself and laid down for a bit and soaked up the sun.
When I’d had enough sun, I went back to the pier where I was dropped off. There were several groups of people waiting, so I was glad I had my return ticket to show to one of the operators and he pointed me in the right direction. When I got back to the hotel, we spent the rest of the day lounging around and getting food at the hotel restaurant.
Wattanapat Hospital Ao Nang
If you get sick on your trip and need a doctor, we visited Wattanapat Hospital in Ao Nang twice and thought it was very nice! Everyone spoke great English, the doctor took excellent care of Mike, and his hospital bill was extremely affordable. I encourage you to go if you aren’t feeling well.
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