A lot of my friends and am sure yours too have been to Thailand and for most of them Thailand means going to the same old destinations - Pattaya & Bangkok, so when I started deciding on going to Krabi for my birthday,a lot of people assumed that I will be at Pattaya.
My fascination for Krabi started when I read about Phi Phi Island (touted as one of the best islands in the world) and Railay beach and Maya bay (where Leonardo DiCaprio's movie 'The Beach' was shot). The picturesque location of Krabi is in Southern Thailand on the west coast (opposite to Phuket on the east coast) and is defined by sheer limestone cliffs, dense mangrove forests, blessed with white sandy beaches, stunning islands, and awesome sea cliffs. The main city is Krabi town and serves as the base to explore the entire province.
After landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi's airport, I took my next flight to Krabi from Don Mueang Airport, which has daily flight to different parts of Thailand. It takes about 1.5 hours to reach Krabi and another hour to reach Ao Nang the main part of Krabi Town by taking a shared airport taxi which cots about 100 THB per person. My hotel was at a quiet end of the town so it took a bit longer for the drop and though I landed at Bangkok at 11 AM, I reached my hotel at 5.30 PM, just in time to see the setting sun and its hues. After having a dinner of Pad Thai (can be easily called as the national dish of Thailand! Thin rice noodles stir-fried with sweet and sour sauce, egg, bean sprouts, green onion, tofu and salted radish with choice of Chicken/Tofu/Paneer/Shrimp) and coconut milk tea, I just crashed into the comfy hotel bed.
Next day I rented a scooter and went to the main shopping centre of Ao Nang, where I saw boat rides for Railay beach starting at 100 THB pp so without thinking much I bought a ticket and waited for one of the very famous and beautiful Long Tail boat rides. It is accessible only by boat due to high limestone cliffs cutting off mainland access. The boat rie took about 45 minutes from the main beach in Ao Nang to Railay, cutting through translucent blue waters and limestone cliffs and lush jungles in between. Isolated from the mainland by limestone cliffs and surrounded by lush jungle, Railay Beach is one of the most stunning and laid back beaches in the whole of Thailand and perhaps in the world. Also known as Rai Leh, is a large peninsula between the city of Krabi and Ao Nang in Thailand.
As I stepped down from the long tail boat Railay beach welcomed me with white sandy beaches and beautiful limestone formations in the background. though am not a water sports enthusiast, I picked up Kayaking (which is easier than diving / snorkeling). It costs 200 THB/hour/pp for renting out a Kayak and you can take it to one of the hidden beaches on the other end of the peninsula called Paradise beach, where after kayaking for about 30 minutes in the clear waters, you come to an almost isolated beach with fewer than 50 people and breathtaking beauty of the sea, adorned with swings, floral decors, old rock formations and green, thick jungles in the background. I got almost hypnotised by its beauty and sat there for 3 hours and then after another 30 minutes of kayaking came back to Railay for lunch. Another sumptuous meal of Thai Noodles and Tom Yum soup was waiting for me which I gobbled down in no time and then it was time to return to Ao Nang in yet another but exciting long tail boat ride.
After reaching the shore, I took my scooter and went to see the very famous Krabi night market, which was about a 25 minutes ride through the city. Strolling along night markets in Krabi is one of the most authentic experiences you can have in Thailand. They are the best places to do street shopping, find cool souvenirs to take back home, sample delicious local food, and mingle with locals. Even if you’re someone who isn’t interested in shopping, the sights, sounds and ever-present aroma of mouthwatering Thai cuisine are bound to draw you in. I was lucky that it was a saturday so the market was in full bloom and what I tasted that night is undoubtedly the best yet the most bizzare food I have ever tasted. After strolling the narrow streets for almost two hours and buying stuff that I'm not going to use much, I came back pretty exhausted from a day full of experiences to cherish for a lifetime to the hotel at around 11 in the night.
Ways to reach Krabi
Regular flights to Bangkok/ Krabi Town
Approximate cost
Thai Visa 4000 INR
Taxi cost to Krabi 250 INR
Food Approx 500 INR/meal
Scooter rental 600 INR daily
Best Season
October - March
May- June for monsoon enthusiast
Must try foods
Pad Thai
Tom Yum
Fried Insects
Oysters
Crepes
Soups
Sushi
My fascination for Krabi started when I read about Phi Phi Island (touted as one of the best islands in the world) and Railay beach and Maya bay (where Leonardo DiCaprio's movie 'The Beach' was shot). The picturesque location of Krabi is in Southern Thailand on the west coast (opposite to Phuket on the east coast) and is defined by sheer limestone cliffs, dense mangrove forests, blessed with white sandy beaches, stunning islands, and awesome sea cliffs. The main city is Krabi town and serves as the base to explore the entire province.
After landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi's airport, I took my next flight to Krabi from Don Mueang Airport, which has daily flight to different parts of Thailand. It takes about 1.5 hours to reach Krabi and another hour to reach Ao Nang the main part of Krabi Town by taking a shared airport taxi which cots about 100 THB per person. My hotel was at a quiet end of the town so it took a bit longer for the drop and though I landed at Bangkok at 11 AM, I reached my hotel at 5.30 PM, just in time to see the setting sun and its hues. After having a dinner of Pad Thai (can be easily called as the national dish of Thailand! Thin rice noodles stir-fried with sweet and sour sauce, egg, bean sprouts, green onion, tofu and salted radish with choice of Chicken/Tofu/Paneer/Shrimp) and coconut milk tea, I just crashed into the comfy hotel bed.
Next day I rented a scooter and went to the main shopping centre of Ao Nang, where I saw boat rides for Railay beach starting at 100 THB pp so without thinking much I bought a ticket and waited for one of the very famous and beautiful Long Tail boat rides. It is accessible only by boat due to high limestone cliffs cutting off mainland access. The boat rie took about 45 minutes from the main beach in Ao Nang to Railay, cutting through translucent blue waters and limestone cliffs and lush jungles in between. Isolated from the mainland by limestone cliffs and surrounded by lush jungle, Railay Beach is one of the most stunning and laid back beaches in the whole of Thailand and perhaps in the world. Also known as Rai Leh, is a large peninsula between the city of Krabi and Ao Nang in Thailand.
As I stepped down from the long tail boat Railay beach welcomed me with white sandy beaches and beautiful limestone formations in the background. though am not a water sports enthusiast, I picked up Kayaking (which is easier than diving / snorkeling). It costs 200 THB/hour/pp for renting out a Kayak and you can take it to one of the hidden beaches on the other end of the peninsula called Paradise beach, where after kayaking for about 30 minutes in the clear waters, you come to an almost isolated beach with fewer than 50 people and breathtaking beauty of the sea, adorned with swings, floral decors, old rock formations and green, thick jungles in the background. I got almost hypnotised by its beauty and sat there for 3 hours and then after another 30 minutes of kayaking came back to Railay for lunch. Another sumptuous meal of Thai Noodles and Tom Yum soup was waiting for me which I gobbled down in no time and then it was time to return to Ao Nang in yet another but exciting long tail boat ride.
After reaching the shore, I took my scooter and went to see the very famous Krabi night market, which was about a 25 minutes ride through the city. Strolling along night markets in Krabi is one of the most authentic experiences you can have in Thailand. They are the best places to do street shopping, find cool souvenirs to take back home, sample delicious local food, and mingle with locals. Even if you’re someone who isn’t interested in shopping, the sights, sounds and ever-present aroma of mouthwatering Thai cuisine are bound to draw you in. I was lucky that it was a saturday so the market was in full bloom and what I tasted that night is undoubtedly the best yet the most bizzare food I have ever tasted. After strolling the narrow streets for almost two hours and buying stuff that I'm not going to use much, I came back pretty exhausted from a day full of experiences to cherish for a lifetime to the hotel at around 11 in the night.
Ways to reach Krabi
Regular flights to Bangkok/ Krabi Town
Approximate cost
Thai Visa 4000 INR
Taxi cost to Krabi 250 INR
Food Approx 500 INR/meal
Scooter rental 600 INR daily
Best Season
October - March
May- June for monsoon enthusiast
Must try foods
Pad Thai
Tom Yum
Fried Insects
Oysters
Crepes
Soups
Sushi
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