5 Things to do in Krabi: The Hidden Gems
- Blair Vina
- Mar 16, 2016
- 4 min read
5 Things to do in Krabi: The Hidden Gems
Krabi was the highlight of our Thailand trip – It’s miles from the crowds in Phuket, way more family friendly and has tons of unique tourist attractions. Everyone knows about Railay beach and the 4 Islands tour, but what about the mainland?
Here are our 5 favourite things to do in Krabi that you might not have heard about!
Rent a car:
First things first, we found out pretty early that seeing anything worthwhile (other than Ao Nang and Railay Beach) in Krabi meant taking a deep breath and renting a car.
As it turns out, driving isn’t too bad in Thailand – the roads are great and if you can go with the flow and expect the unexpected, it all becomes second nature pretty quickly. FYI they drive on the left.
We tried taking public transport to the Tiger Cave Temple, and although it was fine, it was kind of a ball-ache and we always had that niggling feeling that we were on our way to the middle of nowhere. Rent a car (or scooter) and breathe a sigh of relief.
Disclaimer – Don’t rent a car if you don’t have GPS or cell service (kind of important!)
So let’s assume you’ve rented a car. Where are you going first?
1. Emerald Pool and Blue Pool
These are in the same park and about 2 hours drive from Ao Nang. Worth the drive? Definitely.
We’d heard this place becomes a zoo once the tour buses arrive so we got the jump on them and headed off well before sunrise.
We got there around 8.15am and arrived at small village with a few restaurants scattered around. Everything here is designed to charge tourists, so we paid for parking, paid the “farang” (foreigner) entry rate to the national park, and wandered into the forest. I would guess it was probably a kilometer or so before we reached the first bright blue lake – Emerald Pool.
Having set off at sunrise, we were just about the first people there. We probably had about five minutes of serenity before the hoards of tourists started piling in. Definitely a ‘get up before the sun rises’ kind of place if you’re after some peace and quiet.
Also worth noting, much like the famous Thai fish foot spas, the fish in this pool like to nibble toes
Next up, follow the boardwalk along to the blue pool and into the muddy jungle. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for the comforting sign about venomous snakes. So. Many. Snakes… (fortunately we didn’t see any).
Anyway, if you manage to push your way through the boggy snakey jungle, you’ll eventually reconnect with a new boardwalk and the practically fluorescent Blue Pool. The Blue Pool is as accurate as it is blunt and is just stunning to look at. Definitely look but don’t touch at this one!
2. Krabi Hot Springs – Nam Tok Rawn
Another one to wake up early for, unless you like sitting in people soup. Get there before the springs officially open and you’ll even skip having to pay an entry fee.
We did the Krabi hot springs at the same time as the Blue Pool and Emerald Pool as they’re all kind of in the same area.
These hot springs are awesome, especially if you go on a cooler wetter day; not sure I’d want to go on a hot day (another reason to go early in the morning). Nonetheless, these springs are relaxing and idyllic af.
3. Pa Phru Tha Pom Khlong Song Nam – The Mangrove Boardwalk
This one is a bit of a mouthful but something we just stumbled upon.
The great thing about driving around Krabi is that there are a ton of tourist signs with photos. It makes it far easier to make snap decisions when there’s an enticing photo involved.
So Pa Phru Tha Pom Khlong Song Nam is a boardwalk over a mangrove swamp. Yep, they seem to love their boardwalks in Thailand!
It’s a different experience and you might see some interesting wildlife along the way too. Top tip – save the best for last and go anticlockwise around the loop.
4. Tiger Cave Temple
Getting there:
This is the one we took a bus to, and it wasn’t exactly the easiest journey. The buses we took ended up dropping us at a busy road intersection while the driver yelled at us in Thail and pointed up the hill at the temple. There were a few tuk tuk drivers waiting for us, who drove us to the temple for 20BHT.
Take the tuktuk…. Remember, you’re about to hike up a mountain..
The Tiger Cave Temple
Once you get to the temple you’re going to have to head through the grounds at the bottom. If you’re a lady I’m sorry to tell you that you’re going to have to cover your legs. There’s a pretty serious security guard at the bottom that’s going to make you one way or another.
Once you’re at the foot of the staircase, I think we counted 36 flights of stairs between you and the top. Maybe it’s all the altitude hiking we do in Canada, but to be honest, the stairs aren’t too bad. There are lots of monkeys along the way up to take your mind off the hike it’s over pretty quickly!
The views of Krabi from the top are unparalleled and it’s something I don’t regret getting sweaty for, and believe me, you will be sweaty.
5. Ban Bor Thor Caves:
It was a wet day, and we had about 4 hours to kill before a transfer to the Airport, so we took a road trip out to the Ban Bor Thor Caves. The options were to take a kayak tour or a speedboat tour. We opted for the speedboat option as time was against us.
The rain didn’t really bother us (bring umbrellas) and I think to be honest, on a wet day, the long tail boat option is the best deal. Our guide sped us up the river to the Ban Bor Thor Caves and then slowly guided us around the caves with a torch.
We weren’t expecting to see any cave art, but the guide eagerly pointed it all out for us. Not something I’ve seen before and something we’re rarely allowed near in more restricted countries.
So there you have it, 5 things to do in Krabi that don’t involve beaches or island hopping. There’s nothing I’d recommend more than doing all the coastal things in Krabi, but if you do feel like doing something different, these are a great place to start!
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