Krabi is arguably one of the most beautiful places in Thailand. Crystal clear water that’s absurdly blue, picturesque beaches that are worthy of a postcard, plenty of hiking and fresh water swimming holes, and amazing island hopping opportunities. Plus, it’s mega affordable!
We spent 6 days in Krabi, and could have easily stayed longer. Here’s the run down of where we stayed, what we did, and what we ate.
The Lay of the Land
Krabi Town is the capital of Krabi Province. The town is quite local and you won’t find many tourists, but it is close to the famous Tiger Temple, the Emerald Pools, and mangrove swamps. The biggest point of interest is the weekend night market, which if fabulous. Plenty of cheap, delicious food, live music, and great vibes.
Ao Nang is a beach town that’s 11 km away from Krabi Town, and it is the perfect home base for exploring the area. There are piers with boats to all the islands, plenty of food options, beautiful beaches, and cheap accommodations.
Where We Stayed:
Upon arriving to Krabi, we stayed in Krabi Town for 1 night at City Hotel. It was $12 USD a night with beds that felt more like benches and the shower was right above the toilet. You get what you pay for!
For the next 5 nights we stayed at Glow Ao Nang, which was exceptional. We had a spacious room with a balcony that looked over a beautiful pool. There was a nice gym, great service, and it was a 10 minute walk away from the beach.
While we could have scored the room for around $16USD/night, we opted for the breakfast included option, and the room came to $23.55USD/night. A similar room in the US would easily be $150USD, if not more.
What We Did During Our 6 Days in Krabi
4 Island Tour
The highlight of our time in Krabi was a 4 island tour. Around 15 people (or so) filled into a long tail boat that cruised through the jaw-dropping islands surrounded by some of the most beautiful water I’ve ever seen. It was crystal clear and a beautiful blue color. “How is this even possible?!” escaped my lips more than once.
There were two snorkeling stops. I spied tons of bright colorful fish in all shapes and sizes, massive sea cucumbers, a few urchins, and even a puffer fish. There was one type of fish that was yellow and white, and they were quite bold. I’d swim over and stare then down. They’d stare at me right back, seemingly making “You wanna mess with me?” jolts forwards.
I honestly can’t really tell you where exactly we went apart from Chicken Island and Railey Beach. Beautiful islands all seem to blend together. But the flow of the day was great, we made friends with two Austrian travelers, and it was the perfect way to see the natural beauty of Krabi. Plus, it was only $30USD pp… transfer from the hotel and lunch included! A highlight of our 6 days in Krabi for sure.
Motor Scooter Day with Kayaking
Motor bikes are the perfect way to get around Krabi, and you can rent them for a mere 200 THB a day. While traffic in Thailand can be disastrous, with so few tourists, taking on the streets with Marissa on the back was a breeze. The guy we rented it from asked numerous times… “You sure? You’ve ridden before?!” Clearly they see people get into accidents all the time. So this is my safety advice to you: if you don’t feel comfortable on a motor bike, don’t rent one. I’ve been stupid enough to take on the chaos of Vietnam and Bali on two wheels, and anything feels easy in comparison.
The first stop was Mirror Lake. For 400 THB, we rented a kayak and rowed through picture perfect mangroves that looked worthy of a Disney movie. There was a spot for a swim, and we finished up with some pad see ew and coffee.
PRO TIP: There are many guided tours to this spot, but I’d recommend doing it yourself. Type in “Mirror Lake” into Google Maps, and you’ll arrive at a local restaurant with incredibly nice women clearly in need of business. While tours can be great, going straight to the locals is the best way to ensure the money ends up in their pockets.
After Mirror Lake, we scooted to another swimming hole (pictured above) where we chatted with two travelers who had ridden from Singapore to Krabi on their motor bikes. Next we swung by Klong Muang Beach. It was one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen with vibrant water, soft sand, and hardly a soul to be seen. There was a beach front street food spot where we feasted on papaya salad and two chicken dishes.
With evening showers looming, we scooted home. The full day of exploring and eating was a measly $15 a person. Holy frugal!
Phi Phi Island Tour
The Phi Phi Islands are one of the most hyped up island chains in Krabi. With limited speedboat times given the lack of tourists, we decided to do a tour to make life easier. The tour visited 4 different beaches with two snorkeling opportunities as well as a lunch buffet. The most fascinating stop was Maya Bay , which was featured in a James Bond movie (pictured above). It has stunning water and white sand, but there’s a catch, you aren’t allowed to go in past your knees to protect the marine life. It’s also THE spot for social media content, and the bay was lined with photoshoots that went on for absurdly long.
Getting a couple photos to remember an experience is one thing. But only experiencing a place through a lens is another.
Over all the tour was perfectly fine, but it didn’t live up to the hype. Many of the spots were overcrowded, and I much preferred the 4 Island Snorkeling Tour.
Down Day
When traveling for extended periods of time, having down time is essential. I took one morning to scoot about by myself while Marissa rock climbed. Then we spent the afternoon catching up on computer work and relaxing by the pool.
Tonsai and Railey Beach
These two beaches came highly recommended to us, and a little beach hopping seemed like the perfect way to spend the last day of our 6 days in Krabi. Both beaches are only accessible via boat, which is 100 THB/ $2.80 USD per person each way.
NOTE: There’s and 8 person minimum per boat. So you’ll have to wait around until at least 8 people arrive. We only waited 10 minutes, but if it’s the off season, be prepared to kill some time.
Tonsai was like a ghost town of hippie backpackers past. There’s a small area with hostels and bungalow style restaurants catered towards adventure travelers and rock climbers, but nearly all of them were in total shambles. A few locals shouted “Hello!” from the overgrown rubble, and all the rock climbing signs were a bit askew. The beach was almost completely empty—which is my type of paradise.
The thing about having no people around, is unreliable boat services. Finally we flagged one down who agreed to take us to Railey for 150THB pp. Railey Beach is one of the most popular destinations in Krabi, and I was surprised by how many tourists there were. Mostly Europeans, mostly families. Marissa and I bopped around the pedestrian street that was lined with restaurants, cafes, and plenty of spots advertising weed (it just recently became legal in Thailand, although I doubt legality ever got in the way.)
We stumbled upon Diamond Cave (pictured above), which was stunning. Got lost in a resort. Then ended up finding the best mango sticky rice of the entire trip. The woman made the rice mixture fresh, so it was perfectly warm and sweet with just enough ripe mango on top. I’m not sure how I’ll fare without mango sticky rice every day….
To get home, we walked back to where we were dropped off. Two more people were waiting, and after 15 minutes the driver offered to take the four of us for 200 THB a person.
BONUS Must-Do!:
Monkey Trail is a can’t miss when visiting Krabi. There are monkeys swinging about everywhere (hang on to your items for dear life!). It must have recently been birthing season because there were numerous babies clinging to their mothers as well as youngsters exploring what it was like to swing around the branches for the first time.
What We Ate
Krabi isn’t a culinary destination of Thailand. The beach front of Ao Nang is splattered with overpriced tourist spots (which are still dirt cheap by US standards), and there are a surprising number of Indian restaurants.
If you get off the main drag, there are more local options to be had, and I’d recommend the following:
Landmark Ao Nang Night Market: It’s a bit shiny and touristy, but there are some good options including a great tom yum stall.
Best Pad Thai: This spot is perfect for cheap eats. We got Tom Yum, pad thai, pineapple fried rice, a passionfruit soda, and mango smoothie for just $7.16 USD! (Curious about the history of Pad Thai? Check out my deep dive HERE!)
Krabi Town Weekend Night Markets: It’s worth heading into Krabi Town on Friday or Saturday night for the night markets. They are packed full of locals with so many delicious and cheap eats to be had. Check out my reel below for a look:
1 thought on “Exploring Paradise: 6 Days in Krabi, Thailand”
Thailandia is a festive place to eat – have you missed it? Nice guide with sharp photos 🙂 Happy traveling