Krabi Guide - general information

Krabi at a Glance

Located approximately 814 kilometers from Bangkok is Krabi Province, one of most attractive destinations in southern Thailand. Encompassing an area of 4,708 square kilometers, the western border of Krabi is the Andaman Sea, the northern borders are Surat Thani and Phang-nga Provinces, the southern borders are Trang Province and the Andaman Sea and the eastern borders are Nakhon Si Thammarat and Trang Provinces. Krabi is an ideal getaway destination teeming with natural attractions including white sandy beaches, fascinating coral reefs, numerous large and small islands and verdant forests with caves and waterfalls.

Krabi's topography is mostly mountains and highlands separated by plains in some parts. Flowing through Krabi City to the Andaman Sea at Pak Nam Sub-district is Maenam Krabi which is 5 kilometers in length. In addition, there are several canals originating from the province's highest mountain range, Khao Phanom Bencha including Khlong Pakasai, Khlong Krabi Yai and Khlong Krabi Noi. Lush mangrove forests line the canals and the banks of Maenam Krabi particularly before it empties into the Andaman Sea. The provinces sandy soil conditions are suitable for growing various agricultural products, particularly rubber trees, palms, coconuts, cashew nuts and coffee.

Due to the influence of the tropical monsoon, there are only two seasons in Krabi; the hot season from January to April and the rainy season from May to December. Temperatures range between 17 °C and 37 °C.

Krabi is administratively divided into 8 Amphoes (Districts): Amphoe Mueang, Khao Phanom, Khlong Thom, Plai Phraya, Ko Lanta, Ao Luek, Lam Thap, and Nuea Khlong. The provinces jurisdiction covers not only in-land districts and sub-districts, but also extends to more than 130 large and small islands including the world famous Phi Phi Islands.

In addition, Krabi is the location of two world class beaches Ao Nang and Hat Rai Le which offer numerous diving trips, restaurants, shops etc. Additional attractions in the province are stunning limestone cliffs and rock formations which make it a heaven for rock climbers and a National Park located approximately 40 kilometers outside of town with lakes, caves and spectacular natural scenery.

Phi Phi Islands

Koh Phi Phi consists of two islands situated about 40km from Krabi, Phi Phi Lay and Phi Phi Don. Both are part of Hat Noppharat Thara Mo Koh Phi Phi National Marine Park. This means little in the face of the rapid development that has taken place on Phi Phi Don. Only parts of Phi Phi Don are actually under the administration of the National Parks Division of the Royal Thai Forestry Department. Phi Phi lay and the western cliffs of Phi Phi Don are left to the bird's nest collectors and parts of Phi Phi Don where the Chao Naam (sea gypsy) live are also not included in the park.

After Ao Nang this is probably the most popular tourist destination along the Andaman Coast, especially during the peak months from December to March, when hordes descend on the island and snatch up every room and bungalow on Phi Phi Don. Even so, the island still retains some of its original beauty, though to truly appreciate it means a fair hike to escape the crowds.

Koh Phi Phi Don is the larger of the two islands, a sort of dumbbell-shaped island with scenic hills, awesome cliffs, long beaches, emerald waters and remarkable bird and sea life. The ‘handle’ in the middle has long, white-sand beaches on either side, only a few hundred metres apart. The beach on the southern side curves around Ao Ton Sai, where boats from Phuket and Krabi dock. There is also a Thai Muslim village here. On the northern side of the ‘handle’ is Ao Loh Dalam. The uninhabited, except for beach bungalows, western section of the island is called Koh Noak (outer island) and the eastern section, which is much larger, is Koh Nai (inner island). At the north of the eastern end is Laem Tong, where the island’s Chao Naam population lives. The number of Chao Naam living here varies from time to time, as they are still nomadic, sailing from island to island, stopping off to repair their boats or fishing nets, but there are generally about 100 on the island of Phi Phi at any given time.

Other parts of Phi Phi Don aren’t as built up, though the once brilliant coral reefs around the island are suffering from anchor drag and runoff from large beach developments. The least disturbed part of the island at present are those still belonging to the few Chao Naam who haven’t cashed in.

Though development on Koh Phi Phi Don has slowed, there’s still much room for improvement in terms of rubbish collection and waste disposal. Take a quick walk around the main town and bungalow area near Ton Sai: you can almost hear the island groaning under the weight of too many power generators, septic tanks and rubbish sites.

Hat Yao (Long Beach) faces south and has some of Phi Phi Don’s best coral reefs. Ton Sai, Loh Dalam and Hat Yao all have beach bungalows. On the eastern coast of Phi Phi Don is another very beautiful beach, Hat Lanti, with good surf. For several years the locals wouldn’t allow any bungalows to be built here out of respect for the large village mosque in a coconut grove above the beach – but money talked. Farther north is the sizeable Bay of Loh Bakao, where there is a small resort and near the tip of Laem Tong are three luxury resorts. Park administrators have allowed development on Phi Phi Don to continue unchecked though it finally seems to be slowing down. Beautiful Ao Ton Sai has become more of a boat basin than a beach and more and more bungalows have been crowded onto this section of the island. For solitude and scenery this place is not ‘where it’s at’. On the other hand, those travelers in search of a livelier social scene will be rewarded by a wide choice of restaurants, beachfront bars and up-market accommodation.

Phi Phi Le is surrounded almost completely by sheer cliffs plunging into the ocean, with a few caves and a sea lake between two cliffs allowing water to enter. The so-called Viking Cave contains prehistoric paintings of stylized human and animal figures alongside later paintings of ships (Asian Junks) no more than 100 years old. The cave is also a collection point for highly coveted swiftly nests. No-one is allowed to stay on Phi Phi Lay because of the bird-nest business but boats can be hired from Phi Phi Don for short jaunts to see the caves and do a little snorkelling at the coral reefs in Ao Maya.

Koh Lanta

This island located in the most southern district of Krabi province, was previously called by its Malay name, Pulao Satak, meaning Long Beach Island. Years later when its residents were more of Thai origin its name changed to the name by which it goes today, Koh Lanta. The beaches tend to be both gravelly and sandy, unlike the white or pale yellow sands of other islands in the area.

Consisting of 52 islands the geography is typically mangroves and coral rimmed beaches and rugged tree covered hills. Twelve islands are inhabited, of which four are accessible, Koh Klang, Koh Bubu, Koh Lanta Yai and Koh Lanta Noi.

Koh Lanta Yai, the biggest island, is accessible from various points within Krabi Province. There are a number of boats leaving from the Chaofa Ship-berth, Khongkha Road, Krabi Town as well as boats from Ban Hua Hin on the mainland to the east of Lanta, from Ban Baw Meuang further south, from Koh Phi Phi Don and from Koh Jam.

These islands are an escape from most things commercial and although there are western restaurants, bungalow accommodation and the odd hotel here and there, they still (hopefully) have a long way to go, before they become tourist hubbubs. Camping is allowed on all the islands in the Lanta group and all have sources of fresh washing water. NOTE: Drinking water should be purchased in bottles...do not drink tap or stream water anywhere in Thailand.

Home to "Chao Le" or sea gypsies, as well as Buddhists and Muslims as well as the odd 'Farang' with their various religions, Koh Lanta plays host to many different cultures. Not really the place for the lone traveller, unless you really want to escape, Koh Lanta doesn't have much in the way of nightlife and entertainment. What it does have on the other hand is an opportunity to see rural Thai life, pretty much as it has been for years, it also has beaches and forested hills and the off-lying reefs, most of which are accessible by boat rather than a quick swim, to explore as well as a few caves to venture through.

CLIMATE

The climate of Krabi Province is tropical and therefore warm throughout the whole year. At the same time it is dominated by the monsoon winds that bring about the seasonal changes from wet to dry. There are two very hot periods of weather on Krabi, the first between April and May when the average temperatures range from 27 to 36 degrees Celsius and only the occasional tropical thunderstorm brings relief from the heat.

It is also very hot between September and October, but the frequent rainfall has a wonderful cooling effect.

In May, when the southwest monsoon rises to its peak, it rains on an average of 25 days during the month, making it to one of the most humid months of the year. Rainy days are interspersed with sunny days during this period and the rain generally comes in tropical downpours of an hour or so throughout the day mixed with periods of sunshine.

Most people choose to visit Krabi from November to March when the northeast Monsoon brings beautiful blue skies and predominantly sunny weather. The average temperature ranges from 24 to 32 degrees Celsius and because of the regions popularity during this season, there is a lot to do on Krabi and it is advised that you book early.