Backpacking Krabi and Ao Nang
Krabi is where the limestone gets serious. Cliffs come straight out of the sea, whole beaches are cut off from the mainland by rock, and the islands offshore look like something a film studio built and then forgot to take down.
Ao Nang is the base: a strip of hostels, restaurants and beach bars where every boat leaves from and every tour gets booked. Fifteen minutes away by longtail is Railay, a peninsula with no road in, 700 climbing routes and a beach that regularly turns up on lists of the best in the world.
It is also the junction for the whole Andaman coast. Phi Phi, Koh Lanta and Phuket all connect from here, and Khao Sok is three hours inland. Almost nobody’s Thailand route skips it, and almost nobody regrets stopping.
Why Krabi and Ao Nang are popular with backpackers
- Railay and Phra Nang, two of the best beaches in the country
- World-class rock climbing that beginners can do on day one
- The four island day trip, which earns its reputation
- Cheap hostels and a proper backpacker strip
- Boats to Phi Phi, Lanta and Phuket all leave from here
- Sunsets over the water, every night, for free
Best time to visit Krabi
Krabi is on the Andaman coast, so the dry season is the European winter. In summer it rains, and it also gets a lot quieter and cheaper.
Planning to climb at Railay? Come between November and April. In the rainy season the rock is wet, and a lot of routes are simply not climbable.
Backpacker budget: around €20 a day
- €6hostel bed
- €2local meal
- €1.60beer
- €6scooter per day
Guide prices from our own days in Krabi. Add a tour or a night out and it climbs fast.
Best hostels in Krabi and Ao Nang
Nomads Ao Nang Beach
The party option, and a very good one. Pool during the day, pub crawl at night, and a 9.7 from three and a half thousand people who mostly arrived alone and clearly did not stay that way.
K-Bunk Hostel Ao Nang
Modern, comfortable and right in the middle of Ao Nang, so the beach, the restaurants and the boat pier are all a few minutes away. Sociable without the 2am element.
Pak-Up Hostel Krabi
In Krabi Town rather than Ao Nang, which means cheaper, quieter and closer to the night market and the bus station. Seven thousand reviews at 9.0 is a long track record. Good if you are here to move on rather than to stay on the beach.
Best things to do in Krabi and Ao Nang
Railay Beach
There is no road to Railay. The limestone cuts it off completely, so a fifteen minute longtail is the only way in, and that is exactly why it still feels like it does. Walk through to Phra Nang Cave Beach, which is the one on the postcards.
Island hopping
Four stops in one day by longtail, among them Koh Poda, Chicken Island and Tup Island. At low tide a sandbar surfaces between two of the islands and you can walk from one to the other, which is the bit everyone photographs. Take the earliest boat.
Kayaking through the mangroves
Ao Thalane is a maze of water channels between mangrove roots and limestone walls, and paddling into a hidden lagoon through a gap in the rock is a lot better than it sounds on paper. Quiet, shaded and easy going.
Tiger Cave Temple, Emerald Pool and hot springs
1,237 steps to the top of Tiger Cave Temple, and there is no shortcut. The view over the whole of Krabi from up there is the payoff, and the hot springs afterwards are extremely well timed.
Rock climbing at Railay
Railay is one of the best known climbing spots on earth, and the remarkable part is how accessible it is: schools take complete beginners up real routes on their first morning, on limestone hanging over the sea.
Elephants, and how to pick a sanctuary
There are elephant places all around Krabi and the word “sanctuary” on the sign means nothing on its own. Look for somewhere you feed and walk with the animals and nothing else. If riding is offered, or bathing with tourists, it is an attraction rather than a sanctuary, and your ticket is what keeps it going. The same rule applies everywhere in Thailand.
Best area for backpackers
Ao Nang
Ao Nang is the base. Nearly all the hostels, restaurants, bars and tour desks are here, and almost every boat to the islands leaves from this beach.
What you get in this area:
- Cheap hostels and guesthouses within a block of the beach
- Restaurants, cafés and beach bars along the whole strip
- Every tour and island trip bookable within five minutes’ walk
- A proper backpacker crowd, so easy if you are alone
- Boats to Railay, Phi Phi and Lanta from the same stretch of sand
- Sunsets that make the strip busy at exactly the right time
Krabi Town, half an hour inland, is cheaper and more local. Worth considering if you are here to move on rather than to swim.
How to plan your days in Krabi
Three days is the classic split: Railay, the islands, and the interior.
Railay Beach. Longtail across first thing. Walk through to Phra Nang Cave Beach, which is the one you have seen, and go up to the viewpoint if the weather is dry.
Tonight: back to Ao Nang, or stay over on Railay East where it is cheaper.
Four islands. Among them Koh Poda, Chicken Island and Tup Island, with the sandbar between them at low tide. Take the earliest boat you can and you get an hour of it nearly to yourself.
Tonight: eat along the Ao Nang strip and watch the sun go down over the water.
Inland, or climbing. Tiger Cave Temple and its 1,237 steps, then the Emerald Pool and the hot springs. Or spend the day on the rock at Railay with a school.
Tonight: ferry to Phi Phi or Koh Lanta, or the bus inland to Khao Sok.
Food and drink in Krabi
Southern Thai food: a lot of fish, mild coconut curries, and a clear Malay influence you can taste in the spicing.
The night market in Krabi Town, down by the river, is considerably cheaper and better than the strip in Ao Nang. If you are staying in Ao Nang it is worth the half hour songthaew once.
What to eat here:
Getting there and onward
Krabi is the junction of the Andaman coast. From here you can reach nearly every island on this side of the country.
Getting there. There is an airport with cheap flights from Bangkok, about eighty minutes. Overland, the night bus from Bangkok takes around twelve hours.
Around here. Krabi Town and Ao Nang are half an hour apart, connected by songthaew. Railay is longtail only, straight off Ao Nang beach.
Onward. Phi Phi is an hour and a half by ferry, Koh Lanta two. Khao Sok is three hours inland and Phuket two hours by bus.
- PlaneBangkok in about 80 minutes
- LongtailAo Nang to Railay, 15 minutes
- FerryPhi Phi 1.5 hrs · Koh Lanta 2 hrs
- BusBangkok 12 hrs · Phuket 2 hrs · Khao Sok 3 hrs
- ScooterFrom about €6 a day
Staying safe in Krabi
Krabi is safe. The risks here are the water when the sea is up, and the climbing routes at Railay if you go without a school.
- Climb with a school that shows you the gear and checks it themselves
- Watch the tide on Tup Island. That sandbar disappears faster than people expect
- Take water and real shoes up Tiger Cave Temple. 1,237 steps is not a stroll
- Ask your longtail driver when the last boat back from Railay goes, before you get on
- Swim at Railay when the red flag is up. The current between the headlands is strong
- Climb to the Railay lagoon in flip-flops. That path is a muddy scramble with ropes
- Feed the monkeys at Phra Nang Cave Beach. They will go through your bag next
- Rent a jet ski without filming every existing scratch first
Rebels on the Road tip
Get the first longtail to Railay, around eight in the morning. The day-trip boats do not start arriving until eleven, so for three hours you get Phra Nang Cave Beach with about six other people on it. Walk to the far end, sit down, and understand why this place has the reputation it has. By midday it is a different beach entirely.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in Krabi?
Three. One for Railay, one for the islands, one for the interior or climbing. Add a day if you want to actually learn to climb.
Krabi Town or Ao Nang?
Ao Nang for the beach, the tours and the social side. Krabi Town if you want it cheaper and quieter, and you are here mainly to catch onward transport.
Is Ao Nang good for solo travellers?
Yes. The hostels are social, the day trips throw you in with the same people, and you will have a group by your second boat.
Which islands are worth it around Krabi?
Railay, Koh Poda, Koh Hong and Tup Island are the standouts. Phi Phi is an easy ferry from here if you want to stay a few nights.
When is the best time to visit Krabi?
November to April. Dry season, calm sea, clear water, and the only period the climbing is reliably possible.
