KRABI is located in South-West Thailand and is abundant in limestone cliffs and mangrove forests. It is one of the destinations preferred by couple travelers in Thailand as it can be called out as 'Definitely Safe' for family and couples. KRABI is around 2 and half hour drive from Phuket and is usually clubbed together by travelers. Since we were on a short trip we decided to dedicate the time to Krabi. The must places in and around KRABI
Ao Nang Beach
KRABI Town and Night Market
Wat Tham Sua (Tiger Cave)
Railay Beach
Klong Muang Beach
Phi Phi Islands
DAY 1
Visa on Arrival & Immigration
We arrived at Krabi Airport at around 5 P.M; the airport is very small with very few immigration counters. To our surprise there were only 2 counters open for applying visa on arrival. There was a very long line of Chinese and Malaysian tourists that looked like travel groups, something to remember here is that it is a common sight, so be prepared for a long queue. Also there were no sign boards or information counters that could tell us where to get the on arrival visa forms. We finally found a table between the crowd which had the visa forms and filled it up. The queues were so messy we couldn't figure out which one to stand in, to our luck one of the immigration office heads came out and we asked help from her and managed to pass the travel groups and get our VOA. We went ahead and collected our luggage and head towards taxi counters. Just outside the arrival hall we saw the Koh Phi Phi Tour booking office where we booked our Phi Phi tour which included pick up and drop along with lunch and snorkeling equipments. We bargained and took the trip for 1800THB per head. The trip details to be provided in Day 3 below.
We had booked our 1st day stay with Ibis Styles Krabi. The property was close to Ao Nang Beach and also comparatively cheaper with good amenities for 1 night stay. We reached the hotel around 7 P.M. Ibis Styles is 30 minutes away from the airport and taxi cost us around 500 Baht.
They also provide free shuttle to Ao Nang beach, which we leveraged the next morning. We ordered A la carte for dinner and the food was very delicious.
DAY 2
A day at the Beach with a lot of sea shells, beautiful view of the horizon and limestone cliffs and a walk through Krabi town that turned from a quiet set of shops to buzzing night market within an hour!!
After a very sumptuous breakfast buffet that included Thai, continental and Indian food we took the shuttle to Ao Nang Beach.
Ao Nang beach is a 5 minutes ride from the hotel and is one of the most beautiful beaches in Krabi. The beach has limestone cliffs that separate it from Tonsai Bay. The beach sand contains large amount of sea shells which makes it a special watch. Every wave brings in more and more shells on to the shore. We can also catch long tail boats to Railay Beach from here.
There are a couple of Thai massage parlors, juice counters, two wheeler rental shops, tourist counters, coffee shops and restaurants here.
We spend some time strolling on the beach, playing in crystal clear water and enjoying the serene view, after which we head back to our hotel. We quickly checked out and took a taxi from Ibis to our next stay ‘Dusit Thani’ Krabi.
Dusit Thani is lavish 5 star property located on Klong Muang Beach. If we have to use all the amenities, provided by the property, we need to spare at least 2 days for exploring the property. While they were getting our rooms ready we checked with the tour desk regarding taxi to Krabi Town. They informed that the Drop and Pick up would cost us around 700 Baht. We checked into our room and got ourselves ready for exploring Krabi Town and its famous Night market. We took a 30 minutes drive in the hotel taxi to the town and the town greeted us with a Crab Sculptor.
We walked through the streets and got into a small family run restaurant that served Tom Yum Soup with rice and a variety of Chicken delicacies. Past a very filling meal we walked to the ‘Wat Kaew Korawaram’ temple. We then walked into Krabi market where we did some shopping to try local chips, biscuits and soft drinks. Around 5 P.M we could see the shops being shut and hundreds of yellow tented stalls being setup. The town was alive in just 20 minutes. There were live food counters everywhere, street sellers and local musicians playing songs and instruments. We were shocked to see how well organized and how quickly the town transformed. We walked through the streets, tried some delicacies and got ourselves dry bags and towels for the next day trip to Phi Phi Island. Our cab driver was waiting at the drop area and we head back to our hotel.
We went for a walk just outside our hotel and wanted to try some more local food. There is an Indian restaurant right outside the hotel, but we walked a little to find a group of Thai restaurants and we tried more seafood items there. Must say, Thai food is irresistible.
DAY 3
This was the best day, our first ever snorkeling experience as well as a speed boat ride in high seas.
After a lavish breakfast, we waited for our pick up for the Phi Phi tour by the Koh Phi Phi tour van, while waiting we met a couple who had the Krabi jungle tour the previous day and all they could say was about a lot of mosquito bites and insect bites, we were glad we dint pick that one. Our van arrived around 8am, we all hopped over and had a half an hour drive to the dock. They had a couple of speed boats ready to leave. They provided us with snacks and water and were given bands to be worn on our hands to differentiate which boat we belonged to and they also gave us life jackets to be worn all time of travel.
We started the journey around 9 am and our first stop was Maya Bay. One of the most beautiful bay in the world. White sand, crystal clear beaches and a beauty for photographers. Just to be clear, it is one of the most crowded beaches as well. We spend some time there and then got back to our boats and were taken to see a couple of lagoons (pitch green), including Pileh Lagoon, surrounded by limestone cliffs. We could not get down at the Viking Cave, but it did look spooky after which we had some time snorkeling, which was total fun, crystal clear water and beautiful marine life.
They stopped over at the Monkey Bay, we were free to visit it, if we wanted to, but we decided to stay back to avoid being chased by monkeys :P
By lunch time, we docked at Phi Phi Le and were served Thai buffet lunch and some drinks. After spending around an hour we moved to” Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park” where we could spend some time on the soft sand sun bathing after which we moved to the Hin Klang for open-sea snorkeling and thereafter to Bamboo island for relaxation and a good swim. After spending some time at the island, we returned back to the dock. It was the best ever experience we had. Just to be sure, need to stock up sun screen lotion until and unless you need a real good tan ;)
After returning to the hotel, and getting fresh we spend some time exploring the property and playing some indoor games and spend some time in the pool as well.
DAY 4
Klong Muang Beach and time to say goodbye :(
Breakfast as usual was wonderful, after which we stepped on to the Klong Muang Beach which was right outside Dusit Thani Krabi. It is a very quiet beach (most of the time) and the wind was soothing.
Corals, star fishes and a long beach all went along to give a very good time. We walked back and took some pictures around Dusit Thani and returned for packing. We had booked a taxi to the airport from the concierge, on the way to the airport we got down at Big C to get some local soaps, snacks, chocolate and biscuits for home. With all the beautiful memories and our first international trip together, we made a pact of travelling every 3 months and sharing the pictures and stories to inspire and support other couples to step out and explore, calling ourselves Twain Travellers :-)
