Ao Nang is a tourist coastal town in Krabi province, Thailand. Walking through Ao Nang, you sometimes feel as if you’ve landed on a Spanish boulevard. Restaurants, tour companies and massage parlors are located here. It is, however, the best place to stay in Krabi province. After all, from here you can go in all directions. Below we show you the best activities in Ao Nang and Krabi and give you tips on where to eat and stay.
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1. Hike to the top of Dragon’s Crest Mountain.
Dragon’s Crest Mountain is an unusual and strenuous hike totaling 8 kilometers. To get to the starting point, you can drive the motorbike for 30 minutes from Ao Nang or arrange with a cab driver to drop you off and pick you up. At the entrance you pay 200 baht (€5.50) per person and then the climb can begin.
The first quarter is fairly flat and easy. Then you walk more and more over tree roots and large rocks. After 1.5 kilometers you come to a steep staircase. After this is your first viewpoint: kilometers away you can look over the beautiful landscape of Krabi. At mile 3, you can then go 2 ways: up to the viewpoint or to the right to a waterfall. We walked to the “waterfall” but this was just a small stream and this really wasn’t anything special. So it is not recommended to walk a 1.2 kilometer detour for this.
After 1.5 to 2 hours of sweating, you arrive at the summit. Here you can take stunning photos of Krabi’s landscape. Be aware that the famous point where you dangle your legs over the edge is closed with barbed wire. In fact, there have been many accidents here. There are no safety nets anywhere and if you fall, you fall 300 meters down. Therefore, make sure you don’t go too far to the edge and don’t do anything you don’t feel comfortable with.
After enjoying the view and catching some rest at the summit, it’s time to hike back. When you arrive back downstairs 1 / 1.5 hours later with shaky legs, you can buy a nice cold drink or ice cream at the little restaurant.
It is recommended to start this hike as early as possible (07:30). It is still nice and cool then and there are few others you meet at this time of day. In fact, from 11:00 it gets busier and busier at the summit and you cannot find a quiet spot. We found the hike to Dragon’s Crest very tough but also very cool to do. Click here for the Google Maps location of the Dragon’s Crest.
2. Climb 1260 steps to the Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi
Atop a beautiful mountain stands the Tiger Cave Temple. It is one of the highlights in Krabi. Despite this name suggesting otherwise, you will not see (images of) tigers anywhere. However, there are monkeys along the route, lots of monkeys.
To get to Tiger Cave Temple, you have to climb 1,260 steps. This will take you an average of 30-60 minutes. It is recommended to start as early as possible because the sun is not yet present and the temperature is pleasant. After all, you are going to sweat profusely during this climb.
We started the climb before sunrise, at 05:50. The flashlights allowed us to clearly see where we were walking, and once at the top we were treated to a spectacular sunrise. You can drive yourself to the entrance or arrange for a cab or tour to take you here. Make sure you have clothes with you to cover you. Shorts and tops are not allowed as it is a religious temple. Click here for the Google Maps location of the Tiger Cave Temple.
3. Visit Railay Beach from Ao Nang
Surrounded by Krabi’s immense mountains and nature, you will find Railay Beach, perhaps the most beautiful beach in Thailand. Every day, hundreds of tourists travel to this beautiful beach. From Krabi’s mainland, Ao Nang, a boat goes every few minutes to take you to Railay Beach. A round trip costs 200 baht per person. Please note that if you go back to Ao Nang later than 6 p.m. you have to pay an extra 50 baht per person.
You can spend a day enjoying the sun on Railay Beach, or you can choose to do some fun activities. Go canoeing or supping on the water or choose to put on your hiking boots and see the entire island. Through the many streets, you eventually arrive at Phra Nang Cave Beach. This beach is perhaps even more beautiful than Railay and much less touristy.
On Railay Beach, you will also find a long walking street with many tasty restaurants and nice stores. There is an extensive choice of Western or Thai food and prices are lower than in Ao Nang. We especially loved Govinda’s at the beach. 90% of the menu here is vegan. Think a vegan hot dog, vegan burgers, baguettes and even pizza. The prices are also very low compared to the other restaurants.
We found a day trip to Railey Beach sufficient. You can also choose to stay here for 1 or 2 nights. Railey Beach is a must-visit in Krabi province anyway, so add this destination to your list. Click here for the Google Maps location of Raily Beach.
Tip: read all about ATM in Thailand and how to save a lot of money here.
4. Visit the Emerald Pool in Krabi
The Emerald Pool, not to be confused with the Emerald Cave in Koh Muk, is a special phenomenon. In the middle of Krabi’s arid countryside lies a large, sort of swimming pool, with blue water. Unfortunately, this has not gone unnoticed as it is always very crowded with both tourists and locals at the Emerald Pool. Still, it is nice to have visited, especially in combination with the Crystal Pool and the Blue Pool you can walk to. The total hike is 4 kilometers and only at the Emerald Pool can you swim. The entrance fee is 200 baht (€5.50) per person. Click here for the Google Maps location of the Emerald Pool.
5. Relax in the natural Jacuzzi at the hot springs
Near the Emerald Pool you will find the hot springs. This is a kind of waterfall where hot water flows past. Small pools were created all over the waterfall, allowing you to relax in the natural Jacuzzi. Extra fun is to slide down the rock slide afterwards and exit into the cold water of the river. The entrance fee to the hot springs is 200 baht (€5.50) per person. Click here for the Google Maps location of the Hot Springs.
6. Hike the monkey trail in Ao Nang
At the very end of the beach in Ao Nang, a wooden path leads up the mountain. This is called the monkey trail, obviously because of the monkeys that come here often. It is an easy 10-minute walk. Eventually you end up on the other side of the beach, at a luxury resort where you can chill on the beach. It is still wonderfully quiet here compared to the busy beaches of Ao Nang and Railey Beach. Click here for the Google Maps of the Monkey Trail.
7. Go on an island trip around Ao Nang
From Ao Nang, hundreds of boats depart daily to various islands belonging to Krabi. There are several tours you can book from tour providers, including:
- Krabi 4 islands tour
- Krabi 7 islands tour
- Sunset tour
- Hong Island tour
- Maya Bay tour (best booked from Koh Phi Phi )
It is recommended to do at least one of these island tours. It is SO beautiful to lie on these beaches and snorkel in the sea. Be sure to haggle heavily when booking. Some tour operators will not go along with haggling, just go to the next joint as it is often a lot cheaper to get. Make sure you pay no more than 80% of the original price.
Tip: read all about your the famous Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan.
8. Go rafting and ziplining
In addition to activities on the water, there is plenty for adrenaline junkies to do. Several tours for rafting and ziplining are offered from Ao Nang. These are day tours where you are often gone for the whole or half day. Very nice thing to do if you are in Krabi or Ao Nang. You can also haggle heavily on these tours. For a tour we saw 5,000 baht on the brochure, the tour provider himself offered 2,500 baht, and in the end we were allowed to join for 1,800 baht.
9. Enjoy the beautiful sunset
From Ao Nang beach, you can see an amazing sunset every night. The orange glow illuminates the entire sea and beach. You see the sun slowly sinking behind the mountains and into the sea. At the same time, there are several fire shows for entertainment. There are often young boys practicing and twice a week the older professionals put on a spectacular show.
10. Discover all the culinary cuisines in Ao Nang
Because Krabi is so popular with many tourists, there are hundreds of different restaurants in Ao Nang. Whether you fancy Italian, Mexican, Indian, Thai or even Dutch specialties, you’ll find it all here.
Tasty Cafe. The Lekker Café is inspired by the Dutch. You can also see this on the menu: they serve Dutch treats like pancakes and kibbeling here. In addition to Dutch specialties, there are many other delicious dishes: smoothie bowls, fresh sandwiches and many vegan dishes. It is also a fine café for digital nomads as many people open their laptops to work here.
Cafe 8.98 Ao Nang. This is a popular café for breakfast and lunch. You can eat delicious sandwiches and create your own healthy bowls here. It is quite a bit more expensive than other restaurants because, in addition to the fairly high prices, there is a 10% fee on top.
Ali Baba. We both love Indian cuisine. We love garlic naan and curries so we eat this very often. Yet rarely have we had such good curries as at Ali Baba. You can choose a composite menu, which is very inexpensive. You may then substitute the curry with meat for a vegetarian choice if desired. Especially take the vegetarian Korma curry. This one is really great.
Crazy Gringo’s Tex Mex Restaurant. You can already tell from the waiters and the interior that this is a real Mexican restaurant. Many guests sit with big hats on and cozy salsa music plays. The food is delicious, well seasoned and it really feels like authentic Mexico for a moment.
How to get to Ao Nang?
From Bangkok, you can choose to take a domestic flight to Krabi. From Krabi, minivans leave every half-hour for Ao Nang; the shared minivan costs 150 baht (€4) per person.
From the other islands of southern Thailand, ferries or speedboats leave for Ao Nang twice a day. You can also take a minivan from Koh Lanta to Ao Nang. Ao Nang is an easily accessible place in Krabi because it borders both the water and the mainland.
Best accommodations in Ao Nang
If you are a solo traveler or looking for a cozy hostel, the K-Bunk Centre hostel is a great place to stay. This is one of the largest hostels we have ever seen with lots of dormitories and also private rooms. You are guaranteed to meet many other social travelers here. K-bunk organizes pub crawls 3 times a week where you join everyone else in scouring Ao Nang’s fun clubs. Beforehand, there will be a fun party at K-Bunk Centre to get in the mood. Make sure you really book K-Bunk Centre. In fact, there is another K-Bunk hostel but it is a lot further down the road, just outside the center.
Another nice hostel is Koko Hostel. There are good parties here every night. Koko Hostel also hosts a pub crawl several times a week. This is a top hostel if you are looking for social people to party with.
The B2 Hotel is a clean, nice place to stay in Krabi. The pool is beautifully situated, overlooking the high mountains. The rooms are spacious and cleaned every day. Rooms are available from as little as €18 per night. No money for such a beautiful hotel right?
The Poonsiri resort seems almost out of a dream. This is a unique location in Ao Nang with beautifully beautiful rooms located on a lake amidst the mountains of Krabi. They offer a shuttle bus which takes you to the center but you can also entertain yourself for days at this beautiful resort. Best of all, this is also affordable. Rooms are available from as little as €40 per night!
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