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The Varied Attractions of Krabi
Province
Krabi has become famous for the striking beauty of just two or three
beaches. Any visitor arriving here with expectations of endless stretches of
soft coral sand with few people is in for disappointment, particularly in
the high season. The images of amazing beaches in the shadow of towering
rocky cliffs (also seen in this site) that have come to symbolise Krabi were
almost all taken on either of two beaches, Rai Le or Tham Phra Nang.
![The secrete garden in Krabi [19987 bytes]](img-218-206-0.jpg) Expect
to find many more people on the beaches than seen in most of our
photographs. There are more beaches out on offshore islands, but again,
these are limited to about four truly special ones, each of which is
featured in our page
Islands of Krabi.
But happily, Krabi has much more than just beaches, and it is important that
visitors understand this to avoid placing all expectations on a beach-only
holiday.
Here are some of the other attractions and things to do in this varied and
fascinating province:
Islands of Krabi
There are three main groups of islands off Krabi, not counting the Phi Phi
Islands, which are also part of this province. Longtail boats that take
visitors to these island groups on day trips are readily available at the
beaches of Ao Nang and Rai Le. See our separate page on these islands.
Khao Phanom Bencha
This National Park is a mountain (Khao in Thai) clothed in original
rainforest, and is the only significant stretch of uncut forest remaining in
Krabi province. Most of the land here has been cleared and turned into
rubber and oil palm plantations. The National Park has a waterfall, some
walking tracks through the forest and a picnic area at the end of the access
road. The rainforest here is particularly beautiful and it makes a pleasant
day or half-day outing. Those renting and driving a car can get there easily
with a map. It is a half hour drive Northeast from Krabi town. Otherwise the
local tuk-tuk drivers will take visitors there for a half or full day.
Cave Monasteries
Buddhist monks have always chosen caves as retreats for meditation, and from
this practice many monasteries have grown up surrounding these dark and
quiet places of tranquillity. Krabi is rich in such cave monasteries. The
most famous, to which almost every Thai tourist to Krabi goes, is Wat Tham
Seua (Tiger Cave, see below). Apart from this large monastery with a walkway
through the forest there are many smaller ones. One needs a car to reach
these secretive places. There is a particularly good road and attraction map
for Krabi province produced by XXXX which marks most of the caves,
monasteries and other attractions, making it the best guide for those eager
to explore. Sometimes one must hunt through several shops to find this green
coloured map with a photo of its author, but it is worth it.
Wat Tham Seua (Tiger cave monastery)
This large monastery is Krabi’s most famous, and one is often finds whole
bus loads of Thai tourists visiting. While most buildings here are built
beside a forest-covered karst mountain, the heart of the monastery lies in
the caves where monks come to meditate, particularly during the rainy
season. There is a walking track that climbs up and over a natural rock
wall, then falls down into a circular, rocky basin enclosed by cliffs. Take
the circular walk through the forest to see the monks’ quarters, some Buddha
images and some beautiful trees. The walk takes about 40 minutes.
Click to open more photographs of Wat Tham Seua.
Driving Tours of Krabi
To really appreciate this diverse province, and the many attractions
mentioned here, renting a car or motorbike and driving oneself is surely the
best way. If you don’t want to drive, rent a car with a driver by the day,
and tell him where you want to go. We suggest this – rather than letting the
driver take you where he suggests – for Thais have very different
perceptions of fun and things worth visiting.
Driving in Krabi is easy and fun, for the roads are generally good and there
is little traffic. And around almost every corner there are grand views and
fascinating things to see.
When renting take the normal precautions: only rent a vehicle with insurance
(though there is no insurance on motorcycles, so beware), be sure you are
carrying a valid licence. For more information and suggestions see
Driving Tours in the Things to do Off The Island menu.
Rubber and oil palm plantations
From the air Krabi province looks lush and green, but unfortunately this is
not the colour of rainforest, but of seemingly endless plantations of rubber
and oil palm. Virtually the only primary forest left is that on Phanom
Bencha mountain. The activities in the plantations are interesting, and
worth taking note of. The rubber trees are tapped during the night, and the
white latex collected at dawn. The sight of newly rolled sheets of rubber
hanging out to dry is common down every side road. Most rubber tapping
families are pleased to show visitors how they turn the latex into sheets.
But you have to turn up early.
The harvesting of palm oil continues through the day, and those travelling
the back roads will see trucks hauling the huge oil nut bunches to local
factories.
Charcoal burners
These huge, dome-shaped brick ovens are a throw-back to days of old. There
are only a few of the traditional burners now left in the province, and
those exploring the backroads might run across one. With little forest left
to burn most now use rubber wood or mangrove trunks as fuel. It takes many
days to convert a load into charcoal, and the day the ovens are unloaded is
the highlight. It is a black, sooty job, and the workers emerge from the
still-hot ovens as black as the sticks they carry. The workers are
invariably friendly to visitors who drop in.
Sea kayaking
This new sport is growing in popularity, and Krabi is a great place to join
the tide. Several operators along the beach road at Ao Nang advertise their
trips. Most drive their clients up the coast from Krabi to a beautiful
region where mangrove forests and inlets wind their way under soaring cliffs
of karst mountains. The tours are usually day trips and they make an
interesting diversion for a beach-based holiday.
Koh Lanta
This large island in the south of Krabi province is a whole destination
within itself. There are many beaches and perhaps 40 bungalow resorts here,
most of them simple and cheap for the backpackers who flock here. But there
are also a few up-market resorts, including one small but beautiful 5-star
resort, Pimalai Resort and Spa. We have a lot of information in
Koh Lanta’s own page. Use this link to open it.
Phi Phi Islands
These famous islands, a part of Krabi province, are also a complete
destination, one that made its fame in the world market before Krabi. Use
this link to se our pages on
Phi Phi.
75 million year-old Shell Cemetery
This is a good place for those with an interest in archaeology, or eager to
teach children a little about the formation of our planet. Large slabs of
rock on the water’s edge are embedded with tight-packed shells, said to have
lived 75 million years ago. One must find a broken edge to see the shells
clearly, since all of those on the upper surface have been walked on and
worn down by the elements and are hard to identify.
Fishing
Many longtail boats on the beach at Krabi are ready to take visitors out for
a day’s fishing, but you will have to bring your own gear. Don’t expect too
much, for the waters close to the Thai mainland have been heavily overfished
by trawlers. This is such a problem that there have been protests by
small-scale family fishermen of Krabi against the take-all methods of the
larger trawlers. |
