The Islands and Beaches of Krabi, Thailand

The Islands and Beaches of Krabi, Thailand

Choosing where to go in Krabi, Thailand is a hard task to finalize and make a concrete decision about. Krabi offers so much, what is a beach lover to do with this dilemma? The good news: There’s no wrong choice.

Either way, you will be blown away by the beauty and scenery that Krabi offers. Here’s a super quick rundown of the beaches in the Krabi province.

Phuket

Patong is THE party place. There’s a beach where you can sip on cocktails before and after sunset, and when you’re all dressed and ready to go out at night, have fun in the chaos that is Bangla Road. Neon lights and go go bars, restaurants, and cabaret shows, buckets and buckets of alcohol and a slew of other people just as crazy as you.

Karon and Kata are the other stars of the popular beach scene here and both offer a nice nightlife scene that’s a bit calmer than Patong. Palm tree-fringed beaches for daytime fun are included here.

phuket beaches

For the chiller and more secluded beaches, Mai Khao and Laem Singh are underdeveloped and pretty isolated. Nai Harn and Kamala are a good middle ground spot, and are more popular with the locals. They are both beautiful spots to spend the day splashing around and basking under the sun.

Things to know about Phuket: This is the largest and most popular island in the country, this equals to a higher tourist volume and inflated prices. This is one of the most expensive spots in the country.

Krabi Mainland

Islands are beautiful, but let’s not forget that the mainland has some fantastic places to visit as well. Let’s move south of Phuket now…

Ao Luk is a beautiful spot with a national park, some waterfalls and beaches too. Tuk Keak and Klong Muang beaches are less visited and offer beautiful views of the islands from the shore. As you move further south you will reach Ao Nang, possibly Krabi’s most famous mainland beach. This is a bustling little beach town that’s the jumping point to other great spots and islands.

krabi boats

Railay is a must, the beaches will be pretty full, but the views are more than worth it. Phranang Cave Beach’s beauty is unprecedented, and Railay West is a long beach with more spectacular vistas of the limestone rock mountains cutting out of the blue ocean water.

Are you on a deeper level with nature and like to be a bit more off the path? Get to Tonsai. Hurry! Unfortunately a big resort will be taking over, but right now it’s still maintaining strong hippie vibes and is a beach oasis backed by a jungle. By the way, Tonsai and Railay have some world class climbing if that’s your thing.

(Tonsai and Railay are only accessible by boat, which makes people think they are islands, however they are on the mainland.)

Other Krabi Islands

Well, there are so many, where to even begin? You will need to see which islands are close to you and take a tour there! It’s hard to go wrong with the gorgeous landscape of Krabi, really it is! The four island tour from Ao Nang includes the spectacular Koh Poda and Koh Gai (Chicken Island).

boats near krabi Thailand

There’s the Hong Island hopping tour, and even a sunset island tour where you can see the bioluminescent plankton scurrying around the ocean surface. Another incredible island to visit is Koh Lanta, this island is big and you can stay a few days to explore it in full. Snorkeling is available at most of these spot and the marine life is just beautiful.

See? Krabi can’t steer you wrong. No matter if you’re with a family, your better half, or traveling solo, Krabi is arguably one of the coolest, and certainly most stunning, parts of Thailand to visit.