I recently returned from the most incredible trip to Thailand where I visited Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Ao Nang in Krabi. Before going I did a lot of research, mostly on Pinterest about things to do – I created a whole Thailand board to get ideas for adventures, things to do and places to see and I wanted to share with you some of my research and the top 5 things that I did when I recently visited Ao Nang in Krabi.
Phi Phi viewpoint
One of the best things we did on our entire trip was a boat trip to Phi Phi. The island is beautiful and if you can manage the intense hike up to the top of the mountain, there’s a fantastic viewing point which gives you and outlook of the whole island. You can also relax on the golden sands or swim in the turquoise, crystal clear waters. A trip like this is a little bit expensive, certainly much more than we’d budgeted for but trust me, it’s worth it.
Visit Maya Bay, Monkey Beach & Bamboo Island
As part of our boat trip to Phi Phi, we made a few stops on the way and not all of the boat trips do so make sure you choose carefully when booking your boat trip. We visited Maya Bay which is the incredible beach where Danny Boyle’s “The Beach”, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was actually filmed at. You can’t dock on the beach as it’s completely closed to tourists but it’s still very pretty to admire from the boat. We also stopped off at Monkey Beach which apparently got its name from excited tourists when they see all of the monkeys. A must see if you’re visiting Krabi. Finally, we stopped off for lunch on Bamboo Island which was simply stunning, even though it didn’t have any palm trees. It had the biggest beach we’ve seen so far in Thailand and really clear waters, perfect for swimming.
Boat to Railay & Phra Nang
We took a day trip out to Railay which although connected to the mainland is only accessible via boat. There are lots of long tail boats on Ao Nang beach that make the journey so you can just hop on one of them, the actual journey itself is only 15 minutes. You arrive on the east side of Railay which has a lovely beach but you can also walk over to Railay West and up towards Phra Nang for a more secluded beach. We even saw some monkeys on our way! There are also lots of cafes, restaurants and street food vendors around so you can make a proper day of it. Phra Nang beach is also where you can see the phallic penis temple and explore the caves but watch out for jellyfish on this beach.
Snorkelling
Thailand has some fantastic reefs, perfect for a bit of snorkelling. We snorkelled on Ao Nang beach and also near Maya Bay and on Bamboo island where we saw a fantastic selection of fish by the coral reefs. My favourite fish was the ‘Gill’ fish made popular by the film Finding Nemo.
Monkey Trail
If you walk to the southern end of Ao Nang beach you’ll see a small bamboo bridge which leads to a pathway and steps up the mountain. It’s a short hike up the steps and across the ridge before coming down again (about fifteen minutes) but it’s worth it – when you come out you arrive at a secluded beach and a hotel. There’s a security guard with a little book and you just need to check in before enjoying the beach. The trail is known as Monkey trail but unfortunately we didn’t see any monkeys although we noticed a dog on the side of the beach which looked like it’s job was to keep away the monkeys. We just sat and relaxed here on the beach for most of the day and swam in the sea, this beach is so much quieter than Ao Nang beach so it’s lovely and relaxing.
So that’s my top 5 things to do in Ao Nang. Have you visited Krabi before?
