Staying at Krabi Villa Phu Khao Private Resort https://maps.app.goo.gl/iEyes5dZGH8BezWF7 https://www.booking.com/hotel/th/krabi-villa-phuv-khao-private-resort.en-gb.html
6 nights exploring islands and beaches
Day 3 - Friday, Nov 14 (Arrive to Krabi) #
As we approached the village the storm picked up and we started trying to get out of the car out of the rain trying to not get too wet. I did get quite wet. As the rain was so strong it was pushing me down. Not great when trying to carry luggage.
We got greeted by the hosts Peter and Lek, an Australian-Thai couple. We had to wait in the lobby for the rain to come down so we could bring our luggage upstairs
We got the Villa right on the top
So the view was amazing. Tho it’s getting dark so can’t see as much tonight. Will enjoy it in the morning
At around 6:45 we came down to grab some food as they provide it at our Resort. The food was amazing. Was like a restaurant. So many choices. Their menu even had pictures. Quite a lot of Thai dishes. They also had burgers and other western food. Who would want to have this when you are in Thailand 😄
Have also planned to take the car for hire for 5 days. We thought of getting scooters, but Peter quickly told us no when we told him we have never ridden a scooter. To be honest we didn’t feel too confident about it after the rain we have experienced today😄.
Lek, or the Tourism Minister as Peter called her gave a call to the person who arranged the car for us with whom we have spoken and arranged everything in just a couple of minutes.
It turned out that in total it would cost us 4500 baht for 5 days. Not bad, plus 3k baht for deposit. Insurance included as well as roadside assistance. Though the insurance would cover us fully if not our fault. If it is our fault it would be around 8000 baht maximum payment
Day 4 - Saturday, Nov 15 (Krabi First full day) #
The night was a bit hot also could hear frogs outside making noise, so not the best sleep😄
We woke up to this view tho
After having breakfast
We met up with Jane for the car rental who brought a Toyota Yaris and sorted out the documentation with us. We asked her what to do in case the police stops us and she said “If you get stopped by police, don’t worry they don’t speak any English” 😄
Needed IDP and payment for all 5 days and the deposit and passport
Now we just need to figure out where we are going to go to :)
Ao Nang Shopping #
https://maps.app.goo.gl/NCoGKwDG3KgkAo5Y6
First things first needed to buy me some swimming trunks and beach towel. So we went walking through Ao Nang Beach front looking for shops selling this. Very quickly we were practicing our haggling skills. Which weren’t that good to be fair. As I am not used to doing this.
Ao Nang Nopparat Thara Beach #
https://maps.app.goo.gl/x8KoyEF6SWWmYpyZ6
After getting what we came for we decided to take a quick dip in the sea and test drive my new swimming trunks
You could see some storms in the distance, but they shouldn’t reach us.
I ran in excitedly wanting to dive into water, but was very surprised that I had been wading in the water for a couple of minutes but the water was still only up to my thighs. Turns out the water is quite shallow. The water was very warm though. So it was nice to sit in it :).
Klong Root, Clear Water Canal คลองหรูด คลองน้ำใส (kayaking) #
https://maps.app.goo.gl/zfTkGtHxTu1BQFJb6
Next we went to Klong Root Water Canal for kayaking as Jane has recommended. We mostly saw locals not many foreigners, which was a good sign on a good recommendation. This was a mangrove with some stunning views
I had taken a go pro with us so got to film how all of those trees look under the water
Our kayak kept getting stuck on top of them as you don’t always see the roots under water. So we would briefly board the tree and wouldn’t be able to move at all. That happened quite often.
Mirror Lake Krabi https://maps.app.goo.gl/uKZHVQTrzaWw41mQ6
Into the forest #
https://maps.app.goo.gl/UZ48hdag1AZziwKMA
Tired and fully charged with the warm rays of the sun we decided we deserve a very good meal. So we went to yet another recommendation from Jane. This cafe is located right under one of the Rock formations.
After a satisfying meal we headed back to the resort. The sun was getting low and it became a bit more stressful to see all the mopeds trying to overtake you. Because we were going 60 KM/H but that is more of a suggestion by the government 😄. I was just helping navigate.
Came back to the villa for dessert and milkshake
We were crashing, so we had an early night
Day 5 - Sunday, Nov 16 (Krabi Island Hopping) #
Today we will be doing Island hopping, so we set out for the port at 8:30 after breakfast at the resort.
We got met by the organisers at the port who told us we would be provided with water and a pineapple on board. Also we would get a drone video as we set out from the port.
Laolading Island #
https://maps.app.goo.gl/y4VkMNChfASd9HoC6
The first Island was Laolading. Which a little beach in between the rock formations. Still and clear water no waves at all.
We had about 49 mins here before moving onto the next Island
Pakbia Island #
https://maps.app.goo.gl/sf6fsXhWJLvLLci19
This wasn’t a very impressive Island. There were also a lot of tourists. It did have a hidden spot with a nice view of a neighbouring island.
Hong Island Lagoon #
https://maps.app.goo.gl/EiM6eyuRxAZW7y96A On the way to our faivorie Island 😉 we stopped in it’s lagoon for a quick picture
Hong Island #
https://maps.app.goo.gl/WKList6EjTaEXFeP8 And we officially stepped on the Hong Island.
We went for a trail walk and a viewing platform. The trail walk. Wasn’t challenging at all we could do it on our flip-flops.
The viewing platform opened up the view of some of the islands we have visited today
As we came down and got ready to snorkel at the beach we got an announcement that there is a low tide and it would be dangerous for both us and the coral reef. They announced it in multiple languages, Russian, Chinese and English included. So we could figure out what was happening when combining translations from all 3 languages. So we had to wait for our return without doing any snorkeling :( We just chilled on the beach enjoying the water and sun
On our ride back we got the promised pineapple. Which we ate until our mouth felt tingly from eating too much pineapple.
Krabi Town Night Market (ถนนคนเดินกระบี่) #
https://maps.app.goo.gl/qnq5BrYicvdWy2PJA
After a quick shower we drove into the Krabi town for some market food
We have enjoyed some live music and the variety of foods:)
But either due to a lot of sun exposure or maybe just the jetlag catching up with me, I felt extremely tired 😫. So we went back home where I collapsed on the bed and fell deeply asleep.
Day 6 - Monday, Nov 17 (Hiking) #
I woke up quite early around 5:45 So I wanted to catch a sunrise. But it didn’t look as impressive due to the clouds
Dragon’s Crest (Ngon Nak Nature Trail) เขาหงอนนาค #
https://maps.app.goo.gl/7oS1qUHSBEfuQ8148
We were planning to setout for the hike much earlier to beat the heat. But we have been too busy having breakfast 😄
So ended up getting there at around 9:45.
The route there is definitely not easy.
But can be done if done slowly.
Overall we climbed over 500m in just under two hours with the temperature in the 30s. So we sweated profusely. I don’t think I had a single dry spot on my body. I had sweat dripping down from my eyebrows obstructing my view and fogging up my glasses
The viewing on top was incredible offering a nearly 360 view of Krabi.
We spent some time taking in the amazing views and had a memorable moment at this spectacular location. The hike was definitely worth the effort!
Location: Dragon’s Crest highest viewpoint 8°05'15.0"N 98°46'37.0"E
As we started to hike down. We also had to take care trying to stay vigilant for roots and loose rocks on our path.
We got back home and watched how the storm was engulfing Krabi before our eyes
Day 7 - Tuesday, Nov 18 (Railay Chill day) #
We tried to set out early to get there before it gets to busy with tourists. But of my god the breakfast cannot be missed
When we got to the pier there were already quite a few tourists. We got the return ticket and jumped on the longtail boat
Railay Beach #
https://maps.app.goo.gl/PgsexxUN63PAtL4N6
After we came ashore at Railay Beach after a 15ish min trip we were met with rows of tourist restaurants and minimarts. The whole little town looked a bit surreal. Surrounded by cliffs full of vegetation. All the restaurants and shops looked out of place.
As we continued exploring the streets we met a parrot, cute kitten and monkeys
After realising there wasn’t much to do we went to the more popular spot. The beach
Railay Stalactite #
https://maps.app.goo.gl/PGzLvRkxEQicUHcb7
Princess Cave (ถ้ำพระนาง) #
https://maps.app.goo.gl/eotdsEsbrA1HrDze8
Here you could offer a wooden penis for fertility
Phra Nang Beach (หาดพระนาง) #
https://maps.app.goo.gl/jMZpzSsDi5eVq61c7
This was a highlight for us. Although there were a lot of people on the beach we managed to find a quiet spot. There were plenty of spots to explore we could swim to the Ko Rang Kai cliff. Or even walk when the tide is low.
I wish we have done some kayaking here as we would be able to get amazing views
If walking along the shore we could also find some hidden beaches. Which looked just like something out of Pirates of the Caribbean.
We have swam and slept on the beach for a few hours and decided to head back. As the rain was meant to came imminently.
When trying to climb up the longtail boat we actually were up to our waist in the sea. So we were afraid for our bags getting wet. Additionally the waves started to pick up, making it challenging to board the boat safely.
We got back to Ao Nang and walked through the beach which was exposed due to the low tide.
Ao Nang Landmark Night Market (อ่าวนางแลนด์มาร์คไนท์มาร์เก็ต) #
https://maps.app.goo.gl/WrPiFRFibjf4W2zHA
After a little rest we headed to the night market to stock up on calories. Even tried some crocodile meat.
Day 8 - Wednesday, Nov 19 (Wet) #
The weather looked to be wet and cloudy the whole day, so we decided to go to hot springs, the emerald pool and maybe the tiger cave temple if we have some time
Emerald Pool สระมรกต #
https://maps.app.goo.gl/KwPnYjSEKPLkY52q6
The Emerald pool was a bit of a disappointment. It looked beautiful, but definitely wasn’t worth driving over an hour here. The water also was fairly cold. So we didn’t swim.
The weather got wetter too, so we had to take out our rain coats
KhongThomNuea Hot Stream Waterfall Krabi น้ำตกร้อนคลองท่อม #
https://maps.app.goo.gl/xJV4sskn8od9qVQs8
The Hot Stream was much more exciting. We sat there for 20-ish minutes and relaxed well while marvelling at the persistence of water and its ability to carve rock
Wat Tham Suea วัดถ้ำเสือ #
https://maps.app.goo.gl/R2eAijWecUaFy5iH8
It was around 4 and we really wanted to visit the tiger cave Temple. It was closing at 6:30 and it was getting dark, so we rushed to get there
Climbed 1260 steps, which wouldn’t be much of a challenge if we weren’t rushing. As we had to give back the car by 8 as well as stock up at 7-11. So once we reached the top we were drowning in sweat, especially me.
Day 9 - Thursday, Nov 20 (Transfer to Khao Sok) #
Said good bye to Krabi as it was raining the whole day
