Thailand is truly the heart and stomach of Asia. If you are a die hard foodie and an avid traveller, then you can’t miss this place as there is a lot to visit, see and eat in just one country. Thailand is rich in culture, nightlife, tradition, lip smacking delicious food, and best massages. Travellers around the world love to unwind at some of the most captivate & pristine islands of Thailand which are beautifully scattered in the Andaman Sea. The whole trip of 5-6 days will not cost you more than 35,000 INR (including to and fro air tickets) if it is planned right and way in advance. This blog post will take you to the whimsical journey of beautiful beaches around Krabi, in case you are not there just for the “Business Trip”.
Photographer’s precious, destination wedding favourite, foodie’s paradise- welcome to the province of Krabi. If you see limestone cliffs partially submerged in sea, majestic caves, white sand, lush green trees, crystal blue sea and most amazing sun sets, then you are standing in Krabi. Krabi is located at Southern tip of Thailand is undoubtedly the most beautiful place which overlooks Andaman Sea.
Beautiful Krabi
How to reach?
Best thing about Krabi is that it has its own international airport to cater the huge foreign tourists every year. In case you are coming via Bangkok, there are affordable flights of less than 2000 INR back and forth. This place is in close proximity with some of the best beaches in Thailand which are either approachable by cars or by speed boats.
Where to Stay?
Rural part of Krabi which are about 3-4 Km away from main beaches sometime seems isolated, but staying in guest houses at these places is much cheaper than staying at the beach in resorts and hotels. I chose to stay in Nongthalae, Klong Muang where the guest house (Chanpahin Mansion) with double bed costs 500 Baht per day which is less than 1000 Rs for one day. The immediate vicinity is dull with very less street life and only countable restaurants but the good thing is apart being affordable its just 500 m away from Klong Muang Beach and just 15 minute drive away from Ao Nang which is among the major beaches. Rest other beaches Phi Phi and Railay (Also known as Rai Leh Beach) is approachable by motor boats from Ao Nang beach.
Guest House in Nongthalae, Klong Muang
Klong Muang Beach
Klong Muang beach is quiet and self contained beach area located to the north of Ao Nang, with stunning views over the Andaman Sea. Unlike other beaches this one never gets too crowded even during afternoon but there is not much to do on this beach. No good stalls or restaurants in the locality so this area is ideal for those wanting a quiet retreat. Make sure you leave the place before its dark as it gets very secluded after sunset.
Klong Muang Beach
Ao Nang Beach
Ao Nang is one of the busiest beaches of Krabi Province. This place is flocked by some of the best thai restaurants and indubitably the most awesome sunsets seen, so it is advisable to have a cosy dinner at this beach while you see sun taking a plunge in sea. If you have just one or two days in Krabi, have a quick round day tour around Phi Phi and Railay island, as soon as you reach Ao Nang before sunset. Ao Nang has some of the best open massage shops, where you can enjoy sun bath and massage together.
Ao Nang Beach in afternoon
Same scene after during Sunset
Railay beach
Railay beach is listed as one of the most beautiful beaches of the world. It is isolated from the mainland, the peninsula of Railay is surrounded by the Andaman Sea at one end and lush green jungle & limestone rocks on another. It is approachable from Ao Nang by a motorboat which costs around 500Baht to and fro per head. Even the journey till this beach is beautiful. All the pictures that you see in the Thailand advertisement and movie shoots is actually from this beach. There is nothing called bad pictures when you click Railay beach, it is a photographers dream land. Just connected with Railay is the Pra Nang Beach which is famous for the beautiful caves called Princess Cave. Legend has it that this cave actually belongs to sea princess and hence controls all the natural activities of the sea. Hence, local fisherman still offers their prayers before going for fishing, as they believe it will bring success in their fishing and protect them from natural calamities in sea.
Railay beach
Phi Phi Beach Island
Famously known as Kho phi phi island, this is in province of Krabi but also closer to Phuket. This has spectacular scenery and this is the same beach which is shown in Leonardo DiCaprio movie called ‘The Beach’. It’s better to stay at this island for a night, if you really want to see its beauty because in day time its very crowded because most of the tourist drop off for day tour from Ao Nang.
Check out this travelogue on Kho Phi Phi Island by Live Travel Teach
Phi Phi Island
What to Eat?
Only places where you can have any sea food without worrying about getting sick. All sea food are fresh catches and prices ranges with the size of the catch. But the safe options are a bowl of Tom Yum kung, phatthai noodles, raw papaya salad or red pork noodles soup and if you are craving for meat, have a street style roasted chicken. Kung in thai means prawn prepared in the spicy Tom yum style with all the exotic veggies. It’s one of the main signature dishes that defines Thai flavour.
“Tom Yum Kung”
On the other hand my favourite Guay Teow Moo, the local name for pork noodles soup which is most popular street food in Thailand, nearly every street sells their version of this soup. This particular soup is prepared with a variety of meats dominated by chicken wonton, pork meet and udon noodles. There are numerous stalls selling this particular soup and it’s so filling that you don’t anything else. This soup is however, missing from all the restaurants, its out and out a street food.
” Guay Teow Moo”
Som Tam, local name of raw papaya salad is one of the best salads you can eat on the streets of Thailand. It has loads of fresh papaya salads made streetside, dressed with chiles, garlic, roasted peanuts and sauce of your choice. This salad is also amazing at several levels also because this is among the very few vegetarian dish you could get on the streets or otherwise. This can be very spicy so advise them to make this in less chilly. You can also ask them to add few fresh fried shrimps and fish sauce to make it more tasty.
“Som Tam”
Gai Yang, the thai style grilled chicken is the favourite chicken dish both for street food lovers and sit down restaurant’s fans. It is marinated in garlic and coriander paste along with all thai spices and then cooked slowly on charcoal for atleast 1 hour before it reaches your plate. The tender chicken, aromatic thai spices and charcoal cooked taste make it the most popular dish among tourists. It serves as best accompaniment with all types of beers and drink, thats why all the beaches have number of stalls selling these. One piece of grilled chicken will cost you around 20-30 Baht with rice or noodles.
“Gai Yang”
Sheer beauty of this place will leave you spell bound and speechless. It should be a must visit in your travel diary the next time you plan for Thailand trip.
Kob Kun Krabi, till I see you again. Check out this Backpacking Thailand Guide.
Check out this article on the Emerald Pool and Blu Lagoon beaches by Angelina.
