Krabi
Soaring limestone cliffs, longtail beaches, and world-class climbing. A mainland coast of dramatic karst cliffs, with cliff-backed Railay reachable only by boat. This is the Andaman at its most scenic.
What Is Worth Your Time in Krabi
Krabi province is a coast, not a town, and the good things are spread between the beaches, the karst islands offshore and the jungle inland. These eight are the ones worth building days around.
Railay & Phra Nang Cave Beach
Longtail fareRailay is the boat-only peninsula everyone comes for. Walk five minutes around to Phra Nang Cave Beach for the better sand, the shrine of carved wooden phalluses in the cave, and the karst hanging overhead.
Tiger Cave Temple
FreeWat Tham Sua, and 1,260 steps straight up a limestone tower to a gilded Buddha and a 360-degree view over the plain. Brutal in the heat, so start before 8am and take more water than you think.
Emerald Pool & Thung Teao
400 baht park feeA jade-green spring pool in the Thung Teao forest inland, with the smaller Blue Pool a short walk further on. Swim in the Emerald Pool, look only at the Blue one.
Klong Thom Hot Springs
200 baht park feeThermal water running down a series of smooth rock basins in the forest, usually paired with the Emerald Pool on the same trip. Twenty minutes in the hot pools is plenty.
The Four Islands tour
Boat tourChicken Island, Tup, Mor and Poda, with a sandbar that surfaces at low tide and lets you walk between three of them. The classic Krabi day boat, and it earns its reputation.
Koh Hong
Boat + park feeA lagoon almost enclosed by cliffs, with a beach on the far side and clear shallow water. Go on a longtail rather than a big speedboat tour if you want it before the crowd.
Khao Khanab Nam
Longtail rentalThe two karst towers that guard the river at Krabi Town, with caves at the base and prehistoric skeletons found inside. A cheap fifteen-minute longtail from the town pier.
Ao Thalane kayaking
Kayak rentalPaddling the mangrove channels between karsts north of Ao Nang, quiet enough for kingfishers and mudskippers. The best half-day here that has nothing to do with a beach.
Ao Nang for boats, food and tours; Railay for the scenery and the climbing; Klong Muang and Tubkaak for quiet resort beaches; Krabi Town for cheap rooms, the night market and the real local pace.
How to Spend 2 to 3 Nights
Don’t Miss
Best Areas to Base Yourself
Ao Nang
Beachfront town with boats, dining, and tours.
Railay
Cliff-backed and car-free, boat access only.
Krabi Town
Riverside night market, more local feel.
Easy boat links to Phi Phi and Koh Lanta. See how it all connects on the map and overview.
Related Guides
Written by Belle, a Thai American who travels to Thailand every other year and has family in Bangkok. Fees, journey times and rankings were rechecked in July 2026 against the sources below. Brand mentions are never paid placements, and the guide is reader-supported: some links may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
How we research →Photographs on this page that are not mine are used under the licenses below and hosted on this site rather than hotlinked. Uncredited photographs are my own.
- Wide shot: limestone karsts rising from the sea near RailayVyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source
- Railay’s limestone wall above the beach at low tideShivashanky, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source
- Longtail crossing the water between karst islandsNnthurber, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source