Krabi is a southern province on Thailand's Andaman seaboard with perhaps the country's oldest history of continued settlement. After dating stone tools, ancient coloured pictures, beads, pottery and skeletal remains found in the province's many cliffs and caves, it is thought that Krabi has been home to homo sapiens since the period 25,000 - 35,000 B.C.

In recorded times it was called the 'Ban Thai Samor', and was one of twelve towns that used, before people were widely literate, the monkey for their standard. At that time, 1200 A.D., Krabi was tributary to the Kingdom of Ligor, a city on the Kra Peninsula's east coast better known today as Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Ao Nang

Ao Nang is a large bay with scenic beaches and 83 small islands. Its famous beaches include East Rai Le, West Rai Le, Tham Phra Nang which stretch to the foot of a conspicuously prominent limestone range. Accommodation and other facilities including diving shops, boats for rent and sightseeing by canoe are available. From Ao Nang tourist may hire boats to visit nearby islands of Poda, Thap and Mo which have white sandy beaches, clear water and colourful fishes and coral.

Hat Noppharat Thara - Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park

This 2 kilometre long beach is about 18 kilometres north-west of Krabi. It is a scenic beach lined with casuarina trees and is popular among locals especially at weekend. Accommodation at the beach is available.

Cross the river at Had Nopparat Thara by boat to reach four simple bungalow resorts along ultra peaceful Ton Son (Pine Tree) beach. The long sandy strip is virtually deserted, its gradient shallow and there are few, if any, longtail boats to disturb the calm.

Mu Ko Phi Phi

An archipelago of six islands consists of Ko Phi Phi Don and Ko Phi Phi Le as the major islands. The superb scenery of the islands includes high hills with jutting clifts surrounded by marvelous beaches and emerald sea, hiding underneath a bank of coral reefs and colorful marine life. Places to visit of Mu Ko Phi Phi include:

Ko Phi Phi Don covers a total area of 28 square kilometers. An outstanding attraction is Ao Ton Sai, a vast bay with a curving white sandy beach stretching to a mountain range which reaches into the sea. Beside Ao Ton Sai, there are also othe scenic beaches and bays around the island which can be reached by boat. At the north end of the island is Laem Tong where a sea gypsy village is located and which is renowned for its underwater natural beauty. Day trip around the island by boat is recommended.

Ko Phi Phi Le is an island of steep cliffs, covers a total area of 6.6 square kilometers. Phi Phi Le has several beautiful bays such as Pi Le which reaches into a valley and gives a lake-like scenery. This part of the sea is almost encircled by steep cliffs. To the south of Pi Le is a small bay called Lo Sa Ma which hides in a fold of a steep rock and provides a good spot for snorkeling. Another attraction is Tham Viking, a huge vast and airy cave which is home to a large number of swallows. On the cave wall are ancient paintings of sailing ships similar to those used by ancient Vikings. It takes about 30 minutes to get to Phi Phi Le by boat from Phi Phi Don.

Susan Hoi (Fossil Shell Beach)

The shell graveyard at Ban Laem Pho was once a large freshwater swamp, home to a kind of snail. Over eons dating from the Tertiary Age, about 40 million years ago, these snails lived and died by the million, to the extent that the dead snails formed a layer upon which existed the living. Eventually, weather changes precipitated the swamp's disappearance, but by then the layer of fossilized snail shells was forty centimeters thick, resting on ten centimeters of lignite below which is the subsoil. Because of geographic upheaval, this Shelly limestone is now distributed in great broken sheets of impressive magnitude on the seashore at Laem Pho.

Than Bokkhorani National Park

Than Bokkhorani National Park covers 37.5 rai (1 rai = 160 square meters) in Tambon Ao Leuk Tai, one kilometer from the Tambon Ao Leuk Neua Market intersection on the Ao Luk Sak road. The park is shady and forested by many different species of trees growing around the attractive pool after which the park is named, the Sa Bokkhorani. Species include the wild gardenia, asoka, and Apocynaceae. The Sah Bohk Koranii flows through a winding passage in the mountain. At the north end of the pool is a footprint of the Buddha carved in wood and a shrine of Chao PhoTo Yuan - To Chong.

Tham Phet

Tham Phet is 3 kilometers from the intersection at Ao Luk Nua market. In front is enshrined an image of Buddha. The name of this cave "Phet" means diamond, and indeed sparking stone casts beautiful reflections on the cave wall. The best way to get there is to first contact the National Park Office at Than Bokkhorani for guide.

Tham Phi Hua To or Tham Hua Kalok

Tham Phi Hua To is located in Amphoe Ao Luk on Phi Hua To Mountains, which are surrounded by mangrove swamps. The cave is accessible by the same route as Tham Lod Tai with its entrance not far beyond the canel to Tham Lod Tai. From the entrance, the cave divides into 2 routes, the left one leading to a vast chamber pierced by a shaft of light, while the right routeleads to a hall believed by archaeologists to have been once a shelter for prehistoric people. Rock paintings can be seen within the cave. The paintings, 70 of them, are painted in red and black and portray people as well as animals. The cave was named Phi Hua To or Big-headed Ghost owing to the unusually large skulls discovered there. A large pile of shells were also found in the cave.

Kao Phanom Bencha National Park

Kao Phanom Bencha National Park is 20 kilometers from Krabi along Talat Kao-Ban Huai To Road. It covers a total area of 50 square kilometers including some parts of Amphoe Ao Luk, Amphoe Khao Phanom , and Amphoe Muang. Khao Phanom Bencha National Park had thick forest on its highest peaks. Its marvellous scenery is enhanced by strems, waterfalls, and wild animals. The park's major attractions are follows :

Namtok Huai To is located some 500 meters from the park's office, has as its source Phanhom Bencha Mountains. The waterfall itself runs down over rocks onto 11 huge pools, each with its own name such as Wang Thewada, Wang Sok, Wang Chan etc.

Namtok Huai Sa-de runs down over a high cliff. The waterfall is about 1.2 kilometers from the park's office.

Tham Khao Phung (Khao Phung Cave) is located some 3 kilometers from the park's office. Another 5 caves are in the area nearby. The cave's beauty is enhanced by countless stalagmites and stalactites of various shapes. Some are like mushrooms, other pagodas and curtains. The walls are white and glitter brightly.

Namtok Khlong Haeng is about 500 meters high and springs from Khao Thep Bencha which is the tallest mountain in Krabi and is 10 kilometers from Amphoe Khao Phanom.

Sea Canoeing

The combination of clean water, sea cliffs, and mangrove-rimmed canals has made Krabi a popular setting for kayakers. Some tour operators offer options from beach rentals by the hour to full daytrips (with lunch) into spectacular and remote mangrove channels where there is a good chance of seeing monkeys, eagles and otters.

The kayakers also paddle into Krabi River opposite town, and out to the Koh Hong island group. Kayaking is highly rewarding, informative, and when supervised properly, an environmentally friendly way to experience Krabi's coastal beauty.

The information about animals, birds, plants and geography on Sea Canoe Krabi's trips can be first class. Sea Canoe Krabi has a reputation for high standards and costs a little more than its competitors.

Scuba Diving

There is less price cutting competition between the dive shops in Ao Nang compared to Phi Phi. Prices in Ao Nang are accordingly about 10-15% higher than most dive shops on Phi Phi. The real issue is not a few hundred Baht here or there - the quality of equipment and the ability of instructors to communicate is more important. Diving from Ao Nang has the advantage of nearby sites in the Poda Island group, where water visibility is better than the mainland, but not as good as Phi Phi. There are 15 dive sites off Ao Nang, all reachable with a 20 to 60 minute boat ride. For experienced divers there is a 50-metre long cave at 5-12 meters depth at Yawabon island behind Poda. Best water visibility is Nov - April. Some Ao Nang dive shops close during low season, May to October, but some (Ao Nang Divers for instance) open all year long.

Snorkelling

Dive shops provide mask/snorkel/fin hire at Bht 150 a set per day (Bt500 deposit).

Fishing

Line fishing with bait and soft drinks supplied costs Bht l,000 for each boat. The trips are around 150 minutes long. Departs 6am and 4.30pm. Max two people per boat. Money refunded if you don't catch anything! Book at Green Park bungalows.

Andaman Sea Festival

This Festival takes place in November and celebrates the opening of the tourist season in Krabi. Water sport competitions, cultural shows, and good-natured fun are the schedule.

The Setting Adrift of the Chao Le Boats takes place on Ko Lanta during the full moon night of the sixth and eleventh lunar months. This is a religious rite performed by Sea Gypsies or "Chao Le" who gather on the beach near Ban Saladan Village. They dance their famous "rong ngeng" round the boats to be set adrift. Ceremonies feature singing and dancing. The reason for the fest is to bring prosperity and happiness to the participants.