Krabi is well known for its beautiful scenic mountain range and excellent beaches on the island itself. It is a great place for snorkelling. There are boat rides across many significant beaches. The vistas of coral reef beneath the waters are also one of the most beautiful earth treasures that make the town a popular tourist spot locally and internationally for coral diving or snorkelling.
The most attractive destinations include Emerald Pool (Sra Morakot) hot springs, an elephant sanctuary, Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea), an exotic marine living and vibrant coral reefs, rock climbing on limestone cliffs from all over the world, and national parks of small islands (4 islands).
Explore the 4 Islands in Half A Day
Railey Beach
Railey beach is known for being one of the most beautiful white sand beaches in Krabi. It is stunning and worth visiting with the adventuring such as mountain climbing by the front and back side of the peaceful beach and snorkelling. The blue sky reflects a beautiful sea view that makes a perfect combination for the moment. Walking along the shore from one end to the other and going swimming. It is a heaven-on-earth spot you should not miss.
Tup Island
Tup Island is the second stop of the tour among the four islands. They are located close to each other where you can cross the water back and ward with the crystal-clear water to see the bottom. It is a wonderful spot to enjoy swimming around in the middle of nowhere and photos taken with the most fantastic photonics. The water is super cold which makes you feel relaxed from the hot day. A good time to go there should be early on around 9 or 10 am and, you can enjoy about 2 hours there then you can have a peaceful and enjoyable moment when there aren't so many people.
Chicken Island (Koh Kai)
It is a pretty iconic place where you can see from the far distance the chicken head and neck ( an interesting spot). You can enjoy taking any photo styles on the boat nearby the island. There are a few tourist boats that do the snorkelling there as well. Most boat rides will stop there for 10 to 15 minutes before they ride around the island toward the last stop. It is a good spot for photo shooting but, there isn't much else to do.
Poda Island
If you choose to visit by tour package, you will get the lunch included on Poda island. After 10 minutes of riding from the chicken island, Koh kai, the tour will stop near the shore of Poda beach or island for snorkelling. The water is pretty calm which will allow you to experience this activity peacefully. A good time to spend their snorkelling should be around an hour before going off to the island for lunch (the tour provides the lunchbox). The great experience makes you a bit tired but having lunch set up on the mat on the sandy beach, makes the whole trip so memorable. After that, they will take you back straight to the boating station which is around 20 minutes to the shore. It is worth visiting this tour in just half a day's experience.
Full-Day Krabi Popular Tourists Attraction Spots
Emerald pool (Sra Morakot)
There are two routes paths that you can take to get to the emerald pool. From the ticket office straight up to the entrance is about 1.4 km with a wider walking side and jungle on the sidewalk. The place opens from 8 am to 5 pm (7 days a week) with an entrance fee of 200 baht for adults and 100 baht for kids (between 5-6 USD for adults). For parking fee would be 30 baht for a car, motorbike or bus. You can choose to go on another way on the right side which will take you through the wooden bridge in the rainforest follow through the water flow from downstream to the Emerald Pool and it is about 1.5 km different. It is about a 15-20 minutes walk. If you keep walking passed the Emerald Pool, there is another pool called Sra Kaew (Kaew Pond) that takes around 600m which is a magnificent blue pond. However, that pool is good for photo taking but not for swimming because it has too much mineral salt that can cause you to be sick. Spending some time there swimming is very refreshing and peaceful because it is cold and clear water that you can see pretty much to the bottom of the pool. The water level is about 1.5 meters in most areas of the pool, and the area is about 2 meters deep. An hour being in the pool is a perfect time before moving to the next destination of your travel. Emerald Pool will be busier at the weekend and holidays because more locals go there for swimming.
Hot Spring (Namtok Ron)
The natural spa area in the rainforest is an unimagined image for me. A spot named Hot Spring in Krabi is a must for most tourists. Located about 15 minutes away from the Emerald Pool. It is earth hidden place that gives relaxation and mind release when you enter the steaming bath in the water for about 30 minutes. The recommendation from the locals is to get out of the water every 5 minutes because the water contains so much mineral salt from the underground water. It runs through the volcanic chamber that creates the water spring. The water temperature is about 34-42 C, perfect for your body steam in the jacuzzi tub in the forest. It is believed that the hot spring benefits the human skin, such as skin disorders and rheumatism. There are a few man-made pools along the way to get to the hot spring where you can enjoy a cold swim after the hot spa in the spring water. The best time to go is early morning or late afternoon. They open from 8 am-5 pm with the entrance fee being 100 baht and 10 baht for parking.
Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea)
One of the most adventure spots in Krabi is Tiger Cave Temple or Wat Tham Suea. It is a great adventure by climbing to visit a huge golden buddha status. The height of the mountain is 278-meter-hight to reach the top with steep stairs to climb. It is less than 1237 steps. Some steps are narrow and knee-high level. While hiking there, it allows you to enjoy every level of it because the more you reach, the different views points you can see through the valley and island range of hills and small mountains by the sea. The fantastic view when you get to the top by the limestone cliff is the rainforest surrounding the town. The Golden Buddha is the best platform for the whole temple view and a huge terrace with several other statuses up there. It will be exhausting for summiteers when there reach there, therefore; most of them take a long rest or wait until sunset before heading back down because it is a peaceful and calm moment. It will take you around 40-60 minutes hiking so, it is good to know if you choose to spend some time for sunset, you should bring the headlamps with you. Sports shoes and water have to be brought with each visitor while you decide to hike up there. If you are scared of the monkeys, please prepare your belongings inside your carry-on backpack because they all will come to you for food. Fruits and other items especially, do not feed them, otherwise; they will come to you. The best time to visit the temple is early morning or late afternoon, so you can avoid the heat of the day. Not recommended for midday because you will get super exhausted.
Elephant Trekking
The elephant trekking adventure is super fun and heart-pumping at the same time. The guide of the elephants will take you into the deep rainforest which is around a 20-minute ride. You will wander around the wild trails especially the green forest without disturbing the natural habitat. Simply imagine yourself perched on the back of an Elephant and 2 or 3 meters high on the elephant’s back. The ride can be shacky for most people. The seat is a sturdy saddle with a harness around the Elephant's back while the guide rides on the shoulders. What might make you feel so unique about this experience is to listen to the languages that a person who leads the elephant to keep trekking in the direction that the elephant's rider wants. The ride fee would be around 1700 baht for adults and 900 Baht for kids. The tour starts from 9 am-5 pm daily.
