Trip Overview – 3 days in Krabi with extended family

Krabi is one of the most relaxing and beautiful places on Earth. It is known for its steep, limestone karsts, and offshore islands with white sand beaches and clear emerald waters. Being close to Singapore and well served by budget airlines, it is a good destination for a short trip during the June school holidays for families with kids.

My wife and I were tasked with organising a 4 days/3 nights trip for the extended family to Krabi since we had visited Krabi in 2018. My travel group consists of 17 persons, including kids and a granny.

My itinerary included a day out on a long-tail boat to visit some the offshore islands. We also included a free and easy day where individual could choose to go shopping, swim and relax by the pool in a resort quality hotel.

Krabi is hot all year round, with a rainy monsoon season which runs from May to October, and a dry season from December to March. So, June is not the best time to visit due to unpredictable weather. We could get rain on some days but also days with excellent weather. Even if it rains, it only rains for an average of an hour or two each day, often late in the afternoon.

However, there are some advantages in visiting during the rainy season. The temperature would be slightly cooler during the day. Hotels and tourist-related services also offers steep discounts during the rainy (low) season.

We had the whole beach on Poda Island to ourselves.

For me, I find the biggest advantage is that there would be much lesser visitors at the beaches and restaurants. The beaches could be unbearably crowded during the peak season (December to February).

Where we stayed in Krabi

For a beach and seaside holiday with good access and day trips to the attractive offshore islands in the Andaman Sea off Krabi, the seaside town of Ao Nang would be the best place to stay instead of Krabi Town. Ao Nang Beach is one of the places where visitors could board the long-tail boats to offshore islands like Tup, Poda and Railay Peninsula.

Swimming pool of Pranan Krabi Resort.

While there were many hotels offering deals during the low season, Pranan Krabi Resort was selected due to its convenient location in Ao Nang town, good reviews, excellent facilities including two swimming pools and competitive prices.

This is the overview of our short stay in Ao Nang, Krabi.

Day 1 (15 June 2019)

This is the day we travelled from home to Krabi, arriving at Krabi Airport at about 11 AM. From the airport, it took us 40 minutes to travel by 2 vans booked via Krabi Shuttle to our hotel in Ao Nang.

After checking into our hotel at 2 PM, we had lunch at the Thanya Kitchen restaurant. Although it was past the normal lunch hour, the owner of this small restaurant, located just outside the hotel, welcomed us warmly and served up some delicious Thai food to our hungry group. The dishes that our group had included pad thai, tom yum seafood soup, beef/pork/chicken noodle soup, pineapple rice and popular Thai desserts like mango with sticky rice.

Mango with sticky rice – a  “must-eat” Thai dessert especially during the mango season.

It was free and easy at the hotel till it was time for dinner. Some of my travel companions went to explore the main street of Ao Nang, lined with shops, restaurants and tour desks. 

Nice views from Hilltop Ao Nang Restaurant.

We had dinner at the Hilltop Ao Nang. As the name implies, the restaurant is located on the top of hill in Ao Nang, offering dining with probably the best views of the Krabi sunset.

We ended the day with a simple foot massage at Atta-rak massage and spa, located just outside our hotel.

Trip report: Dinner at Hilltop Ao Nang.

Day 2 (16 June 2019)

This was the day forecasted with good weather, despite the rainy season.

Beach on Poda Island.

We did a full-day boat trip by private long-tail boat to 4 islands off Krabi namely Chicken Island, Poda Island, Tup and Mor Island plus Phra Nang Cave Beach located on the Railay Peninsula.

We had dinner at the Family Thai food and Seafood Restaurant. This small and not so prominent restaurant is located along a small alley off the main road of Ao Nang. 

Trip report: 4 Islands Tour - day trip by private long-tail boat.

 

Day 3 (17 June 2019)

This was a day that we planned to stay and enjoy the facilities in our hotel.

We were notified by the hotel that whole of Ao Nang would have power outage from 9 AM to 5 PM as the Provincial Electricity Authority is performing some upgrade on the power grid. As a result, the hotel would be running on emergency generators and only basic level of electricity would be available for the elevator, internet and pools.

Pranan Krabi Resort.

This did not stop us from having a good time at the hotel’s swimming pools. The hotel did well to provide complimentary cocktail party with drinks and snacks in the afternoon for all the guests.

It was also a day for some shopping along Ao Nang Beach for local products.

We ended the day with a walk along Noppharat Thara Beach at sunset and dinner at a seafood restaurant located along the beach.

Trip report: Evening at Noppharat Thara Beach and dinner at Noppharat Seafood.

Planning a trip to the islands off Krabi? Here are some tips to share.

• Getting on and off the long-tail boats requires wading into the sea as there are no jetties. Many wore sandals or flip-flops. We wore aqua shoes. i.e shoes that are designed for water activities. 
• Protect your electronics, e.g. phones and cameras, with a waterproof bag or waterproof casings for your mobile phone. This are sold at many shops along Ao Nang Beach Road.
• Bring beach mats or pool towels.  Alternatively buy a beach mat at one of the shops along Ao Nang Beach Road.
• No need to bring snorkelling gear for trips to offshore islands. The tour operators typically provides them. In any case, snorkelling at Krabi is disappointing.
• There are few restaurants selling food and drinks at the offshore islands. It is best to arrange for packed lunch to be provided by the tour operator or bring your own. You may get decent food and drinks from the “food boats” during the peak season but there is no guarantee these would be available during the low season.
• Bring a hat, sunglasses and plenty of sunscreen. 
• Go on a weekday and go early in the morning to enjoy the beaches without the crowds.
• Preferably hire your own long-tail boat for your own private boat trip to the offshore islands.
• If going only to the beaches on Railay Peninsula, there is no need to pay any National Park fees.
• If going only to the beaches on Railay Peninsula, there is also no need to join a tour. Take the “water taxis” (the long-tail boats to and from Ao Nang to Railay) from Ao Nang Beach. Buy return tickets instead of single trip tickets. With a return ticket, you may have the option to board a boat at Phra Nang Beach back to Ao Nang. I did see any ticket booth at Phra Nang Beach. The regular boats operate from 8 AM till about 6 PM (before sun down). Thereafter, you may have to pay more or charter our own long-tail boat back to Ao Nang. In terms of water quality, I think Phra Nang Beach is the best beach that is on the Railay Peninsula or even the Krabi mainland. Do not miss and it is best to go during the low tide where more of the white sandy beach is exposed. See my trip report: Day trip to Railay Peninsula in Krabi from Ao Nang.
• Tup island is best visited during the low tide. If chartering a boat for the day, your boatman would know when is the best time to go.

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Hilltop Restaurant Ao Nang

15 June 2019

The coastal province of Krabi, at the southern end of Thailand on the Andaman Sea, is well known for the spectacular limestone cliffs, beautiful islands with clear emerald waters and white sandy beaches. On some days, one can also enjoy the stunning red sunsets.

The last time I was in Ao Nang, Krabi with my wife, we enjoyed dining at one of the beachside restaurants along Ao Nang Seafood Street, with nice views of the Krabi sunsets.

This time, I was travelling with a large group of 17 persons and I wanted to ensure that my travel companions would enjoy a memorable first dinner in Ao Nang. After some research, my wife and I selected the Hilltop Ao Nang. As the name implies, the restaurant is located on the top of hill in Ao Nang, offering dining with probably the best views of the Krabi sunset.

It is prudent to make reservations and also arrange for free shuttle pickup in advance at their website. We planned to arrive at least 30 minutes before sunset to enjoy the fantastic views from the restaurant. Travel to the restaurant was by songthaew (covered pickup trucks used as taxis in Thailand) and we were picked up promptly from our hotel in Ao Nang.

The drive to the Hilltop took only a few minutes. Although it was cloudy day, with no red Krabi sunset, the panoramic views from the restaurant were still quite nice.

I was happy to see my travel companions enjoying themselves snapping photographs even before we sat down to order our first evening cocktails.

Enjoy pre-dinner cocktails at the Hilltop.

A mock-up dining table with a view.

Actual dining area at the Hilltop.

My travel group.

The Hilltop Ao Nang has an extensive menu of classic Thai dishes, a fresh selection of seafood ready for the grill and a good selection of cocktails and wine. Based on reviews from the Internet, we ordered mostly Thai food and skipped the grilled seafood.

Delicious Thai cuisine.

It was a nice experience to be dining on delicious food while enjoying the views of the sea.

What my group enjoyed as well was the live band that performed on that night. Stevie, the singer with the hat, was awesome.

View of the restaurant at night.

Overall, my group had an enjoyable evening at the Hilltop. Although the prices were slightly higher than other restaurants in Ao Nang, this restaurant delivered value with its awesome location, good food and beverage service, delicious Thai food and excellent live entertainment.

Only let-down was one of shuttle bus driver who sent us back to our hotel. This person really needs to learn some basic customer service skills.

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4 Islands tour by private long-tail boat from Ao Nang - Koh Poda (Poda Island), Koh Gai (Chicken Island), Koh Tup and Koh Mor (Tup Island) and Phra Nang Beach on Railay Peninsula

16 June 2019 

One of the most popular day trips from Ao Nang is the “4 Islands Tour by speedboat or long-tail boat”. This full-day tour from Krabi would typically includes visits to Koh Poda (Poda Island), Koh Gai (Chicken Island), Koh Tup and Koh Mor (Tup Island) and Phra Nang Beach located at the Railay Peninsula.

Since June is the start of the monsoon season in Krabi, the weather is unpredictable. It was prudent to arrange a trip out to sea only on a day with good weather forecasted.

I was watching the weather forecast in the days leading up to our trip to Krabi. The weather forecasted for all the days during our stay in Krabi were almost similar – “cloudy with some showers” or “cloudy with thunderstorms in the morning”. I had experienced similar weather back home. Even if it rains, the rain would be short in duration and the rest of the day is likely to be fine.

I actually booked our boat trip on the day we arrived at Krabi after assessing the local weather first hand on site.

Private long-tail boats could be chartered at the booths located at Ao Nang beach. These are typically smaller boats with capacity of up to 15 persons only.

I wanted to go out to sea with a reliable and reputable tour operator, proven guides and a seaworthy long-tail boat that is large enough to take our group of 17 persons. My travel group includes kids and also elderly persons. So, safety and assurance that we would be well looked after is paramount, especially in unpredictable weather.

I contacted Andaman Camp and Cruise who runs only private trips. They responded very swiftly via email and I booked our boat trip while riding on the van to our hotel in Ao Nang. Our trip included lunch. Upon booking, we were asked to specify if there are any dietary restrictions in our travel group and how spicy we wanted our food to be.

On the day of our trip, we were picked up by our 2 guides, Ying and Mos, from our hotel in Ao Nang in a songthaew. Two trips were needed to ferry our group to the south side of Noppharat Thara Beach.

Typically, long-tail boats to the offshore islands are boarded along Ao Nang Beach. This requires everyone to wade in knee-deep water to get onto the boats. It was high tide in the morning, so we could board our boat from the quay at Noppharat Thara Beach without getting our feet wet.

The large long-tail boat with the name of the operator painted at the bow.

Boarding our boat at the quay at southern end of Noppharat Thara beach.

Based on tidal conditions for the day, our plan was to the visit the following places in this order:

• Phra Nang Beach.
• Chicken Island for snorkelling.
• Poda Island for lunch and swimming.
• Tup Island would be visited at low tide. At low tide a sandbar emerges from the clear waters linking the larger Koh Gai (Chicken Island) to the two smaller islands of Koh Mor and Koh Tup.

Journey to Railay Peninsula and Phra Nang Beach.

Our first destination was to be Phra Nang Beach, located on the Railay Peninsula. Railay is not an island but it felt like one. It is actually a peninsula located just south of Ao Nang. With three of its sides surrounded by the sea and a range of steep limestone cliffs that cuts it off from all roads to the “mainland”, the only way to get to Railay is by boat.

There are four main beaches at Railay – Railay West, Railay East, Phra Nang and Tonsai. Based on my previous trip to Railay, I knew that Phra Nang Beach is the best for swimming. There is also an interesting Princess Cave at Phra Nang Beach.

The boat ride from Noppharat Thara took about 20 to 25 minutes. The sea was slightly choppy as the boat sped towards Railay. Those who sat in the shaded cabin got slightly wet from the sea spray. I chose to sit on the bow to enjoy the sun and chat with our guide. The bow was the driest part of the boat.

I enjoyed the boat ride as it felt good to be out in the sea again with the sun on my back and wind in my hair. It was also good to see the excited and happy faces of my travel companions.

Nice views of the limestone karsts on the way to Railay Peninsula.

We could not land at Phra Nang Beach due to the high tide. Our boat landed us on Railay East Beach instead. This beach is flanked by mangroves and limestone cliffs. The water was calm and shallow, so disembarking at Railay East Beach was very safe.

Disembarking from our long-tail boat at Railay East Beach.

Plenty of helping hands for the most senior member of our travel group.

Although we were among the first to arrive at Railay East, we were soon joined by a few other boats, including some speedboats. Railay East Beach got pretty crowded.

From Railay East Beach, a short trail led to Phra Nang Cave Beach. This trail was beneath the overhanging limestone cliffs and was quite a scenic walk.

On the trail to Phra Nang Beach from Railay East Beach.

We spotted monkeys along this trail, to the delight of the kids in my group and some adults too.

Human travel on the footpath and monkeys travel on the fence.

Long-tailed macaques commonly found in South East Asia.

Phra Nang Beach

At high tide, only a small stretch of Phra Nang Beach was visible. This was so unlike the Phra Nang Beach I experienced on my previous trip during low tide.

There were just too many people packed onto a small part of the beach.  If I were to visit Krabi again, I will only come to Phra Nang Beach during low tide when more of the white sand beach is exposed and accessible.

Phra Nang Beach at high tide.

Although I did not really enjoy Phra Nang Beach this time, my travel companions who were the first time visitors seemed to enjoy themselves.

Enjoying a dip at Phra Nang Beach.

Besides shooting lots of photos of themselves in the water, they also went to check out Princess Cave (Tham Phra Nang Nok) with the thousands of lingams or carved wooden phallic symbols. These are offerings left inside the Princess Cave by locals.

Chicken Island (Koh Gai)

After about an hour at Phra Nang Beach, we returned to our boat at Railay East Beach. Refreshing canned drinks and bottled water were handed out as we sped across the waves to our next stop, Koh Gai or Chicken Island.

This island apparently got its name from an unusual rock stack that looked like the head of a chicken when viewed from certain angles. 

Do you think that piece of tall rock looks like the neck and head of a chicken?

There were already a few other boats moored outside an area marked by yellow buoys. These buoys outlined the area that is designated for snorkelling. Our boat moored just outside the marked area like the other boats.

The guides handed out face masks and life vests to those who wanted to do snorkelling. A few in my travel group had not snorkelled before but they were game to try.

Snorkelling off Koh Gai or Chicken Island.

The granny in our group with a sense of adventure.

The kids and granny in the water under the watchful eye of our guide, Mos, and the parents.

Swimming with schools of striped damselfish.

The water at this point was about 10 to 20 feet deep with some coral reef beneath. But there were not many fish and sea-critters to see except for some striped damselfish fish nicknamed Sergeant Major because of the stripes.

Poda Island (Koh Poda)

After an hour of snorkelling, everyone was looking forward to lunch.

Our boat tried to land at a tiny secluded beach at Poda Island, nicknamed the “secret beach”. This white sand beach was surrounded by tall cliffs, emerald green water and isolated.

This would be a nice and quiet place for a picnic lunch. However, the sea condition was not suitable for a safe landing so we abandoned the site.

Approaching the “secret beach” on Poda Island.

We finally landed at a long stretch of white sandy beach on Poda Island that was away from most other tour boats. There was only one other long-tail boat with a small group and they left soon after.

We had the whole beach to ourselves!

We had the whole beach at Poda Island to ourselves!

Our guides unloaded a bamboo table, some floor mats and a few boxes containing our lunch from the boat. We set up our picnic under some trees and under the watchful eye of a uniformed park ranger who was tasked to collect the National Park fees and ensure visitors kept the park clean.

Note: Fees are 400 baht/ adult and 200 baht/child, payable to the ranger at the island.

Shady spot on Poda Island – ideal for a picnic lunch.

Our packed lunch at Poda Island.

The lunch provided by Andaman Camp and Cruise was very good. We had plates of steamed rice with Thai dishes including curry beef, deep fried chicken, soup, mixed vegetables, egg and mushroom, curry vegetables and dessert wrapped in banana leaves. We also had plenty of cold canned drinks and bottled water too. Somehow, meals taken outdoor at a picnic always tasted better. 

We had time to swim, goof around and snap plenty of photos on the beach on Poda Island.

Finally, it was time to head across to Tup Island. We could actually see Tup Island and Mor Island across the water from our beach on Poda.

Tup Island (Koh Tup and Koh Mor)

Tup Island is joined to Mor Island by a sandbank. It is best to visit these islands at low tide.

Long-tail boats on Tup Island. Poda Island and the beach where we had lunch could be seen in the background.

On the sandbank between Tup Island and Mor Island at low tide.

During low tide, we could actually walk across another sand bank from Tup Island to Chicken Island. The area between the islands is called Talay Waek (also spelled as Thale Waek) which means ‘divided sea’ as the water is separated by the long ridge of sand at every low tide.

The Talay Waek or sandbank leading to Chicken Island, marked by a string of buoys.

Shortly after our arrival at Tup, our guides set up a picnic table again and served up plates of cut pineapples and watermelon. This attracted the resident monkey named Johnny. Johnny was chased away by the resident National Park ranger before he could hijack our fruits or our belongings.

We were informed that Johnny is the only monkey on Tup and there is another monkey living over at Chicken Island.

Johnny, with a piece of stolen watermelon.

The tide was receding and soon enough, we were able to wade across the Talay Waek to Chicken Island. Park Rangers were stationed on Tup and Chicken Island to ensure no one crosses this stretch of water at high tide.

Even at low tide, we could feel the water flowing across our feet as we “walked on water” from one island to another. It would be dangerous to attempt this crossing at high tide.

Crossing the 200 metres long separated sea from Tup Island to Chicken Island was quite a strange feeling.

Approaching Chicken Island.

We did not stay long at Chicken Island. The kids did some exploration of the rocky beach on Chicken Island before we crossed the sandbar again back to Tup Island.  This time, the tide had receded further and more of the sand was exposed.

Back on Tup Island. More of the sandbank is now exposed.

A jellyfish we found stranded on the sandbar.

Sea cucumber on the rocks on Chicken Island.

We left Tup Island at about 3.30 PM. Our guides were concerned that if we leave too late, our boat may get stranded on the shallow beach.

Tup Island was the last island we visited. From there, we headed across the open sea towards Ao Nang and Noppharat Thara Beach.

The sea was choppier compared to the morning. This time, everyone was drenched by the spray from waves crashing against the bow of the boat as our boatmen steered the boat carefully through the rough sea. The youngest kid in our group did not enjoy the thrills of a rocking ride back to shore.

We landed at Klong Haeng River, on the north side of Noppharat Thara Beach. From there, we were ferried by songthaew back to our hotel.

Overall, we had a wonderful trip out to the beautiful islands off Krabi. Although it was supposed to be the rainy season, we were blessed with very good weather on this fun-filled and memorable day.

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