When we first got to Thailand, we had no set plan. We knew we had to spend a few days in Phuket because of the Covid restrictions and after that the country was our oyster. We ended up staying in Phuket for 2 weeks and had a great time there, and after that we decided to head to Krabi. I didn’t really know a whole lot about Krabi before heading there. I had seen gorgeous pictures from Railay Beach, and to be honest was all I could quickly associate with Krabi. So we headed off to Ao Nang, Krabi and wow, didn’t we make one hell of a good decision heading there. In fact, we loved the area (post-Covid) so much that we decided to stick around a bit longer and rent a place for a whole month and live just a couple of minutes scooter drive from the beach, whilst exploring all the crazy cool things to do in Ao Nang. As I’m writing this post, I’m actually in our flat at The Rocco looking out into the Krabi jungle and I must admit that using this place as a base for all the adventures I’ve listed below, was a great idea.
Ao Nang is actually kind of a funny place to describe. Before Covid it used to a big party place known to attract tourists for its bars, loud parties, gorgeous beaches, and easy access to the islands off the coast of Ao Nang that are simply stunning to explore both above and under water. But coming to Ao Nang in November, when Covid was still in its full force across the world, Ao Nang was actually a sleepy town, with just a few tourists strolling along the beach, and a vibe so chilled that it’s hard to imagine there being a huge party scene here just a few months ago. At the same time, there is so much you can do here which is just crazy to imagine in a place that looks so sleepy and quiet and we’re definitely making the most of it and loving the chance that we have to be here before the tourists arrive again and all bars and nightclubs reopen at full capacity.
But now, onto the 12 most awesome things to do in Ao Nang that definitely make this tourist town a super cool place to explore in the Krabi province.
Mingle with the locals at Ao Nang Local Market
One of the things I loved in Phuket was the vibe at Chillva night market which was definitely like no other. In a Thai market people truly come together, joined by an awesome relaxed vibe, plethora of food choices and conversations going across food stalls and between strangers and friends. So it goes without saying that heading to the local market in Ao Nang is for sure one of the top things to do in town especially if you’re curious to get some local culture. The markets in Ao Nang are actually very different from those I saw in Phuket or Northern Thailand. Here they’re a wild mix of people selling just about anything plus some cooked food, which is quite different from the traditional night markets that primarily sell cooked food ready to eat on the go or take away.
The two main markets in Ao Nang are Ao Nang Local market and Klong Haeng Saturday Market where you will primarily see locals and a few expats. That’s how you know you’re in the right place 🙂 These are the places to head to for all your fresh fruits and veggies, young coconuts (my favorite), seafood, and meat (you can even buy your own alive chickens here 😳), but also cooked dishes such as Thai curries, noodles, steamed buns, and various kinds of finger food. Either way, these local markets are a must to explore because of their authenticity, support of the locals and their small businesses, and the variety that you can get both in terms of fresh and cooked food. Small tip: as you can easily guess, there’s no ATM or online payment option available here so bring some change and your own bags because the local sellers love putting everything in a few layers of plastic😳
Ao Nang Beach for sunset
One o f the coolest things to do in Ao Nang that is amazing but also different every single time is the sunset at Ao Nang beach. The beach itself is one of the best in the area for how long, clean and beautiful it is. But coming here for a swim or walk right before sunset is honestly one of my favorite and most relaxing ways to start the evening in Ao Nang. When we first got here a few weeks ago, the beach was absolutely deserted during the day but also for sunset and it was such an amazing experience to look at the sunset’s show only with a few other people around. Now that’s changing a bit with more people visiting Ao Nang but coming here for sunset continues to be a relaxing, and more sociable these day way to unwind after a day of heat and adventure. Grab a beer, young coconut or a fruit smoothie and come here to enjoy the sunset, at around 17:45 local time. You’ll be rewarded with a show of colors and long tail boats coming home to Ao Nang beach after a day of tripping to and back from Railay beach.
Walk along Noppharat Thara beach
When you look on the map of Ao Nang, you’ll see Ao Nang beach but right next to it, you’ll also quickly spot Noppharat Thara beach. The beach is 3 km long and right off the side of a park full of casuarina trees which is what makes this beach feel so much more chilled and private compared to Ao Nang beach. The actual beach isn’t as clean as Ao Nang to be honest but it’s far quieter and is so long that you can always find a secluded place to isolate from everyone else which is pretty cool. Also, at sunset this spot explodes with beautiful views over the little islands that are just a few meters away from the shore. In fact, at low tide, you could even walk to the closest island Ko Khao Sam Nuai. Just next to Noppharat Thara beach is also Noppharat Thara pear which makes us for some pretty nice pictures of the many colorful boats anchored there. It’s also the place to rent a long tail boat if you’re looking to explore the nearby islands or further island destinations such as Hong island.
Take a Long tail boat trip
As soon as you get to Ao Nang, one of the first things that will grab your attention are the long tail boats. With their colors and rustic charm, the boats definitely stand out a lot and over the years have become a symbol of the area. And so, a trip with a long tail boat is one of those authentic things to do in Ao Nang that you simply cannot miss to do. Sure you won’t be a fan of the boat engine that makes so much noise and pollutes like crazy but it does make up for a pretty special trip when you take a long tail boat from Ao Nang to Railay beach or Poda island, or any other otherwise hard to get to secluded place. The best way to share the experience though is to join in with other people. That way the cost, joy and pollution are shared between 6-8 people which is pretty good. We took a long tail boat to Railay beach and it was such a fun experience. We made some friends from the USA, Australia and the UK and shared the 800THB cost of the one way trip which made up for a really cheap and super awesome experience so gift yourself the treat and hop on one of the colorful boats in the direction of an island you’d otherwise have to kayak or swim to 🙊.
Go monkey chasing on the Monkey Trail
If you’re looking for a short but super thrill-filled adventure, the monkey trail will definitely fit the description pretty well. Just a short 0.8km path of manmade pathway takes about 10-15 min to walk and lead you from the very end of Ao Nang beach to Pai Plong Bay amidst the juggle-home of many cute monkeys jumping on and off the trees. I’ve seen monkeys all over Asia, including in Phuket, which is so close to here but honestly, the monkeys on the monkey trail were by far the friendliest and cutest of them all. This path, or rather the trees over and along the path, are home to quite a few monkeys so when I did the walk, I saw quite a few of them playing around and to my big surprise most of them were baby monkeys, which I guess is largely why I thought the monkeys here were the cutest haha! The pathway itself is not the safest even though they’ve put handrails almost everywhere so watch out for slippery sections especially after rain and definitely put a lot of mosquito product if you’re doing the hike for sunset. We got beaten pretty well haha! The walk is also not the easiest. It’s short but in the heat of Ao Nang it’s sure to make you sweat so definitely bring your bikini to dip into the water on the other end of the trail.
Sunbathe at Pai Plong Beach
That’s right, the other end of the Monkey trail is home to the Centara Grand Beach Resort which means that the bay is private but that aside, the beach called Pai Plong is actually absolutely stunning! When we visited, it was just before 6pm so the resort and thus, the access to the bay were getting closed but luckily we could hang around for a few minutes before heading back. Wild just like the monkeys, Alexis (my boyfriend) decided to swim back to Ao Nang from Pai Plong beach so if you’re looking to add to the adventure, you could also swim back from here straight to Ao Nang in just a few minutes. And judging by Alexis’s words: it’s amazing! Otherwise, just hang around here, enjoy the limestone views, dip into the water or have a drink at The coast bar which is just a few meters away from the water.
Stroll on Railay West Beach
Without a single doubt, one of the most amazing things to do in Ao Nang is a visit to Railay peninsula. Not only for how beautiful the actual beaches are here but also for how challenging it is to get to Railay. The whole idea of not being able to access Railay by car/ scooter or on foot, makes this place kind of mystical and teases most people’s curiosity. Railay is actually not far from Ao Nang at all. It’s only a 15 min long tail boat away, but it sure got me eye-popping as soon I saw the famous coast appearing in the distance, with its sky-shooting limestone cliffs and almost completely deserted beaches. I’ve seen pictures in the past of Railay west beach crowded with people posing for a picture or laying their towels on the beach just to make sure they can tell their friends they’ve done it too. But wow! when we visited there were barely any people here and it was a true privilege! Privilege to be experiencing this place almost in complete solitude when usually it’s absolutely booming with tourists. So we had a stroll, indulged in the views and headed off to explore the peninsula. Whether you’re a beach lover or not, Railay west beach is truly impressive. It’s the longest of the 3 beaches on Railay, with shallow water and white sandy beach, and features a few restaurants and resorts which makes it just ideal to spend a few lazy hours on.
Explore Diamond Cave
What fascinated me the most about the trip to Railay is that it wasn’t just a trip to a beach for a quick swim and a couple of photos. This part of Ao Nang truly hides so much adventures if only you set out to explore it. And so we did, starting with Diamond cave, or Phra Nang Nai cave in Thai. The cave is a beautiful collection of stalactites and stalagmites which opens up to a great airy room/ gallery surrounded by cave formations, as soon as you get through the narrow but short entrance of the cave. The actual cave is rather small so it wouldn’t take more than 20 minutes to walk around but what I found very interesting about this cave is that compared to most other caves I had visited before, the temperature in and outside the cave was pretty similar, i.e. hot 😁. There was not a single other person rushing to see the cave when we visited so it’s definitely not on many people’s list but it’s serves as a great introduction to Railay and for the small fee of 100 THB per person, it does offer a different cool experience along with a close meet up with the local bats.
Swim at pristine Phra Nang beach
What Railay is most famous for is Railay West beach. It’s what we see on the photos and postcards but my absolutely favorite is Phra Nang beach which is just on the other side of Railay West. The beach is named after the Phra Nang cave which is right there on the beach. It’s such a phenomenal mix of limestone views, powdery sand and crystal clear shallow water which invites you to go inside and cool down the moment you get your feet on the sand. What’s also super nice about this beach is that unlike Railay west it doesn’t have many restaurants jotted along it so it’s much calmer and quieter. When we visited there were only a handful of people and a few rock climbers who were trying to conquer the vertical cliffs set alongside the beach.
Wait for low tide and walk to Ko Rang Nok
One of the my personal absolute highlights of the trip to Railay was my first ever walk to an island. At low tide the water at Phra Nang beach gets so shallow that we were able to walk all the way from the beach to Ko Rang Nok. Sure the distance is just a few meters but just the fact to walk at sea and reach the beach of an island, otherwise inaccessible by foot, was truly amazing! What made the walk here even more worth it was the view that opened up towards Phra Nang beach and the cliffs on both of its sides. It was truly unreal to see this picture perfect landscape opening up before us, especially in the current setting where that was barely anyone round. So definitely if you can, stick around here for low tide, do the walk and turn around to take in the views. Ko Rang Nok in itself will take a couple of minutes to look around, so definitely spend all the time indulging in the landscape and admiring the beauty of this not so hidden gem!
Look around Princess Cave
One of the sights at Phra Nang beach that is simply unmissable is the temple and its many offerings that live inside Princess Cave. The legend has it that fishermen would come to the cave before they go into the water for their daily catch and leave an offering to the princess who’s believed to have lived in the cave, as a way of praying for a fruit-or rather fish-full day. What’s more striking, however, is the amount of wooden penises you can find here today which as you can guess is what stays with most visitors of the cave as the symbol of this Krabi attraction 😂. It’s believed that people would come to the cave and pray for fertility, hence the symbol of fertility being all over this and Phra Nang caves.
Hike up to Bat Cave
If you’re looking for a real adventure, you really have to set off on a search for Bat cave. Originally, all we wanted was to find a shortcut through the jungle to go from Phra Nang beach back to Railay west without going around half of the peninsula again. Instead, we found ourselves exploring this cave which honestly was a phenomenal experience. It was a sweaty climb we definitely weren’t prepared for because we were already tired from the heat and all other adventures prior to the cave, but honestly the views, the path and all the bats truly amazed us. It’s a cave so remote, so underexplored and little known about, that even with a free access, you’ll struggle to find people who explore the Bat cave. The actual cave can take a bit of time to explore because there’re no signs and no marking to show the way. The only prop we came across was a pretty wobbly wooden staircase but other than done, you’re kind of left on your own, to find your way around, unless you have a guide of course. The cave has no exit on the Railay West side unless you have ropes for some rock climbing so don’t hold your hopes up that you’ll be able to find a shortcut this way, like we did haha! Honestly though, put yourself on adventure mode and explore this cave. It’ll amaze you, for the formations, the bats and the stunning views that open up towards Phra Nang bay.
I hope you found this post helpful and hope to see you in the next one 😊
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