06 March 2020, by Oana Badiu
Viewpoints are always sought out by tourists, especially in the world of Instagram, and I am no exception! Hiking in Krabi is often no easy task and it requires carrying a lot of water with you! Bear in mind that some of the trails are not suitable for all people and if you think you are not up for the hike, then don’t attempt it!
For a successful hike you must always carry enough water with you and always wear hiking sandals, preferably those that have cover for your toes. Hiking shoes may be way too hot for Thailand’s temperatures and flip-flops are definitely not the way to go.
From many stairs to actual climbing, all the viewpoints I have seen are very much worth the effort! Not only did I enjoy the reward at the end, but I actually enjoyed the exercise itself! It’s somehow much nicer to exercise, knowing the reward is an awesome landscape!
Unfortunately, most of the viewpoints are not really accessible during sunrise or sunset, but the views are amazing no matter the time of the day!
Railay Bay is my favorite place in all Krabi and Railay Viewpoint was also the most impressive viewpoint I have seen here!
There is a steep climb (yes, climb, not hike) to reach the top of the limestone rock, but it’s actually really fun to experience it! I have passed by the point where the climbing starts multiple times, contemplating whether to try it or not. In the end I decided that it doesn’t look too difficult and I should just try it out! It turns out the climb up is not too treacherous, but I do recommend this hike only to people with good physical condition. There are ropes that you need to hang on to in order to pull yourself up on the rocks and the path is quite vertical until you get to the top of the limestone rock. Getting up is actually easier than getting down, in my opinion. Getting up takes a lot of effort and sweat, but getting down takes more skill and you’ll probably have to do it facing the rock, the same way you got up. Also, I wouldn’t attempt this climb if the path is wet. Beware you might get dirty and so far, I haven’t managed to get the reddish looking stains off shirt and pants, so I would advise to not attempt this climb wearing your favorite clothes. Find out how to explore Railay Bay by yourself.
While you are visiting Railay Bay you should also try out the Bat Cave on the west side of the Phra Nang Beach.
There is a path that starts right next to the rocks, through the bushes, that leads to a steep, short, hiking trail. You will also see a bunch of climbers up there, as it is a very popular place to climb.
After a short walk you will reach the Bat Cave and the Viewpoint from outside the cave is quite impressive!
I recommend taking a long tail boat by yourself from Ao Nang, in order to explore Railay Bay. The boat ticket costs 100 BAHT per person, one way, and it takes about 10 – 15 minutes to reach a point on the Railay Bay. This way you have plenty of time to check out everything around the bay, without time pressure, and you can just take a boat back when you want to. Find out how to explore Railay Bay by yourself.
I think you cannot visit Krabi (or Phuket) without taking a day trip to Phi Phi Islands! Phi Phi Islands are probably the most popular destination for a day trip around this part of Thailand and the most popular viewpoint is called Viewpoint 2! There are 2 popular viewpoints on Ko Phi Phi Don and to reach the second one, you need to just continue on the trail from the first viewpoint.
To get to the first viewpoint, you’ll need to climb quite many stairs up and it’s probably the hardest part of the path. After the stairs, you’ll need to purchase an entrance ticket to get to the viewpoints. A ticket for one person costed 30 BAHT in 2020 and it is valid for both viewpoints. This was a really difficult hike for me because of the 36° C, no wind and we had only 1h 30 min to be on this island and I didn’t know exactly how long will it take me to get to the second viewpoint, so I tried not to stop too often. It took me around 30 – 35 minutes to reach the top and I recommend you have a map ready to go straight to the viewpoint if you are under time pressure. The paths on this island are many and you can easily lose your way while trying to find the beginning of the stairs that go up. I recommend downloading maps.me application and the map of Krabi and Phi Phi and follow the instructions of the map to reach the viewpoint.
This hiking trail has a lot of names, but probably the most famous name is Khao Ngon Nak and the peak point of the trail is called Nong Thale Peak on Google Maps. The start of the trail is called “Dragon Crest (Khuan Sai)” on Google Maps and it’s where the taxis are going to drop you off.
On TripAdvisor this hiking trail is called “Tab Kak Hang Nak Hill Nature Trail” and I wouldn’t really call it myself a “nature trail”. For a lot of people this seems to be a very demanding trail, but I think it’s just because it requires a lot of effort. The trail itself is not dangerous, there are plenty of trees and rocks to get a good grip, but it’s rather long and can be quite strenuous in many places.
For me, however, this was one of the best hiking trails I have ever experienced! This approximately 4 km hiking trail is the best thing I decided to do in Krabi! The views from up there are amazing! Khao Ngon Nak aka Dragon Crest is only 565 m above sea level, but it has vertical drops with the best views of Krabi! You should rent a taxi from your hotel in order to get there and arrange also a pickup time, as there are no taxis waiting at the start of the trail. Allow yourself around 5 hours to make sure you have enough time to get up, enjoy the views and then get down! It took us 1h 35 min to get up, then there are several viewpoints you need to explore, so maybe you can spend 1h at the top. It took us about the same time to get down, so around 1h 30 min, because you really need to focus where you step when descending. We spent in total 4h at Khao Ngon Nak. We were at the trail head already at 8 AM, in order to avoid the heat of the day and I recommend taking 2 bottles of 750 ml of water with you. You’ll sweat a lot during this trip and you’ll need to keep yourself hydrated! The famous picture with the a person sitting on a rock is not possible to take anymore. That part is now closed, due to safety reasons. Read more about Khao Ngon Nak Hiking Trail (aka Dragon Crest).
With a whopping 1 260 stairs to cover on your way up, the Tiger Cave Mountain Temple is one of the most visited viewpoints in Krabi and also one of the most demanding, from a physical point of view. The stairs vary in height and some of them might be as high as 30 cm, so this is no easy task!
Once you reach the top there will be a sign saying “Congratulations! You have conquered the Tiger Cave Temple mountain. You have ascended 309 meters vertically along a 600 meters path comprise of 1260 steps!”. Unfortunately, only women need to cover up when entering the temple. There are some “clothes” you can borrow at the entrance and you’ll need to wear them once inside. I was told by our guide that on the steps you can take the clothes off, but you need to put them back on and take your shoes off once you reach the temple on the mountain top. It took me 30 minutes to reach the top, but my boyfriend, which is in a lot better shape than me, took this as a challenge and managed to make it up in 15 minutes. Usually this trip is part of the “Emerald Pool and Hot Springs” day tour, so that is how we got here. Read more about "Hot Springs, Emerald Pool, Blue Lagoon and Tiger Cave Mountain Temple Tour.
The monkey trail is a trail between Ao Nang Beach and Pai Plong Beach. Unless you stay at the hotel on Pai Plong beach, this trail is open only until 6 PM. At some point the trail has a nice opening through the bushes, where you can see the “Ao Nang Tower” limestone rock raising from the water!
This trail is great and it’s not called “Monkey Trail” for nothing! You will encounter a lot of fearless macaques on this trail!
Tham Phi Hua To is a popular cave in Than Bok Khorani National Park and you can see it during a day tour kayaking along the Tha Pring river.
The cave itself is popular for its early paintings of the people who used to live here, but it has also a wonderful viewpoint!
