Krabi Town might be worth skipping.
Krabi is split into many districts and Krabi Town is the one I found myself in upon arrival. This was due to my own misunderstanding of Krabi and it was quite a boring place. One night there to see the lively night market would probably be enough. There’s a few nice restaurants and a pretty cool staircase to a temple, but apart from that Krabi Town doesn’t have much to offer.
Ao Nang is overrated.
Although still enjoyable, Ao Nang hasn’t got a great deal to see. It’s mainly visited by tourists looking for a party and even then, it’s a pretty tame atmosphere. The idea of partying in Ao Nang is just drinking too much and playing standard drinking games like beer pong. It’s fun once or twice with a bunch of other travellers, but it gets old very quickly.
Monkey trails contain no monkeys.
Well, there might be monkeys, but after walking the whole monkey trail in Ao Nang and ending up at a semi-private hotel beach there were no monkeys in sight. It’s still an enjoyable little walk around a cliffside and something different to do in an otherwise lacking town.
West-coast beaches aren’t relaxing.
If you’ve visited the east coast of Thailand you’ll be used to powdery-white sand and clear waveless waters. Krabi’s beaches are a lot rougher with coarse brown sand. It’s not really a destination for hanging out at the beach, although the islands across the water make for some outstanding views!
It’s relatively cheap.
Tourists have been flowing into Krabi for a very long time, but it’s not billed as a top holiday destination and people don’t stay long. This has led to a slight price-bump over the truly local areas of Thailand, but it’s a great deal cheaper than the big cities and tropical holiday destinations found elsewhere.
Songthaews are the way to travel.
If you can find a guide on which colour Songthaews take which route, they’re the cheapest and most exciting way to travel around Krabi. They’re essentially just pick-up trucks with a roof over the rear bed and a shelf to sit on, but they’re quick and comfortable-isa. No doubt you’ll see plenty of them upon arriving in Krabi. They can be good for longer journeys as Tuk-Tuks are slow and taxis are extortionately expensive.
I enjoyed my time in Krabi, but probably wouldn’t return because you see it all so quickly and then you’re kind of stuck in an awkward area of Thailand to continue your travels. Luckily the airport is cheap and easy to reach so Krabi proved a helpful stop-off on the route to Bali.
