Discovering Krabi

By: Chris Dawson.
Photos courtesy
of Aqua Vision, Krab

Krabi - a relatively undiscovered part of Thailand so far, but that’s changing rapidly as word of mouth spreads the news of what it has to offer. If you're returning to Krabi, we don't need to tell you anything - If you're here for the first time though, you may be forgiven for thinking that the incredible scenery looks strangely familiar. That’s because you've most likely seen it already on TV in Magazines and in the Movies. The Beach, Man With The Golden Gun and Cutthroat Island  are the most well known, but many more were all shot on location in Krabi.

When outstanding scenery is required, then Krabi is where the film crews inevitably end up. The world’s most beautiful beaches, stunning and unique rock formations riddled with multi-levelled waterfalls and mysterious caverns, lush tropical forest, unbelievable scenery and a City who's motto is "Lively Town, Lovely People" together make Krabi a mecca for climbers, divers and adventures, as well as for those who just want to bask in brilliant sunshine and do cocktails on the beach.

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Diving though is where Krabi comes into it’s own, with possibly the most unique and beautiful seascape in the world. Here, you can dive on haunting wrecks, through dark and forbidding caves and on some of the most resplendent sites available. Dive with sharks around exotic tropical reefs in the worlds most bio-diverse waters.

Explore Krabi's unique, unpopulated tropical islands, either by charismatic longtail boat or by the larger dive boats. Easy access to a dozen local islands with fringing coral reefs and clear shallow waters, daily trips to the best of Phi Phi islands dive sites, King Cruiser Anemone Reef and Shark point as well as liveaboards to the incredible Hin Daeng, Hin Muang and the Similans show that Krabi has lots to offer - except the large crowds of the more well known areas of Phuket and Phi Phi.

Krabi Town  

By: Ian Shaw of Reefwatch

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Krabi Town was once just considered a jump-off point for tourists heading out to Koh Phi Phi and other outlying islands and while that is what many holiday makers still do, there is a growing band of tourists who now regard Krabi as their final destination and use it as a base to make day trips and go exploring not just the islands but also the many other attractions that are in and around what is widely regarded as the first part of Thailand to be populated by man.

The local scenery is quite simply stunning and has been used over the years to make many movies, the two most recent being The Beach and Swiss Family Robinson, which is due for release in 2002.

All the usual suspects are here, Elephant treks, canoe trips in and around the mangroves, the ever present butterfly gardens. However, for those who are prepared to go more than skin-deep, Krabi has a lot more to offer than at first meets the eye.

It is first and foremost a working town (fishing and rubber plantations). Tourism here is still in its infancy: the people are still intrigued by visitors and have not become cynical in their attitude towards them as can be the case in Koh Samui, Phuket and other long established tourist areas.

Here you can still leave your front door open or your keys in your car or, as I did recently, leave your wallet in the basket of your motorbike for two hours and still have reasonable hope of getting it back. If it had been stolen my first suspects would be other tourists!

Let’s be clear about this: Krabi Town is no Chiang Mai, oh no! This is an affluent town that is willing to welcome visitors but is unwilling to sell its soul to get them, no hustling on the streets or beaches.

Prices for goods and services are Thai so don’t expect to be able to haggle large chunks off the asking price.
Scuba diving is also a big feature here with many wonderful sites (the bio-diversity is far superior on the Andaman sea than on the gulf side)

Railay beach offers world class rock climbing: those that know rate it as one of the top ten places in the world (some say top five), but you be the judge as I am no climber.

Krabi also has one of the most picturesque nine-hole golf course I have ever seen.

So if you are heading south and looking for a bit of real Thailand combined with some great sports activities, Krabi may well be the place for you. On the other hand if its pizza and chips and beaches you want, just keep on walking down the pier and take the next boat to Phi Phi, though why you didn’t just go to Spain instead confuses me.
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