Krabi Itinerary | 11 Days In Southern Thailand (Koh Lanta, Ao Nang & Phi Phi Islands)

Krabi Province in Southern Thailand is huge! As well as Krabi town it covers: Koh Lanta, Ao Nang, Railay AND the Phi Phi Islands! I visited in November and split my time between Koh Lanta and Ao Nang, with day trips to the surrounding areas. Here’s my 11 day itinerary for Krabi province!

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Krabi Itinerary

• Day 1 – Krabi to Koh Lanta (4 nights in Koh Lanta)
• Day 2 – 4 Islands Tour
• Day 3 – Saladan
• Day 4 – Klong Dao Beach
• Day 5 – Koh Lanta to Ao Nang (6 nights in Ao Nang)
• Day 6 – Phi Phi Islands
• Day 7 – Mountain Buddha Temple
• Day 8 – Ao Nang Beach & Monkey Trail
• Day 9 – Railay
• Day 10 – Free Day
• Day 11 – Depart

KOH LANTA

Day 1 – Krabi To Koh Lanta

After having an overnight connection at Bangkok Airport, where I stayed at the Avagard Capsule Hotel, I took a Bangkok Airways flight from Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) to Krabi International Airport. Flight time is approximately 1 hour.

From the airport I had prebooked a ‘Krabi Airport to Koh Lanta hotels’ shared minibus transfer through 12Go.asia. This was very convenient, the booking includes a photo of the vehicle type, so I knew exactly what bus to look for.

The bus was completely full, so I had to have my backpack on the floor in front of my feet. Koh Lanta is quite far away from Krabi Airport. I was the first person to be dropped off and it was 2.5 hours. This included the journey on the car ferry, which was included in the cost of the transfer.

However, if you are staying in the south of the island, the journey will take a lot longer. There’s also an extra fee for the accommodations which are the most remote.

Golden Bay Cottages

I stayed at Golden Bay Cottages on Klong Dao Beach in Saladan. It was a great budget friendly beachfront hotel that had breakfast included and a large swimming pool. The rooms also had complimentary bottles of drinking water, tea, coffee and bathroom toiletries.

Day 2 – 4 Islands Tour

One of my main reasons for visiting Koh Lanta was to do the 4 Islands Tour which stretches to the Trang Islands. The four stops are: Ko Chueak, Ko Muk, Ko Waen and Ko Ngai.

Two of the islands are just snorkel spots, where you can jump off the edge of the longtail boat and swim. Honestly, if you are wanting to do the tour for the snorkelling aspect, it’s not great. You won’t find a whole lot to look at.

The other two stops are the highlights. Ko Muk is home to the Emerald Cave. This involves an 80m swim through a pitch black cave to a hidden beach. Don’t worry, the guides do have head torches and you just need to follow the person in front of you! For this section, everyone is required to wear a life vest.

The final stop of my tour was to Koh Ngai, my personal highlight. This is a PROPER island with a beach and facilities (such as a toilet and bars). It’s also possible to stay on Koh Ngai, as there are several resorts, however there are no roads or vehicles!

Koh Ngai was also the lunch stop. Food and drink was included in the price of the trip. We then had some free time to walk along the beach, go for a swim in the sea etc.

From here it was back to Lanta Old Town and the vehicles that drop you back to your accommodation. It is a FULL DAY tour from 8am until 4pm.

Day 3 – Saladan

On the third day I explored Saladan in the north of Koh Lanta Yai, this was just a short walk from my hotel on Klong Dao Beach.

I recommend having a massage at Seren Lanta Massage and Spa. They are slightly more expensive than some of the other spas, but the service is very good. A traditional Thai massage cost ฿350. On arrival I was given a glass of water and then a shirt and cropped trousers to change in to.

Most Thai massages you just do while wearing your own clothes. It’s not like other massage styles that require you to remove most clothing items. However it was nice being able to change into something clean, rather than being my sweaty clothes, because let’s face it, Thailand is HOT.

After the massage I was able to relax on the back decking area that overlooks the Lat Bo Nae River. This was a really peaceful area with reclining cushions. I was given more water and a plate of watermelon.

While in Saladan, I also went to the Sala Cafe for an iced coffee and then to the indoor market. Be aware that I found clothing and souvenirs to generally be more expensive in Koh Lanta. Things were cheaper to buy in Ao Nang.

Day 4 – Klong Dao Beach

When travelling to different locations, I do like to factor in a couple of free days or ‘buffer days’. There are two in this 11 day Krabi itinerary. This gave me wiggle room in case my arrival was delayed. Or in the case of Ao Nang, it rained constantly and so I could rearrange things I wanted to do, until a dry day.

So this day was spent mostly relaxing on Klong Dao Beach. Which honestly, I wasn’t mad about. This ended up being my only full beach day of the trip. I was able to use the sun loungers that were part of my hotel and would alternate between reading, people watching and swimming in the sea!

I walked the full length of the beach during my 4 nights in Koh Lanta. I LOVED the restaurants on the beach. My two favourites were Koala Bar and Jasmine Nui. They both had great food and drinks.

There are also several fire shows that take place most evenings. The one in front of Breeze Restaurant and Bar was my favourite from the five I saw in total (in both Koh Lanta and Ao Nang).

Alternatively, if I wanted another option for something to do, Oasis Yoga Bungalows had several classes through the day. This place was right next to Golden Bay Cottages. I was hoping to do the meditation class but the schedule didn’t line up with the days I was in Koh Lanta.

AO NANG

Day 5 – Koh Lanta to Ao Nang

To get from Koh Lanta to Ao Nang, I booked another ‘hotel to hotel’ shared transfer on 12Go.asia. The company I used have two pick ups a day, an early morning and a lunch time one. I opted for the lunch time one, so I could have breakfast and take my time, rather than having an early start.

The journey is almost the reverse of the airport transfer, but it does take a little longer. It’s closer to 3 hours if you luck out (like me) and are the last to be picked up and the first to be dropped off.

There’s also an option to get the passenger ferry from Saladan Pier, however you will then need to arrange additional transport to and from your accommodation either end. For the same price, it made more sense to just do the minibus transfer.

Where To Stay in Ao Nang

I stayed for 6 nights total in two different Ao Nang hotels. First I stayed at Aonang Viva Resort, which was a more budget friendly option. It had breakfast included in the room rate, tea, coffee, bottled water, bathroom toiletries and a swimming pool with a water slide!

For my final 2 nights I treated myself to a direct pool access room at the Red Ginger Chic Resort. I loved this hotel. It smelt like a spa and had lots of good little in room amenities and an awesome breakfast included.

Both hotels were located in the same area, between Ao Nang Beach and Noppharat Thara Beach. This was great for being central to the Ao Nang Night Market and the rest of the town.

Day 6 – Phi Phi Islands Tour

The second full day tour that I did was the Phi Phi Islands Tour. It was on a speed boat, but if you can find a longtail one, I think this would have been much better. You can’t really see ANYTHING on the speeds as the walls are so high.

Phi Phi Lee was the first stop. Pi Leh Bay is a lagoon area surrounded by towering cliffs. The water is SO blue. We had to opportunity to either swim in the main lagoon (next to all the speed boats), or pay an additional charge to go on a longtail boat to a small beach and a snorkelling spot.

I opted to pay the extra with a couple of people I met, but I think it was expensive for what it was. It was a great chance to get some lovely photos but the snorkel spot was extremely choppy from the boats coming and going from the lagoon.

Stop 2 is to Maya Bay Beach. This beach is famous for being the filming location for ‘The Beach’ movie which stars Leonardo DiCaprio. There is no doubt that the beach is BEAUTIFUL. However you can not swim. As it’s a protected area, visitors are only allowed in the water up to your ankles.

It was completely crowded and felt a bit like a conveyor belt to reach it. But the beach is amazing. There is also a toilet block at this stop.

Stop 3 was a quick snorkel spot. In comparison to those on the 4 Islands Tour from Koh Lanta, this stop was the best. It had corals and multiple different species of fish.

Lunch was on Phi Phi Don and was included in the tour cost. Personally I didn’t really like Phi Phi Don. Some people love it, but for me something just didn’t click. Unfortunately, this is where we then got hit by torrential rain (which continued for the next 3 days).

There were no monkeys on Monkey Beach and I thought I was going to get shipwrecked on the way to Bamboo Island. If the sun was out, Bamboo Island would have been nice, but we spent most of it sheltering under the trees. There are toilets and a food and drink kiosk in the centre of the island.

Day 7 – Mountain Buddha Temple

A fun thing to do in Ao Nang is to walk to the Mountain Buddha Temple. It’s around a 40 minute walk from Ao Nang Beach, alternatively you could get a tuk tuk. Not to be confused with Tiger Cave Temple which is bigger and around a 30 minute drive from Ao Nang.

Even though it’s called a temple, it is more like a shrine. It has lots of stairs with a giant gold Buddha statue on the top. There are various other figures on the way up and the views from the top are well worth the climb. The Mountain Buddha Temple is free to visit and for ages I was the only person in sight. It’s well worth checking out.

I advise going early before temperatures get too hot, but then you’re free to do what you want for the rest of the day!

Day 8 – Monkey Trail & Ao Nang Beach

I then had another chilled day, mostly spent around Ao Nang Beach. Because it was raining, I tried to escape for a while by going for a massage. There are SO many places to have a massage in Ao Nang.

I opted for Ally Massage which was between where my hotel was located and Ao Nang Beach. In comparison to the massage I had in Koh Lanta, it was ฿100 cheaper. It cost ฿250 for a 1 hour traditional Thai massage. This time I just wore my regular clothes for it.

No complaints about the massage. The tables were a little closer together and the people surrounding me were a bit noisier, but the massage I received was fine.

Afterwards, I was given a cup of water with a straw. As it was sealed, I could have taken it away with me, but I sat outside to drink it, before heading to the beach.

At the far end of Ao Nang Beach is the Monkey Trail. It connects Ao Nang Beach to Pai Plong Beach. The trail is quite short, at approximately 350m long and takes around 10 minutes to complete in one direction.

As the name suggests, there are monkeys along it. They mostly hang out near the bridge at the very start of the trail. The monkeys are not afraid to jump on people, so it’s best to not get too close and try to make sure you don’t have snacks in your bag!

Monkey trail is similar to a board walk. There are sections of the trail that are made with wooden planks. In several areas some of the planks are missing. Although it’s quite easy going, parts will require you to go up ladder type steps.

I walked it in both rainy conditions and in the dry. It is definitely easier in the dry as it’s less slippery.

Once you reach Pai Plong Beach, there are no facilities for the general public. It’s mostly a beach for hotel guests staying at the Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas. However out of the Ao Nang beaches within walking distance from the central area, it’s nicest for swimming.

Day 9 – Railay

When deciding between Ao Nang or Railay, Railay was one of my favourite places in Krabi Province. For a day trip, it is easy to reach from Ao Nang. Do I wish I would have stayed in Railay? Maybe.

But you do have to consider that it is a small area and can ONLY be reached by boat. This may mean carrying your luggage into the sea to load it onto a longtail boat. The regular hours of the longtail boat service are between 8am until 6pm. It takes around 10 minutes from Ao Nang. Anything out of these hours will require negotiating for a private journey.

As a day trip, it was one of my highlights, I LOVED it. There’s a small walking street with some lovely shops and places to eat. The East Railay Viewpoint climb was one of the best things I did while in Thailand. It was so much fun!

Phra Nang Beach was my favourite beach in Ao Nang. The sand is white, the sea is blue and perfect for swimming. It’s also worth checking out the unique shrine in Phra Nang Cave. Railay is a great place to chill for a few hours. I spent around 7 hours there total, before heading back to Ao Nang Beach.

Day 10 – Free Day

As mentioned above, I had another buffer day in Ao Nang. This was in case I had to move the Phi Phi Island boat trip, which was one of my ‘priorities’. If the weather had of been nicer, I would have liked to have done the Hong Islands Tour too.

However, travelling to Krabi in November meant that it was the back end of rainy season. Luck wasn’t on my side weatherise. I personally didn’t think it would have been worth my money (or stomach) to spend a full day on a boat in the pouring rain, to visit wet beaches. Especially after how bad the back end of my Phi Phi Islands trip was.

Instead, because I had my pool access room at the Red Ginger Chic Resort, I just had a day relaxing under my balcony canopy, reading my book and listening to music. Sometimes I feel guilty doing ‘nothing’ but it’s so easy to get burnt out when travelling. Most days I was averaging 30,000 steps.

I still walked to the night market for dinner and then watched a fire show on Ao Nang Beach. In Ao Nang, my favourite was the show in front of the Reeve Beach Club.

Day 11 – Free Day/Depart

For my final day in Thailand, I was ‘homeless’ after 12pm. Once I had checked out of my room, I left my backpack in my hotel reception and then went for a walked back to Ao Nang Beach. I did the Monkey Trail for a second time and saw even more monkeys as it wasn’t raining!

Even though I had checked out, I still had access to the facilities in my hotel, such as the pool.

They had given me a food and drink voucher as a ‘sorry for the renovation work that was happening in the hotel’ during my stay. So I used it at the pool bar on lunch and a smoothie before heading back to Krabi Airport for my journey home. Again, I used 12Go.asia to book a private taxi transfer from Ao Nang to Krabi Airport!

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Last Updated on April 22, 2024