Ao Nang



Ao Nang (อ่าวนาง), colloquially referred to as "Krabi", is a sub-district and a resort town of the Mueang Krabi District, in Thailand's Krabi Province, about 15 km from Krabi Town. In high season, roughly 1 November-30 April, it is the busiest and most tourist-oriented beach destination of the province and consequently one of the most expensive places in Thailand outside of Bangkok. Phuket is cheap by comparison. On 1 May, the wrecking balls come out and many existing storefronts are demolished to make way for new ones. In low-season many places shut entirely, restrict their hours, prices revert to normal and the town is relatively deserted.

Understand
Formally Ao Phra Nang ("Princess Bay") although everybody uses the short form, Ao Nang. It is the most "Westernized" beach in Krabi, originally a backpacker hotspot the area has moved upmarket due to the proximity of Krabi airport. While not quite as scenic as Rai Leh, there is some cheap accommodation, many good restaurants, easy transport and travel/tour agencies ready to cater to your every whim, making it a good base for exploring Krabi.

Orientation
Orienting yourself in Ao Nang is easy: almost everything is either along Ao Nang and Nopparat Thar Beaches, which run roughly northwest-southeast, adjacent to Ao Nang Road (Rte 4203) which goes east, then north from the southeast end of the beach. Longtail boats arrive and depart from the beach at either end of Ao Nang Beach. An impassable headland and Khlong Haeng (Dry Creek) separates Ao Nang Beach from Nopparat Thara Beach. Don't swim in the vicinity of the creek as it conveys raw sewage straight to the ocean. At the bridge over Khlong Haeng, Ao Nang Road becomes Nopparat Thara Road.

One of Ao Nang's drawbacks is that Ao Nang and Nopparat Thara Beaches are crummy beaches, certainly not beaches worth flying thousands of miles to visit. The Rai Leh Peninsula has superior—but crowded—beaches, but to get there you are dependent on the local longtail boat cartel which will charge you 100 baht to get there and another 100 baht return.

By plane
Krabi International Airport is about 40 minutes away by car. The local airport limo monopoly charges a fairly steep 600+ baht for a transfer (up to four persons). Many hotels will arrange a pickup at similar prices on request. Travel time is about half an hour.

Local shuttle buses&mdash;really just converted pickup trucks (songthaew)&mdash;run from Ao Nang to Krabi (60 baht) and from Krabi to the airport (50 baht). The trip between Ao Nang and the airport takes little less than 2 hours. To get to Ao Nang from Krabi town you should look for a white songthaew outside the 7-Eleven in town centre.

There is an air-conditioned bus service from the airport to Ao Nang and Nopparat Thara Beach (just after Ao Nang). There are services throughout the day. It travels from the airport to Krabi Town, the ferry terminal, then on to Ao Nang and Nopparat Thara. Good for some sight-seeing. Rates are 150 baht per person and travel time to Ao Nang is 1 hour. The buses are not new and are quite noisy. But, the best part is, the bus can drop you off at the doorstep of most hotels in Krabi Town, Ao Nang and Nopparat Thara. Just let the driver know the name of your hotel in advance. Language is not an issue, as most of them speak some English.

For the return trip, you can call the hotline one day before to arrange pick-up at your hotel. Or you can wait at any of the four bus stops in Ao Nang (one is in front of McDonald's) and Nopparat Thara. You can buy ticket on the bus or at any of the many tourist information (ticketing) shops.

By bus
The nearest inter-provincial bus station is in Krabi Town.



Krabi is served by regularly scheduled buses from all over the kingdom. Buses from Bangkok travel to Krabi down Hwy 4, the major north-south route from Malaysia to Bangkok, stopping along the way at towns like Chumphon and Hua Hin. At any of these stops you can go onward to Krabi. From Hua Hin to Krabi, for example, a BKS (government) bus departs from the station south of town centre at 22:00 (there are certainly more buses during the day). A VIP seat costs 855 baht (Jan 2016). It arrives in Krabi at about 06:30. Important: to get the best price you must go to the bus station to buy your ticket. You will be offered a choice of seats when booking. If booking a VIP seat, DO NOT choose a seat immediately behind either of the two stairwells on the double-decker bus. If you do, you will have no legroom whatsoever and would be better off going first-class at a cheaper price. If travelling during the day, give some thought to the location of the sun morning and afternoon. If going north after noon, sit on the right side of the bus; if south, sit on the left side.

To travel to Ao Nang from the Krabi bus station (or anywhere along the route they travel), look for a white, well-marked ("Krabi-Ao Nang") songthaew. From the bus station to Ao Nang, it will cost 60 baht on arrival at your desired stop.

By boat


Rai Leh West and Ton Sai are only 10 minutes away while the less developed Had Yao (Long Beach) is 25 minutes away by longtail boat. Boats leave constantly from the east end of the beach and charge a flat 80 baht/person during the day, 100 baht/person after 18:00. There is no pier so expect to get at least your feet wet, probably more. A longtail boat from Ao Nang is available all seasons, subject to the weather. In the monsoon season (May–October), getting to Rai Leh from Ao Nammao is recommended.

There are also public ferry services to Ko Phi Phi and Ko Lanta (usually twice daily), for which any travel agent will be happy to sell you tickets at around 200 baht/person. During the monsoon season, the ferry runs once day.

Boats from Ko Lanta now arrive at the new jetty, from there take a taxi (350 baht), or local bus to Krabi (50 baht) and then on to Ao Nang (40 baht).

If you travel by longboat getting a waterproof bag to protect your electronics is highly recommended.

By songthaew
There is a songthaew (shared pick-up truck/taxi) service to Ao Nang from the Krabi Bus Station and Krabi town, which runs during daylight hours in low season and up to 22:00 in high season. The fare from Krabi to Ao Nang is 60 baht. Songthaews can be expected every 15–20 minutes. Songthaews are colour coded according to destination. From Krabi Bus Station and Krabi town, get on a white songthaew. To find one of these white ones in Krabi, go to the 7-Eleven at the corner of Soi 8 and Maharaj Rd (the main road). Songthaews from bus station en route to Ao Nang stop there for 10 minutes.

Get around
Songthaews run all across Ao Nang to Shell Beach and some all the way to Krabi Town, fares from 20 baht up depending on distance. As of the 2019 high season, most tuk-tuks ask for 100 baht inside Ao Nang and 400 baht from Ao Nang to Krabi town, that is for one vehicle and single trip. It is still possible to negotiate prices sometimes, but it is becoming rare as the locals have become spoilt by rich tourists.

If you are going to or from the bus station in Krabi, a songthaew costs 60 baht. The Krabi-Ao Nang songthaews are white, with destinations clearly indicated in English. If you don't see one at the side of the bus station, wait a while and one will come by. In Ao Nang along the beach road, catch a songthaew to the bus station by standing on the beach side, not the inland side, of the road. This is counter-intuitive as Krabi is in the opposite direction.

Renting a motorbike is a great way to explore some of the sites outside of Ao Nang. There are shops up and down the major strips and you can get a reliable bike for 24 hours for 150-200 baht.

See




Do
and are just around the corner and there are many tour operators offering activities such as sea kayaking and elephant treks. Rock climbing can be arranged through Ao Nang agencies who will arrange transfers, lunch, and as much climbing as your limbs can handle. Alternatively, simply sail over to Rai Leh or Ton Sai and organize an introductory course yourself.

Seven-day tide tables and sea conditions for Ao Nang can be found at Tideschart.com

Beaches
From Ao Nang, three beaches are accessible by foot, without resort to a 100 baht boat ride to Ton Sai or Rai Leh.


 * 2016 Prowincja Krabi, Plaża Nopparat Thara (05).jpg
 * 2016 Prowincja Krabi, Plaża Nopparat Thara (05).jpg



Boat tours / transfers

 * The main beach at Ao Nang is the departure point for boats to a number of places, including the nearby resort of Rai Leh, which cannot be accessed by road, Poda Island and Chicken Island. Ticket booths with price lists are found at both ends of the beach.

Diving
There are a number of scuba diving centers in Ao Nang, offering dive course from basic up to instructor level. The "local" islands in Ao Nang Bay are relatively easy to access and uncrowded compared to many of the diving sites around Phi Phi Island. Other options include Shark Point Marine Sanctuary and the King Cruiser wreck which is suitable for intermediate divers, and mini-safaris to Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, and the Ko Ha Yai Islands for experienced or deep qualified divers. Most of the dive shops offer a very similar price for the dive courses and dive trips. It's now also possible to do a one day safari by speedboat to Hin Daeng and Hin Muang for a chance to see whale sharks and manta rays, or to do some spectacular cavern diving at the five islands of Ko Ha Yai. Some of the more popular dive sites can become crowded in the peak of high season late-December to early-January


 * Fast Manta 468/8 Moo2, Soi Ao Nang 3. +66 6 5035 0978 info (at) fastmanta.com is Finnish-owned small Padi Dive Center who focus small groups and tailored trips. Teaching is available on many languages.
 * Fast Manta 468/8 Moo2, Soi Ao Nang 3. +66 6 5035 0978 info (at) fastmanta.com is Finnish-owned small Padi Dive Center who focus small groups and tailored trips. Teaching is available on many languages.
 * Fast Manta 468/8 Moo2, Soi Ao Nang 3. +66 6 5035 0978 info (at) fastmanta.com is Finnish-owned small Padi Dive Center who focus small groups and tailored trips. Teaching is available on many languages.
 * Fast Manta 468/8 Moo2, Soi Ao Nang 3. +66 6 5035 0978 info (at) fastmanta.com is Finnish-owned small Padi Dive Center who focus small groups and tailored trips. Teaching is available on many languages.
 * Fast Manta 468/8 Moo2, Soi Ao Nang 3. +66 6 5035 0978 info (at) fastmanta.com is Finnish-owned small Padi Dive Center who focus small groups and tailored trips. Teaching is available on many languages.
 * Fast Manta 468/8 Moo2, Soi Ao Nang 3. +66 6 5035 0978 info (at) fastmanta.com is Finnish-owned small Padi Dive Center who focus small groups and tailored trips. Teaching is available on many languages.
 * Fast Manta 468/8 Moo2, Soi Ao Nang 3. +66 6 5035 0978 info (at) fastmanta.com is Finnish-owned small Padi Dive Center who focus small groups and tailored trips. Teaching is available on many languages.
 * Fast Manta 468/8 Moo2, Soi Ao Nang 3. +66 6 5035 0978 info (at) fastmanta.com is Finnish-owned small Padi Dive Center who focus small groups and tailored trips. Teaching is available on many languages.

Rock climbing

 * Ao Nang was originally put on the travel map by backpackers, many of whom came for the excellent climbing that Krabi's karst rock formations offer, and rock climbing is still widely available through centers in Ao Nang, although most of the climbs are in the areas around Rai Leh, Tonsai, and Phra Nang beaches.

Shopping
Unless you're in the market for souvenirs or liquor, shopping in Ao Nang is dismal. It has no shopping malls and aside from Tesco and Makro, no stores of significance. Buying a Western-language newspaper is out of the question. But there are plenty of convenience stores and souvenir shops. The vast majority of shops are lined nicely along Ao Nang Rd (beachfront). Souvenirs (postcards, magnets, trinkets) are plentiful as are tee shirts, flip-flops, and pretty much anything else you'll find elsewhere in Thailand. There are also tailors who will sell you a three-piece bespoke suit for 4,500-6,000 baht depending on the quality of the wool. Tailor-made shirts are 850-1,000 baht. Most of the tailors can get the suit done within a day. Don't ask how.

Three curious things about Ao Nang shopping: 1. there is only one "water machine" (in Ban Chong Phli) that are so common elsewhere in Thailand. These are the refrigerator-sized vending machines where one can fill up a 6 L (or less or more) bottle with purified water for about one baht per litre. A big down-side for the environment as more plastic bottles are the result. One suspects a water mafia that makes money delivering water is behind this. 2. Ao Nang has a dearth of gasoline stations. There are only three, all off-brand and inconspicuous, selling gasohol. Instead you will see free-standing gas pumps on every road outside of central Ao Nang. These self-service machines sell petrol for 39-42 baht per litre (Jan 2016). The nearest chain gas station on the way to Krabi (PPT) sells it for 23 baht per liter and an attendant pumps it for you. Someone is making a killing. 3. Most places in Thailand that host many Western tourists have supermarkets such as Rimping (Chiang Mai), or Tops (throughout Thailand), or even a backwater like Khao Lak, where one can buy Western breads, cheeses, salad dressings, sausages, or steaks. Not so in Ao Nang. You can't buy a hunk of Cheddar cheese or a can of pork and beans or Campbell's tomato soup in the Ao Nang Tesco. Best bet is Makro.



Eat
Ao Nang restaurants are, in general, outrageously expensive. You will pay double or triple the price in Krabi town to eat here—main courses are about 150 baht—and seafood very much more (starts at 250 baht). If you are after cheap food, look for the street stalls or restaurants at either end of Ao Nang.

The Burger King is open 24/7 in high-season.



Food markets & roadside stalls
There are a few street carts scattered about, although most serve backpacker fare such as banana pancakes at 15 baht each. Also look out for the yellow-signed noodle stalls with a "4" in a bowl as their logo, which serves a garlic-flavoured and tasty bamii muu daeng (roast pork noodles) for 25 baht.



Budget
Generally the places along the beach are more expensive and the ones up the hill or down towards Nopparat Thara tend to be cheaper and better value. Even up past McDonald's on the right, some offer squid and fish at amazingly low prices.



Drink
Ao Nang's nightlife centers on two areas, which are known locally as "Center Point" and "The Soi" (Soi RCA). Another nightlife area, the strip of bars along Bamboo Soi, was demolished in 2014. Both Center Point (on the main beach road) and "The Soi" (about 200 meters up from the beach on the right just before McDonald's across the street) contain bars offering loud music, hostesses, and free pool.



The cheapest place to have a drink in Ao Nang is down Soi 17 off Ao Nang Rd (where Ao Nang Rd meets the beach and makes a sharp right turn). About 100 m down the soi are two kiosks that serve cocktails for 100 baht and beers (Leo, Chang, etc.) for 40 baht (May 2016).

Bars close in Ao Nang at 02:00, possibly a bit later if doing bang-up business, in which case the music and lights will be turned down, and the shutters lowered.





Sleep
Ao Nang is one of the more expensive places to stay in Thailand. Accommodation that costs 600 baht in low-season (May–November) will cost you 1,600 baht in high-season.

Go next



 * The cliffs and beaches of Rai Leh, just 15 minutes away by boat, make a great day trip. Phra Nang is the next beach past Rai Leh and has dramatic limestone karst rock formations. Names get confusing, as Ao Nang (the developed resort) is sometimes called Ao Phra Nang. From Phra Nang you can walk across to Rai Leh East, with its mangroves, and hire kayaks to paddle round the rugged peninsula. There's also a path from Rai Leh East to Rai Leh West where most longtails call.
 * Ko Poda is another good day trip. You come back with the same boat and only pay on return. There's even an area to the right of where the longtails come in to Poda that's just worth snorkelling (unspectacular coral but a few fish).
 * Ao Nang is one of the main gateways for travel to the Phi Phi islands, about 2 hours away by longtail boat, 40-50 min by speed boat. Many tour operators in Ao Nang offer day trips to Phi Phi. Included in the price (900-1,500 baht) is most often lunch, hotel transfer, and insurance.
 * You can travel from Ao Nang to Ko Lanta easily. A ferry runs daily at 10:30, Aonang Princess. Book it at your hotel, price should be about 400 baht, and you will be picked up from your hotel and taken to the departure point, as well as met on the other side and taken to your hotel there.