Ao Nang Beach Guide: Krabi’s Mainland Beaches

Krabi has many beautiful beaches and most of them are located on the paradise-like islands that you can explore while island hopping in Krabi. However, Krabi has a popular holiday destination with its beach town Ao Nang, which has also many beautiful mainland beaches to offer.

The beaches in Ao Nang and its vicinity are definitely worth a visit. Partially, you can reach them by scooter or taxi and in some cases only with a boat. They are indeed all located on the mainland, but not all of them have access to the road network.

Ao Nang: all the major beaches on Krabi’s mainland

In this article we compiled for you which beaches you can explore in Ao Nang and the vicinity.

How to get to Ao Nang

To reach Ao Nang it’s best to travel via Krabi. With this option you can fly to the Krabi International Airport which is connected to locations in Thailand as well as e.g. Kuala Lumpur or Qatar. More information about flights, departure times and prices can be found on Skyscanner.

You can also travel by bus or boat (from Koh Lanta etc.) to Krabi Town. From there you can continue your trip to Ao Nang. From the airport or the bus station you will have to take another means of transport to get to Ao Nang.

A Songthaew (shared taxi) from the bus station costs about 80 Baht to Ao Nang. A taxi costs about 400 Baht from Krabi Town or the airport. The cheapest option would be the shuttle bus, which runs regularly from the airport through Krabi Town to Ao Nang, for a price of 100 Baht per person.

Furthermore, you can take the ferry from Koh Lanta or Koh Phi Phi directly to Ao Nang. These boats will arrive at Nopparat Thara Pier and not at Klong Jilad Pier in Krabi Town. To see connections, times, prices and tickets for buses and boats, visit 12go.asia.

Accommodation in Ao Nang – our hotel tip

The selection of accommodation in Ao Nang and the surrounding area is huge. We have stayed several times in Ao Nang and tried some different hotels. Since we are always traveling there by scooter, it doesn’t bother us personally if the accommodation is a bit further from the beach. This way you have peace and seclusion and can totally relax. Very suitable for this is the Deevana Krabi Resort, which is located in the middle of a beautiful green area. Both beaches, the Ao Nang Beach and the Noppharat Thara Beach, are just minutes away by taxi or scooter.

You can discover more beautiful accommodations in Ao Nang here.

1. Ao Nang Beach

The about 1 kilometer long Ao Nang Beach is the main beach of the resort town of Ao Nang. It can be reached by stairs along the promenade and is particularly well visited at sunset.

During the day most parts of the beach are quite empty, even during the high season because there aren’t too many shady spots. In addition, it’s not that peaceful idyll during the day since many of the longtail boats are leaving here for their trips.

While there are distinct areas where you can swim without worrying about boats, it’s not that nice anyway.

At the eastern end of the beach there are – next to some restaurants, bars and massage parlors – some trees which provide shadow. That’s why most of the Ao Nang Beach visitors stay over here. Furthermore, there aren’t any longtail boats in the water.

The sand of Ao Nang Beach is a little bit rougher and the water not really clear but it’s still good for a swim.

2. Pai Plong Beach

A little bit further eastwards is another beach called Pai Plong Beach, also known as Centara Beach because of the same named hotel. It is a small cove which you can access in three ways.

The easiest way would be with a longtail boat from Ao Nang Beach for about 100 baht. But you can also walk to the Pai Plong Beach. Either at low tide you can walk through the water at the end of the Ao Nang Beach or you can climb up the Monkey Trail.

There is a staircase leading into the “jungle” where you’ll have a great view at the ocean. Often many monkeys are hanging around (that’s why the name is Monkey Trail) and at the end there is a staircase leading down to the Pai Plong Beach.

The beach at the Centara Grand Hotel is very well maintained and has fine sand. It’s also a nice scenery to take pictures with some of the limestone cliffs.

Here you can go for a swim or relax at the beach. The water is a little bit more clear than at the Ao Nang Beach, but not completely clear because of the dark underground.

On site there are a few spots in the shadow. Unfortunately, there isn’t a shop where you can buy a snack or a drink so you should bring something along. The hotel area with the bars and a kayak rental is reserved for guests only.

3. Tonsai Beach

The next bay on the mainland is Ao Tonsai. A small bay, which is only accessible by longtail boat for 100 baht. The beach was a small backpacking paradise for a long time. Those times seem to be over with the construction of a huge luxury resort.

At low tide you can walk from Tonsai Beach to the nearby Railey Beach, which attracts a lot of visitors. The sand is partially a bit rocky, but mostly very fine. Since nobody knows how it will be after the construction of the resort, we can only hope that Tonsai Beach can still remain a small paradise.

4. Railay Beach

The Railay Beach, often also referred to as Rai Leh, is located on the peninsula next to Tonsai Beach. It’s very popular with many backpackers who are moving straight from Ao Nang to Railay at their arrival. The scenery with all those limestone cliffs makes the Railay Beach experience unique for many travelers.

Railay is split into east and west. The east is mostly covered with mangroves and not suitable for swimming. That’s the reason why most people stay in the west of Railay Beach. The fine sand over there descends smoothly into the ocean and you can have a great swim in Railay West. At low tide you have to swim a few more meters off the coast to get really into the water.

Many visitors also stay in one of the accommodations at Railay Beach. Furthermore, Railay Beach and the neighboring Tonsai Beach are popular for climbing. Again, you can only reach this beach by longtail boat from Ao Nang.

5. Phra Nang Cave Beach

In my opinion the Phra Nang Cave Beach is the most beautiful beach of Krabi’s mainland. It’s a small paradise with fine white sand, surrounding cliffs and the clear and turquoise colored water. Unfortunately, the Phra Nang Cave Beach can be really crowded during high season.

Many of the visitors are coming with a longtail boat from Ao Nang (100 baht per person) to enjoy a nice day trip. So sometimes there are a lot of boats at the beach. Some of them are even vendors and selling snacks and drinks. Since the Phra Nang Cave Beach is pretty long, you still can find lots of nice spots without any boats that are great for swimming.

At the southeast end of the Phra Nang Cave Beach there is a huge cave which you can take a look into as a visitor. In addition, you will have a great view at the entire beach. The huge rocks in front of the cave are also very popular for climbing. If you like to do that, I would recommend sturdy shoes.

Right next to the big cave there is a small one called Princess Cave. A small cave where the Thais sacrifice if they wish to have children but experience some problems. Therefore, the small cave looks a little bit strange decorated with many penises from wood.

6. Nopparat Thara Beach

The Nopparat Thara Beach is located on the other end of Ao Nang. The beach is a 4 kilometers long stretch of sand and even 20 meters wide at low tide. The sand is a little bit more rocky since it’s intermingled with shells and corals. It’s especially popular for picnicking with the local Thais.

At one end of the beach you can find the small island of Koh Khao Pak Klong. At low tide you can walk from the Nopparat Thara Beach through the shallow water to the island. At the same end there is also a huge parking lot since you can also board the ferry from Ao Nang to Koh Phi Phi over here.

In general, the Nopparat Thara Beach is pretty quiet and less visited than the Ao Nang Beach. You can rent a longtail boat at the beach as well to explore the surrounding islands off the coast like Koh Poda.

7. Klong Muang Beach

The Klong Muang Beach is located about 15 kilometers outside of Ao Nang. The village of Klong Muang is expanding continually, but is currently much more quiet than Ao Nang. Therefore, the beach is less visited and you can find some nice quiet spots in the shadow under the trees.

There are a few high-class accommodations at the beach. The main section of the beach has nice fine sand and is great for swimming. It’s best to visit Klong Muang with a day trip from Ao Nang by scooter.

8. Tubkaek Beach

The Tubkaek Beach is located a little bit more north towards the Phang Nga Bay. Here you can find some luxury resorts like the Amari Vogue Krabi. Furthermore, you can also find some nice restaurants with slightly higher prices.

Unfortunately, the beach itself hasn’t too many shady spots, but it is very fine and good for a swim. The Tubkaek Beach offers also a very beautiful view at many islands like Koh Hong or the Phang Nga Bay.

If you don’t want to stay on site, but like to visit Tubkaek Beach you can combine it with a scooter tour from Ao Nang. The trip takes up to 20 minutes when you are driving calmly and slowly.

Ao Nang: Tours and Tickets

Do you prefer to travel with a guide who knows the area very well? Then we recommend a guided tour with a local. This way you can get to know Ao Nang in a completely different way. GetYourGuide offers a wide selection of exciting tours for Ao Nang and Krabi.

Have you ever been to Ao Nang and the vicinity? Which is your favorite beach and why? We are looking forward to your feedback in the comments below!