8 STUNNING BEACHES IN KRABI – Complete Krabi Beaches Guide
Krabi has some of the most spectacular coastlines in Asia with towering limestone cliffs, beautiful beaches fringed by palm trees and emerald turquoise waters. There are some beautiful Krabi beaches to explore, of which the famous Railay beach is one. Each beach has something to offer for everyone. From the more secluded beaches like Phra Nang and Railay, to the easier to reach beaches such as Ao Nang and Tubkaek beach. In this complete guide you will find everything about the 8 best beaches in Krabi!
Awesome tours to do in Krabi
With plenty of things to do in Krabi you can either explore some of the spots on the mainland by yourself if you have own transport. But the most easy and carefree way of exploring Krabi is by booking tours. In this way your transport, program, a guide and sometimes lunch is taking care off so you can just enjoy without having to do the effort and research. Here some of the best tours in Krabi which I recommend:
- Krabi city tour including climbing the Tiger Cave temple
- Emerald pool, Blue Lagoon and ATV tour full day tour
- Krabi hotsprings Spa package
- Private sunset boat trip to Khao Khanap Nam Cave & Night Market Tour
- Krabi islands exclusive sunset Catamaran sightseeing tour
- Visit the mangrove jungle and village Koh Klang and Khao Khanap Nam mountains
- Krabi street food market tour
- Private Four islands boat tour
- Dragon Crest hike, ATV and kayak tour
- Elephant Care House visit and Tiger Cave temple tour
- Railay beach rock climbing with lunch from Krabi or Ao Nang
- Thai cooking class
8 BEST BEACHES IN KRABI
Railay beach west
Railay beach is one of the most famous beaches in Thailand and definitely one of the most visited Krabi beaches! Because Railay itself is a peninsula, a rocky headland just south of Ao Nang beach, it is only accessible by boat. Surrounded by beautiful limestone cliffs and steep jungle valleys, Railay is a serene, unique and extraordinary world without roads, only footpaths. There are two Railay beaches, with both their pro’s and cons.
West Railay beach shares a bay with Ton Sai beach around the corner and is a great spot to admire the stunning backdrop of the limestone cliffs. The soft sand welcomes you once you set foot out of the taxi boat on Railey beach. If you feel like being active, you can rent a kayak here to explore the bay. Another great option is to just relax for the day and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. There are a bunch of small cafes and beach bars so there’s enough choice for lunch, dinner or drinks. From Railay beach there are lots of different things to do such as exploring Railay viewpoint and Diamond Cave. Also don’t forget to walk to Phra Nang beach as that is also one of the most beautiful beaches in Krabi to visit.
How to get to Railay beach west
The only way to get to Railay is with a taxi long tail boat. From Ao Nang beach you can easily arrange transport to Railay beach and any other beach on the peninsula for 100 Baht per person one way. Most of the time these boats leave when they have enough passengers.
Have you already secured your accommodation in Krabi?
Tubkaek beach
Tubkaek beach is a more off the beaten path destination in Krabi. Located in an isolated area in the Krabi province, Tubkaak is a two kilometre stretch of golden sand that hosts a handful of luxury resorts. Not only the views from Tubkaek Beach on the Hong Island Archipelago and the other two islands of Koh Yao Noi and Koh Yao Yai are spectacular, but it even has a National Park as a backyard! With mostly empty beaches, Tubkaek beach is not only the perfect place to relax and recharge batteries in a luxury resort, but also a great area to explore for adventurous people who like to do hiking, for example to the Dragon Crest viewpoint, which is an absolute must do in Krabi!
How to get to Tubkaek beach
Tub Kaek beach is located on the western edge of the Krabi region and can be reached from Ao Nang Nopparat Thara in about half an hour by car or moped. From Krabi Town it takes about 40 minutes and from Krabi Airport about 50 minutes to get here. The only form of transport available is by taxi, private car or motorbike rental which makes Tubkaek beach a more secluded and exclusive area in Krabi to stay. Therefore mostly luxury resorts can be found along the beach and less tourists in general.
Phra Nang beach
Phra Nang beach and its caves are located on the Railay peninsula between Krabi town and Ao Nang. It is the most southern stretch of sand in Railay Bay with 450 meters in length and surrounded by deep emerald turquoise water. Phra Nang beach is set against the impressive backdrop of towering limestone cliffs and offers some of the most beautiful views of Krabi.
In combination with the interesting caves to explore such as the Princess Cave or Tham Phra Nang Nok in Thai, this beach is absolutely worth a visit! Especially when you already plan to visit Railay beach, you also have to check out Phra Nang beach!
Close to the shore of Phra Nang beach you can see the island of Ko Rang Nok which makes a beautiful view from this beach. A little further off shore are the bigger islands Ko Kai, Chicken island, and Koh Poda located. These islands can be visited during a Krabi islands tour if you fancy exploring more islands and beaches in this area. Koh Poda beach is also one of the beautiful beaches in Krabi you must see. If you have the time!
How to get to Phra Nang beach
The peninsula where Phra Nang beach is located, can only be reached by boat due to high limestone cliffs cutting off access from the mainland. Most people therefore visit Phra Nang beach during a day trip to Railey. From most of the beaches in Krabi you can arrange a taxi longtail boat to get to Phra Nang beach which will cost you 100 baht and takes about 10 to 20 minutes. You can also choose to get dropped off at Railey beach and walk for about 10 minutes to Phra Nang beach.
Nopparat Thara Beach
Nopparat Thara Beach is the more wild and natural beach of Ao Nang and part of the National Park Hat Noppharat Thara / Koh Phi Phi Mu. The two kilometre long beach is covered with shells and has calm and clear waters. It is not as popular among tourists as the more visited Ao Nang beach. You can’t even find sun loungers or umbrellas for rent here, so it’s a very untouched beach. On the west side of the beach you can reach a beautiful small island with low tide on foot. Perfect for a beach stroll in the morning or afternoon, depending on the tides. However, Nopparat Thara Beach is not the best place for a swim as the water is often very shallow and the clay bottom of the sea can feel a bit unpleasant.
How to get to Nopparat Thara Beach
Located just a little north of Ao Nang you’ll find the less visited Nopparat Thara Beach. You can easily reach it with your rental motorbike or a taxi. There is a huge parking area, and you walk straight upon the beach.
Klong Muang beach
Klong Muang beach is located to the north of Ao Nang with spectacular views on the Andaman Sea and surrounding islands. The beach actually has two sides, a beautiful stretch of sand that follows the peninsula to the south, and a narrow strip of sand curving along the coast to the north where also an industrial pier is located. So the best part of Klong Muang beach is more to the south where you will also find some luxury resorts with direct beach access.
The beach always looks different depending on the tide. With low tide, the beach is a bit rocky but you can almost walk to the little offshore island. Swimming at Klong Muang Beach is a great activity with high tide when the water almost touches the chairs of the beach bars!
How to get to Klong Muang beach
When you’re already on the Krabi mainland, you can easily arrange transport by private car or when you’re comfortable driving a motorbike, get there yourself! Its a fun day trip adventure from Ao Nang or Krabi town, but you can also definitely consider to stay around the Klong Muang area for a little longer!
Ao Nang beach
Ao Nang is the vibrant tourist centre of Krabi where most hotels and resorts are located. Therefore is Ao Nang beach a great all rounder as you have shops, restaurants and accommodations in the close area. Impressive limestone cliffs where Krabi is famous for, surround Ao Nang giving it still a bit of a secluded feeling despite the many facilities. The small town takes in a 30 minute stroll from one end to the other. The beach itself is not the nicest in the Krabi province. Located right next to the road and with high tide there is just little beach left. But still it is a very nice place to relax, take stroll or watch the sunset! Facing west, this is the perfect spot to spend the afternoon and go out for dinner in one of the restaurants after.
How to get to Ao Nang beach
Ao Nang is easy to reach either with a private car, taxi or by boat. By road, it takes 20 minutes from Krabi Town and Klong Muang Beach to get to Ao Nang beach. From the neighbour beach Noppharat Thara it is only a few minutes walking. By boat it depends from which beach you depart, but most long tail taxi boats have Ao Nang beach as one of their stops.
Tonsai beach
Tonsai beach is the perfect spot to get away from all the busy tourist spots. Stuck between two high limestone cliffs, the 600 meter long Tonsai beach is the lesser known beach of the Railay peninsula. It runs on from Railay West and only hosts a few hotels. The main activities on Tonsai beach are relaxing, kayaking and rock climbing. The towering limestone cliffs are the perfect playground for experienced rock climbers. There is a climbing school on site if you’d like to learn this adventurous activity! Kayaks are for rent at several beach shops if you like sea kayaking. Off shore along the beach of Tonsai beach you can explore the reef and limestone cliffs from closer up. Maybe you’ll even find a hidden cave!
How to get to Tonsai beach
The only way to get to Tonsai beach is with a taxi long tail boat. From Ao Nang beach you can easily arrange transport to Tonsai and any other beach on the Railay peninsula for 100 Baht per person one way. Most of the time these boats leave when they have enough passengers.
Railay beach east
This beach could not be more different than the other beaches on Railay peninsula. Connected by land you can walk from side to side to Railay beach west and east. There is only a small village with restaurants and convenience stores. Railay beach east itself is a narrow beach, home to mangroves, local fishing boats and many birds. A cement footpath follows all along the beach which eventually leads you to Phra Nang beach. Despite this is not the best beach to spend the day, it is a beautiful spot to take some pictures of the scenery. And if you need a long-tail taxi boat to Krabi Town, Railay east is the most convenient place to arrange one.
How to get to Railey beach east
The only way to get to the Railay peninsula is with a taxi long tail boat. From Ao Nang beach you can easily arrange transport to Railay beach and any other beach on the peninsula for 100 Baht per person one way. Most of the time these boats leave when they have enough passengers to depart. From Krabi town you can also easily arrange transport to Railay and you will then most likely arrive at the pier on Railay beach east. From Ao Nang, you will arrive at Railay beach west, so you will need to walk a few minutes to arrive at Railay beach east.
More things to do in Krabi
After exploring the best beaches in Krabi, you might want to continue your travels through Krabi or Thailand. There are plenty of other things to do in Krabi, which you can read here; Best 15 things to do in Krabi. Some of our most favorite things to do in Krabi was hiking up Dragon Crest mountain.
Another great activity is the four islands tour. During this tour you are going to visit Koh Poda, Koh Gai, also known as Chicken Island, Koh Tub and Koh Mor. During the island hopping tour you will also stop at the beautiful Phra Nang Cave Beach on the Railay peninsula. But there are more variations in island hopping Krabi tours possible, ask at the ticket booth for the options.
If you can’t get enough from soft sand and the beautiful beaches, then go explore the other islands in the Andaman Sea. Phi Phi island for example has the Phi Phi National Park which is famous for Maya bay, the tropical paradise island from the movie ‘The Beach” with Leonardo di Caprio. Another beautiful island more south of Krabi to explore is Koh Lanta.
More Thailand travel guides
We hope you enjoyed this blog post about the best beaches in Krabi, if you have any questions, let us know!
For more inspiration about Thailand, read these guides:
8 best Krabi beaches – The Ultimate Guide
Things to do in Ao Nang, Krabi
Dragon Crest Hike Krabi – The Complete Hiking Guide
Emerald Pool and Krabi Hotsprings – The Complete Guide
Tiger Cave temple Krabi – The Complete Guide
Phra Nang beach and cave Krabi – The Complete Guide
Hello ILse, we enjoyed reading your info about all the different beaches in Thailand, Krabi. It is very helpful info, especially with all the beautiful pictures. We loved the one of the sunset Ao Nang beach, the colours are……👍!