Ao Nang in Krabi

General information about Jsc Nang

Ao Nang (also Aonang, Ao Nang) is the most popular resort area in the province of Krabi in Thailand on the Andaman Sea. In fact, the full name of this place is Ao Phra Nang, which means "Princess Bay", and Ao Nang is a "folk" shortened name. It is also customary to refer beaches to Ao Nang Nopparat Tara (Ao Nopparat Tara Beach), Ao Nammao, Railay, Pranang (Phra Nang) and Ton Sai.

Initially, this place was an ordinary fishing village, but over time, traveling backpackers began to appear here, and infrastructure began to develop. Today it is the most developed and popular resort in the province. There are a large number of hotels and hostels of different categories, a bunch of all kinds of shops, two local markets, travel agencies. Of course, the entire tourist area is packed with restaurants, cafes and bars (including those with girls). There's even a McDonald's and a Burger joint. There are ATMs, exchange offices, a hospital. What's also good, very close, about half an hour away by tuk-tuk, is the capital of the province – the city of Krabi, where you can find everything else you might need.

Nightlife in Ao Nang is poorly represented. There are almost no sex services here, and there are no nightclubs either. Evening entertainment usually ends with gatherings in bars, walks along the beach, or just dinner in a restaurant or cafe. The organization of evening leisure here is still entirely in the hands of the tourists themselves, so you can quite figure out a beach party. Nevertheless, it is difficult to call Ao Nang boring, life here is constantly in full swing, especially near the main road along the beach.

As for the quality of the beaches directly in Ao Nang, it is possible to call them ideal only with a huge stretch. The entire tourist area is stretched along the main beach of Ao Nang, and, unfortunately, the growing infrastructure, transport, boat dock in the very center of the area, gradually negate all their beauty. Besides, in high season there is nowhere for an apple to fall. Of course, it is not bad if you compare it with the urban beaches of Pattaya, for example, but compared to the neighboring Railay or Nopparat Thara, it is much less picturesque. There are no jet skis and banana rides here, they are prohibited. Sun loungers and umbrellas are also missing. You can sunbathe on air mattresses or towels brought with you, and hide from the bright rays in the shade of trees. From water activities kayaks and kitesurfing.

However, you should not refuse to rest in Ao Nang immediately after reading the paragraph above. Everything is balanced here and everything is in moderation: sufficient infrastructure, a normal beach, some kind of party. In addition, you can always go to the much more pleasant neighboring beaches of Railay. Therefore, if you do not want to die of boredom and idleness on the perfect beach, then this place is quite suitable for you.

This is a great place for those who want to relax and get a normal beach holiday in new, still little-developed places among Russians. This is facilitated by the relative inaccessibility of this place, and therefore the main visitors to these places are already advanced independent travelers. But do not flatter yourself and think that there are no Russians here. There are plenty of them here, just not as many as in Pattaya, in Phuket or Koh Samui. And yet, Ao Nang is very popular with "winterers", moving here for several months and renting a house or apartment for living.

Trekking in the nearby mountains, rock climbing, excursions to the province and islands, diving and snorkeling, kayaking are popular among the daytime activities in Ao Nang. There are no attractions in Ao Nang itself.

Weather and tourist seasons in Ao Nang

The weather in Ao Nang is warm and sunny all year round, it is comfortable to relax here all year round. However, the low season and the high stand out.

Low season (from June to October, even to mid-November) is associated with the rainy season. During this period, the weather can be changeable, and a lot of rain falls. At the same time, this is the best time for budget travelers, because accommodation prices are almost halving.

High season (aka dry season) lasts from November to May. The best time for this is from January to April, when there is practically no precipitation, and the temperature is cooler than in summer.

Seasons in Ao Nang by month, when is the best time to go

How to get to Ao Nang

• By plane

  The nearest airport to Ao Nang is Krabi International Airport (Krabi International Airport). It has daily flights from major cities in Thailand, as well as from neighboring Asian countries (see how to get to Krabi Town).

  From Krabi Airport there is a direct bus to Ao Nang for 150 baht. You can also get there with a transfer via Krabi Town by minibus with a change at the bus station.

• By bus

  

  All bus routes lead to Ao Nang through the bus Talad Kao station. It is easy to get from the station to Ao Nang by Songthaew minibus for 60 baht. Minibuses run approximately every 10-20 minutes (starting by occupancy) during the daytime, on the way 30-40 minutes.

  From Krabi Town to Ao Nang can be reached by the same shuttle bus from the airport, as they pass through the city center and make a long stop on the main street near the Vogue Shopping Center. This can be convenient, since some tourist minivans (from Phuket and Lanta Island, in particular) do not take passengers to the bus station, but drop them off in the center of Krabi Town.

  There are several tourist routes of minivans, including from Phuket and Lanta Island (Ko Lanta) directly to Ao Nang, the cost starts from 400 baht. You can buy tickets for them at hotels and travel agencies.

  You can find and book bus and ferry tickets to Ao Nang using the search form:

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  💲 Pay for your ticket online

  ✉ Get your itinerary receipt by email

  🚌 Arrive at the point of departure

• By ferry

  Attention! In the low season (from May to November), many ferries change their schedules or cancel flights altogether.

  The Nopparattara Pier, through which you can get to Ao Nang by ferry, is located north of the main tourist area (about 3 kilometers, see on the map).

  You can get to Ao Nang by ferry from Phuket (660 baht), Phi Phi Island (400 baht) and Lanta Island (470). Detailed information about the schedule, cost, as well as booking a ticket can be found here phuketferry.com/.

  Another popular carrier – Ao Nang Princess offers flights to the same destinations, but a little more expensive. Detailed information and booking of tickets can be found on the official website aonangtravel.co.th/home/en.

  You can also get to Ao Nang by ferry from Koh Samui, Phangan and even Tao Islands. In fact, this route is a ferry transfer from the mentioned islands to the mainland, and then the route to Ao Nang (moreover, most of it) passes already on the ground. Detailed information and booking of tickets on the website ferrysamui.com/ru/krabi.html. You can also find and book ferry tickets to Ao Nang via the search form.

  To the beaches closest to Ao Nang, including Railay, boats constantly depart directly from the main beach of Ao Nang for 120 baht during the day and even at night.

Transport, what to use to travel around Ao Nang

In Ao Nang, you can travel by tuk-tuks, which cost 30 baht per person per trip within the district, but not less than 60 baht. Ie, if you are traveling alone, you will still be charged 60 baht.

A motorcycle in Ao Nang can be rented for 150-200 baht per day.

To get to the beaches of Railay and the beach of the Centara Hotel, you can use long-tailed boats that cost 100 baht (more details on how to get to Railay). Centara Beach can also be reached on foot via a path equipped with wooden stairs through the mountain and forest, a 10-20-minute walk. You can walk between the beaches of Railay.

Hotels in Ao Nang

There are plenty of hotels in Ao Nang, prices are slightly lower than others, more popular resorts in Thailand (Phuket, Pattaya, etc.), but higher than in Krabi-town. Moreover, prices are constantly rising due to the growing popularity of the place and the influx of tourists. In high season, it is especially recommended to book a hotel in advance. In low season, a room with a fan can be found for 400 baht (see Thai currency exchange rate), a normal room with air conditioning costs from 600 baht. In high season (from November to May), the price rises almost twice

When choosing a place for a hotel, it is better to choose a hotel away from the main road, as it is very noisy next to the road. There is no great point in trying to settle down near the beach, since everything is nearby, and it will be easy to get to the beach on foot. In addition, there are very few hotels near the beach, and their prices are much higher.

There is an opinion that in Ao Nang it is better to stay in hotels owned by Buddhists. It is believed that Buddhists are more tolerant of any manifestations of tourist liberties than Muslims living here in considerable numbers, and also owning hotels. It is very easy to find out a hotel belonging to Buddhists by the appropriate attributes at the reception.

Find and book accommodation in Krabi province/Ao Nang can be found on these sites or through the search form. All sites have a Russian interface and Russian-language customer support, a lot of reviews from real guests.

• 🛌 Search for hotels in Krabi province/Ao Nang on Trip.com (💳 Mir cards work)
• 🛌 Search for hotels in Krabi province/Ao Nang on Yandex.travel
• 🛌 Search for hotels on Ostrovok.ru

Ao Nang (Krabi) map with hotels

The beaches of Ao Nang

It cannot be said that the beach in the center of Ao Nang is the best. Throughout the resort area, it is very different, in some places it is even impossible to swim. There are also dirty places, there are also those where the water is very close to the concrete dam and as such there is not even sand. The influence of the tides is strong enough, the water goes far away. Therefore, if a beach holiday is very important to you, and you want to get it right next to your hotel, you should approach the location of the hotel more closely. You will not find water entertainment in motors (jet skis, bananas, paragliders, etc.) on all Ao Nang beaches, they are prohibited. You can rent a kayak for a walk to the neighboring beaches or islands, go kitesurfing.

If you move further north-west along the coast, you will get to Nopparat Tara Beach. You can even get there on foot, or take a minibus for 20 baht. This beach is more picturesque and deserted than the main beach of Ao Nang.

There is another beach in the direction of Krabi Town - Ao Nammao. This is a very remote place with dubious quality beaches, but very secluded. You can also get there by minibus for 20 baht.

Well, the best places are the beaches of the Railay Peninsula (Rai Leh): west and east, Phra Nang and Ton Sai, which are almost the ideal of picturesque beaches. However, their popularity does its job, and in high season they are very crowded. You can get there by boat for 100 baht, or by yourself on a rented kayak.

Separately, it is worth mentioning about Centara Hotel beach. It is located very close to the main beach, just a 10-minute walk towards Railay through the jungle, but the situation here is completely different. The beach is kept perfectly clean by the hotel, as befits the "five". There are few people here. Cons of the beach: sunbeds and umbrellas can only be used by hotel guests; prices in the only restaurant at the hotel are very high.

Attractions and entertainment of Ao Nang

There are no attractions in Ao Nang. Of the places that are nearby, it is worth highlighting only two: shell cemetery and Krabi Aquarium. However, this does not mean that there is nothing to do here.

One of the activities that can be done right in Ao Nang is rock climbing. The local rocks are not only very picturesque, but also perfect for such activities. The area (beach) is especially popular Ton Sai, as well as Reilly. In total, there are about 500 routes for rock climbers from beginners to professionals in this area. You can try your hand at this sport on your own or with an instructor. The cost of one lesson (equipment is included in the price) - from 800 baht for half a day.

There are diving centers in Ao Nang, you can also swim on the island and snorkel. Excursions to the islands, by the way, are one of the most important tourist attractions in Ao Nang. The most popular islands are Phi Phi (Phi Phi), Poda (Poda), Bamboo (Bamboo), Chicken (Chicken). There are tours to several islands at once, and many tours to the mainland of the province are offered (see for more information about excursions to Krabi).

As for entertainment, it is far from the center of nightlife, like Pattaya or Phuket. Adult entertainment is poorly represented here, there are almost no sex services, and there are no nightclubs either. In the evening, you can sit in one of the bars, walk along the beach, or just have dinner in a restaurant or cafe overlooking the sea. There is no entertainment specifically for children, as well as traditional water active sports on the beaches, with the exception of kayaking. But on the other hand, with such beaches and beauties around, where you can go on an excursion, you will not be bored. And if you don't like group excursions, you can rent a motorbike or a car and go explore the province on your own.

There are several interesting places on the Railay Peninsula that are worth a visit:

On the way to Phra Nang from East Railay, you will pass by a steep cliff climb. The lift is equipped with a rope, grasping which and holding on to the protruding roots of trees, you can climb up. The ascent is not easy, and although it does not require special training, it is not available to everyone. But when you go upstairs, you will find yourself in a small tropical forest, through which you can walk. There is an unequipped observation deck here, from which the entire peninsula is in the palm of your hand. But the most interesting thing is that in the middle of the forest there is an even more "steep" and difficult descent down to the "Princess Lagoon" surrounded by rocks (lagoon on the map). Water enters it directly from the sea through crevices in the rocks. You shouldn't swim here, but you should definitely look.

Another attraction can be found right at the entrance to Phra Nang Beach. This is the Princess Cave, also called Phra Nang Cave (cave on the map). The cave itself is nothing special, very small. But once upon a time, local fishermen began to bring phallus figurines to the cave as a gift to the goddess of fertility, and today it is literally filled with them.

Useful information about Ao Nang

Hotels and long-term accommodation. During the high season, especially from November to February, prices for hotels and rental houses go up, sometimes it is even impossible to find a place to rent. Therefore, if you intend to rent a house for a long time, it is better to do it in advance. Long-term rental starts from 4 thousand baht per month for the simplest one-room option.

Food. Ao Nang is home to many Muslims, so the food here is mostly Muslim and Malaysian. Apparently, the proximity to the southern border affects. Food prices are almost twice as high as in Krabi Town.

Shopping, shopping in Ao Nang. There are no large shopping centers in Ao Nang. There are many small shops where you can buy the most necessary things, there is a 7/11, a couple of kilometers inland there is an excellent large supermarket Lotus's Go Fresh, a lot of souvenir shops. For serious shopping you will have to go to Krabi town, where there are several large shopping centers. The main tourist trading platform of Ao Nang is located along the beach, where there are many shops with goods for tourists, travel agencies, ticket sales.

Boats on Railay. We highly recommend purchasing tickets for Longtail boats to the Railay Peninsula at the ticket office of Ao Nang in both directions at once, even if you are going to stay on Railay for several days. Without a ticket, there is a chance not to sail back from Railay, because first of all passengers with tickets are put into boats (and they are not sold on Railay), and only then the rest. Or you will have to hire a boat completely from 800 baht.

Exchange office and ATM on Railay. There is an ATM and an exchange office on the Raleigh Peninsula in the Walking Street area. The exchange rate is very unprofitable, it is better to change money in Ao Nang or Krabi town.