phuket magazine

Driving Yourself to Krabi

Get a car and a map and it s simple, and spectacular

Renting a car and driving oneself to Krabi can be an especially rewarding experience. The roads are good, the volume of traffic low, and the scenery is quite spectacular. And there are countless side roads that lead to a whole variety of surprises: cave temples, rainforest parks, isolated beaches and resorts, and quaint villages.

Taking the Back Roads

The most interesting sector is east of Phang Nga where the road turns south towards Krabi. While the main route into Krabi makes a pleasant drive, there are smaller side roads between this and the coast that also lead one south. These pass through particularly attractive scenery, and wind and weave through rugged mountains, rubber and palm plantations. A few branches lead right to the coast, giving scenic views of the offshore islands. There are many Buddhist shrines set into caves, and several beautiful pools.

Driving through this network of small roads (all sealed) is especially interesting, and if one gets confused it is simple to take any turn back to the main road. But it is possible to reach the beach at Ao Nang, where most of Krabi’s accommodation is found, through these back routes.

Accommodation along the way
There are just two places to stay along the coast north of Krabi town; in cheap and basic bungalows at Coconut Beach (tel: ) and in resort standard rooms or bungalows at the Andaman Holiday Resort (tel: 075-644 321). Just finding these two places is fun – see the map.
Krai town has several hotels, including the large

National Car Rent’s map is the best guide for this area. PHUKET Magazine contains a regional map from Khao Lak in the north to Krabi, also showing accommodation and attractions throughout this region.