I should point out that I actually lived in Thailand for about five years. It is truly an amazing country with cities within all varied in such a big way. For example, Krabi which is the South, is totally different to Chiang Mai in the North.
When I lived in Thailand, I was based in Phuket, which is a beautiful island in the South which sat in the Andaman Sea. Krabi, was just a short drive away on the mainland and I used to go there at least every month. Krabi boasts wonderful picturesque landscape with large forests and a sea of palm and rubber plantations. The province is also home to amazing tropical islands such as, Koh Hong, Koh Kai, Koh Phi Phi, just to name a few.
There are around 200 islands scattered around the Krabi province all just as beautiful as the next. With their crystal clear waters and white (white-ish) sandy beaches, you can’t really go wrong visiting them - providing you enjoy beach holidays of course.
There is an airport in Krabi, but I don’t think there are many international flights coming in to it. You can fly in from Malaysia, maybe a few other local international destinations, but the main airport closest to Krabi would be Phuket. I used to drive to Krabi in around 3 hours by car, but there are minibuses you can hire to get there.
I should also probably say at this point that my wife originates from Krabi. But that isn’t the reason why I love the place so much. Her family live on the mainland a long way away from the main town. Probably around an hour away from any beach or town, her family live in among the greenery of the beautiful land. About 20 minutes away from their house is an amazing place called Emerald Pool.
Emerald Pool is totally amazing, I am not sure how many places exist like this, but I certainly haven’t seen any - by the way, if you have seen anything like this, please do let me know in the comments below. I would love to know about it. Emerald Pool is a naturally created pool which is filled with water that flows from a nearby spring. Emerald Pool, known locally as Sa Morakot, is crystal clear and one can see right the way through it. It is very popular with locals and tourists alike and visitors swim there daily.
The nearby spring is about a 1km walk along the paths and on the way you will see the water trickling down. It is such a beautiful sight. When you get to the source, you will see a large pool of very blue water. Unfortunately you are not allowed to swim here, rumours have it that it can be dangerous to swim there, so just look from afar and take lots of photos. You will not be disappointed, I promise.
As you can imagine, the food in Krabi is awesome - providing you like Thai food of course. Pretty much anywhere you go in Krabi you will find really good quality fresh food. From street food to local restaurants it is all really good. I love going just by the coast in Krabi town where you can find lovely seafood restaurants selling fantastically fresh seafood which tastes amazing at a really low cost.
The most famous place in Krabi is probably Phi Phi Island, known for young people (and old) going for the beach parties. Phi Phi is really beautiful, I would recommend hiring a kayak and just paddle away as far as you feel comfortable to do so. I once paddled about half way around the island and it was amazing. You can even find little secluded beaches along the way. Phi Phi can get very touristy though, so don’t expect the perfect tropical secluded island, it can get very busy at times.
Let me know in the comments below if you have ever been to Thailand, or in fact, if you have ever been to Krabi. I will write about other destinations soon, so please follow for updates.