What Ao Nang offers and why trips start here
Ao Nang is a tambon of Mueang Krabi District and the main resort town for getting around the province. Thai Holiday Guide describes restaurants, dive shops and longtail piers right on the beach along the main strip, with limestone cliffs closing off the bay. In one morning you can take a boat to Railay and Phra Nang, and the next day go inland to Tiger Cave Temple and the Emerald Pool.
Housing, apartment prices and everyday life are covered on Ao Nang as a place to live. This page is about something else: using Ao Nang as a base for trips.
Main Ao Nang beach. The busiest beach in town, with boats leaving straight from the sand. For swimming, Thai Holiday Guide points to the calmer stretches in good weather.
Nopparat Thara (Noppharat Thara). Longer and quieter than the main beach, with shallower water. OSRM gives 3.5 km and 5 minutes by road from the centre. The Nopparat Thara pier is next to it, with ferries and boats to farther destinations. The DNP page puts this beach inside Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, whose headquarters are here.
Islands and beaches nearby. Koh Poda, Railay, Phra Nang, Hong, Kai and others. Separate pages: Railay, Hong islands from Ao Nang, Koh Rok; the four-islands route is covered in the tour from Phuket.
The mainland. Tiger Cave Temple is 22.8 km away and the Emerald Pool 70.8 km by road.
How to spend a day: three ready plans
Boat and tour details below come from Thai Holiday Guide (June 2026) and Civitatis (18.10.2026). Time at sea depends on the waves.
- Morning: longtail from the beach to Railay in 15 minutes, ideally on the first boats around 08:00, which Thai Holiday Guide says carry far fewer passengers
- Midday: Phra Nang beach and cave, back by boat or on foot along the path
- Evening: return to Ao Nang before sunset; according to the guide boats run regularly in the daytime and stop around sunset
The mainland takes a separate day. The Civitatis tour from Ao Nang lasts 9 hours 30 minutes: pick-up on the Ao Nang coastal road, about an hour in the vehicle, about 2.5 hours at the Emerald Pool and Blue Lagoon, an hour at the hot springs and Tiger Cave Temple.
When to go: season and waves
DNP gives the dry season as January to April and rain from May to December, with the most rain in July (for the park as a whole). TMD normals for Krabi station show February as the driest month and October as the wettest.
| Period | What to expect |
|---|---|
| December-April | the driest months: February 35.9 mm and 4.3 rain days, December 90.3 mm |
| May-September | wet season, 210-293 mm a month, boats do not run every day in rough seas |
| October | the wettest month, 292.9 mm and 20.6 rain days |
| November | transition month, 198.6 mm and 17.5 rain days |
Thai Holiday Guide notes that from May to October, Railay crossings from Ao Nang can be risky and are sometimes suspended. Buses and minivans on the mainland are less affected by the weather.
How to get to and from Ao Nang
Distances by OSRM on OpenStreetMap data, 18.10.2026, without traffic.
| Route | Distance | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Krabi airport (KBV) to Ao Nang beach | 27.7 km | about 33 min |
| Phuket airport (HKT) to Ao Nang beach | 156.9 km | about 2 h 25 min |
| Ao Nang to Nopparat Thara pier | 3.5 km | about 5 min |
| Ao Nang to Tiger Cave Temple | 22.8 km | about 27 min |
| Ao Nang to the Emerald Pool | 70.8 km | about 1 h 15 min |
The route from Krabi airport on OpenStreetMap. Within Ao Nang, songthaews (shared pickup trucks) and motorbike taxis run, according to Thai Holiday Guide.
National park fee and what it covers
Ao Nang, Nopparat Thara, Railay, Phra Nang and Koh Poda lie in Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park (established 6 October 1983, about 388 km², per the DNP page). Fee per the DNP table, edition of 02.06.2023:
| Zone | Foreign adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| Park overall | 200 baht | 100 baht |
| Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Le, Bamboo Island | 400 baht | 200 baht |
DNP asks you to keep the receipt in case of inspection. Whether the fee is included in a boat ticket or tour depends on the seller, so ask before paying. We found no newer edition of the table on 18.10.2026.
Options: how to set out from Ao Nang
| Option | Time | Best for | Downside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longtail from the beach | 15 minutes to Railay and Koh Poda | half a day without a tour | sailings can be suspended in rough seas and the wet season |
| Private longtail | by agreement | those who want to linger at quiet stops | agree the route and timing in advance |
| Ferry or speedboat from Nopparat Thara | about 1 h 10 min to Phi Phi | those heading to another island | sailings 08:00 to 14:40, timetable changes |
| Group tour to the mainland | 9.5 hours | seeing the pool and the temple in one day | early pick-up, long drive |
On private longtails: Thai Holiday Guide calls one the way to do the four islands with stops at quiet spots. We do not publish boatmen’s or tour prices because there is no official price list.
What to do in rain and rough seas
- Boats are not running. Move the sea trip to another day and go inland today: Tiger Cave Temple and the Emerald Pool do not depend on waves. If the temple stairs are wet, postpone the climb
- Boats run but it is choppy. Keep a short trip to Railay for the morning and postpone far trips on open water
- It rains but boats are fine. Thai Holiday Guide says the south-west monsoon brings afternoon downpours and choppier seas, so schedule the sea part for the morning
Safety
- Ask the boatman about the waves before you go out: in the wet season Thai Holiday Guide calls crossings risky at times
- Rent a motorbike only if you are experienced, as Thai Holiday Guide advises
- DNP lists Nopparat Thara beach, Ao Rai Le (Railay), Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Le and the Khao Ngon Nak nature trail among tourist areas with high and moderate landslide risk, so take care on trails after downpours
- DNP closes some park spots for the season, so check the DNP park status
What to bring
- Money. Cash for the boat and the park fee; ATMs line the main beach road
- Sunscreen. Reef-safe, as Thai Holiday Guide advises
- Footwear. For boarding from the beach and rocky paths at Railay
- Clothing. A scarf or sarong for temples, a light cover-up against the sun on the boat
- Tickets. Keep the park receipt until the end of the day
Who it suits and who it does not
- Suits. First-time visitors who want to reach several islands and beaches from one base, families with children (the boat to Railay takes 15 minutes), couples for 3-5 days
- Does not suit. Anyone after an empty beach: it is busy in season. Anyone who needs a guaranteed sea trip in the wet months. Anyone who only wants one beach and no plans is better off at Nopparat Thara or Railay
FAQ
Where do boats to Railay and the islands leave from in Ao Nang?
Longtails wait at the main Ao Nang beach: Thai Holiday Guide (June 2026) gives 15 minutes to Railay and the same to Koh Poda. Ferries and speedboats to Phi Phi and other far destinations leave from Nopparat Thara pier, 3.5 km and about 5 minutes by road from central Ao Nang (OSRM).
How long is the drive from Krabi airport to Ao Nang?
27.7 km and about 33 minutes without traffic, by OSRM. From Phuket airport to Ao Nang it is 156.9 km and about 2 hours 25 minutes by road; the ferry from Phuket takes longer and depends on the operator's timetable.
Can you swim at Ao Nang beach?
Yes. Thai Holiday Guide says people swim and sunbathe right in town, but the beach is crowded in peak season and calm stretches depend on the weather. Nopparat Thara has shallower, quieter water according to the same guide. Ask the boatmen about waves before you go out.
Do you pay a national park fee in Ao Nang?
The DNP park page lists Ao Nang among the park's zones. The fee of 200 baht for a foreign adult and 100 baht for a child is collected where you enter the islands and beaches with ranger posts, and 400 and 200 baht on Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Le and Bamboo Island. We found no ticket for the town beach itself.
How do you get from Ao Nang to Phi Phi?
By ferry or speedboat from Nopparat Thara pier. The 12-25 October 2026 timetable on DirectFerries shows two operators, about 1 hour 10 minutes at sea and sailings from 08:00 to 14:40. Timetables change by season, so check with the operator.
Can you visit the Emerald Pool and Tiger Cave Temple from Ao Nang in one day?
Yes. The Civitatis tour from Ao Nang runs 9 h 30 min: about an hour on the road, about 2.5 hours at the Emerald Pool and Blue Lagoon, an hour at the hot springs and Tiger Cave Temple. By OSRM it is 70.8 km to the Emerald Pool and 22.8 km to the temple.
When is the sea best at Ao Nang?
December to April: TMD normals for Krabi station give 35.9 mm of rain and 4.3 rain days in February. From May to November it rains 17-21 days a month, October is the wettest (292.9 mm), and Thai Holiday Guide notes that Railay crossings can be suspended between May and October.
Sources
- DNP. Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park (park page)
- DNP. Entrance fees for individuals in national parks, edition of 02.06.2023
- TMD. Climatological Data of Thailand for 30 Year Period (1991-2020), Krabi station (48 563)
- OpenStreetMap. Ao Nang beach (relation 19 738 774)
- Thai Holiday Guide. Ao Nang (updated June 2026)
- Thai Holiday Guide. Phranang Cave Beach (updated July 2026)
- Thai Holiday Guide. Railay Beach (updated June 2026)
- DirectFerries. Ao Nang (Nopparat Thara Beach) → Koh Phi Phi (timetable 12-25.10.2026)
- Civitatis. Tiger Cave Temple, Emerald Pool and Krabi Hot Springs (tour programme from Ao Nang)
- OpenStreetMap, OSRM route: Krabi airport KBV to Ao Nang beach
- OpenStreetMap, OSRM route: Ao Nang beach to Nopparat Thara pier
- OpenStreetMap, OSRM route: Ao Nang beach to the Emerald Pool
- OpenStreetMap, OSRM route: Ao Nang beach to Wat Tham Suea
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