Krabi is the provincial capital of Krabi Province.
Krabi is a small city with a population of
around 18,000. Located just upriver from the
coast, it has no beaches and hence many visitors
make a beeline for Ao Nang or Rai Leh (Railay).
How to get here
Direct connections are by air and road; travellers
can also take a train to Surat Thani and continue
on to Krabi by bus from there.
By plane
Krabi International Airport (KBV) is about 10
km from the city limits, 15km from city centre,
40km from Ao Nang. Thai Airways operates daily
direct flights to/from Bangkok, likewise Air
Asia from March 1st 2006. Tiger Airways flies
direct to/from Singapore nearly every day of
the week and to/from Darwin on Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Destination
Air Shuttle,Thailand's only Seaplane service
also routinely flies in and out of Krabi from
Phuket and to all the outer islands.
The international departure tax surcharge is
500 baht; domestic departure tax is included
in the price of the flight.
National Car Rental has a branch at the airport;
motorcycle taxi rides are available outside
the terminal.
Krabi Limousine (tel. +66-75692073) has a desk
inside the terminal and provides "limousine
taxi" (using large air-conditioned sedans)
transport to Krabi for 500 baht; Ao Nang for
800 baht; Phuket for 2500 baht. Krabi.com offers
taxi and minibus (minivans) for less however
travellers have to make deposit payment of 200
baht online via credit card.
By bus
Buses from Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal (tel.
+66-24351199) to Krabi take about 12 hours and
depart as follows:
VIP bus - 07:20 - 710 baht
First class bus - 19:00 - 486 baht
Second class bus - 07:30, 19:00, 19:30, 21:00
- 378 baht
Buses also run from the east coast with connection
to ferries to Ko Samui and onward. Choose your
ticket carefully - the trip should take no more
than three hours, but some travellers have endured
ridiculous ten hour rides which included extensive
"repair stops" right in front of restaurants
coincidentally affiliated with the bus company...
such hassles can be avoided by using state-run
BKS buses instead of dodgy private operators.
Shuttle buses run between Krabi airport and
Phuket airport several times a day. There are
also regular buses that make the 2 hour run.
By car
Krabi is located on Highway 4. Shared pickup
truck taxis from Ao Nang to Krabi are frequent
and cost 50 baht.
By boat
Ferries run from/to Ko Phi Phi, Ko Jum and Ko
Lanta daily. Most depart in the morning. Tickets
can be purchased at the dock or from tourist
offices and most local guesthouses and hotels.
The normal passenger ferry does not start from
the center of town anymore, but from a new passenger
port about 3 km outside Krabi. Free taxi transfer
to the pier should be included in the price
of your ticket. If your boat starts from the
old piers in the center of town (Chao Fah pier
or Phi Phi pier), you are most likely on a more
expensive and longer tourist boat ride.
The large displayed time-tables in the many
travel agencies are just for show and the times
are not to be taken literally. Ask.
Krabi Thailand
