Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [576]
Koyao Island Resort (0 1606 1517; www.koyao.com; villas from 8000B; ) With some of the most glamorous beds on the island, this outfit features slick service, luxurious villas and a fine line of sundowners at the bar. If you’re fed up with the stunning views (unlikely), you can always go and watch satellite TV and crank up the air-con.
KO YAO YAI
Halavee Bungalows (08 7881 1238; bungalows 500-1000B) Perched on an inland hill with panoramic vistas, this run-of-the-mill sleeping spot is well run and well priced.
Yao Yai Island Resort (08 9471 9110; www.yaoyairesort.com; bungalows from 1200B) Located on the western side of the island, Yao Yai offers spectacular sunset views from its beachfront bungalows.
Getting There & Around
Although both islands fall within the Phang-Nga Province boundaries, the easiest places to find boat transport are in Phuket and Krabi provinces. In Phuket Town, catch a srng·ta·ou from in front of the day market to Bang Rong (on Ao Po) for 50B. From the public pier there are up to six daily boats (50B, one hour) between 8am and 5pm. Between departures or after hours you can charter a long-tail boat for about 1500B one way. Once you arrive on Ko Yao Noi, it costs an additional 70B to 100B to get to your resort.
To go from Ko Yao Noi to Ko Yao Yai, catch a shuttle boat from Tha Manaw (20B, 15 minutes). On the islands, túk-túk provide transport for about 80B.
KRABI PROVINCE
When travellers talk about the amazing Andaman, they are probably talking about Krabi, with its trademark karst formations curving along the coast like a giant limestone fortress. Rock climbers will find their nirvana in Railay, while castaway wannabes should head to Ko Lanta, Ko Phi-Phi or any of the other 150 islands swimming off the bleach-blonde shores.
Return to beginning of chapter
KRABI TOWN
pop 27,500
Most travellers just breeze through Krabi’s gridiron of travel agencies, optical shops and knick-knack shacks, using the provincial capital as a jumping-off point for wonderful surrounding destinations – Ko Lanta to the south, Ko Phi-Phi to the southwest and Railay to the west.
The town sits on the western bank of Mae Nam Krabi, about 1000km from Bangkok and 180km from Phuket. The eastern bank of the river is covered in dense mangroves and north of town are the twin limestone massifs of Khao Khanap Nam, which emerge from the water like breaching whales. The population is mainly Taoist-Confucian and Muslim, and Krabi is an important transport hub for ferries to the islands along the coast.
Return to beginning of chapter
Orientation & Information
Th Utarakit is the main road into and out of Krabi and most places of interest are on the soi that branch off it. Ferries to Ko Phi-Phi and Ko Lanta leave from a passenger jetty at Khlong Chilat, about 5km north of town. Krabi’s bus terminal is north of the centre at Talat Kao, near the junction of Th Utarakit. The airport is 17km south. Many of Krabi’s guesthouses and restaurants offer internet access for 40B to 60B per hour. There are numerous banks and ATMs.
Immigration office (0 7561 1350; Th Chamai Anuson; 8.30am-4pm Mon-Fri) Handles visa extensions.
Krabi Hospital (0 7561 1210; Th Utarakit) 1km north of town.
Pakaran (0 7561 1164; 151 Th Utarakit; 9am-8pm) Good place to stock up on second-hand books before you head for the islands.
Sights & Activities
Thailand has a lot of wát, but Wat Tham Seua (Tiger Cave Temple), in the forest 8km northeast of Krabi, is unique. The main hall is built into a long, shallow limestone cave. On either side of the cave, dozens of gùì (monks’ cells) are built into various cliffs and caves. The large cave features portraits of Ajahn Jamnien Silasettho (the wát’s abbot, who had quite a cult following) and close-up pictures of human entrails and internal organs, which are meant to remind guests of the impermanence of the body. Skulls and skeletons scattered around the grounds are meant to serve the same educational purpose. Troops of hungry monkeys liven the awkward silences. Private taxis to the wát from Krabi cost 250B each way;