Around Krabi Town

With its situation on the estuary, Krabi has been a commercial town from the past to the present, but with different purposes and businesses. Those appearing now are mostly part of Krabi’s tourist centre to the many spectacular islands in the Andaman Sea. The size and shape of sea-going vessels have also changed from large ships used in trading to the relatively smaller passenger boats used in the tourist industry.

A good time to set off exploring by yourself around the streets of downtown Krabi is late morning. By then the crowds of travelers and tourists have passed through Krabi’s many travel agencies on their way to various attractions lying along the coast, offshore or even deep inland. Krabi town is busy, bustling and bold – you will find all kind of interesting shops there. The triving atmosphere goes on till the afternoon.

In an attempt to make Krabi town a second home to visitors, the local government has supported the town’s modernization with various establishments, including Vogue Department Store, which is centrally located. Uttarakit Road, the main road running alongside Krabi River, is important for its many government offices, Krabi being the provincial capital and the seat of local government. There are also many smaller, private businesses, such as guesthouses, travel agencies, sourvenir shops, local convenience stores, second-hand book exchanges, a complete range of banking facilities, immigration and police. Krabi Hospital lies 1.5 km upriver from the town centre. There is a short road near Chao Fa Pier called Kongka Road, which has the highest number of travel agencies. Leading to it is Chao Fa Road, which has the highest concentration of guesthouses.

Along the riverside in this area are some public gardens known as Chao Fa Park. Furture South is the provincial sports stadium and the grand, spacious Tara Park. This is a great place to relax or take exercise in the afternoon and famous for its tasty snack food, especially som tam. In the evening time, Chao Kong ka Road is transformed into a splendid food bazaar, with dozens of stalls serving a wonderful selection of barbequed seafoods, deep fried chicken with sticky rice, tasty meatballs, and many more fascinating treats besides. Strolling along this road at night, with its riverside location, is a romantic thing in itself. A busier and more commercially orientated night market, which closes at 10 pm can be found opposite City Hotel on a Srisawat Road. This is a good place to hunt for cheap, appetizing, local food, fruits in season, homemade desert, snacks and refreshments.  Tourist attractions you can discover within fairly easy reach of Krabi town are as follows :  Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Seua) 8 km from Krabi town centre, is a Buddhist monastery surrounded by mountainous primary and secondary forest, with 1,227 steps to the magnificient 600 meter look-out point, revealing Phanom Benchar in the North, Krabi town’s river estuary in the West, and if you can wait for it, an awesome sunset amongst the limestone pinnacles. Tiger Cave Temple also has fascinating stalagmites and stalactites in its many caves. Khao Kanarb Nam From Uttarakit Road and Kongka Road, you can clearly see two 100 meter high limestone pinnacles on either side of the banks of Krabi River. This is for many people the very symbol of Krabi itself. There is a large, well-ventilated cave inside, with stalagmites and stalactites. Local taxi-boats will take you there at a moment’s notice. Transfer time is just five minutes from Chao Ra Pier.

Krabi Mangroves On the river bank opposite the town, there still exists a substamtial area of very fertile mangrove forest and swamps. Canoeing or kayaking is the best way to go exploring here – canoes and kayaks being being widely available for rent at the local travel agencies. Due to the very richness of the natural resources here, the mangrove operate as a kind of marine nursery to many fish species, and it is also home to many kinds of birds. Fishing Village There is a small but thriving fishing community living on the island facing Chao Fa Pier. Apart from fishing, the local people here also breed fish in hinged, floating baskets. Visitors are welcome and can find their way there by taking a local taxi-boat from Chao Fa Pier.

Fresh Market Fresh food markets in Krabi town are crowded with buyers and sellers everyday of the week. All kinds of vegetables, fruits, fish and meat have their place here. Local specialties include various curried dishes with rice, fermented noodles with herbal soups and tsaty confectionery made from flour, coconut and sugar. An enormous variety of fruits arrive at the market, year round and depending on the season : Durian here is referred to as ‘the king of the fruits’. It has a powerful, compelling taste, despite an unpleasant aroma. Mangosteen is known as ‘the queen of the fruits’. It has a dark red shell and sweet or sour, white, juicy flesh. Pomelo is a large, juicy, citrus fruit with a sweet-tasting pulp. The fresh, tropical fruits of Krabi are highly popular with visitors.

Text Source : Krabi Tourism Association