There are several things to do in Krabi Town, particularly if you’re looking to stock up on essentials to take onwards to the islands or simply hang out and enjoy local Thai life.
Walking Street
One of the great traditions of leisure in Thailand is generally milling about and looking at things. The Krabi Town night market is a good place to learn these mysterious arts. Formerly a wet market the area around Manutboraan intersection on Maharat Road near Vogue Department Store has, since 2009, functioned as a pedestrianised market area between 5pm and 10pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Stalls sell a variety of arts and crafts as well as clothes, CD movies, fabrics and shoes amongst many other things. There are bands playing on stage and it is very busy. The food is great but it is sometimes hard to find a place to sit down and eat it. There are over 70 food stalls selling a range of Thai standards, delicacies and seasonal fruits.
Tiger Cave
Wat Tahm Seua is a cave temple located 8km to the north of Krabi Town. It is named after the tiger because the rock outgrowth nearby resembles a tiger’s claw. It is also known as a centre for meditation. Its spectacular setting in the Ao Luk Thanu mountain ranges certainly induces a feeling of peace. The main Wiharn is inside a small limestone cave with adjoining caves serving as kutis or living quarters for the monks of whom there are about 200. There are two staircases leading out of the wiharn. The staircase close to the large statue of Kuan Im, the Chinese fertility goddess, is the less daunting of the two. After an initial small ascent of 130 steps, it takes you to more living quarters for the monks. The other staircase has over 1200 steps and is a real physical challenge. It is as daunting as it looks. The steps are uneven which makes the climb even harder. The rewards when you reach the top are worth it though and take the form of a large Buddha stature and stunning views of the surrounding rugged Andaman scenery with its jagged limestone peaks.
Things To Do In Ao Nang, Railay and Krabi Town
There are lots of excursions and activities in Ao Nang itself, but also in nearby places like Railay Beach and Krabi Town.
Khao Kanab Nam
At 100 metres tall the stunning Khao Khanab Nam Mountains are Krabi’s most distinctive landmarks acting as a kind of gateway to to the town, the river running between the two limestone cliffs.
The mountain on the right hand side is home to caves containing formations of stalagmites and stalactites as well prehistoric cave paintings. The location is also well-known for the large number of human skeletons that have been found here. There are a variety of theories as to how they came to be here and how these people met their deaths, flooding being the most likely. A visit to Khao Kanab Nam can also be combined with a visit to a nearby mangrove forest and a traditional Thai fishing village called Ko Klang. Villagers can demonstrate cotton weaving, the making of local tools and utensils as well as captive fish breeding. You can also buy souvenirs and gifts here directly from the local people.
Tesco Lotus and Big C Department Stores
Although it may seem strange to mention department stores in a ‘things to do’ section, it’s worth mentioning that one of the good things about Krabi Town is that one has access to all the normal things a small town should have. This is not true of heavily touristy resort areas where prices are high and availability of practical goods is low. Both the Big C and Tesco Lotus are huge department store complexes selling everything you might need. They are both about 5km from town on Highway 4 heading towards the airport.
