The Krabi Tourist Association is determined to keep the province green. It works closely with the provincial authorities, the Krabi Hotel Association and, most importantly, with the local villagers to preserve the province’s natural beauty and simple, laid-back lifestyle.

To differentiate the province from more commercial Phuket, President Amarit Sirpornjutakul is determined to follow an eco path. “We talk with the villagers to find out what they want to do, helping them to maintain their lifestyle, finding markets for their products and encouraging them to look after the environment. Then we gain the support of the provincial authorities to make things happen.”

The green approach is working. Beach zoning means there are no high-rise hotels in Krabi, only guesthouses, villas and boutique properties that blend into the landscape. Nor are there water scooters and banana boats. Visitors are encouraged to make their island trips via traditional longtail boats instead of speed boats. Provincial authorities have an ongoing — and successful — campaign to keep tourist sites, roads, schools, temples and mosques clean. Just look around to see the results. The villagers’ ideas are also finding support.

Koh Klang
Just five minutes by ferry from Krabi town, Koh Klang is home to three Muslim villages that depend on fishing and agriculture for their livelihoods. Villagers make extra money from making and selling handicrafts such as batik, model boats and sweetmeats. Local tour agents offer visits to observe village lifestyles. Alternatively, Islanda Village Resort, which recently opened on Koh Klang, works closely with the villagers to offer interactive visits by bicycle for its guests. They can try their hand at batik designs, using stencils and hand-painting, watch tiny model boats being made from wood, or show their skill at preparing the island’s well-known sweets. During our stay, four village ladies roped us in to help harvesting rice and, as a reward, invited us for a rather spicy lunch during which they showed us how to make drinking straws from rice stalks. We did such a good job that we have an open invitation back for the more strenuous rice planting season.

Where to Stay
Krabi town is a pleasant place to visit and discover the province’s easy going way of life, its markets, restaurants and Thai-style pubs. However, the majority of tourists head to the beaches, using them as a base for a host of activities on water, at the islands and inland. Altogether, there are over 15,000 rooms in guesthouses, boutique hotels and cottage accommodation, according to Patchara Phukphokphol, outgoing president of the Krabi Hotel Association, with a general separation of styles according to the beaches. Many are taking note of the province’s eco directions and are making efforts to become more environmentally friendly, embracing the national Green Leaf programme.

The Beaches
The most popular travel destination is Ao Nang, 20 kilometres from Krabi town. It boasts abundant accommodation at attractive prices lining the beach road, together with numerous restaurants, bars, pubs, shops, dive centres, travel agents and massage corners that ensures the whole area bustles with energy day and night. Ao Nang is the launching pad for boats to the islands and Railay peninsula.

Running on from Ao Nang is Nopparat Thara Beach, an undeveloped stretch offering quiet walks that is part of a national park encompassing numerous offshore islands. At the beginning of the beach, Wangsai seafood restaurant is a popular dining spot overlooking the sea.

Etched into the limestone cliff faces of the Railay peninsula and accessible only by boat, Railay (East and West) and Tonsai beaches are popular with climbers, thanks to their remote settings, beautiful white sands and inexpensive accommodation.

Further to the north of Ao Nang, Klong Muang and Tubkaek beaches are the upmarket side of Krabi, a quieter, relaxed area populated by upmarket names like Sheraton, Sofitel and Ritz Carlton, as well as some super-luxurious boutique resorts.

Like many Thai islands, Lanta Yai was pioneered by budget travellers staying in small cottages next to remote beaches. Today, the beaches of its west coast are the new flavour of Krabi, with numerous resorts catering to all pockets. The southern tip of the island is a national park, with some outstanding offshore dive and snorkelling sites.

Island Hopping Island hopping is a must, providing travellers with the picture-perfect offshore beaches and dramatically clear waters that give Krabi its much loved identity. Take a traditional longtail boat from Ao Nang to the nearby islands of Poda, Chicken and Tub, a popular day trip that often results in slightly crowded, but always idyllic, beaches. Slightly further away, the Hong island group is a treasure trove of hidden lagoons, caves and ideal places to swim. Better still, get on your sea kayak and explore Hong’s secluded interior.

	Climbing Paradise Over the past decade, Krabi has grown into the rock climbing centre of Thailand and the region. Visitors from around the world descend on the Railay Peninsula in particular, famed for its soaring limestone cliff faces and fabled beaches. Reachable only via boat from Ao Nang, the Railay and Tonsai beaches are crammed with small guesthouses, restaurants and climbing schools. One of the oldest schools, King Climbers, offers climbing courses for beginners up to advanced level, experienced guides, quality equipment and a long-standing reputation for safety. Its latest guidebook lists 700 bolted routes, route maps, and lots of tips to ensure a great climbing adventure. Web site: www.railay.com www.railay.com/railay/climbing/ climbing_king_climbers.shtml
	Horticultural Centre About 20 kilometres from Krabi town on the road to Ao Luk (Highway 4), the Krabi Extension and Agricultural Development Centre researches domestic and overseas plants to determine their suitability for growing in the province. Approved species are distributed to local farmers, while the centre offers brief training courses in their cultivation. Visitors are very welcome for tours of its flower beds, featuring orchids, torch ginger, palms, heliconia, and numerous anthurium species (flamingo plants). When in season, fruits such as durian, long kong, mangosteen and coconut can be picked and eaten. Open Monday – Friday, 8.30 am – 4.30 pm Tel: +66(0)75 612 913

Ecology Centre Five years ago, Khao Kram authorities developed a new ecotone centre at Ban Nong Chik, known as Tha Pom Khlong Song Nam — or Two-Water Canal — for a special visit from Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. It features a nature trail through the forest and along the canal where a natural boundary of yellow stones separates both water and vegetation in a delicate balance: fresh water and accompanying Lumphi palm vegetation from sea water and its mangrove forest. Salas with wooden chairs along the path let visitors admire the fascinating view in comfort. Entrance fee: 50 baht Tel: +66(0)75 694 165.

Into the Greenery
Inland Krabi features numerous national parks and forested areas, dominated by the Phanom Bencha mountain, whose forests, streams and waterfalls are home to abundant birds and wildlife. Tour agents offer hikes and tours into the park.

Alternatively, try pedal power to get off the beaten track. Launched in 2007, Krabi Eco Cycle (www.krabiecocycle.com) offers half- and full-day tours that take cyclists along the coastal path of Nopparat Thara National Park, through rubber and palm plantations, into small villages, to the province’s famed Emerald Pool or the large waterfall in Phanom Bencha National Park. You have to cycle about 20 kilometres on each tour, but there’s the satisfaction of finishing, a support vehicle for the weary and the pleasure of discovering why Krabi is so alluring.

Air Services
Located just 15 minutes from Krabi town, Krabi International Airport is serviced by daily 80-minute flights from Bangkok by Thai Airways. Air Asia offers regular flights to Krabi from Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, while Bangkok Airways has introduced a Krabi-Koh Samui flight service. Tiger Airways will resume direct flights from Singapore beginning 25 October 2009. During the high season, numerous charter flights come direct from Denmark and Sweden.

Contact information:
Tourism Authority of Thailand, Krabi Office
Uttarakit Road, Amphoe Mueang, Krabi 81000
Tel: +66 (0) 7562 2163
Fax: +66 (0) 7562 2164
E-mail: tatkrabi@tat.or.th

ACKNOWLDEGEMENTS
News Room sincerely thanks Ms Pimrapee Phanwichatikul of Maritime Park & Spa Resort for the tremendous support in hosting the trip and in providing information and images for this feature.

Lovely Town A pleasant provincial town, Krabi bustles with market activity during the day and the noisy enjoyment of dining at the numerous street stalls and small restaurants at night, eager to live up to its motto: “Lively Town, Lovely People”. Unusually, the town sits only on one bank of its namesake river. On the other is a magnificent mangrove forest stretching as far as the twin peaks of Kanab Nam, a town landmark through which the river runs. Full of wildlife, the mangroves act as a magnet for birdwatchers. The riverside has been beautified with parks and a wide footpath to encourage walks. A good starting point is the large statue of a sea eagle, once fairly common denizens of the province’s national parks. It is marked with a large “KM 0,” the point from where all the province’s distance measurements are made. Walking along Uttarakit Road, on the right are souvenir shops and Vieng Thong Hotel, a town landmark for over 40 years with an excellent Chinese restaurant, according to our guide Pimrapee Phanwichatikul of Maritime Park & Spa Resort, the town’s premier hotel. Just past the Ruen Phae floating restaurant, the walk turns left into Kongkha Road where there is a lively night food market serving noodles and local fare. Opposite are two popular local eateries — Baan Khun Mor, a restaurant and bakery serving Thai and western food, while next door is Kotung with its excellent southern cuisine. Just past Chao Fah pier, where travellers can catch boats to the islands of Lanta and Phi Phi, a big sign heralds the new marina, a 50 million baht investment by the town to attract yachts from Phuket that is due to open at the end of 2009. Further on by Thara Park are the ferries for the five-minute trip to Koh Klang, located in the mouth of the river. Up the hill, past old government offices, Chao Fa Road is lined with inexpensive guest houses, travel agents and small restaurants catering to budget travellers who use the town as a staging point for boats to the islands. A popular meeting spot is Café Europa, where foreign guests can readily find information on places to visit while enjoying good Scandinavian cuisine. The town’s main temple is Wat Kaew Korawaram on Issara Road. Opposite is the newly opened Krabi Contemporary Art Museum, built to introduce the works of good Thai artists to the people of Krabi. The museum is open daily except Mondays from 10.00 am - 5.00 pm. Just down the road, next to Wat Kaew’s new all-white ubosot, a stairway leads down to Maharaj Road, the town’s main thoroughfare and shopping area.     Krabi takes pride in its history, a fact quickly evident at many of the traffic junctions along Maharaj Road. At the corner of Soi 10, a huge statue of a prehistoric man towers over traffic lights, a testimony to the ancient skeletal remains found in caves throughout the province. Elsewhere on top of tall pedestals are sea eagles and elephants. Krabi has long been famed for its elephant population, particularly in the forests around Kanom Bencha mountain. Its renown became even greater when a large white bull elephant was captured and presented to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej as the first auspicious symbol of his reign. White elephants are revered in Thailand as symbols of a monarch’s power and Phra Sawet Adulyadej Phahon is considered one of the finest white elephants of the present Chakri dynasty. The walking tour ends just past the prehistoric man in Soi 10, location of the town’s night market and the ideal place to grab a drink, some local food and some delicious pancakes (roti) stuffed with bananas, mangoes or other sweet fillings. For more substantial fare, the town’s top Thai restaurants are Ruen Mai on Maharaj Road, an attractive garden restaurant filled with wooden antiques, and Ruen Thip on Uttarakit Road, where excellent local cuisine is supplemented by live music and individual karaoke rooms. Restaurants: Café Europa (Scandinavian) Web site: www.cafeeuropa-krabi.com Ruen Mai (Thai, Southern), Maharaj Road, Krabi Tel: +66(0)75 631 797 Ruen Thip (Thai, Southern), Uttarakit Road, Krabi Tel: +66(0)75 611 635 ACKNOWLDEGEMENTS News Room sincerely thanks Ms Pimrapee Phanwichatikul of Maritime Park & Spa Resort for the tremendous support in hosting the trip and in providing information and images for this feature. Maritime Park & Spa Resort Web site: www.maritimeparkandspa.com Islanda Village Resort Web site: www.islandakrabi.com