Krabi, Thailand

1. Railay Beach (Railay West)

Directions

Official website

Quick facts: Towering limestone cliffs rise on three sides, giving world-class climbers multi-pitch routes and photographers dramatic sunset vistas. Powdery sand and shallow, clear water invite lazy swims and snorkeling, while short longtail-boat arrivals preserve a tucked away, adventurous vibe.

Highlights: Towering limestone cliffs, some rising up to 150 meters, frame a crescent of powdery sand and turquoise water, and on calm mornings you can hear the soft scrape of climbing ropes and see dozens of color-coded quickdraws flashing like jewelry on the rock. When the tide drops a narrow 100 to 200 meter sand corridor emerges leading to a shadowed cave shrine where fishermen and travelers leave tiny carved wooden boats, bright ribbons, and small votive candles, a quirky ritual that smells faintly of incense and sea salt.

2. Phra Nang Cave Beach (Phra Nang Beach)

Directions

Quick facts: Imagine sheer limestone cliffs plunging into turquoise water, with climbers tackling dramatic overhangs mere feet from the sand. A forest of carved wooden phallic offerings sits inside a secluded cave shrine, part of a quirky local fertility tradition that catches most visitors off-guard.

Highlights: Step into the small sea-cave shrine tucked behind the beach and you'll find dozens of carved wooden lingams, some no bigger than a dinner plate and others a foot long, all left by fishermen and families as offerings to a Princess Goddess for safe voyages and fertility. At sunrise the limestone cliffs melt into honey-gold, powdery white sand gives way to a waist-deep turquoise pool, and longtail boats with bright ribbons bob nearby, the air filled with salt, song, and the quiet rattle of wooden charms.

3. Ao Nang Beach

Directions

Official website

Quick facts: Cliffs of honey-colored limestone and longtail boats against turquoise shallows make the shoreline feel like a living postcard, perfect for dramatic sunset shots. Half-day boat trips to nearby karst islets often put snorkelers among schools of brightly colored fish and, on quieter days, sometimes fewer than ten other visitors, so you can still find secluded bays.

Highlights: When the longtail boats start shuttling from the shoreline every 20 minutes for about 100 to 150 baht a ride, they thread between sheer limestone karsts that shoot up roughly 100 to 150 meters out of the emerald water. At dusk vendors wheel out charcoal grills along the promenade, grilling squid for about 60 baht a plate while the air fills with smoky-sweet aroma and locals nod to one another as if the evening has been officially announced.

4. Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea)

Directions

Quick facts: Climbing about 1,237 steep steps through humid jungle to a hilltop shrine rewards you with sweeping panoramas of limestone karsts and a gilded Buddha statue that gleams in the sun. Cavern shrines echo with monks’ chants and the air smells of incense and damp earth, while hidden meditation caves and ancient inscriptions hint at a long tradition of forest hermits.

Highlights: You climb 1,237 steep stone steps to the summit, where a gleaming golden Buddha watches over a dizzying 360-degree panorama and the air smells of incense mixed with salt from the sea. In the caves below you can still spot weathered paw-shaped grooves said to be left by a tiger centuries ago, and local monks keep the quirky tradition of tying tiny strips of red cloth and leaving folded lotus offerings on limestone ledges during evening chants.

5. Ko Phi Phi (Phi Phi Islands)

Directions

Quick facts: Turquoise bays and dramatic limestone cliffs hide snorkel spots where you can drift among schools of neon parrotfish and discover tiny reef caves. Lively beach bars and fire shows light the sand, but a short climb up a steep path reveals a serene panorama that feels utterly private.

Highlights: At dawn, local workers still climb sheer cave walls on bamboo ladders twenty meters high to harvest edible swiftlet nests for bird's nest soup, a tradition that leaves white streaks on the limestone like ancient calligraphy. After dark, the shallow bays often glow cobalt blue as bioluminescent plankton pulse under your paddle, turning every stroke into painting with a million tiny stars and a warm, salty scent of seaweed.

6. Emerald Pool (Sa Morakot) - Thung Teao Forest Natural Park

Directions

Quick facts: Sunlight slanting through dense rainforest turns the spring water an electric green, and the water is so clear you can watch tiny fish dart over limestone shelves. A short boardwalk leads you through humid jungle to the pools, where many visitors cool off with a swim and photographers linger for glassy reflections.

Highlights: When a single sunbeam slips through the thick canopy the water flips from deep teal to a shocking emerald, the surface so clear you can watch pale limestone pebbles and tiny fish dart 1 to 3 meters below. Guides quietly point out a quirky tradition where villagers tuck tiny carved wooden boats into the roots as offerings to the water spirit; you can still spot one wedged under the boardwalk if you peer closely and listen for the hollow burble of a spring beneath the stones.

7. Klong Thom Hot Springs (Namtok Ron)

Directions

Quick facts: Steam drifts from natural rock pools whose mineral-rich water warms your skin and loosens tired muscles while jungle sounds stitch the air together. Many visitors dig small sandy hollows to fashion private bubbling baths, turning a walk into a playful, hands-on spa experience.

Highlights: Steaming emerald pools bubble up at about 40 degrees Celsius, leaving chalky white mineral rims on the rocks and a faint sulfur tang in the air so your skin prickles when you dip a hand in. Locals slip eggs into slit bamboo tubes and lower them into the hottest pools for roughly 10 minutes, then crack them open to eat warm, slightly mineral-rich yolks while swapping stories and timing each other's perfect boil.

8. Ko Hong (Hong Island)

Directions

Quick facts: Sharp limestone cliffs encircle a hidden lagoon reached through a narrow tidal gap, creating a sun-drenched emerald pool that feels like a private oasis. Glassy waters are packed with colorful reef fish and shallow coral gardens, and early-morning snorkelers often spot schools of parrotfish before day-trippers arrive.

Highlights: At low tide the sea pulls back to reveal a circular white-sand lagoon roughly 150 meters across, ringed by sheer limestone walls about 25 meters high that turn a molten-orange in late afternoon light. Kayakers and longtail crews squeeze through a narrow 4-meter gap in silence, then paddle into the bowl where the only sounds are soft sand that squeaks underfoot and the distant cry of brahminy kites.

9. Ko Poda (Poda Island)

Directions

Quick facts: Powdery white sand and dramatic limestone cliffs frame a shallow turquoise lagoon that glows under midday sun. Visitors stroll a broad sandbar at low tide, spotting colorful reef fish and feeling warm, sun-baked stones underfoot.

Highlights: At low tide a ribbon of powdery white sand stretches roughly 200 meters out into clear, shallow water, so you can walk knee-deep while schools of neon-striped fish dart around your ankles and longtail boats bob like tiny, painted islands on the horizon. Local families often bring charcoal grills and whole grilled squid, and some fishermen leave a single lit candle on the shore at dusk to help guide boats back, the flickering lights reflecting in the glassy shallows like a row of hand-held stars.

10. Khao Khanap Nam (Khao Khanab Nam Caves)

Directions

Quick facts: Jagged limestone towers flank a narrow channel where echoing caverns hide dripping stalactites and bats, giving every boat ride a cinematic feel. Take the steep stairs up for a cliff-top view over the estuary, and you might spot ancient pottery fragments tucked inside the caverns.

Highlights: At sunset the cavern throat funnels thousands of bats back into the limestone mouth, their wings creating a papery roar while the air fills with the sharp tang of guano and a cool smear of sea salt. Local boatmen still keep a quirky ritual of dropping a single baht coin into a dark pool and pointing out a faint carved date, 1978, on a stalagmite that marks when the waterline dropped low enough for people to walk inside.