Krabi is the second most popular province in Thailand (after Phuket) for beach holidays. For many older travellers it’s their first choice because it’s more scenic, greener, quieter, and has much less traffic than Phuket.

Whilst Phuket feels over-developed in many places, with its palm oil and rubber plantations fast-disappearing to build condos and luxury villas, Krabi still retains its predominantly rural feel with development happening at a much slower pace.

Krabi’s attractions are spread out all over the province. Indeed, Koh Lanta and the Phi Phi islands are part of Krabi province, but when people say they are going to Krabi for a visit, they usually mean that stretch of coastline between Tubkaek Beach and Krabi Town. Halfway between those is Ao Nang Beach where the majority of tourists stay.

Most of the nightlife is centred around Ao Nang Beach and adjacent Nopharat Thara Beach, and accommodation around those beaches can be as noisy as on Phuket’s southern breaches. Restaurants and bars there are usually open until around midnight to 2am.

Older travellers looking for somewhere quieter to stay can choose between pool villas that are 10-15 mins back from those beaches in the rural areas of Ao Nang and Sai Thai; a range of beachfront accommodation on Klong Muang or Tubkaek beaches 20 mins to the west; or budget hotels in Krabi town about 30 mins to the east.

If you’re looking to spend most of your time on the beach, then it’s important to understand that most of Krabi’s mainland beaches are not of the same standard as those on Phuket, Koh Lanta or the Phi Phi islands. The exceptions are Tonsai Beach, West Railay Beach and Phra Nang Beach.

Those three beaches can only be reached by boat because they are surrounded by tall limestone karst cliffs through which there is no road access. There is a good range of accommodation on West Railay Beach to suit all budgets, several budget resorts on Tonsai Beach and two expensive 4-star and 5-star resorts on Phra Nang Beach.

Most visitors to West Railay Beach use longtail boats from Ao Nang Beach to reach their accommodation. It takes only 10-15 minutes, but getting on and off longtail boats at Ao Nang can be a challenge for some older travellers, especially if the sea is choppy, because boarding is done from the beach. For those with mobility issues, it can be impossible.

A better solution is to take a taxi or tuk-tuk to Ao Nam Mao Pier which is about 7 km east of Ao Nang Beach (there is secure car parking available adjacent to the pier for 100 baht per day if you have your own car) and then board a longtail boat from the pier which will take you directly to a floating pier at East Railay Beach.

From the East Railay Pier it’s an easy level 10 minutes’ walk to West Railay Beach. The boats from Ao Nang Beach disembark passengers on the beach at West Railay and at low tide that can involve quite a long walk in knee-deep water, which can be quite challenging carrying suitcases or backpacks. The Ao Nam Mao option is much easier at both ends.

Even if you decide not to stay at any of those three beaches, it is worth doing a day trip to West Railay and Phra Nang Beach. There are lots of eating places at West Railay Beach and the 15 mins walk to Phra Nang Beach is a shady one under craggy overhangs from the limestone cliffs. There’s an interesting shrine in a cave at the eastern end of Phra Nang Beach.

Upon arriving at East Railay Pier from Ao Nam Mao, turn left along the shore at the end of the pier to get to Phra Nang Beach, or go straight ahead down the narrow alley and then turn right at the back of the buildings if you want to go to West Railay Beach. Follow the concrete pathway for 150 metres and then turn left into Railay Walking Street.

Although Ao Nang Beach is at the centre of Krabi’s tourist activities, it’s definitely not a swimming beach. It’s where longtail boats pick up passengers for trips out to the nearby islands. Those islands, like Ko Poda and Ko Kai (Chicken Island), have some excellent beaches but don’t have any overnight accommodation.

A lot of visitors to Krabi want to go out to Thale Waek because it’s a picturesque place that is featured on many travel posters of Krabi. It’s a three-prong sandbar that appears at low tide at the northern end of Chicken Island and joins the island to two smaller offshore islands called Ko Mor and Koh Thap (also known as Koh Tap, Koh Tup or Tub Island).

Disembarkation at Thale Waek is only onto the beach, so it’s not a practical trip for anyone with mobility issues or a bad back. The only option to see Thale Waek for travellers in those categories is to do a private sightseeing charter with a longtail boat operator at Ao Nam Mao Pier and not disembark at Thale Waek.

After island tours, the next most popular activity in Krabi is the climb to Wat Tham Suea Krabi, popularly known as the Tiger Cave Temple. From the top, the views over Krabi’s limestone karst scenery are spectacular, but the climb is not for the faint-hearted or unfit.

There are 1,260 steps to the summit of the karst on which the main part of the temple is located, and the steps are steep and uneven in many places. It’s a climb that most younger travellers to Krabi attempt, and they will all say it was worth it, but for those over 50, it’s a climb that only the very fit should attempt.

There is a sign at the bottom of the steps that warns anyone with heart problems not to attempt the climb, and that’s a warning that should be heeded. For a while, temple staff were undertaking health checks on anyone that didn’t look fit, but most days the ‘health desk’ at the bottom of the steps is not manned.

For older travellers, there is an alternative. Not far from Ao Nang Beach, on the road out to Ao Nam Mao Pier, there is a turn-off to the right 200 metres after the big Makro store. As you turn into that road, you’ll see a temple on the hill ahead of you. It’s called Wat Phu Khao Phra Maha Bodhisattva, popularly known as the Ao Nang Mountain Buddha Temple.

There’s rarely anyone there, even in high season, but the view from the top is quite impressive, albeit not as extensive as the 360-degree views from the Tiger Cave Temple. There are around 260 steps to the top (depending on which stairway you use), but there are seven levels, so you can stop at any of those if 260 steps are too much for you. The view is good from the second level up but gets better as you climb higher. There are steps in the middle and on either side (although the left-hand steps are only accessible from the first level).

A word of warning though. This is not an active temple (it is more of a shrine) and does not receive many visitors. It is surrounded by dense jungle, and occasionally visitors come across a snake basking in the sun on the steps. They are mostly seen on the left-hand steps closest to the jungle. There have been sightings of venomous Malayan pit vipers here so climb the steps with caution. If you see a snake on the steps, retreat to the level below, and then resume your climb using one of the other stairways.

Another popular activity in Krabi is the kayaking on Klong Root. It’s about 15 minutes from Ao Nang Beach, just off highway 4034 heading north. It’s a picturesque spot and very peaceful if you go early in the morning before the tourist crowds arrive. It opens at 7.30am. It takes about 30 minutes to paddle to the underground source of the klong in a patch of dense jungle, so allow an hour for the kayak trip there and back.

The kayaks available for hire at Klong Root don’t have back supports, so older travellers may wish to have a guide do their paddling for them. The price for a guide is only 500 baht for the hour, a small additional cost well worth paying if you haven’t been on a kayak for a few years. Taking a guide also ensures that you find the source (which is easy to miss if you don’t know what you are looking for).

If you are heading back to Ao Nang Beach after kayaking at Klong Root, stop off at 23 Roasters for a morning coffee. They roast their own coffee and always have at least four different blends on offer. It’s a rustic, unassuming establishment, but many coffee-lovers rate this as one of the best coffee shops in southern Thailand.

If you are heading in the other direction to go further north, then consider taking a side trip to Khaothong Hill from where you can enjoy a morning coffee with spectacular views of Phang Nga Bay. Unfortunately, the coffee shop there doesn’t open until 10.00am, but it’s worth the wait because the views are mesmerising, and you may end up spending half the morning there.

If you are driving yourself, then you’ll need to park your car at the base of the hill and take a songthaew to the coffee shop because there is very limited parking at the top. There is a nominal charge for the songthaew, but half the price of the ticket can be used as a credit against purchases at the coffee shop.

The coffee at Khaothong Hill is not as good as 23 Roasters, but it’s reasonable, and they have an extensive food menu as well as a wide range of iced drinks and cakes. It’s a popular lunch spot for small group tours and can be get very busy (involving a long wait for a songthaew) in the high season, so it’s best to get there as soon as possible after 10.00am.

Most of the other attractions in and around Krabi are suitable for travellers of all ages, but there is one that seems not to appeal to younger travellers and mainly attracts an older clientele. That’s the saline hot spring at Khlong Thom. It’s never very busy, and that’s probably because it’s further out of town than other hot springs. It’s about 7km off the highway to Trang, about 40 minutes south of Krabi airport. It’s open from 5am every day.

Younger travellers seem to prefer the Emerald Lake which is a similar distance out of town on the other side of the highway because there is room for swimming there as well as a relaxing nature walk to reach the lake. Most tourist vans take visitors to the Emerald Lake, but they are rarely seen at the saline hot spring.

I can recommend the Khlong Thom saline hot spring to anyone who has had back problems. A soak in the 40°C pool does wonders for the muscles. There’s a larger 44°C pool too, but personally I find that too hot. You should limit each soak to 5-10 minutes (otherwise you may feel dizzy), and usually you’ll find three soaks enough for one day.

I lived in Krabi for 10 months and used to go to the Khlong Thom saline hot spring regularly. I often saw an older Thai man in the pool, and one day a friend of his who could speak English said to me: “Do you know how old my friend is?” To me he looked about 70, but he also looked very fit, so to partly play it safe and partly be polite, I replied: “I would guess around 65”.

“No”, the friend said. “He will be 92 this year. He comes here every day and that’s why he is so healthy”. That comment only reinforced my belief that hot springs really do have health benefits, and a good reason why every older traveller to Krabi should try to include at least one visit to the Khlong Thom saline hot spring on their itinerary.

All images: © David Astley