Ao Nang Attractions
Recommended Hotels in Ao-Nang

Ao Nang is a central point of the coastal province of Krabi, Thailand. The town consists chiefly of a main street, which is dominated by restaurants, pubs, shops and other commerce aimed at tourists. The main beach is used by sunbathers to a certain extent, but there are hundreds of longtail boats which offer access to other beaches on the mainland and on nearby islands. The main beach at Ao Nang is the main departure point for boats to a number of places, including the nearby resort of Railay or Rai Leh, which cannot be accessed by road.

• Ao Nang, Ao Nang Beach, is Krabi’s most developed beach. Fringed by palms, the long beach is backed by a wide range of accommodation including resorts, bungalows and guesthouses. There are more than 83 offshore islands, which some of them are shaped like a boot, junk, or parrot’s head. Ko Poda, Ko Mo and Ko Thap are popular destinations among tourists for their beaches and coral reefs. They are popular islands for diving and snorkelling.
  
  
• Rai Lay Beach. A nice beach near Ao Nang, which can only be reached via a longtail boat. It is actually part of the mainland, but is cut-off by the limestone hills. The beach is cleaner than the one at Ao Nang and Nopparat Thara, and there are some caves worth exploring. There are also hotels and resorts on the beach.
  
  
• Poda Island is another good day trip - you come back with the same boat and only pay on return. There’s even an area to the right of where the longtails come in to Poda that’s just worth snorkeling (unspectacular coral but a fair few fish).
  Ao Nang is one of the main gateways for travel to the Phi Phi islands, about 2 hours away by long tail boat, 40-50 mins by speed boat. Many tour operators in Ao Nang offer day trips to Phi Phi. Included in the price (900-1500 baht) is most often lunch, hotel transfer and insurance.
  
  
• Phra Nang is the next beach past Rai Leh and has dramatic limestone ’karst’ rock formations. Names get confusing, as Ao Nang (the developed resort) is sometimes called Ao Phra Nang. From Phra Nang you can walk across to Rai Leh East, with its mangroves, and hire kayaks to paddle round the rugged peninsula. There’s also a path from Rai Leh East to Rai Leh West where the most longtails call.

Ao Nang Activities

There are a number of scuba diving centers, most of which offer basic diving courses. The islands outside Ao Nang are relatively easy to access and uncrowded compared to many of the diving sites around Phi Phi Island. Climbing is another activity widely available through centers in Ao Nang, although most of the climbs are actually in the areas around the Railay, Tonsai and Phra Nang beaches.

• Scuba diving & Snorkeling
  Like Phang-nga, Krabi offers a great opportunity for diving due to its numerous natural marine resources including over a hundred offshore islands. Dive shops around Rai Le and Ao Nang provide dive trips as well as rent diving and snorkeling gear such as mask/snorkel/fin at the rate of 150 baht/ set/ day (with a deposit of 500 baht).
  
  The advantage of diving from Ao Nang is the nearby sites in the Poda Island group, where water visibility is better than that of the mainland, but not as good as Phi Phi. There are 15 dive sites off of Ao Nang, all reachable with a 20 to 60-minute boat ride. For experienced divers there is a 50-meter long cave at 5-12 meters depth at Yawabon Island behind Poda. The water visibility is at its best from November to April. Some Ao Nang dive shops close during low season, May to October, while some (Ao Nang Divers for instance) remain open all year long. Two local dives in the Poda/Yawasam group cost approximately 1,900 baht. Four-day PADI open water courses have risen to 10,000 baht. For more information contact either Seafan, Aquavision, Poseidon, Phra Nang, Stingray, Ao Nang Divers (in Krabi Seaview), or Coral Diving (Krabi Resort). Unlike Phi Phi, scuba dive operators in Ao Nang close from May to October.
  
  Most of the dive shops offer a very similar price for the dive courses and dive trips. You may get a slight discount if you are a group of 4 but not much more than 10%. Sites visited daily include the local islands in Ao Nang bay, Phi Phi Marine National Park, the King Cruiser Wreck site and Shark Point Marine sanctuary. It’s now also possible to do a one day safari by speedboat to Hin Daeng and Hin Muang for the chance to see whale sharks and manta rays, or to do some spectacular cavern diving at the 5 islands of Ko Ha Yai. Some of the more popular dive sites can become crowded in the peak of high season Late December to early January.
  
  

• Canoeing & Kayaking
  Canoeing and kayaking are two ways to enjoy the spectacular seascape, limestone cliffs and caves in Krabi’s waters as these sports allow visitors to explore hidden offshore areas at a more leisurely pace. Canoeing and kayaking operators are available at Ao Nang.
  

• Rock Climbing - Climbing can be arranged through Ao Nang agencies who will arrange transfers, lunch, and as much climbing as your limbs can handle - alternatively, simply wander over to Rai Leh or Ton Sai and organize an introductory course yourself.

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