DISCOVER KRABI, Thailand

Krabi is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand, at the shore of the Andaman Sea. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Phang Nga, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Trang.

The Phuket province to the west is also neighboring, but without any land boundary. The capital of the region is the city of Krabi.

The province is located at the shore to the Andaman Sea. Most notable are the solitary limestone hills, both on the land and in the sea as islands. Rock climbers from all over the world travel to Railay Beach to climb.

Of about 130 islands belonging to the province, Ko Phi Phi Lee is perhaps the most famous, as it was the set of the movie The Beach. The coast of the province was badly damaged by the tsunami on December 26 2004.

Other islands include: Ko Phi Phi Don, part of the Phi Phi Islands, and Ko Lanta, a larger island to the south.

The limestone hills contain many caves, most having beautiful stalactites and stalacmites. Tham Chao Le and Tham Phi Hua To, both in Ao Luek district, contain prehistoric rock-painting depicting humans, animals as well as geometrical shapes. In Lang Rong Rien cave in 1986 archaeologists found 40,000 year old human artifacts - stone tools, pottery as well as bones. It is one of the oldest traces of human occupation in all South-East Asia.

The caves of Krabi are also one of the main sources of nests of the Edible-nest Swiftlet, used to create bird's nest soup.

Discover Krabi

AO NANG, KRABI

Ao Nang is a central point of the coastal province of Krabi. The town consists chiefly of a main street, which is totally 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 that offer access to other beaches on the mainland and on nearby island.

There are a number of scuba diving centres, most of which offer basic diving courses. If Diving Ao Nang, consider the local islands which are easy to access and relatively uncrowded compared to many of the Phi Phi Islands sites. Climbing is another activity widely available through centres in Ao nang although most of the climbs are actually in the areas around railay, Tonsai and Phra Nang beaches.

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, and the islands Poda Island and Chicken Island.

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RAILAY BEACH

Railay Beach is a small peninsula located between the city of Krabi and Ao Nang. Accessible only by boat due to the high limestone cliffs cutting off mainland access. These cliffs attract rock climbers from all over the world, but the area is also popular due to its beautiful beaches and quiet relaxing atmosphere. Accommodation ranges from inexpensive bungalows popular with backpackers and climbers, to a five star resort. The three main areas of Railay consist of West Railay, East Railay and Tonsai, with Tonsai catering more to climbers.

Railay beach was not severely hit by the tsunami of December 26, 2004.

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HISTORY OF KRABI

The first human remains in the province date back to 25,000 - 35,000 B.C., but the first recorded history dates back to Kingdom of Ligor in 1200, when the city Ban Thai Samor was part of this kingdom.

In modern Thailand, Krabi was administered from Nakhon Si Thammarat, even after 1872 when king Chulalongkorn gave Krabi the status of a town. In 1875 it was made a direct subordinate of Bangkok, thus becoming what is now a province.

In 1900 the governor moved the center of the province from Ban Talad Kao to its present location at the mouth of the Krabi river.

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SYMBOLS OF KRABI

The seal of the province shows two crossed ancient swords (Krabi is also the name of an ancient Siamese sword) in front of the Indian Ocean and the Phanom Bencha mountain, the highest mountain of the province. The provincial tree is the Si-siat-nua or Acacia catechu.

From Wikipedia.org

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