Krabi

Railay is a peninsula so hemmed in by cliffs that no road reaches it, so you arrive by longtail boat, about 15 minutes from Ao Nang or from Krabi Town. That isolation is exactly its charm. Railay West is the picture-perfect main beach for swimming and sunsets, lined with resorts, while Railay East is a mangrove-fringed backpacker strip, and a short path leads to Phra Nang Beach, one of the most beautiful in Thailand, where a limestone cave shrine (Tham Phra Nang) is filled with offerings to a sea princess. The cliffs have made Railay a world-class rock-climbing destination, with hundreds of bolted routes and operators running beginner half-day courses on the rock. A muddy scramble behind Railay East climbs to a viewpoint and a hidden lagoon for the more adventurous. There are no banks or big shops, so bring the cash you need, and consider staying a night to enjoy the beaches once the day boats have gone.

Ao Nang is Krabi's main beach resort town and the practical base for almost every visitor, a relaxed strip of hotels, restaurants, bars, dive shops, and tour desks running along the seafront. The beach itself is pleasant rather than spectacular, but the town's real value is as a launch pad: the Nopparat Thara pier just to the north is where longtails and speedboats set off for Railay, the Four Islands, Hong, and Phi Phi, and ferries connect onward down the coast. Next door, Nopparat Thara Beach is longer, quieter, and backed by casuarina trees, a nicer spot to actually swim and watch the sunset. In the evening the promenade fills with seafood grills and easygoing bars, and the town's Muslim community means halal restaurants are plentiful. Use Ao Nang as your comfortable home base and let the islands and jungle be the day trips.

The Four Islands trip is Krabi's classic day out, a loop by longtail or speedboat that takes in four scenic spots close to Ao Nang: Phra Nang Cave Beach, chicken-shaped Ko Kai (Chicken Island), tiny Ko Tup, and Ko Poda with its clear water and offshore karst. The highlight is a quirk of the tide called Talay Waek, a white sandbar that surfaces at low water and links Chicken, Tup, and Mor islands so you can wade or walk between them across the sea. Days include snorkelling over the reefs and usually a lunch stop on Poda. A traditional longtail is slower, cheaper, and more atmospheric, while a speedboat covers more ground and reaches the islands faster, and a national-park fee is charged on top. Timing matters: check the tide so you catch the Talay Waek sandbar walk, the moment everyone remembers, and go earlier in the day to enjoy the beaches before the fleet arrives.

Inland from the coast in the Thung Teao Forest Natural Park, near Khlong Thom about an hour southeast of Ao Nang, the Emerald Pool (Sa Morakot) is a jewel-coloured, spring-fed basin in the middle of lowland jungle, warm and clear enough to swim in and coloured an unreal green by the mineral-rich water. A gentle forest trail leads deeper to the Blue Pool (Sa Nam Phut), a startlingly deep blue spring where swimming is not allowed but the colour is worth the short walk, though it sometimes closes in the wet season. The surrounding forest is a birdwatcher's patch, part of the last habitat of the rare Gurney's pitta, and nearby hot springs let you soak in warm natural pools. It is an easy half-day when paired with transfers, and best reached early in the morning before the tour groups arrive, when the pool is calm, cool, and almost to yourself. Water shoes help on the paths.

A few kilometres from Krabi Town, Wat Tham Suea is a working forest monastery set in a lush limestone valley where monkeys roam and monks meditate in caves at the base of the cliff. Its fame, though, rests on the climb: a punishing staircase of 1,237 steep, uneven steps up the karst pinnacle to a golden Buddha, a Buddha-footprint shrine, and a genuinely spectacular 360-degree panorama over the plains, mountains, and distant sea. The ascent is hard and hot, taking most people 30 to 60 minutes with plenty of pauses, so start at first light before the sun turns the rock into an oven, and carry water and wear proper shoes. Keep a firm hold on your belongings, as the resident macaques are bold and quick. The lower temple complex, free to wander, has meditation caves, giant Buddha images, and a sacred bodhi tree, and is rewarding even if you skip the climb. Modest dress applies throughout.

The Hong Islands, part of Than Bok Khorani National Park, are a cluster of limestone isles about 30 to 45 minutes by boat from Ao Nang, and a quieter, gentler alternative to the crowds of Phi Phi. The name hong means room, and the star attraction is exactly that: a hidden inner lagoon at Ko Hong, a sheltered emerald pool ringed by soaring cliffs that you enter through a narrow gap in the rock, ideal for kayaking and swimming in calm, shallow water. Around it lie white-sand beaches for snorkelling and lazing, and a steep clifftop viewpoint for those who want to work for a memorable panorama over the archipelago. Tours often combine Ko Hong with nearby Pak Bia and Lading islands and their sandbars. A national-park fee applies, and the whole outing works best as a full day. Renting or joining a kayak is the way to experience the lagoon at its most magical and peaceful.