Thailand is a large country, so it can be difficult to decide exactly where to travel. So, where is the best place to travel in Thailand? My personal opinion of the best place to visit in Thailand is Krabi because you will get that ultimate Thai experience: beautiful beaches, clear water, delicious food, and all the shops!
The Thai culture is inspiring and people are so kind & helpful. You will love traveling around Thailand – it is just as magical as everyone says. I visited here with my friend, Chloe, and we felt completely safe the entire trip just us two girls. It is definitely safe for solo females, and perfect for a romantic getaway with your partner.
Ps..here is that green one-piece swim suit you can get for yourself! It is made from recycled nylon & so comfy: https://amzn.to/42nnqEj
Why choose Krabi, Thailand?
There are so many breathtaking locations around Thailand! Change Mai, Pai, Bangkok, Phuket, Ko Samui, Shang Nga, just to name a few. I haven’t visited them all but out of the places I have visited; Krabi was the most walking friendly, easiest to book & find tours, plus a lot of food options. Thailand is an affordable country for the most part, especially if you stay where we stayed (about $80 a night total at a resort with a pool.) The food was on average $4-$8 per meal which usually included a fruit smoothie! We did some shopping and got things much cheaper than in the USA.
AO Nang Beach
The AO Nang Beach is extremely long. We stayed in Mueang Krabi District which felt like the best place to be. We could easily take a short walk from our place straight to the beach, or walk in either direction to enjoy the abundance of shops, dispensaries and restaurants. There were plenty of night markets we got to enjoy nearby and opportunity for night life.
Blue, sparkly, cut-out, one piece swim suit (right image) is here: https://amzn.to/3HyKiHc
Hat Nappharat Thara Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park
We walked to this national park (about 1 mile from our resort) and it was a great decision. We continued out to a secluded beach called Nopharat Thara Beach when we noticed puppies running towards us! Stray or Soi dogs are known to roam around the beaches of Krabi. We noticed bowls near them and shared some of our food. That might be frowned upon but they were too cute we couldn’t resist. That experience was a highlight! And swimming at this beach was amazing too.
More information about the expansive Thai national park: https://www.thainationalparks.com/hat-noppharat-thara-mu-ko-phi-phi-national-park
The national park is also a pick up zone to visit the Phi Phi Islands! We got stranded on Phi Phi Island for a while and met this cute kitty friend. The story behind getting stranded? To sum up, that tour boat we were on ended up not being safe enough to ride back to Krabi after a storm came through. They went back for another boat and left us here – for 2.5 hours – and all was ok!
Phi Phi Islands
Almost any street you walk down on AO Nang Beach there will be tour operators to book with. We made sure to glance at a few different prices but they were mostly the same, and booked our tour just a day prior. (We selected our tour because the woman said it was a new boat, that ended up biting us in the butt)
Everyone meets at the Hat Nappharat Thara national park to begin the excursion. There were about 25 people in our boat. First we traveled 30 minutes to a gorgeous white sand beach in the Strait of Malacca called Ko Mai Phai. We swam in the incredibly clear water before our tour guide called us back and took us to get lunch near the Phi Phi pier.
This one piece can be purchased here: https://amzn.to/42nnqEj
Then, we got to snorkeling off the shore of Ko Phi Phi. The water was so clear and there were so many fish! The snorkle stop was near Monkey Beach where our tour guide asked if we wanted to get closer to see the monkeys. As he was asking, we witness a large male monkey jumping onto a boat. It was kind of a crazy scramble as the boat driver grabbed a massive wooden stick and started waving it around to scare the monkey away! We all agreed we could keep boating, because our next stop was an exciting one. The astonishing Maya Bay.
Maya Bay
Visiting Maya Bay is an experience to say the least. The views are of course STUNNING! It is white sand, clear blue water, and exceptionally eye catching with the mountains around the bay. However, it is crowded, so prepare for a ton of humans. We got a little lucky because our tour guide said we will arrive as everyone is leaving, which was definitely the case! At least 300 people were in line to get back to their boats, which left the beach less populated compared to normal. We were able to get the photos we wanted without people in the way so I would say that is a win! You can’t stay too long here which was a shame, but the quick stop is worth it to see the gorgeous bay. Please note you are unable to swim here as of Nov 2023, but you can wade into the water a bit.
Railay Beach
Railay Beach is one of those famous Thai beaches everyone dreams to visit! It is stunning, but there is a catch. You can only get there via boat! We opted to stay on AO Nang instead of Railay Beach because of this reason. There are constant shuttles from AO Nang Beach to Railay Beach. We decided to take a day trip to Railay (the boat shuttle is only 15 minutes long.) It is more affordable to stay where we did, as staying on Railay is pretty expensive. This beach is worth boating over to lay out and swim in the beautiful water.
We did end up getting caught in the rain here and had to wait a while before the boat could take us back. The boat will not head back to AO Nang unless 8 people are on it with you. Honestly, it wasn’t too bad since we had swim suits on and it was a quick ride back. I would recommend bringing a warmer sweater to have we got a little chilly!
Here is my swimsuit from Railay Beach: https://amzn.to/3SABeXN
Flying out of Phuket, Thailand
Should you visit Krabi or Phuket? Well, we couldn’t decide either when we started so we spent about 4-5 days in each city. We continued our journey to Phuket after Krabi and looking back, we definitely loved Krabi more. Phuket is cheaper to fly in and out of, though. The road trip from Krabi to Phuket took about 5.5 hours in a transfer bus. Truly, the biggest reason we wanted to go to Phuket was to get tattoos! The city has tons of artists and we got fine line tattoos at Little Ink Studio. If you’re visiting Thailand, getting a tattoo is a great item to add to the to-do list.
Flying into Bangkok
I visited Bangkok and Payette City back in 2018 with my husband and enjoyed the beach side of Thailand much more than the busy city of Bangkok. It is definitely cheaper to fly into and out of Bangkok whether you’re coming from the USA or Cambodia like Chloe and I. To get to Krabi we flew into Bangkok, then took the short flight 1.5 hour flight to Krabi. It was easy to get a ride from the airport to the city. I recommend getting an e-sim on your phone right when you land in the airport so you can navigate easily. This is the site I got mine for $8 for 5 days on: https://esimthailand.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA8NKtBhBtEiwAq5aX2H35pnluL8TEtFlu1u0mrEBpoNyM1bhKY0DohM7oBWOB-VsFhL23thoC4RkQAvD_BwE
Two-three nights in Bangkok is a great idea too! If you’re coming from the USA you can sleep & eat off the jet lag here, plus explore the neat destinations. We did enjoy seeing the markets, enjoying the cheapest but best food, and lots of incredible cheap shopping. Payette City was also a pretty place on the ocean to explore and we took a boat tour to the islands nearby.
Additional Places to visit in Thailand
I have heard so many great things about northern Thailand which I have never been! Chloe said Pai is one of her favorite places she’s visited, and others have mentioned Chaing Mai is magical too. There are also so many islands that are beyond beautiful – just a bit harder to get to. If you want that relaxing beach getaway you’ve been dreaming of I definitely recommend Krabi.
HOW TO PACK
Packing for a South East Asian trip is pretty simple: clothes you can sweat in and swimsuits. We visited in November and needed a rain jacket. Be sure to bring a comfy pair of shoes. I brought tennis shoes for the airport and hikes (exact pair linked here:) https://amzn.to/3NAbQ2E, as well as a pair of sturdy sandals to wear to the beach. Exact pair here: https://amzn.to/3NGBItH
I pack with packing cubes that compress because I am a backpacker. This means I only take a backpack on my back (35 liter Osprey) and a smaller backpack for day to day adventure. I 10/10 recommend this method of travel! Here are the packing cubes I use: https://amzn.to/41y8Idi
Find more fun adventures on my Instagram, as well as a highlight reel of my Thailand trip from November 2023. Enjoy your travels and be safe! Much love, Sarah
Earth To Sarah 