Krabi travel island facts
Krabi is a coastal province in the south west of Thailand, around 800 kilometres by road from the capital, Bangkok. It is bounded by Phang Nga to the north, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani to the east; and Trang to the south. The popular tourist destination of Phuket lies only 3 hours across the water, and two hours by road.
Population:
approx. 350,000, with around 60% Buddhist and 40% Muslim
Area:
4709 square kilometres
Economy:
Agriculture (rubber, palm oil, pineapples, prawns); fishing; tourism
Administration:
Split into eight districts (called Ampur in Thai): Ao Luk; Plai Praya; Muang; Neua Klong; Klong Thom; Khao Phanom; Klong Pon; and Ko Lanta.
The geography of Krabi is quite unique, featuring the distinctive rocky outcrops, known as limestone karst, as well as pristine tropical rainforest (the province is located only 8 degrees above the equator), mangroves and a geological curiosity in the form of a 40 million year old fossilised 'shell cemetery'.
Travel in Krabi is popular. 132 islands offshore in the Andaman Sea also fall under the province's jurisdiction, several of which, such as Ko Phi Phi Don and Ko Lanta, are inhabited. Most of the other tropical islands belong to the Marine National Park and are protected areas.
The recent discovery of the remains of one of our humanoid ancestors in a rock shelter in Neua Klong district makes Krabi the place with the longest known history of continuous human settlement in Thailand. Bits of broken pottery, beads and coins from as far afield as the Middle East and China have been found on archaeological digs here, suggesting that the area was once a thriving port of call on the ancient trade routes across Asia.
The town of Krabi itself was founded in the 13th century, as a dependency of the powerful city of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Some two hundred years ago, the Prince of the city founded an elephant camp in Krabi. The animals - the symbol of Thailand - roamed wild in those days and they were rounded up and taken to work in Nakhon.
Now Krabi Town is a bustling fishing port, on the mouth of the Krabi River. There are no beaches in the town itself, however, which mean most tourists make the short journey to the beaches of Ao Nang, Railay and Klong Muang, or take a boat to the islands of Ko Phi Phi and Ko Lanta, some one-and-a-half hours away. Travel and tourism is now the main industry in Krabi.
The temperature in Krabi is usually in the range of 27°C/80°F to 35°C/95°F during the day. The hottest months are February - April. At night the temperature usually falls around 5° to 10°. During heavy rain storms in the monsoon months (May to September), the temperature may drop temporarily to as low as 18°C. Humidity is fairly high all year round, from 75 to 100%.
