Krabi Province, in Southern Thailand, lies some 800 km south of the Thai capital, Bangkok, and is a myriad of pristine beaches, azure waters, caves, waterfalls, and fascinating history all crammed into one tiny province.

Krabi is a traveller’s paradise with a multitude of possibilities on offer. The province offers a scuba diving in the Andaman Sea, rock climbing off the mesmerizing vertical cliffs of Railay and Ao Phranang beaches as well as jungles containing giant trees festooned with lianas.

The province is located at the shore to the Andaman Sea and is home to countless limestone hills, both on the land and in the sea as islands. This is a veritable heaven for the rock climbing enthusiasts who come from all over the world to Railay Beach to climb these magnificent hills and mountains.

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.

Of about 130 islands belonging to the province, Ko Phi Phi Leh is arguably the most famous. Ko Phi Phi Leh was the backdrop for the 2000 movie The Beach. This movie staring Leonardo Dicaprio, caused tourism to increase dramatically on both Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh

The accommodations in Krabi are abundant and there is definitely something for everyone. If you are seeking truly luxurious accommodations, the Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort is the place to go. The Sheraton offers an amazing sea view swimming pool, spa and fitness facilities as well as snorkeling, diving and windsurfing opportunities. Besides the awe-inspiring views and the spectacular rooms, you receive the quality and the service that is expected from the Sheraton chain. Less expensive accommodations such as the 4-star Krabi La Playa Resort and the 4-star Maritime Park and Spa Resort also offer fantastic service and scenic locations at an affordable price.
 

Krabi, one of the southern provinces in Thailand, its shores fronted by the waters of the Andaman Sea is one of, if not, the oldest areas in which continuous settlement has occurred in Thailand. Like the northern districts evidence of human settlement dates back to around 1200 A.D. and Krabi’s many caves and excavated areas bare testament to this in that a number of stone-age tools, cave paintings, pottery, beads and the like have been found in the area.

‘Ban Thai Samor’ as it was originally called, now known as Krabi flourished. From its early beginnings and even before people of ‘Krabi’ were literate, the town (and 12 others in the area) used a monkey as it’s standard which is still used today, due, it is thought, to the vast numbers of these animals that used to live in the area. The area has another symbol, the ‘krabi’ (sword), used since its modern name came into being. One of these swords was found on the highest mountain in the province, Kao Panom Benja and can now be seen as two crossed swords on the modern logo.

At the time, around 1200 A.D. Krabi was affiliated to the Kingdom of Ligor, a city located on the eastern side of the Thai peninsular, now known as Nakhon Si Thammarat. Up until just on 200 years ago, connections to this city were still strong and at the start of the Rattanakosin period, when Bangkok became the country’s capital, an elephant kraal was established in Krabi under the orders of Chao Phraya Nakorn (Noi) from Bangkok.

The governor of Nakhorn Si Thammarat, sent his visor, the Phra Palad, to keep an eye on this ‘mammoth’ task ensuring that regular supplies of elephants were available for work in and around the flourishing area. Followers soon established themselves in the prospering town and it grew to a large community, developing into three different boroughs: Pakasai, Khlong Pon, and Pak Lao. In 1872, King Chulalong, seeing the potential of the place, raised these boroughs to town status and renamed the area, Krabi.

The town's first governor was Luang Thep Sena, and it continued as a dependency of Nakhon Si Thammarat for a while. This changed in 1875, when Krabi was raised to a fourth-level town in the old system of Thai government. This then meant that the town was under the direct control of the central government in Bangkok. Krabi's history, as a separate entity from the other provinces, had begun.

The province and particularly the town of Krabi has in more recent times become more geared towards the tourist industry than agriculture which was traditionally the main bread winner for the area. Although they still exist and agricultural products, including rubber trees, palms, mangos, coconuts, and coffee are still grown in the province it’s the beaches and the limestone monolithic outcrops that attract much of the area’s cash flow.

The 130 islands of the Andaman Sea and its waters make Krabi province a perfect place for recreation. The famous "Phi Phi islands", known as "Paradise on Earth" includes beaches, limestone sea cliffs and an underwater Eden, of colourful corals and numerous fish species. "Lanta islands" lying to the east of Phi Phi and to the south of Krabi town includes stretches of mangroves with breaks of coral rimmed beaches and rugged hills, thick with forestation.

The mountainous geography is broken by highlands and plains on the mainland that make excellent exploring areas, filled with ancient history, hidden cave temples and national parks that beg exploration. The fauna and flora in many of these areas still undiscovered and unrecorded in the science books adds to the interest of the province.

The Krabi River flows 5 km through its namesake city from its source in the Panom Benja Mountains, teams with wildlife, from sea otters to sea eagles as do other rivers in the area. Krabi, is waiting, don’t be left standing with the masses, get lost in time and discover it for yourself.

The weather in Krabi is typically that of tropical monsoon areas, providing the province with just two seasons, the hot season from January to April, and the rainy season from May to December. Monsoon winds, which change according to season, blow from the southeast, the southwest, and the northeast. Temperatures range between 16.9 and 37.3 degrees Celsius and the yearly rainfall averages 2,568.5 mm