Ao Nang Beach

Ao Nang Beach is one of the most famous and crowded beaches in Thailand’s Krabi province. It is located in the center of the resort village of Ao Nang, whose name means “princess bay” in Thai. Once there was only a small village here, where fishermen lived. Nowadays Ao Nang has turned into a rather large resort, which attracts travelers with inexpensive housing, plenty of good restaurants, many travel agencies and pleasant entertainment. Unlike Pattaya or Phuket, there are not many Russian tourists on Ao Nang.

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Video: Ao Nang Beach

Contents

Highlights

The flat coastal strip stretches for 1.5 kilometers. It is bounded by high steep cliffs in the south and a rocky forested promontory in the north, after which another beach begins.

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The beach strip in Ao Nang is completely sandy. On it there are no large stones and garbage, so in guidebooks this beach is often compared to the famous “Bounty”. True, the sand here is not snow-white, but yellow, and the sea, especially at low tide, is not transparent because of suspended sediment rising from the muddy bottom.

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Through the village to the beach Ao Nang approaches Airport Road (Highway 4203), along which there are many hotels, apartments, stores and souvenir stores. Conveniently, there are sidewalks on both sides. The lively street continues along the beach itself. Here it is lined with restaurants, cafes, bars, massage parlors and 7-11 convenience stores. A neat promenade runs along Ao Nang Beach.

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Along the entire length of the coast is planted with palm trees and other trees, so on a hot day there is always a saving shade in which you can rest from the scorching sun rays. At low tide, the sea recedes for several dozen meters, exposing the sea floor, and the beach strip is quite wide. At high tide the situation changes, and the sea reaches almost to the trees.

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Many tourists like to come to the beach in the evenings, when it is no longer so hot. From Ao Nang, travelers watch the colorful sunsets, so it can be difficult to find a place on the benches on the promenade at the end of the day.

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Features of different parts of Ao Nang Beach

Ao Nang Beach is divided into three parts. The beach strip in the south is wider. Here there is always a place to put your towel and mat, so as not to disturb other vacationers. In the southern part there are no boats, so tourists do not suffer from the noise of motors. In addition, this is the only section of the beach where you can rent sunbeds and chairs.

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The center of the beach is adjacent to the turn of the main street. Here are the ticket offices that sell tickets for the boats that take tourists to the islands and other beaches. The beach strip in the central part becomes narrower and is heavily crowded with boats. They run from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, departing after 4-6 passengers are picked up. Because of the active boat traffic, there are almost no bathers in the central part of Ao Nang Beach. The embellishment of the promenade at this location is a sculpture depicting fishermen pulling a huge marlin fish.

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In the northern part of Ao Nang, the promenade is lined with restaurants and cafes. The food here is not bad, but the prices are quite high. Near the hotel Krabi Resort, the beach is constantly cared for, so it looks very clean. The sun loungers displayed here are the property of the hotel and are intended for its guests.

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Things to do

Aside from swimming in the sea and sunbathing opportunities, many people come to Ao Nang Beach to take boats to other interesting places along the Thai coast. From the central part of the beach, longtail boats take travelers to the islands of Poda, Tup, Talu and Chiken, to the rock climbing mecca of Ton Sai, to the picturesque Railey Peninsula and to the surrounding beaches – Centara and Phra Nang Cave beach.

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Krabi is the southern province of Thailand and is predominantly Muslim. Unlike Bangkok or Chiang Mai, there are not many Buddhist shrines here, but you can see mosques and Thai women in hijabs. At the appropriate time, the muezzin begins to call the faithful to namaz, and his voice echoes throughout Ao Nang.

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Near the beach there are several salons that offer excellent massages. The staff offer traditional Thai massage, foot, head and collar massages, as well as oil and herbal bag massages. As a rule, there are a lot of people who want to get a massage, so the salons serve 3-5 people at a time.

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At the southeastern end of Ao Nang Beach you can see small monkeys waiting for treats from tourists. The enterprising macaques are not averse to bananas, apples and any other fruit.

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Cafes and restaurants

Ao Nang village is a touristy place, so prices are inflated. Nevertheless, almost everywhere in Thai restaurants you can find hearty dishes for 50-100 baht – fried rice with meat, vegetables or shrimp, Tom Yam soup, green papaya salad – Som Tam, spicy curry and Pad Thai. Prices at European restaurants are much higher.

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As there are many Muslims living in Ao Nang, the streets of the village sell halal food, which is allowed under Islamic norms. Closer to the northwestern tip of the beach, the seafront promenade is lined with macashnikas with inexpensive food and drinks. In addition, lone vendors deliver food directly to vacationers on the beach. By the sea they sell sweet boiled corn, donuts, boiled shrimp and grilled fish.

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Many tourists like to buy food for snacks at 7-11 convenience stores. They sell snacks, drinks, coffee, bread, sausage and sausage. If desired, vendors can heat up burgers or frozen food for free.

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Hotel Specials

Tourist Information

Tourists travel around Ao Nang village by rented bikes or cars, cabs, tuk-tuks and songteos. There are no equipped stops, so if you need to slow down a passing vehicle, you just need to vote from the curb.

The noisiest place of Ao Nang beach is its central part, from where longtail boats depart all day long. To not experience problems with noise, housing near the beach should be chosen away from the center. Prices for modest apartments and hotels range from 1100 to 1700 baht, and 4* and 5* hotels offer accommodation from 3100-3200 baht per day.

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Active tourists can go rock climbing, kayaking, diving and snorkeling. In Ao Nang it is interesting to visit the Tiger Temple located on the mountain, hot springs and the coast with shells – Fossil Shell Beach.

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How to get there

Ao Nang Beach is located in southern Thailand, in the coastal village of Ao Nang, which is only a 40-minute drive from the airport located in Krabi. To Krabi, travelers fly with a connection in Bangkok. However, buying a ticket, it is worth finding out from which airport in the Thai capital to fly to Krabi. The fact is that flights from Russia take a larger airport Suvarnabhumi, and low-costers – Don Muang.

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There are shuttle buses directly from Krabi Airport to the coastal village of Ao Nang. It costs 80-100 baht to ride them. From the city center or from the bus station to Ao Nang, passengers are taken by white songteo, the fare for which costs 50-60 baht. This option is good for those who take buses from Bangkok to Krabi. Alternatively, there is always the option to drive up to Ao Nang Beach by cab or take a hotel shuttle.

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