We had three days in Krabi and only one official tour booked with EXO Travel Thailand. Our first day was spent driving from Khao Sok National Park to Krabi. We were settled and ready to explore by 2:00 PM.
We started out by renting a scooter from Mr. Kord Car & Bike Rental to get us around for the rest of the trip in Krabi.
Our first stop was one I had specifically prepared for.
Tiger Cave
Our first stop in Krabi was a visit to Wat Tham Suea, otherwise known as the Tiger Cave. The temple gets its name from tigers that once lived in the area. Monks began meditating in the caves in the 1970s, and local accounts say they heard tigers roaming nearby and found large animal tracks. The cave itself has rock formations that resemble tiger paw prints.
Any tigers that were there once are not there anymore. They disappeared from the area decades ago.
I didn’t see any real tigers there, but we definitely saw monkeys – tons of them! They were everywhere! I was a bit sad we couldn’t make it to the Monkey City near Bangkok, and then disappointed there weren’t more monkeys at the Monkey Cave. But no worries – we got our fill of monkeys here at the Tiger Cave! I thought they were hilarious. What they say is true – monkeys have no fear, and they will straight up snatch food right out of your hands.
This place is famous for the stairs going up to the temple. 1,260 stairs in fact. The 300 stairs at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep were nothing in comparison.
I had researched what to do in Krabi and Phuket ahead of time, and besides the tour to James Bond Island, this is what I was most excited to see. But I didn’t want a repeat of the problem we ran into at Machu Picchu where we weren’t expecting to be so sore from all the stairs. Though the stairs at the Tiger Cave are mostly uniform and easy in comparison to the huge, uneven stairs of Machu Picchu.
I had spent a few months prior to our trip preparing by walking up and down our stairs at home over and over again, usually two at a time.
I was glad I had prepared. There were many people moving very slowly up the stairs. There was one young couple in particular that we passed near the bottom, and by the time we were heading back down, they were still maybe only 60% of the way there. That being said, there are rest stops and small shelters along the way for taking breaks. And make sure to bring water – you’ll want it.
At one point, Chris accidentally dropped his hat. Obviously losing a hat is not the worst thing that can happen. But Chris has the world’s largest head – he has a really hard time finding hats that fit. Plus this one was from Yellowstone – that hat has travelled the world. Luckily, there was a passing group of guys from Australia who saw we were in distress and came to the rescue. Those dudes were awesome!
We ended up making it to the top after about an hour. It was pretty amazing up there. It is a temple, so our first step was to remove our shoes, and then we were able to walk around and enjoy the amazing view.
Heading back down the stairs was much easier than going up. We were greeted by tons of monkeys when we made it back down. I thought it was so fun to be around them. I was tickled pink by this poor baby monkey being cleaned by its momma.
It was about 5:00 PM when we got to the bottom. We’d been there for about two hours, including going up the stairs, taking our time at the top, and making it back down.
We could have headed back to Ao Nang, where our hotel was. But there was a trail just like right there. I wanted to explore it. But Chris wanted to not move anymore and try to figure out how to cool off. So Chris went to a nearby vendor selling smoothies while I explored a bit.
Wonderland Stairs
So there’s a trail near the stairs called the “Wonderland” Stairs. Obviously I was very intrigued, and I promised Chris I’d be quick. There was the strangest mish mash of assorted things to see along a pathway. I saw Buddhas, a skeleton, a cave, and some funny trees. The trail kept going, and I had no idea how far it went, so I turned around and wondered what I missed seeing on the “Wonderland” Stairs.
Monkey Trail, Ao Nang
On our second day in Krabi, the bulk of the day was spent doing the James Bond Island Tour and trying durian. When our adventures for the day were complete, we walked around Ao Nang on our own and came upon the Monkey Trail.
The trail leads to Pai Plong Beach, a quieter stretch of sand tucked between limestone cliffs. We felt like maybe we weren’t supposed to be there because of how quiet it was. It was beautiful! I loved the wooden stairs and walkway through the greenery, though I didn’t see any monkeys.
Last Day in Thailand
Our third day in was 100% Krabi, 100% on our own. It was also the last day of our trip to Thailand – we’d be flying home the next morning. We had to make this day count!
Wat Kaeo Korawaram
We started the morning by heading out on our scooter towards the Wat Kaeo Korawaram. The drive itself was beautiful. We’d loved passing limestone cliffs in the water, and we loved driving by the limestone cliffs on the highway, even with the telephone lines somewhat marring the image.
Wat Kaew Korawaram is the main temple in Krabi Town and sits on a hill overlooking the city. Unlike many gold temples in Thailand, this one is bright white, giving it a clean, peaceful feel. It’s known for its beautiful murals inside and for being much quieter than the more famous temples. I thought the blue roof was beautiful and unique.
Khao Khanab Nam
Our next stop was at the Chao Fah Pier to arrange a longtail boatride over to Khao Khanab Nam, known for its caves and mangroves. The longtail boat ride took about 10-15 minutes.
The ride cost us about 500 THB (or about $15 USD) and the price included the boat drivers staying at the island and waiting for us to take us back.
Khao Khanab Nam ended up being a pretty cool spot! There was a lot to see and explore. There were caves, mangroves, and even a giant skeleton.
I wish I could say that the giant skeleton was real and they’d found proof that giants existed once, but it was part of an art installation. It showed a giant human skeleton intertwined with a massive serpent, replicating a local Krabi myth about a battle between a giant and a serpent. It was designed to look like a real excavation site.
Including the boat rides and exploring to your hearts content, about an hour and a half to two hours is a good amount of time at Khao Khanab Nam.
Tiger Caves
Now we went back to the Tiger Cave, because we loved it so much the first time. We thought about climbing the stairs again but we did not. I mostly just wanted to see the monkeys again, and spend some more of our energy on the Tiger Cave portion of the area rather than the stairs and the temple at the top.
A Return to Wonderland
Since we didn’t climb the stairs, Chris wasn’t too hot and sweaty to explore the Wonderland Stairs, and I was excited for him to see the odd assortment of items along the way.
I didn’t get very far on my own the first time, so I was excited to see where the pathway ended up. But there aren’t great signs, at least not that we could read, so we just didn’t really know how far it went or what to expect. So we got further than I had previously, but we still didn’t see the whole thing.
I was a bit sad that we never saw where the pathways led, and for a long time I wondered what we had missed on the Wonderland Stairs trail.
But if you look at the next picture, you’ll see the answer may have been in front of us the whole time, we just didn’t know it. The sign reads “tham meu seua-tham tanoo tham lod – tham pialai” which basically means the path continues to various caves, meditation areas, and shrine sites.
Much much later, I learned that the Wonderland Stairs don’t have a destination at all. They’re a maze of jungle routes, interconnected stairways and paths. They are intended for the monks. There is no dramatic destination; it’s more of a spiritual wandering route.
I sometimes wonder if a better name would be “Wanderland” rather than “Wonderland.” It’s not like I expected to run into the Queen of Hearts or anything, but I always wondered what we missed.
Turns out we didn’t miss anything—other than the chance to wander a little longer.
Now I see the map below was probably trying to tell us exactly that.
Up Next
We’d had a pretty full last day in Krabi already, but we had one more adventure in us. Chris wanted to swim with bioluminescent plankton, and let’s just say it didn’t go down the way we planned!
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