Krabi Kayak Tour - Ao Thalane

Thalane Bay Kayaking

The famous Karst mountains provide the backdrop for this area with its complex network of channels than meander through the dense mangrove.

Kingfishers, Herons and crab eating Maceques inhabit this area along with ever present monkeys who will keep you company and sometimes even hitch a ride on your kayak. The area is undeveloped and tranquil and with caves and steep cliffs jutting straight out of the water. Its a great place for taking some photos of real Krabi nature.

The tour guide will give you basic instruction of using the paddle and the kayak and life jackets are provided. The tour is not too energetic, you are cruising on flat calm water so it is quite within the capabilities of first time kayakers or kids. Most of the kayaks are three seaters although its normal to use one kayak for two adults. Its quite awkward to have three people paddling so it is best if one adult goes in one kayak with one child if they want to paddle or with two adults and one younger child not paddling..

The tide makes a difference and the best time for a kayaking tour is at a mid tide time, very high tide or very low time are not in anyway dangerous, and you do get to see different things at any time of day. At a mid tide though, more of the area is accessible so its possible to go deeper into the forest and if you have the choice, then this is the best time to go. At low tide though, it is possible to see more of the caves and all the nature that lives in the muddy ecosystem so its still interesting.

Check our krabi Tide Tool in this page, just pick the date you are interested in and it will show you the tide times in krabi at hourly intervals through the day for any date in 2014 and the first part of 2015. Or, if you want to see tides over a longer period please check our Krabi Tides Information Page

Srakaew Pool

Srakaew Pool is a natural pool with mineral salt water giving it a beautiful deep blue color. Its only a small pool but is reputed to be over 200 meters deep which would make it the deepest pool in Asia!

Best Times and Days

No two days in the mangroves are quite the same. On some days the place is alive with wildlife, birds calling, monkeys hooping, lizards splashing and cicadas singing away. On other days, its eerily quiet, like everyone is asleep. You never know quite what you'll get but its always magical.

High tide is generally the best time to go, there are many more channels that you can paddle through and lagoons and caves to see. But even at low tide, it's still a wonderful place. You may have to paddle back the way you came, but it's still beautiful to see and as the water drops, more and more of the incredible root system comes into view along with all the wildlife that lives in the mud, catfish, mud skippers, crabs and frogs. Then there are the birds that come at low tide to pick at all the fresh food on offer.