There are very few road access points to the northern Krabi coast, making the old travel axiom truer than ever: the more difficult a site is to access the more value there is in visiting it. North of Ao Nang there are only four surfaced roads which find a way through the karst outcroppings and mangroves to the sea, one of which comes to an abrupt end at Leam Sak.
Several superb seafood restaurants near Leam Sak are perched out on pilings high above the tidal flats. It is the spectacular karst topography and the multitude of unspoiled islands visible in every direction from this cape that can take your breath away.
To the east, towering limestone crags rise up like islands in the sky above a sea of mangrove forest. To the southeast, another cape, Leam Taeng (named after the long Thai cucumber its shape resembles), juts out into the bay. Like a miniature version of the Great wall of China, Leam Taeng presents a formidable limestone wall more than 400 meters high and nearly 8 km long. it may well be the most dramatic cape in all the Kingdom.
Further south, a necklace of 40 island, set like shimmering emeralds in a pale blue sea, extend along the horizon to Koh Hong and beyond. Directly west of Laem Sak is the most dramatic spectacle of all - Koh Chong Laad, where limestone cliffs rise nearly 300 meters straight up from sea level and countless coves, beaches and sea caves provide the perfect paradise for sea paddlers. Koh Chong Laad is part of Tharn Bok Khoranee National Park.
A number of prehistoric pictographs painted in black and ochre pigments can be found on the underside of an overhanging ledge here. Monsoons for several millennia have been unable to wash away the ancient artistry of this sheltered site. Laem Taeng is another pictograph site where paintings on the southeast tip of the cape lend further evidence of prehistoric human occupation.
Tidal flats are extensive in the shallow seas of Krabi's northern coast. Fine mangrove mud, which gets suspended in the water from wave and tidal currents, makes snorkeling almost impossible, and swimming less than agreeable. But the ancient peoples who lived here were not today's beach worshipers. They located themselves here for the abundance of food. There's an old saying that when the tide goes out the table is set, and one need look no further than any of Krabi's extensive tidal flats on a spring tide to discover what foods people have always procured.
Like a scene from our Neolithic past, it is common to see a hundred people or more on extreme low tides foraging for food with woven baskets slung over one arm and sarongs wrapped about their waists. They search with their probing toes for clams and cockles in the sediments, turn over rocks in search of crabs, eels and octopus, dig with "big sticks" for burrowing mantis shrimp, and collect the bounty of fish trapped in the huge v-shaped fish weirs when the tide drops. These fish weirs are one of the most distinguishing features of Krabi's northern coast and represent one of the oldest marine fisheries known to man.
Standard program - pickup 8.30am, kayak from 10am untill midday, then lunch, then go swimming in the afternoon to a lovely artesian pool area called Phu Thara. This is a great place for a refreshing dip and was another of the locations for the film "The beach" starring Leonardo di Caprio.
Itinerary
8.30
Hotel pickup
9.00
Paddle through Tham Lod Tai, a tunnel under a limestone karst
10.00
Explore Tham Pee Hua Tho, a well-ventilated cave.
11.00
Paddle round Tham Khao Womg's inner lagoon.
12.00
Paddle amongst the splendid stalactites and stagmites of Tham Lod Nua cave.
13.00
Lunch
14.00
Swim and relax around Phu Thara
16.30
Hotel drop off
Price
Price THB 1,300 per person, pickup from Railay (in front of Sunrise Tropical resort) or Ao Nang (from your hotel).
Kayak in Thailand - Holidays and Tours
We offer the following kayaking Thailand holidays and tours, click on one of our kayak holidays in Thailand for more information:
