The most popular spot for kayaking in Krabi province, Ao Tha Len (also spelt Thalane) is a small bay that puts you within easy paddling distance of a network of canals meandering amid mangroves, sea caves and vertical limestone cliffs. Most visit as part of a tour from Ao Nang or Krabi town, but those who are comfortable on a motorbike can do it all independently.
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Kayaks can be rented for 500 baht per day from Krabi Sea Kayak and a few other places stretching along the southern coastline. If you’re nervous about going it alone, these outfits can also provide guides. From here you’ll need to cross a fairly wide estuary before paddling inland to reach the caves, cliffs and lagoons. It’s necessary to arrive on a rising tide; kayaking across the estuary becomes next to impossible when the tide goes out.
Don’t forget a hat. Photo: David Luekens
If you feel like sticking around, Ao Tha Len has a handful of decent accommodation options, including the backpacker-friendly Bananas Bungalows and more comfortable Krabi Discovery Resort, which has air-con rooms for around 1,000 baht and rents out its own kayaks.
From Tha Len you can also arrange a private longtail boat to Ko Hong for around 2,000 baht, or catch a local ferry to either Ko Yao Noi or Ko Yao Yai, which loom across the bay.
A spectacular area for kayaking. Photo: David Luekens
Though Tha Len is only around 15 kilometres north of Ao Nang as the crow flies, the impenetrable cliffs and waterways that stretch for a long distance inland mean that you have to go fairly far to the north then cut back south on a ... Travelfish members only (Around 200 more words) ... please log in to read the rest of this story.
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By
David Luekens.
Last updated on 16th October, 2018.
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How to get there
Tha Len is around 30 km north of Krabi town, a bit less from Ao Nang. If going on your own from Krabi town or Ao Nang, take Route 4034 north, briefly bearing right onto Route 1003 and then hanging a left onto Krabi highway 2007, which runs over to the coast before cutting south to Ao Tha Len. Look for signs to Krabi Sea Kayak and Krabi Discovery Resort. You can also take Phet Kasem Road (Highway 4) and cut west to Tha Len, but this is a major trucking route and 4034 is a more pleasant drive. If not going with a tour or your own vehicle, head to Krabi bus station to catch one of the songthaews that we were told depart roughly every two hours from 09:00 to 15:00. Expect to pay around 1,200 baht one way for a private taxi from Krabi town.
Location map for Kayaking Ao Tha Len
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