Take a traditional longtail boat to the limestone hills of Khao Khanab Nam which poke up 100 metres from the mangrove lined Pak Nam Krabi river. Explore the caves where art and history meet. Then check out the fishing village of Koh Klang.
Khao Khanab Nam (also known as Khao Khanap Nam) are a two steep 100 metre tall limestone hills on the mangrove lined Pak Nam Krabi river, 1.5 kilometres from the centre of Krabi Town, in the Krabi Province in southern Thailand. The largest of the two hills contain limestone caves in which prehistoric human remains and cave paintings have been discovered. The majestic Khao Khanab Nam has become one of Krabi’s most famous landmarks.
KHAO KHANAB NAM WALKTHROUGH
Wander down to Chao Fah Pier and a boatman will find you before you find him. You can hire a longtail boat to Khao Khanab Nam for 300 baht. You will given the option to also visit the mangroves and the fishing village of Koh Klang for a total of 400 baht. The price is for the boat, not per person, so you can be as many people as will fit on the boat.
The longtail boat will take approximately 10 minutes to reach Khao Khanab Nam. Once you arrive the boatman will tie up the boat and you will have as long as you want to explore the caves, 20 to 30 minutes is quite sufficient. Thirty metres or so from the boat parking pontoon is a booth where you need to pay 30 baht (AUD$1.40) for entry to the cave.
The cave was bigger and more impressive than I expected. Inside the cave are a number of neanderthal scenes, a scene of Japanese soliders from WWII, a couple of replica cave paintings, and a bizarre skeleton of a prehistoric giant by Taiwanese artist Tu Wei-cheng. The giant skeleton, coiled by the skeleton of a huge snake, is presented like a real excavation site with accompanying “factual” information. There must be people who don’t realise this is a cheeky art installation at all!
Once you return to the boat, if you chose only to visit Khao Khanab Nam, you will return to town. If you opted to visit the fishing village of Koh Klang, it’ll take you take you 15 minutes from Khao Khanab Nam, passing the pier where you began. At Koh Klang you disembark on a floating fish enclosure / restaurant and will be shown some fish. This stop takes 10-15 minutes. From Koh Klang, it’s 5 minutes back to Krabi Town. For just Khao Khanab Nam return, you’ll be back in less than an hour. Including Koh Klang the trip might last 1.5-2 hours. There is no specific stop for the mangroves, but you will see plenty of them on route.
HOW TO GET TO KHAO KHANAB NAM
Logistics: Hire a long-tail boat from Chao Fa Pier in Krabi Town.
Price: 300 baht (AUD$14) for Khao Khanab Nam only, 400 baht (AUD$19) for Khao Khanab Nam and Koh Klang. (The price is for the boat regardless of number of passengers.)
How long do I need? 1 hour for just Khao Khanab Nam or 1.5-2 hours including the fishing village of Koh Klang.
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