Ban Ao Nang Things to Do

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I signed up with some friends to go on a kayaking & elephant trek with For Friends Travel. The tour cost around 1500 THB for three people.

Pickup from the hotel is around 8:30am and you are taken to Ao Thalane to where the kayaks depart. You are given a choice of pairing up in a kayak with a friend, going with a guide, or paddling yourself around. I chose to paddle myself around in a smaller kayak and had a grand time. My friends paired up and I couldn't help but laugh as they quabbled over who was paddling the wrong way :o)

You kayak across a small bay in the open sea to mangrove forests which are spectacular. I was delighted to stop in one small cove with a group of 10-15 wild monkeys. The tour agency was wonderful for not feeding the monkeys and allowing them to retain their natural behavior. Because of this, they are quite skittish and will not allow people to get close to them...and you don't have to worry about them jumping on you to steal food!

Following a traditional Thai lunch at the kayak outfit, you are taken by pickup truck to the elephant trek (about 10 minute drive). There you will go on a trek for about one hour on the back of an elephant with a guide sitting on the head while you sit on a wooden bench. You will go through rubber fields and see impressive cliffs.

Make a stop at Sa Morakot (Emerald Pool) which is fed by hot springs and is between 30-40°C depending on the time of year. The pool is naturally the same color as a hotel swimming pool and probably where it gets its name. It is the algae and bacteria that gives the water its color and calcium carbonate in the water has coated the stone edges making getting in and out of the pool an interesting and slippery feat (I think beached whale entered the conversation :) Entrance is 200TBH.

I would suggest taking the 1km nature walk through the swamp land. I would venture to guess that it is about half walkways and half dirt paths on the walk but far more interesting than the muddy road! There were signs in various places along the nature walk that explain some of the special habitat and animals that could be found. The Thai government is now more aware of nature conservation and working hard to make sure that their areas of natural beauty do not disappear forever.

After our trek back to the entrance of the park, we headed to Klom Thom Hot Springs which is under a different administration than the Emerald Pool area although still part of the same park to my understanding as it is located just 10kms away. Entrance is 90THB. The hot springs are generated by deep volcanic chambers underground that rainwater seeps into the porous rocks and is heated up to 250°C! Luckily it is a temperate 35-40°C by the time it reaches the surface at the hot springs. The minerals in the water are rumored to have deep beneficial properties for people suffering from joint ailments or skin conditions. A popular place with both tourists and locals, it is best to be conservative in your dress as the guidebooks caution and to wear a t-shirt over bikini tops or else wear a normal one piece swimsuit.

Fight time, fight time can be heard from loud speakers from wednesday till friday. Every friday night 20:45 there are thai boxing in Ao Nang thai boxing stadium. Free transportation, check and enjoy, it's not so serious than you can think.

This is must and it's must almoust daily. Take any "massage factory" and just relax for an hour. It's 150-250 paths, but you can feel the relaxation for long time. Change the masseur daily because the strenght of massaging differs a lot.

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We will see many food carts up and down the main drag.
They are selling Thai specialties.