Description
ITINERARY: Located around 70km from the coast, the journey to these two sites will take you through Krabi’s lush green interior, passing small villages and rubber and palm plantations.
You will spend 45 mins at the Hot Springs and around 1.5 hours at Emerald Pool, with the opportunity to bathe in the mineral rich water which, at the Hot Springs, is naturally heated to a temperature of around 40C. Though the waterfall area fills up quickly, there are manmade pools filled with the warm spring water to try as well.
The Emerald or Crystal Pool site includes an easy nature trail (2.2 – 3.4km round trip) through the Khao Phra Bang Khram nature reserve, which is home to the rare Gurney’s Pitta bird as well as a unique aquatic ecosystem, with pools and streams running throughout the forest. The trail is mainly along a raised walkway, so is accessible for both children and seniors. You can also take a shorter route directly to the pool (1.6km round trip).
Swimming is permitted in the Emerald Pool; it does get very busy at peak times. You can also continue 600m further along the path to the more peaceful and incredibly-hued Blue Pool, near the source of the spring, though it is not possible to swim here due to water temperature and the quicksand-like mud on the banks.
Expected group size: 6 – 14 pax, depending on the day and time of year. There will be many hundreds more people at the sites themselves.
Important: This trip goes beyond what most people would consider lunchtime, but does not include any meal. Please bring your own snacks (or cash to buy – there are plenty of stalls along the way) to tide you over until you return.
FURTHER READING:
– More info on the Hot Springs and Emerald Pool.
– Detailed trip report
Grace W. –
The places are beautiful, but very crowded (not the fault of the tour). The longer walk (1.4km) to the Emerald Pool was less busy and totally worth it, as was the walk to the Blue Pool. A bit more time should be given here as we were quite rushed to get back.
Pavel Hristov –
Visited at Sonkran Festival, BIG MISTAKE!!!! unbelievable crowded, noisy and no peaceful forest atmosphere. I would say a waste of time, do something else in Krabi.