Any birdwatcher making a trip to the south of Thailand is
likely to stop in the town of Krabi, in the province of the
same name. The good news is that Krabi is a pleasant town
with good facilities and a relaxing atmosphere. Close to the
town are some of the most beautiful beaches in the country
and this is a good place to make excursions to Ko
Phi Phi and Khao Nor Chu Chi,
both of which hold some rare and interesting species.
Krabi has some of the most accessible mangroves in Asia and
a boat trip into them can be very rewarding, although the
level of disturbance from boat traffic is rather more than
in the past, making birds more nervous. The river estuary
at Krabi would be worth a visit even without the mangroves,
and indeed the Krabi estuary was included in the East Asian-Australasian
Shorebird Site Network on the 9th November 2005; the first
such site in Thailand.
A stay in Krabi is an excellent way to get a taste of the
famous beaches of Thailand as well as its culture and birds
and an ideal place to do some birding if travelling with non-birding
friends and/or family.
A birding trip to Krabi is for the quality rather than the
quantity of birds that there is the potential to see. Birds
such as Great Knot, Nordmann's Greenshank, Chinese Egret,
White-bellied Sea Eagle and Mangrove Pitta should be enough
to tempt most birders.
Most of the birding here can be done by boat which makes it
rather a relaxing experience and suitable for disabled birders,
although spotting birds from a moving boat can be tricky.
In the past Masked Finfoot has been seen from boat trips here,
although it hasn't been spotted for a very long time now and
it is probable that the disturbance levels here are now far
too much for this shy species. Species such as Brown-winged
Kingfisher, Collared Kingfisher and Ashy Tailorbird are commonly
seen.
Far Eastern Curlew has also put in an appearance here, but
be careful most orientalis Eurasian Curlews have
bills just as long as Far Eastern's bill and bill length is
not an identification feature on these birds.
Bird
Watching Trips:
If you need help organizing a bird watching trip to Thailand,
take a look at the suggested itineraries for ideas on
creating a tailor-made trip and contact me for advice:
Thailand
bird tours.
Travel Information
Use the interactive map below to plan your route to
Krabi. The blue line shows the route from nearby Phuket Airport
(A) and Krabi Airport (C) to Krabi Riverfront (B).
By Car/Motorcycle
For those driving from Bangkok it can be done in about 10
hours which I can confirm is very tiring if there is only
one driver, particularly as the traffic on the highways gets
ever increasingly heavy and road works seem permanent. From
Bangkok the quickest route is to take Rama II road out of
the city and then join Highway 4 heading south, heading to
Surat Thani before cutting across the peninsula to Krabi.
If driving from Phuket or any other province in southern Thailand
then Krabi will be signposted.
By Bus
Krabi is a very popular tourist destination which makes getting
there by bus no problem. If coming from Bangkok by bus I would
recommend taking one to Surat Thani from the Southern bus
terminal and then taking an air conditioned minibus to Krabi;
these minibuses usually wait in the main bus station at Surat.
This journey takes in the region of 10-12 hours! Avoid a bus
going to Krabi via the West coast and Phuket as the roads
are narrow and wind over some quite steep terrain. The bus
companies seem to save their most cramped buses on this route
not to mention their most disturbed drivers. If these weren't
reasons enough to avoid the western route them the journey
can take in the region of 17 hours. There are also regular
buses from Hat Yai if arriving from Malaysia or indeed buses
from all nearby provincial capitals.
By Train
It is also possible to travel from Bangkok to Surat Thani
by (a somewhat slow) sleeper train, departing from Hua Lompong
station, and then proceeding to Krabi by minibus; I'm told
this is a pleasant way of making the trip in the region of
18 hours.
By Plane
The most convenient method of arrival in Krabi is by plane.
Krabi has a good airport about 10 kilometres from the town,
and there are lots of daily flights from Bangkok and other
cities around Thailand. There are an increasing amount of
airlines catering to domestic passengers which makes flying
an ever cheaper and more attractive option. Taxis or car hire
are available from both airports.
By Taxi
For anyone staying at any of the beaches in Phuket, Phang
Nga or Krabi provinces it should be fairly simple to get your
hotel to arrange a taxi on to Krabi. Expect the taxi to be
very expensive if coming from Phuket as taxi prices there
are out of control and are run by dubious people.
Finding Birds
Krabi provides birders with quite a number of birding opportunities;
hiring a motorcycle and simply touring around will reveal
some interesting species, but there are a few places which
have become favourites with birders.
Mangrove
Boat Trips : The mangroves are where many
specialist species can be found and one of the main reasons
for birding here. Most people hire a boatman to explore the
network of creeks and find target birds such as Mangrove Pitta
and Ruddy Kingfisher. Many have used Mr Dai, but sadly he
has passed away. However, his son has taken over and I have
been told that he is very keen, good at spotting birds and
knows where to find them. If you are unable to locate Mr Dai's
son then any of the other boatmen happy to explore this area
in search of birds and a number of them have sharp eyes.
Brown-winged Kingfisher is practically a certainty here and
it is a magnificent bird, its colours contrasting with the
dark green mangrove trees. Mangrove Blue Flycatcher has been
claimed here too, but reliable sightings in recent years don't
exist. Be careful not to assume all the Blue Flycatchers here
are this species; Hill Blue and glaucicomans Blue-throated
Flycatchers occur in mangroves too.
Mangrove Pittas are quite vocal in the mornings; it's a good
idea to get out of the boat to get the best views. Other birds
here are Ashy Tailorbird, Malkohas and Black-and-red Broadbill.
Also, near Khao Kanab Nam look out for Striated Swallow and
Oriental Hobby; the latter can sometimes be seen hunting the
former.
The
Mangrove Boardwalk, Krabi
(Photo by Nick
Upton)
Mangrove
Boardwalk : The mangrove boardwalk provides
an excellent alternative to a boat trip for mangrove birds
at Krabi for those with limited time.
Located at the point at which the road veers away from the
river, as one walks north from along Krabi riverfront, it
is easy to find. The sign in the photograph below marks the
entrance point.
The boardwalk runs for about 1 kilometre which means that
to find birds one must walk up and down a few times, but it
is possible to find both Brown-winged Kingfisher and Mangrove
Pitta fairly easily. Other birds that can be found include
Ashy Tailorbird, Black-and-red Broadbill and some lucky visitors
have seen White-chested Babbler here too.
The short length of this boardwalk means that a boat trip
may be desirable too but it is worth checking out beforehand
and if you are lucky and find your target species it may save
money and time that would be spent on a boat.
River
Mouth : All the boatmen can take
you here and many of them know the requirements of birdwatchers.
Timing is impotant here as when the tide goes out it goes
out for a very long way and the birds can be very distant.
A good place to go is the wader roost at the eastern side
of the river mouth, all the boatmen know this and although
it's obviously best to get there when the tide is in, birds
can be located here at any time. Be careful of the mud if
you get out, most places it is safe but there are some very
sticky patches!
Chinese Egret and Nordmann's Greenshank are often searched
for here and although identifying Chinese Egret should be
done with care, Nordmann's Greenshank is reasonably easy to
locate. Other interesting species that can usually be found
are Great Knot, Lesser and Greater Crested Terns and the quite
handsome Terek Sandpiper which can be quite numerous at Krabi.
It is worth checking the multitude of Pond Herons here for
Indian Pond Heron which is being increasingly sighted in Thailand,
particularly on the west coast. One thing that is guaranteed
here is that from October to April there will be thousands
of shorebirds to observe.
Krabi
: It is quite surprising how many species
can be seen from the riverfront at Krabi. Pacific Swallows
are nearly always in evidence swooping around just over the
water and Collared, Common, Black-capped and even Brown-winged
Kingfishers can be seen here. When the tide is out a small
number of waders make it as far up to the town, with Common
Sandpiper, Kentish Plover and Lesser Sand Plover being the
most likely. Plenty of Egrets can be found here and when they
begin to come into breeding plumage a few Javan Pond Herons
or even Indian Pond Herons may be picked out from the numerous
Chinese Pond Herons. White-bellied Sea Eagle and Brahminy
Kite are both frequently observed flying over the town and
the buildings near where the long-tailed boats are moored
are used by small numbers of Asian Glossy Starling.
The Krabi
Maritime Park and Spa Resort, a large splendid looking
affair about 1 kilometre north of the town centre is a good
place to get into the mangroves and many people find Brown-winged
Kingfisher and Mangrove Pitta here. Just mention that you
are watching birds and the staff are happy to let you wander
around the grounds which include ornamental gardens, scrubland
and mangroves; Bird
List for Maritime Park and Spa, Krabi.
Krabi is a small town which is used to catering for tourists, with
a good selection of accommodation from backpacker lodges to
huge, flashy hotels. There are lots of good restaurants serving
cheap food, both western and Thai and an excellent night market
on the waterfront where lots of delicious things are for sale.
There is also a daytime market which drags on into the evening
where foodstalls will cook up various specialities and fruit
sellers have a great variety of exotic fruits to buy and try;
a durian is something you will never forget! This market is
opposite the City
Hotel which I have used in the past; it has acceptable
air conditioned rooms from 650 baht in the "new"
wing.
Birders might like to choose the Krabi
Maritime Park and Spa Resort which has pleasant rooms
and a good buffet breakfast and the gardens are a good birding
location in their own right with Mangrove Pitta and Great
Eared Nightjar both reliable birds. The
River Scene Hotel, on the waterfront, is another hotel
I I have used and would recommend too.
Close to the waterfront are a number of small restaurants/bars
where one can relax over a drink and internet cafes provide
the opportunity to catch up with family and friends. A few
places close by also hire motor scooters or bicycles quite
cheaply for the day or half day.
Krabi is also a good place for arranging travel to other destinations
in Thailand, with a bus station, an airport and boat pier.
This is a good place from which to travel to Ko
Phi Phi and there are plenty of travel agents that can
arrange excursions for you. The rates of commission at all
agents seem to be the same so there doesn't appear to be the
need to shop around much for bus, plane or boat tickets. These
travel agents can also arrange for car rental at good rates
and at short notice.
Some Useful Books
Kingfishers,
Bee-eaters & Rollers This book details all of the kingfishers, bee-eaters
and rollers of the world in a series of well-illustrated
plates. With a wealth of kingfisher species in southern
Thailand this is a really nice work of reference to
have.
Birds
of Thailand This field guide has set new standards in identifying
birds in the wild in Thailand. With the most up-to-date
taxonomy of any publication this is the book you need
if you are birdwatching in Thailand. Forget all of the
older guides and buy this one.
Birdwatching
Trips:
Krabi is a good site for combining mangrove and mudflat
species, although nearby Ao Phang Nga is a far better
location for mangrove species alone. These locations are
excelent for short visits to Southern Thailand as well
as including in longer birding itineraries and are productive
at most times of the year, although the shorebirds are
only present between November and April.
Download
a full 
