Jungle Tour — Emerald Pool + Hot Spring Waterfall + Kayaking

About this trip

Of the five Krabi jungle tours we run out of Ao Nang, this is the only one that puts you in a boat. It keeps the Emerald Pool and the Hot Spring Waterfall that all five share, and instead of a temple or an ATV trail it adds Ao Thalane, a scenic mangrove forest area known for kayaking through limestone canyons and coastal ecosystems. That makes it the one jungle day that reaches saltwater, and the longest of the five: 07:45 to 18:00, roughly ten hours, at ฿1300 per adult and ฿1000 per child aged 4 to 10, with lunch and kayaking equipment included.

What the day looks like

You are collected from your hotel lobby somewhere between 07:45 and 09:15, and the tour departs at 07:45. The first half of the day is inland, in Krabi's forest and limestone country.

The Hot Spring Waterfall is the first stop, natural freshwater hot spring pools set in jungle, where the water comes out of the ground warm and pools in the rock.

The Emerald Pool follows, reached on a rainforest trail. It is a natural emerald colored jungle pool, and swimming in it is the point of stopping there.

Then the day changes character and moves to the coast for Ao Thalane. This is a mangrove forest area, and the kayaking runs through limestone canyons and the coastal ecosystem around them, which is a different kind of landscape from the freshwater pools you spent the morning in. Cliffs rise straight out of the water, and the channels between the mangroves are narrow and quiet. The tour notes say the kayaking is done through the mangrove forest with a guide, so you are not sent off to find your own way.

Lunch is included, as are hotel transfer, a tour guide, insurance and the kayaking equipment. The national park entrance fee is excluded, and the hot spring and Emerald Pool entrance fees are charged separately on the day.

Who this trip suits

Choose this if you want variety in one day rather than a single kind of scenery, and particularly if you like being on water without wanting a full island hopping boat trip. Paddling a mangrove channel is calmer than an ATV trail and easier on the legs than a staircase, so it works well for people who want the day to be active but not jarring, and for anyone who has already spent days on the beach and wants to see the limestone from a kayak instead.

Two things to weigh. It is the longest of the five jungle tours, finishing at 18:00 rather than 17:00 or 15:00, so it eats the whole day. And kayaking is a shared effort, so bring someone you get along with.

If ten hours is more than you want, the half day version keeps the two pools alone and is back by 15:00. If you would rather have engine noise than a paddle, the ATV version is the one. If you want Krabi's forest temple and the climb to its viewpoint, take the Tiger Cave Temple version, and if you want the temple and the ATV in one day, there is a four stop combination for that.

What to bring

Swimwear under your clothes, since you will be in fresh water in the morning and on saltwater in the afternoon, plus a towel and a change of dry clothes. Shoes or sandals that can get wet. A dry bag for your phone and a camera, because the limestone canyons are worth photographing and a kayak is an unforgiving place for loose electronics. Sunscreen and a hat for the open water section. Bring cash for the park fee and for the entrance charges at both pools. Drinking water is not among the listed inclusions, so ask us about it when you book.

Good to know

Roughly November to April is Krabi's dry season, and the calmer months for anything on water. The monsoon runs May to October and brings more rain and wind. The program may change depending on weather conditions, and on this tour the kayaking stop is the part most likely to be affected.

Pickup is from the hotel lobby, and being ready inside your window keeps a long day on schedule.

Across the day the entrance fees come to about ฿600 per adult and ฿300 per child aged 4 to 10: the Emerald Pool at ฿400 adult and ฿200 child, and the Hot Spring Waterfall at ฿200 and ฿100. Both are charged per person and neither is in the tour price.

Booking

Message us on WhatsApp with your dates, your hotel and the number and ages of your group. Say whether anyone has kayaked before and whether anyone is nervous on water, and we will confirm availability, your pickup time inside the 07:45 to 09:15 window, and the current entrance fees.