Renting a Scooter in Krabi and Ao Nang

Krabi is really two rental markets a twenty-minute ride apart. Krabi Town, inland on the river, has cheaper shops used mostly by long-stayers and Thai customers. Ao Nang, out on the coast, has the tourist shops — more of them, newer bikes, higher prices, and almost all of them offering free delivery to your hotel. Krabi airport has desks too, though most visitors take a transfer in and rent locally once they have got their bearings.

Everything about the paperwork, the deposit and the damage question is the same here as anywhere else in the country, and it is covered in renting a motorbike in Thailand. The Krabi-specific points are the shape of the coast — one road in and out of Ao Nang, with a climb at each end — the fact that the region's most famous beach cannot be reached by road at all, and how far a realistic day trip actually goes.

• Typical daily rateRoughly 150–200 baht in Krabi Town, 200–300 baht in Ao Nang; higher over New Year
• TerrainFlat inland, with short steep climbs on the coastal roads
• Best vehicle125cc automatic; 150cc if you are two-up
• Not reachable by roadRailay and Tonsai

Railay is not on the road network

This is the thing most first-time visitors to Krabi do not realise until they try. Railay and Tonsai are cut off from the mainland by limestone cliffs, and there is no road — access is by longtail boat from Ao Nang or from Krabi Town's Chao Fah pier. A scooter is no help. If you are staying at Railay, you will not want a bike at all; if you are staying in Ao Nang and want to visit, you park at the beach and take the boat.

The same applies to Phi Phi, Koh Lanta's neighbours and most of the small islands off this coast. Lanta itself is different — it is reachable by vehicle ferry from the mainland — but the ferry and the drive make it a full day each way, and Lanta rentals are cheaper once you are there. For how island vehicle crossings work in general, see taking a car or motorbike on a Thai island ferry.

The Ao Nang hill

The road between Krabi Town and Ao Nang, Route 4203, is around twenty kilometres of good two-lane tarmac with a couple of proper climbs, and a longer one approaching Ao Nang from the east. Continuing north-west past Nopparat Thara towards Klong Muang and Tub Kaek, the road rolls over short, steep rises with tight bends at the top. None of it is Koh Chang or Samui, but it is steep enough that a heavily loaded 110cc step-through will run out of steam going up and out of brake coming down.

The other hill worth naming is the approach to Wat Tham Suea, the Tiger Cave Temple north-east of Krabi Town — a short, sharp climb into the car park. And Ao Nang's own strip climbs away from the beach at its southern end towards the viewpoints, which is where a lot of rented scooters get dropped at walking pace on gravel.

How far a day trip actually goes

Krabi rewards a bike because the good things are spread out and awkward to reach by minibus. Realistic days from Ao Nang, on a 125:

The Emerald Pool run is the one people underestimate: a long day in strong sun on a small bike, much of it on Highway 4 with lorries. Read sunburn and dehydration on a motorbike, and consider hiring a car for that day instead.

Town or Ao Nang: where to rent

Krabi Town shops are cheaper, typically by 50–100 baht a day. Ao Nang shops are more convenient, will bring the bike to your hotel, and are more used to dealing with visitors — including, in a handful of cases, in the ways you would rather they were not. Insist on the same two things either way: a cash deposit rather than your passport (why), and a slow walk-round on video before you ride off (how). If you booked through a hotel, be clear who you are actually renting from: hotel desks or street shops.

Seasons, rain and price

Krabi's wet season runs roughly from May to October, and it is a real monsoon coast rather than a few afternoon showers. Rain arrives fast, standing water collects on the Ao Nang road, and the limestone dust turns greasy in the first minutes of a downpour. Rates fall in those months — a 125 at 300 baht in January may be 150–200 baht in June — and shops will negotiate weekly rates. Over Christmas and New Year the opposite applies and the better bikes disappear.

For the wet, read riding a motorbike in tropical rain. In any season, look at driving at night in Thailand before planning an evening ride back from Krabi Town, because much of the 4203 is unlit.

Checkpoints and the licence question

Roadside checks are routine on the Krabi Town–Ao Nang road and around the Ao Nang beachfront, and riders report them most often in the morning and in the early evening. This is the normal Thai pattern rather than anything specific to Krabi. What officers ask for and what a stop involves is described in police checkpoints in Thailand; sort out which licence you can use in Thailand before you rent, not at the roadside.

Frequently asked questions