Thomas McMillan

Longboat

15/04/2008

18/01/2010

Route notes

You don’t have to take many steps out of your hotel before there is someone offering you a longboat to one of the resorts off the Krabi coast. Hat Rai Leh is actually part of the mainland but due to the way the land is formed you can only really get there by boat (usually a longboat).
To get our business the longboat driver originally told that it would cost 100baht each to get to Hat Rai Leh. We had to wait almost an hour for the driver to gather another 8 people. We were then told that the 100baht price was for 12 people so we could have to pay 150Baht to make up for the shortfall. In the end we settled on 130Baht each.
I think at least half of what makes Hat Rai Leh so magical is the boat journey to get there. As you leave Krabi you pass the old battered fishing boats but it’s not long before your out on the open water gazing with wide eyes at the islands and peninsulas that jump out of the water. Half an hour later you will arrive at Hat Rai Leh with a full camera and wet feet (as there is no pier!). You will probably land at the lagoon side of the resort (the beach is on the other side) head to the right and then up the hill for the cheapest accommodation.

Tom McMillan
3 years ago