Illustration.
Krabi · Mangrove kayak · 9:30 AM, 2:00 PM or 3:00 PM
Ao Thalane Kayaking: the Mangrove Paddle North of Ao Nang
Two hours by kayak through the Ao Thalane mangroves with V Welcome Travel's guides, out among the limestone walls north of Ao Nang. Book the session that meets high water on your day. Ao Nang hotels are collected free; Krabi Town and Klong Muang pay the driver 200 baht a head.
Choose your session
Which Ao Thalane Paddle?
Ao Thalane is a bay of mangrove forest and limestone towers on the Krabi coast, about 31 km by road north of Ao Nang, and you see it from a kayak: guided groups paddle the channels between the roots and along the cliffs for about two hours. Book Krabi: Ao Thalane Mangrove Kayaking Tour with Pickup by V Welcome Travel, priced from US$24 on promotion, usually US$40 a head (checked November 2026), and choose its morning, afternoon or sunset session to fit the tide. Nothing was on sale at that from-price on the dates we read: US$39.80 a person bought the 9:30 AM or the 2:00 PM session, and US$59.85 the 3:00 PM sunset session.
Krabi: Ao Thalane Mangrove Kayaking Tour with Pickup
V Welcome Travel: 9:30 AM, 2:00 PM or 3:00 PM, so you can follow the tide. Entrance fees and Ao Nang pickup in the price; not for children under 3.
Check dates →Krabi: Half-Day Kayak Adventure at Ao Thalane
For Friends travel &tour, at Ao Thalane since 2002: groups capped at 10 covering 5 to 7 km in roughly two hours, fruit at the pier afterwards.
See the tour →Sea Kayaking in Ao Thalane & Optional Full-Day Hong Island
Sea Kayak Krabi from its own pier: choose a half day, a full day with lunch, an evening paddle and barbecue, or a day that adds Ko Hong. Two people or more.
See the tour →Prices, ratings and review counts from the GetYourGuide listings (checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
The four Ao Thalane tours further down are compared row by row. Before you book, tide times and the best time shows how to pick the session.
- 4.7 / 5 635+ Reviews
- 31 km By road to the Ao Thalane shore from Ao Nang or from Krabi Town (routed November 2026)
- 6 to 8 km The paddle reviewers counted in about two hours, when the tide lets the whole route open
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
In the Price at Ao Thalane
Guide, kayak, dry bag, the entrance fees, fruit and water, and the ride from Ao Nang.
V Welcome Travel - Kayak Tour Ao Thalane's own highlights, inclusions and notes, as listed on GetYourGuide in November 2026.
Highlights
- Feel the thrill of paddling through ancient mangrove forests and lagoons
- Explore spectacular limestone caves and canyons with a local guide
What's Included
- Round-trip hotel transfer (Ao Nang free of charge and Krabi Town, Klong Muang 200 THB per person please pay directly to driver)
- Professional guide
- All kayaking equipment
- Waterproof dry bag
- National park entrance fees
- Basic accident insurance
- Seasonal fresh fruits
- Drinking water
Good to know: Fitness Level: Suitable for all levels · Weather Dependent: Programs may be adjusted based on tide and weather conditions · Not suitable for: Children under 3 years · Not Included: Other personal expenses, Pick Up from Krabi Town, Klong Muang charge 200 THB per person per round trip
How the Ao Thalane Paddle Runs
From the hotel door to the kayak point, two hours in the channels, and back.
Collected at Your Hotel
Ao Nang guests are picked up between 08:30 and 09:00 for the morning paddle, Krabi Town guests between 08:00 and 08:15. The road to the kayak point runs half an hour to an hour.
Tea, a Dry Bag, a Lesson
At the launch there is tea or coffee and a short paddling lesson. Phones go into the waterproof dry bag that comes with the trip.
The Channels and the Canyons
About two hours behind the guide, through mangrove channels and along the limestone walls. How far in you get is set by the water level that day.
Back to the Launch, Then the Hotel
Fruit and drinking water back at the launch, then the drive to your hotel. The morning session takes about 5 hours door to door, the afternoon and sunset sessions about 4.
Photo Gallery
Inside Ao Thalane
Limestone towers over the bay, the narrow channels of the mangrove forest, and the small beaches where the groups stop.
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
V Welcome Travel at Ao Thalane: about two hours paddling the mangrove channels behind a guide, with hotel pickup (nothing extra from Ao Nang; 200 baht each from Krabi Town or Klong Muang). Cancel free up to 24 hours before.
Before You Paddle
Planning an Ao Thalane Paddle
Tides and the best time, sunset and night paddles, going without a tour, Ao Thalane or Klong Root, the prices, and getting there from Krabi Town and Ao Nang.
Prices are each page's featured tour: GetYourGuide checked November 2026. The listings price in US dollars; what you hand the driver for pickup is in Thai baht.
Four Ao Thalane Paddles Compared
The same bay, four operators: when they start, how long they take, who rows, how you get there, what is included and the paddler each fits. GetYourGuide prices with the month they were checked.
| Feature | THIS PAGE Three sessions a day | Someone can row for you | Capped at 10 | With lunch and a jungle swim |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What You Pay | From US$24 per person (not on sale at that figure on the dates we read; the 9:30 AM and 2:00 PM paddles were US$39.80, the 3:00 PM sunset paddle US$59.85; checked November 2026) | From US$32 per person (10% off on 26 November 2026, back to US$35.91 for 20 January 2027; checked November 2026) | From US$25 per person (its single option was US$35.91 on the dates we read; checked November 2026) | From US$36 per person (checked November 2026) |
| Sessions | Morning 9:30, afternoon 2:00, sunset 3:00 | 8:30 in the morning; a 1:30 afternoon slot on 20 January | 8:30 in the morning or 1:30 in the afternoon | Shown in the calendar |
| Length | 4 to 5 hours with transfers | 4.5 hours | 4.5 hours | 4 to 8 hours; the full day adds the swim |
| Help Paddling | Ask for a staff member in your kayak | Book a guide-assisted seat (small fee) | Tri-yak kayaks seating two | Two-seat kayaks with an English-speaking guide |
| Pickup | Ao Nang at no charge; Krabi Town or Klong Muang pay the driver 200 baht each | Hotel pickup and drop-off | Ao Nang at no charge; Krabi Town, Klong Muang and Nong Thale 200 baht each, Tubkaek 250 | Hotel pickup from Ao Nang |
| Included | Guide and kayak; dry bag, entrance fees, fruit and water | Guide and kayak; insurance, fruit and water; lunch not included | Guide and kayak; life jacket, coffee, fruit, entrance fee | Guide and kayak; waterproof bag, halal lunch, fruit, water, entrance fee |
| Not For | Children under 3 | Children under 2, pregnant women, people over 60 | Pregnant women, people with back problems | Children under 3, pregnant women, people over 70 |
| Fits | Matching the tide with a choice of session | Anyone unsure of two hours' paddling | A group of at most 10 in the channels | A longer day with lunch after the paddle |
| Check dates | See the tour | See the tour | See the tour |
Other Ways to Paddle Ao Thalane
More Ao Thalane Kayak Tours
A sunset paddle with a barbecue, an early private guide, a full day with a jungle swim, a private day with Ko Hong, and shared paddles on Viator.
SUNSET, AT MOST 10Krabi: Ao Thalane Sunset Kayak adventure (group of 10 max)
For Friends travel &tour's sunset paddle, picking up at 3 PM: about two hours through the mangroves, the canyon and the cave, ending in the inlet as the sun goes down, with a chicken and seafood barbecue on the option that includes it. At most 10 paddlers; entrance fee included.
EARLY, PRIVATE GUIDEKrabi: Early bird kayak through Ao Thalane with a private guide
For Friends travel &tour's early start with a private guide: hotel pickup at 7:30 AM from Ao Nang, 5 to 7 km through the forest, the canyon and Crocodile Cave, then coffee and fruit, with Thai snacks in banana leaf on the private option. Entrance fee included; Krabi Town and Klong Muang add 200 baht a person.
PRIVATE, KO HONG OPTIONKrabi: Private Sea Kayaking in Ao Thalane and Hong Island
Sea Kayak Krabi's private Ao Thalane trip for your own group, 4 to 4.5 hours through the channels between two karst massifs, with options adding Ko Hong or a sunset barbecue at Laem Jamoog Kway. Van transfers and national park entrance fees included.
THAI DESSERTS AFTERHalf Day Kayaking Experience In Ao Thalane
Kayak Ao Thalane by Sweet South Sea Group's 4-hour paddle past the limestone peaks and into the mangroves, with hotel pickup, then Thai desserts, cake, fruit and coconut. Up to 15 travellers; not for travellers with back or heart problems or pregnant travellers.
FULL DAY, LUNCHFull-Day Sea Kayaking Adventure in Ao Thalane Bay from Krabi
Trip Store Krabi's full day from the Sea Kayak Krabi pier: about three hours' paddling in all, through mangrove channels in the morning and the canyons and Crocodile Cave after a Thai lunch, with beach time. Pickup round Ao Nang and Krabi Town; at most 10, bookings for two adults or more.
Ao Thalane
The Bay, the Sessions and the Reviews
Where Ao Thalane is, how the three sessions differ, who the paddle suits, and what recent paddlers wrote.
Where Ao Thalane is
Ao Thalane sits on the coast north of Ao Nang and north-west of Krabi Town, about halfway along the shore from Krabi Town to Than Bok Khorani. By road it is about 31 km from either town (routed in November 2026), which the tour vans cover in 30 minutes to an hour. You do not need to find it yourself: every tour on this site collects from hotels. The kayaks go out from the operators’ own launch points: V Welcome Travel’s is “the Ao Thalane kayaking point”, and Sea Kayak Krabi has a private pier.
The name turns up in several spellings. Ao Thalane is the usual one; the listings also write Ao Tha Lane and Ao Tha Len, and Thalane Bay. They are the same place.
The three sessions
| Morning | Afternoon | Sunset | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starts | 9:30 AM | 2:00 PM | 3:00 PM |
| Ao Nang pickup | 08:30-09:00 | 13:30-14:00 | 14:30-15:00 |
| Krabi Town pickup | 08:00-08:15 | 13:00-13:15 | 14:00-14:30 |
| Door to door | 5 hours | 4 hours | 4 hours |
| A person | US$39.80 | US$39.80 | US$59.85 |
V Welcome Travel’s options, read on five dates between 26 November 2026 and 24 March 2027 for one, two and four adults (checked November 2026); the price a person did not change with the group.
Every session comes with the guide and the kayak, plus a dry bag for your phone, accident insurance, fruit and drinking water, and the national park entrance fees are paid. From Ao Nang the transfer is free; from Krabi Town or Klong Muang it is 200 baht a person, handed to the driver in cash. Sunset is the dearer session and, with the sun setting at about 6:00 to 6:40 PM from November to April (computed for Ao Thalane), it is the one that ends the paddle in evening light (sunset and night kayaking).
The tide matters more than the hour
At high water the guides take the groups into the narrow channels, a lagoon and the canyons; at low water the same morning or afternoon can mean shallow mud and a shorter loop. Reviewers in 2026 hit both on every session. The hour of high water shifts from one day to the next; find out when it comes on your date and book the session that starts nearest to it. The tide times page goes through it month by month.
Who it suits
The paddle is flat water and suits beginners; V Welcome Travel’s tour is open to all fitness levels, though not to children under 3. Two hours of steady paddling is still a workout, and several reviewers say so, one calling it “more of a kayaking race” for a single paddler. Kayaks seat one, two or three, and a member of staff can paddle with you. On your own you may have to pay to share the guide’s kayak, and Sea Kayak Krabi did not sell to one adult on any date we read. Ao Thalane on your own covers solo travellers and renting.
From the reviews
V Welcome Travel’s 350 most recent reviews, 25 April to 10 November 2026, hold 307 five-star ratings, 31 four-star and 12 of three stars or fewer. What the less happy ones describe, in their own dated words:
- Low water. In August a group trying a channel the guide thought would be deep enough got stuck, and some paddlers waded out knee-deep in mud. In October another group could not finish the route for the water level.
- Crowds. A sunset paddler in June found it “a bit overcrowded”; a five-star reviewer in November noted “too many loud people in other kayak groups”.
- The guide. A Canadian couple in November could barely hear the guide, who spoke mostly to the front of the group, and thought going without a tour would have done.
- Getting home. The August group stuck in the mud was sent back by another car, waited, took a Grab, and was refunded by the operator.
The rest are mostly about small groups of three to eight, guides who took and shared photos, and drivers who stopped for monkeys on the road.
More Ao Thalane tours
For Friends travel &tour also sells a sunset paddle for at most 10 with an optional barbecue and an early start with a private guide. Seava Travel's day adds a halal lunch and a swim in a jungle pool, and Sea Kayak Krabi's private version can add Ko Hong. The price page sets all their options side by side.
Before you book
- The season. For Than Bok Khorani National Park, which includes Hong Island offshore, the national parks department describes rain from late April through December and dry weather from mid-January into April (checked November 2026). Tours run in both; the water level matters more.
- Bring. Swimwear, a towel, a change of clothes, sunglasses, a hat and sunscreen.
- Railay. For Friends travel &tour meets anyone staying on Railay at Ao Nang Pier or Ao Nammao Pier.
- Cancelling. Free up to 24 hours before on every GetYourGuide tour here, with reserve now and pay later.
Pick a Session at Ao Thalane
V Welcome Travel's guided paddle runs at 9:30 AM, 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM: hotel pickup, about two hours in the mangrove channels, fruit and water back at the launch. Cancel free up to 24 hours before. Starting from US$24 per person (not on sale at that figure on the dates we read; the 9:30 AM and 2:00 PM paddles were US$39.80, the 3:00 PM sunset paddle US$59.85; checked November 2026) on promotion, usually US$40, checked November 2026.
See the sessionsNear Ao Thalane
Krabi Trips with Open Dates
Other trips around Krabi with open dates; each listing gives its pickup, inclusions and cancellation terms up front.
Ao Thalane Kayaking: Questions
The spelling, the tour to book, the tide, the sunset session, going without a guide, children, pickup and the cost.
Yes, one bay on the Krabi coast north of Ao Nang. Ao Thalane is the usual spelling in English; the tour listings also write Ao Tha Lane, Ao Tha Len and Thalane Bay, and searches often try Ao Talane or Ao Thalen.
The Ao Thalane half day by V Welcome Travel, priced from US$24 on promotion, usually US$40 a head (checked November 2026), because its three sessions let you match the tide. On the dates we read the 9:30 AM and 2:00 PM sessions cost US$39.80 a person and the 3:00 PM sunset session US$59.85. For a group of at most 10, For Friends travel &tour is from US$25 on promotion, usually US$36, checked November 2026.
It changes every day, so check a tide table for Krabi for your date. Book the session that starts closest to high water: reviewers who went at low tide in 2026 met mud, sandbanks and a shorter route. See Ao Thalane tide times and the best time.
Yes, if the tide suits: the sunset session starts at 3:00 PM and the sun sets at about 6:00 to 6:40 PM from November to April (computed). It costs more, US$59.85 a person against US$39.80 on the dates we read, and one October 2026 sunset booking was called off for low water and moved. See sunset and night kayaking.
A November 2026 reviewer weighed the tour against a Grab and a kayak rented on the spot and thought the rental would have done; the route, though, is about 6 to 8 km of tidal channels, and every tour on this site comes with a guide. A solo paddler in September 2026 found the route hard alone. See Ao Thalane on your own.
From age 3 on V Welcome Travel's tour. Love Nature Krabi Travel and Tours takes children from 2 but not people over 60. A family with children aged 8 to 18 reviewed V Welcome Travel's paddle warmly in July 2026.
Yes, for a surcharge on several of them. V Welcome Travel collects free in Ao Nang, while Krabi Town and Klong Muang guests pay the driver 200 baht each; Krabi Town pickup for the morning session is 08:00 to 08:15. See getting to Ao Thalane.
Between US$32 and US$40 a head for a guided half day when we read the calendars, and US$59.85 at sunset with V Welcome Travel. Two of the tours showed from-prices below any option on sale. See Ao Thalane kayaking prices.
Still have questions? Email us at info@aothalanekayaking.com