The islands in Krabi are stunningly beautiful but what do you do if you’re tired of jellyfishes, the heat and crowds — this hiking trail in Krabi is perhaps the adventure you’re looking for.

I was so drained by the people and I was in the middle of this heatwave in Krabi that hiking began to sound appealing; the shade from the trees, the epic viewpoints and a waterfall stream with nobody but just you.

What more can you ask for?

Hiking up dragon crest mountain in krabi

The Dragon Crest Mountain (also known as Ngon Nak) hike in Krabi is a 7.2km out-and-back hike that takes you a total of 4.5 hours to complete.

It is one of the most famous trail in Krabi due to its spectacular views of limestone mountains and the Andaman Sea.

Ngon Nak means Dragon Crest. This name came from its distinctive shape, resembling the crest of a dragon. Locals hold a deep belief that this majestic mountain is a holy guardian, watching over the land below.

There’s a famous outrock on the top that became Instagram-famous but now that has been closed with barbed wires around it — and for good reasons.

But there are various steep rocks all the way to the top that’s equally thrilling and mesmerising.

Also read: How I Spent 3-5 Days in Krabi: Travel Itinerary + What To Do

Starting The Hike | How To Get To Dragon Crest Mountain

a look at the map at dragon crest mountain

It is about 30 minutes and a total of 20km from Ao Nang. If you’re coming from Krabi Town, it is 40 minutes by car.

The best way to get to Dragon Crest Mountain is to get a GRAB taxi in the morning. It shouldn’t cost you a lot and it is pretty easy to get one.

The trail opens at 8am and shuts by 2pm. You definitely want to start early as it gets pretty hot and humid after 10am.

It costs 200 baht per person to enter the park. You’ll need to register at the beginning of the trail and they encourage you to take pictures of the map so you don’t get lost.

How Difficult Is the Trail?

the beginning part of the trail khao ngon nak

It is technically not a hard climb and it is pretty straightforward. The beginning part of the trail can be steep and relentless.

There’s a bit of scrambling, huge boulders and tree roots with some erosion on the trail.

I went alone and I found it pretty easy to figure out the route. Nobody has gotten lost here although recently there was news of the body of a missing Dutch teenager.

He may have fallen while exploring the cliff area - which is why it is important to be vigilant at all times and not go off the trail.

The Trek Up to Dragon Crest Mountain in Krabi

At the beginning of the trail, you’ll find a clear-cut path with trees overgrown and plenty of signboards that explain the flora and fauna of the jungle.

I felt like the national park authorities did a good job in explaining all the key details which I had no clue about. It all looked the same to me but the more you read, the more you understand what these white and green spots that you see on the trees are actually fungus and algae.

The mountain is super sacred so as I hiked further in, I saw a little altar on the left.

As you head deeper inside after a bit of scrambling and big roots, at the 1.5km mark you’ll come across long rickety wooden stairs.

The Wooden Stairs

the rickety wooden stairs at the national park in krabi

The wooden stairs is a perfect stop to catch a break, hear the sounds of birds and monkeys as you take a breather and admire Krabi’s national park.

After the ropes and all the wooden stairs, you’ll come across more scenic paths and wooded trees.

You’ll be sweating because of the humidity but I found it much cooler as I headed up and couldn’t wait to have a peek of the mountains and the sea.

The Auburn Zone

There are a few lookout point on the way which makes it exciting to know how far above we are. There’ll be a signboard with emergency contact numbers.

You’ll also come across a signboard stating you’re in the auburn zone. The colours in this part of the jungle are all auburn in colour.

The bark is copper-red, papery and flaky but it is interesting to note that Syzygium antisepticum is known for its fruit to be in whitish-red-violet The young shoots are often cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

All this was obviously making me hungry so as I paused and wondered about these trees, I also couldn’t wait to reach the viewpoint.

Arriving at the viewpoint

As you head further in, the signboard shows that you are close to the Khao Ngon Nak viewpoint. If you turn right, there’s a lake or pond where you can swim but from what I heard from others - it is OK, not worth the detour.

I went ahead and finally reached the viewpoint. The Khao Ngon Nak viewpoint looked lovely and there was a nice cool breeze where you could see the islands and karst mountains.

It was barricaded for safety and somehow wasn’t exactly the viewpoint I imagined in my head.

I wanted a quiet corner and decided to continue further ahead.

Scrambling up to some rocks

the amazing rocks and other viewpoints at the dragon crest mountain

a view of the sea and the other mountains

I continued further until I came to some epic viewpoints. I didn’t have a lot of pictures as I needed complete focus on this parts.

I was awe-struck as I got to see panoramic views of the entire jungle, mountains and sea.

The trek up further was worth it as I found pretty wildflowers, unique view points and it was slightly more challenging than arriving at the usual one.

Descending and heading to the waterfall stream

After idling around for 45 minutes and having my own lunch at the viewpoint, I decided it was time to go down.

Coming down was easy but tough on the knees — it was also incredibly humid and I was so thankful that I didn’t start the climbing part at 10am.

People were struggling, some didn’t even carry enough water. I’ll tell you for this hike, you need a minimum of 3 litres of water and a lot of energy bars or snacks.

Just before the entrance of the trail, turn right and you’ll see a lush waterfall stream. Clear waters, fishes and cascading water — it was the perfect end to this trek.

Also read: How I Spent 3-5 Days in Krabi: Travel Itinerary + What To Do