Personally I am not much of a beach person. I can spend a couple of hours doing nothing, but after that I feel the need to do something. So, I was happy to learn that there was a nature trail right near our hotel where we booked our beach break in Krabi. Not only did hiking Khao Ngon Nak trail turn out to be amazing, I consider it as one of the most spectacular viewpoints in all of Thailand!
Viewpoints of Thailand often leave you with a feeling of “yes, that’s nice indeed”. But sometimes, you end up at a place that truly takes your breath away and where you catch your self saying “wow, this is amazing” out loud. Doi Luang Chiang Dao in Chiang Mai is such a place, as is Phu Chi Fah in Chiang Rai. But you can definitely add hiking to Khao Ngon Nak to the list as well. If you want to know more about how to get to this amazing place, have a look at the FAQ below. If after reading the article you are left with questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or contact us!
Khao Ngon Nak – What’s in a name?
The mythical Naga of Tubkaek Beach
If you just want to know how to get to the trail and get that epic Instagram photo, just skip this part. But living in Thailand, and having an interest in Thai culture and history, I was happy to learn that Khao Ngon Nak is more than just a random name. It has a real meaning to it!
Khao Ngon Nak means “The Naga’s Crest Mountain”, or as you come across more often “Dragon’s Crest Mountain”. You may also come across the name Khao Hang Nak, which is wrong as it translates as “The Naga’s tail mountain”.
A naga is a mythical creature that locals believe lives in rivers. It has a snake-like appearance but its head looks a lot more fierce, like that of a dragon. Local believe that Tubkaek Beach is formed by a naga that laid itself down to rest. It supposedly chose this location because of the excellent Feng Shui, with the sea below and the mountains above. Besides the crest of the naga, where you can take the epic photos, you can also find the belly button of the naga on Tubkaek Beach.
The natural well in front of Tup Kaek Sunset Resort is considered sacred and believed to be the belly button of the mythical beast. The tail of the naga is located at the other extreme of Tubkaek beach, not accessible to the public. The royal family chose this excellent location as their preferred location for their summer residence.
When hiking to Khao Ngon Nak viewpoint, you can make a side-track to another well near the top. This well is believed to be the naga’s eye.
Where is the Khao Ngon Nak trail?
The trail and the viewpoint are in Krabi, Thailand. They are part of the Nopparatthara – Moo Koh Phi Phi National Park. That’s a long name that doesn’t say a lot, as the National Park encompasses multiple islands and vast areas on the mainland. So to be more specific, the park entrance you are looking for and the place where the trail starts is located at the end Tubkaek Beach. If you keep following the main road parallel to the beach you can’t go wrong. If you do a search on Google Maps, you may get the wrong location, so I have pinpointed the correct location to the start of the Khao Ngon Nak trailhead here.
How to get there?
This depends mainly on where you are staying. If you are staying in one of the hotels at Tubkaek beach, you can basically walk to the ranger office. This is where you register and where you start your adventure. It’s a good warm-up for the hike ahead. But if you are staying at any other place, like Ao Nang, Nopparat Thara or Klong Muang beach, you will need to find yourself some wheels.
A private transfer by car or songthaew
This is the safest option, but also the most expensive one. As it is difficult to estimate how long hiking the Khao Ngon Nak trail will take you, you better err on the safe side and hire a vehicle with driver for the full day. That way you are sure your driver will still be waiting when you come back. And if you turn out to be a fast hiker, you can why not enjoy some time at the beautiful Tubkaek Beach afterwards? The price will depend on your place of stay, but you should aim in the ballpark of around 500THB.
By motorbike
This option gives you the most flexibility. But it is also the one that I would least recommend for most people. Driving a motorbike in Thailand can be outright dangerous, especially if you are not used to driving one at home. The process of renting a scooter seems remarkably easy, and what could go wrong, right? Well, a lot. Just research “farang tattoo”, I have seen many of them since my first visit to Thailand. So think twice before renting a motorbike. And only do so if you have a valid license and an insurance that covers accidents. The upside is that you have all the freedom in the world, and you can go and leave as you please. A motorbike for the day starts at around 150-200THB.
What is the Khao Ngon Nak trail like?
This is probably the question that most people want to know the answer to. And it is part of the reason why I decided writing this article. While doing some researching, I came across a lot of conflicting information. The spectrum of reviews goes from near death experiences to a walk in the park. To put it easily, if you have a basic level of fitness and you exercise regularly, don’t hesitate. You can do it! Although it may take you a while, depending on how fit you really are.
The distance and trail condition
The trail is officially 3.7 kilometers, but this seems to be up until the last “viewpoint”, not the top. I tracked my hike, and the until the top the total distance was 4.1 kilometers. As you can see hiking to Khao Ngon Nak took me 1 hour and 11 minutes, with a couple of short breaks and photo stops along the way.
The trail itself is in relatively good shape most of the time. There are a couple of steep parts, but there are ropes to help you with those. You can also safely disregard any review from before 2017, as significant improvements were implemented since then. The main improvements are 2 sets of stairs that help with some steepest sections. You can use these stairs to gauge the distance if you don’t have a GPS watch. After the 2nd (steepest) set of stairs you are more than half way, and the worst part is behind you.
Difficulties and dangers on the trail
The most difficult part for me was the humidity. Eventhough I have been living in Thailand for years now, the humidity was problematic and I sweated a lot more than I expected. So prepare enough water, or even better, an electrolyte drink.
Besides that, the trail has some parts with loose rocks. These can be quite tricky, especially going down. While they are not slippery, they often are less stable than they appear.
Another one of my concerns was snakes, but I didn’t see any along the way. I checked with the rangers and they said venomous snakes are not very common along the main trail. And as the trail sees quite a lot of traffic, most snakes steer well clear of it.
The cliffs at and near the top are the biggest danger by far. The lack of barriers, or any protection of any kind, adds to the beauty of the place. But it also can make the smallest miscalculation lethal. I found all the trails to the rocks, cliffs and viewpoints quite wide. So there really isn’t any problem if you are careful. But you really, really have to BE CAREFUL!
What are the viewpoints and the cliffs like?
Sometimes you see a photo somewhere, and you just know that it has been retouched. You just know that in reality the place isn’t as picture perfect. I thought Khao Ngon Nak would be the same. But honestly it is the opposite. All the pictures you see are out of this world, but they don’t come close to taking in the scenery of Krabi and beyond in real life.
There are a couple of viewpoints along the way, and they only get more spectacular as you go along. The first 3 viewpoints offer spectacular over the surrounding area, but they are partly blocked by trees or plants. At the actual summit is a big boulder that you can climb up via a small bamboo ladder. This viewpoint gives you the widest panorama.
The Instagram shot
For the famous Instagram shot you need to keep right at the top, until you see a danger sign and barbed wire. This is the infamous overhanging rock. While it seems well fenced off at first sight, you can easily go around the barbed wire on the left side. But again, BE CAREFUL!
You will need a partner in crime to go around the corner to the spot where you can get the instafamous shot. Unless you go super early or very late, there will probably be someone around to take the photo for you. So don’t worry, solo hikers!
When can you hike to Khao Ngon Nak?
The trail is officially open all year round, from 07:00AM until 3:00PM. It is occasionally closed on days with heavy rain. Officially open means that there are rangers to register you before starting the hike, and upon returning. They will also go up and down the trail regularly to check if everything is going well.
Unofficially you could make your way up to Khao Ngon Nak viewpoint at any time, but it is at your own risk. You could be tempted to head up to see the sunrise, but while I haven’t tried it, I can imagine it being quite dangerous. You would have to leave extremely early, and make your way up the steep jungle path in complete darkness. If anyone ever tries it, I am very interested to learn about the experience, I can imagine the views being even more spectacular.
Update about sunrise at Khao Ngon Nak
One of our readers was nice enough to share his experience of hiking the trail in the early morning. They started the hike at 6.10am and confirmed that there is nobody at the checkpoint, and that it is perfectly possible to go up.
Headlamps are an absolute must as the trail is completely pitch black. This makes the trail a bit harder than during daylight, but not much. The heat and the humidity are equally relentless in the early hours, so enough water and some snacks are indispensable.
However, to really see the sunrise, our reader recommends to start hiking at 5.00am, because the trail takes a bit longer in the dark, and they just missed the sunrise. As I also mentioned in the article, good shoes are a must and when going up in the dark, and especially in the dark when visibility is limited.
I started hiking up to Khao Ngon Nak about 8.45AM, and I crossed path with about 10 other people on the way up. On the way down, I passed considerably more people, probably about 20 to 30. Personally I would recommend to start hiking as early as possible to escape the heat, but definitely try to start before 9AM. This way you can make your way up the hardest part before it get really hot and humid. And based on the amount of people I crossed, you will also avoid the crowds.
Conclusion on hiking Khao Ngon Nak
It is definitely a highlight for anyone who loves exercise or a good hike. The views are absolutely amazing, and they can compete with some of Southeast-Asia’s most epic panorama’s like the Preah Vihear cliff, or the plain of temples in Bagan.
Just remember to prepare accordingly: leave early, wear proper shoes, take plenty of water and/or electrolyte drinks and some snacks, take your time hiking up, and most importantly: BE CAREFUL!
Have you ever hiked to Khao Ngon Nak? Let me know in the comments! Or in case you have any questions after reading the above, don’t hesitate to contact us! For more inspiration there is a dedicated Activities section on the blog. Or just use the “search” function, to see if you can find something interesting!
