The Krabi Urban Forest Walkway (or the Mangrove Walkway) is an easy stroll along a 0.8km wooden boardwalk. From the raised walkway, you can get a closer look at the fascinating mangrove formation and maybe even spot some local fauna. You don’t need hiking shoes or any special gear for this attraction. I’m not sure if it’s like this year-round, but there were surprisingly no mosquitoes when we visited (we went in the morning).
How to Get to Krabi Urban Forest Walkway
If you don’t have a scooter, the Mangrove Walkway is easily walkable from central Krabi Town. Follow the river boardwalk north, and keep your eyes open for the road down into the Krabi Urban Forest on your right side. The sign is in Thai, but the crab sculpture is hard to miss. There is free parking in the Krabi Urban Forest parking lot.
Admission Price & Opening Hours of Mangrove Walkway
The Krabi Mangrove Walkway is open 24 hours. You can enter anytime since there’s no fence or gate around the site. A metal bar comes down on the street entrance between 6 pm and 6 am, mostly to deter cars or scooters – pedestrians can walk under it. The start of the walkway also has a “barrier” that I assume comes up after dark. This barrier is literally a wooden plank across the boardwalk that anyone can easily step over.
What to See at Mangrove Walkway
What you can see along the walkway depends on the time of day. We visited in the late morning when the water level had receded. It was mostly muddy terrain with a few shallow pools. Mangrove roots sprawled everywhere, and strange tiny stalagmites poked through the mud.
I hoped to see some mudskippers, but the only creatures I managed to spot were water spiders and small crabs. There were also a couple of macaque monkeys on the walkway that I had to be wary of.
Krabi Watch Tower
The Krabi Watch Tower is roughly the halfway point of the mangrove walkway. After climbing fiftyish steps to the top, you can get a 360-degree view of the surroundings, such as Krabi Town and the twin cliffs.
Pier
At the end of the boardwalk, there’s a gazebo with benches in the shadow of the limestone cliff looming overhead. There’s lots of information at the gazebo, but unfortunately, it’s all in Thai. Boatmen will hang out around here, offering rides to Khao Khanab Nam across the river. I think the sign at the pier said that it costs 80 baht.
If you want to see the cave but aren’t interested in a mangrove tour, you should hop on a boat here to the cave. All the boatmen in Krabi Town will push for a cave and mangrove tour. None will be willing to offer a discount to only travel to the cave, in my experience.
Facilities at Krabi Urban Forest
You’d think there’d be a washroom at the Krabi Urban Forest Walkway, but I couldn’t find it. There are a couple of small buildings at the beginning of the boardwalk. One was labeled the “Mangrove Ecosystem Learning Center.” If a public toilet was going to be anywhere, it would be here. Either it used to exist or it will be installed in the future. At present, the buildings are bare and empty inside, so use the bathroom before you visit.
Saturday Worthy?
The Krabi Mangrove Walkway only takes less than an hour, even if you’re going slow. There wasn’t much to see in the mangrove forest but the watch tower had a great view. I’d say it’s a worthwhile thing to do in Krabi. It’s free and easy to get to, so why not?
