Dragon’s Crest (Ngon Nak Nature Trail): the most picturesque landscapes in Krabi

Table of contents

1. What is Dragon's Crest (Ngon Nak Nature Trail)

2. Is Ngon Nak Nature Trail worth visiting?

3. How difficult is the Ngon Nak Nature Trail?

4. Ngon Nak Nature Trail Map

5. How to get to Ngon Nak Nature Trail

6. How much does it cost to visit Ngon Nak Nature Trail?

7. Safety of the Ngon Nak Nature Trail

8. Nature Ngon Nak Nature Trail

9. Ngon Nak Nature Trail Viewpoints

10. Magic Pond Nam Ta Nak Pond

Conclusion

1. What is Dragon's Crest (Ngon Nak Nature Trail)

In my post about Ramkhamhaeng National Park, I awarded this place the title of the most beautiful view from the mountain. This was before visiting Ngon Nak Nature Trail. It’s not that I wanted to take away Ramkhamhaeng National Park’s title as the most impressive mountain viewpoint, but if I had known about the Ngon Nak Nature Trail back then, I certainly wouldn’t have rushed to conclusions.

For details, see the article: Ramkhamhaeng National Park – the most beautiful views from the mountain and the most difficult hiking route in Thailand

Ngon Nak Nature Trail (official name) or Dragon's Crest (unofficial name) is a mountain route that offers the most beautiful views from the mountain, if not in all of Thailand, then at least the most beautiful in Krabi.

In addition to the views, there is very interesting flora and fauna here. There are a lot of different plants, lichens (lichens are not plants, they are a symbiosis of fungi and algae) and insects; along the entire route there are information stands telling about the characteristics of plants, mushrooms, mosses, mountain springs and so on.

The viewing angle, taking into account all viewing points, covers 360°.

The height of the peak is indicated on the stands, but the data on them varies: on one information board it is written that the height is “approximately 498 meters”, and on the other – “565 meters”. The application on the phone showed an altitude of 540±2 meters above sea level.

In this area, it is one of the highest mountains – the others barely reach 300 meters. There are also higher mountains in Krabi, but they are in different places.

As for nature, these are tropical forest and dry evergreen forest.

Previously this place was called “Khao Ao Nang – Hang Nak”.

Some words of the old name can be translated from Thai:

• “Khao” is a mountain
• “Ao” is a bay
• “Hang Nak” is the tail of a supernatural green snake (as my wife explained to me), well, that is, just something like a dragon or its relative)

Officially (on the entrance tickets) this place is called “Hat Noppharat Thara — Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park”.

2. Is Ngon Nak Nature Trail worth visiting?

This place is definitely worth a visit. This place (and also Railay) are the most beautiful in Krabi.

3. How difficult is the Ngon Nak Nature Trail?

First the numbers, and then the explanations:

• round trip route: 8 km
• time: 5 hours (of which perhaps an hour was spent taking photographs)
• ascent: 580 m
• dehydration (water loss): 3.8 liters
• kilocalories burned: 1882

And at the same time, I would call the route is not difficult. After I think about Ramkhamhaeng National Park, any route seems easy…

To be objective, the route is of medium difficulty and can be done by almost anyone, but be sure to take water with you.

Shoes, of course, are better to have comfortable ones.

On this route, many people overtook us. And some people on this route go jogging – this completely surprised me. That is, this route can be covered much faster than we did.

Overall, most of the route is a smooth climb. There were only 3-4 places where the incline was really steep, but these parts of the route were quite short.

In steep areas, stairs are built or there are ropes that you can hold on to during the ascent and (more importantly) descent.

Sometimes the steps are natural – they are formed by tree roots.

4. Ngon Nak Nature Trail Map

This is the map on the stand.

As you can see, one of the routes that is closed is Ban Din Dang Noi (also sometimes written as “Din Daeng”). The path to this place from the fork is 4 km. I found Din Daeng (too far away to be the intended location) and “Din Daeng Doi” (qualified to be the intended location, but the name is slightly different) on Google Map. That is, I'm not entirely sure what kind of place this is. Why the path there is closed and when it will be opened, I don’t know.

It is not shown on the map, but almost at the very entrance there is a fork with a “Stream” sign and a distance of 95 meters. You will meet this or another stream at the beginning of the route (without having to turn off anywhere).

Overall the route is very visible. Almost the entire way you just need to go straight along the road. There will be a fork towards the end, but there will be signs there.

And one more map from the stand.

And this is my route.

Pay attention to the end of the route: it is clear that I reached a certain place and then returned; then I turned at the fork and almost reached the same place where I was earlier, but still did not complete the circular route.

So, the first time I reached the top of the mountain and walked in a circle looking at the views in all directions. I returned and saw a fork leading to the “wonderful pond” (more on that later). I looked at this pond and came back. Being there, I had no idea that I was very close to the viewpoint – this came as a surprise to me later, when I was looking at the route track. Moreover, at the viewpoint I saw a path that goes further – but it seemed to me that the path was going down and the views were getting worse (they began to be blocked by trees), so I turned around and went back. I don’t know whether it’s possible to directly reach the pond from the viewpoint. It may be that this is not possible due to the difference in height between the viewpoint and the pond.

And another interactive map is a map of all the attractions of Krabi, places related to Ngon Nak Nature Trail are placed on the layer “Dragon's Crest (Ngon Nak Nature Trail)”.

5. How to get to Ngon Nak Nature Trail

You need to move to the point that is marked on the map above as “Dragon's Crest (Ngon Nak Nature Trail)”.

The path from Krabi is ornate and winding, but Google Map shows the route quite correctly.

If you are wondering whether it is possible to approach the park from the other side – no, it is not possible, there are only mountains on the other side. To get to the park you need to go from Tubkaek Beach.

6. How much does it cost to visit Ngon Nak Nature Trail?

Ticket prices:

• for Thais – 40 baht
• for foreigners – 200 baht

You can enter the park by vehicle – there is parking there. There is no additional charge for transport.

Parking inside the park is small – for motorcycles. The car will need to be left somewhere along the road, or in the parking lots that are found earlier, before entering the park (there are restaurants and hotels there).

7. Safety of the Ngon Nak Nature Trail

Viewpoints are not fenced off from the abyss.

This is not a feature of this place – on all the mountains of Thailand, viewpoints are made in a similar way.

But in general, everything is quite safe if you don’t do anything stupid yourself.

We didn't meet any snakes or spiders on our way. There are slopes that require special caution, but there are safety ropes there.

Be careful on the steps, they are slippery even in dry weather!

Of course, I would never go here in the rain or after the rain.

I saw other visitors taking photos while sitting on this rock – if you are a fan of something like this, then be careful.

8. Nature Ngon Nak Nature Trail

In general, the nature here is very interesting. To broaden your horizons, a couple of dozen information stands are placed along the route.

For example, this grass, if you take its height from the very tips, is about 2 times taller than me.

This is moss. It's a little unusual to find moss at 500 meters. In countries with a European climate, moss is usually found in swampy lowlands. But in Thailand, in the jungles and lowlands, moss is replaced by other plants. Apparently, this is the ideal combination of height and humidity for this ancient plant.

This lizard was basking in the sun and was not afraid of us when we passed by. I became insolent and began to gently touch its tail – the lizard at first tolerated it, and then finally ran away.

The mushrooms feel like they are growing right out of the stone.

I also saw large ants and other natural interesting things. Still, I came there for the viewpoints, so I didn’t really delve into the plant life of this place.

9. Ngon Nak Nature Trail Viewpoints

The first viewpoint on the map is designated “Island view”. Some visitors have this viewpoint and this view as their favorite – it’s hard to disagree with this, the view is wonderful!

In this photo (from left to right):

• Hong Island (by the way, there is a great viewpoint there – if possible, visit it too)
• Ko Lao Ka (very small)
• Ko Kao Riam
• Ko Pak Ka
• Lao Lading Island (by the way, a stunningly beautiful place!)
• Ko Ya La Hu Tang
• Ko Ka Ya
• Ko Sa Ya Taling
• Koh Pakbia (also a super beautiful place)
• Ko Pa Hu Sia

Ko Yao Noi can be seen in the background. There may be a piece of Ko Yao Yai visible in the background on the left side of the frame. These are the “spy islands” – excursions are taken here from Phuket.

Also in the background on the left side of the frame you can see the island of Ko Rang Nok (it almost merges with the background of other larger islands, but from it towards us there is a smaller island) – let’s remember this island and its special features, a little later we will see it again, but from the other side…

A few short videos from this viewpoint.

Island view (8K):

Island view (4K):

View of Island view (zoomed):

If you're thinking that all the previous videos are pretty similar and you could get away with just one of them, and I posted them all because I couldn't pick the best, then… you're right.

The previous location had a view to the west. Now the viewpoint (marked on the map as “Northeast view”) allows us to see the northeast direction.

A couple of videos from “Northeast view”:

Video from “Northeast view” in 8K resolution:

The next place is “Laem Cha-mook Kwai Viewpoint”, this is almost the very top, from here you can see a wide range of views.

From here you can see Laem Cha-muk Khwai, Ao Tha Len, Klong Nai Sa, Khao Khanap Nam, Khao Khram, Khao Nak Nui, Khao Klom.

Some videos from Laem Cha-mook Kwai Viewpoint:

#1

#2

#3

#4

Next is the view from the place called “North view” on the map.

The sea is no longer visible from here. The body of water visible from here (with a characteristic island inside) is “Nong Thale”.

Video from North view:

The next place is Khao Ngon Nak Viewpoint (on the signs it is sometimes written as “Khao Ngon Nak Scenic Point”).

This is the peak of the mountain. There you will see a ladder along which you can climb onto the stone.

Some short videos from Khao Ngon Nak Scenic Point:

#1

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#4

Some visitors believe that the route ends at the peak. No, look closely and you will find the continuation of the path. The next place on the map is marked as “East view”. In the center of the frame, slightly to the left, this is most likely the city of Krabi and its river.

Video from East view:

I reached the place that I marked on the map as “South-east view​”. There should be a Railay somewhere on the left side of the photo. In the central part of the photo is Nopharat Thara Beach.

Finally, this place offers views of Klong Muang Beach and the edge of Ko Yao Yai (one of the “spy islands”).

A couple of videos from “South-east view”:

#2

From the place marked on the map as “South view” you can already clearly see Ko Yao Yai, which is located in the distance, but due to its size is still clearly visible.

Video from South view:

In fact, the road did not end there. The road continued, but the trees increasingly obscured the view.

I reached the place that I marked on the map as “South-west view”. The trees already hide most of the view, but we can recognize our old friend – the island of Ko Rang Nok (another smaller island is visible in front of it towards us).

Now the circle is complete – we were able to look around 360°. In fact, even there the path did not end and it was possible to continue moving. But I turned around and went back. Now I understand that the views were unique each time and differed in the direction of view. And there at the top, after several hours of climbing up the mountain, I didn’t understand it – it seemed to me that I was photographing the same place, the only difference was that there were more trees. It is quite possible that there is nothing else there – perhaps the road ends or the view is completely obscured by trees. But now I regret a little that I didn’t check it to the end.

10. Magic Pond Nam Ta Nak Pond

At the fork, almost at the very top, I saw a sign to “Nam Ta Nak Pond”. The journey turned out to be short, the road was interesting.

More precisely, the road turned out to be more interesting than the pond itself. This puddle in the photo is that same pond.

There is a legend of this place written there, but I was so disappointed that I didn’t even bother to delve into which of these puddles was the same pond (maybe both).

Don't throw coins in there – it won't make you feel any better, but the water will be undrinkable.

The rock going up is, judging by the map, the very same viewpoint along which I walked in circles.

By the way, who remembers in what other place I was completely disappointed by the “magic pond”?

Conclusion

I really liked Ngon Nak Nature Trail! When I'm in Krabi again, I'll come here again.

Firstly, views may differ at different times and in different weather. And the views here are just amazing.

Secondly, I will try to figure out the road – does it really end where I turned around, or can I go a little deeper?

Well, thirdly, I liked the route itself. Moderately difficult, on the one hand, does not let you get bored, but at the same time it is not a colossal shake-up for the body like some other mountain roads, on which the body is at its very limit.

By the way, there are quite a lot of viewpoints there (at the top). I may not mention some places. Just remember that although they all seem to be fairly close together, the view of them may differ due to the fact that you are walking in a circle.