Dragon Crest Mountain — Attraction in Krabi Province

I cant rate the views here high enough, they are just breathtaking! At the start you need to sign in a book to make sure you make it back, and believe me you want to sign that because the climb is treacherous! Before you go its highly recommended you wear decent walking shoes, take a good amount of water and ofcourse mosquito repellent! A crazy 3.7km walk along a track that is literally a walk in the jungle. There is very little man made structures to aid you up, it's all rocks, mud and tree roots with a few sandy areas. Along the walk you will see monitor lizards, beautiful butterflies and we saw a lot of the chameleon looking lizards which are not afraid to much of people walking past, I had 1 that jumped right past me literally an inch from my face, a fantastic experience! The forests is alive with sounds of birds and beetles. Even though the path is bad it is mostly still well covered with forest vegetation, only a few places that see the sun so sun block not essential, it will help along the 1-3hr trek (depending on your physical ability)but not essential.

Once at the top you are met with different view points and of course the most famous one of the rock hanging over the edge. There are no barriers to stop you falling over the edge so do take care! I was kind of surprised how quiet it was at the top with no queues for pictures but then again we did see quite a few turn backs due to how hard it is!

I would allow 3-6hrs for this activity.

For someone like us who likes to eat out, drink beers and ciders Would say this was 8/10 for physical activity, I guess these hill runners etc will say a lot less but for us who are doing less physical activity then I think an 8 is right?

It's by far the most tiring hike to a view point we have done to date, we endured lack of water (only took 500ml each, take 3 times that!!) Mosquito bites and blisters but this will not take away the views we have taken back with us to remember for the rest of our lives!! A fantastic experience and something we are glad...

The trail is one of the more difficult hikes I did in the past month and a half while visiting national parks around Southeast Asia. I wasn't feeling well that day and it might be the reason why I got quite winded and nauseaus, but climbing the first flight of stairs is how I imagine my body to be when Im 80! The 360 view at the top is very picturesque but I much preferred the view point just before the actual top. Probably because I didnt have to stand on a narrow part of a rock and worry whether I block the way as it can get crowded. Also the ladder that was there for visitors to climb onto the rock were not fixed. Climbing them down, if my partner wasnt there, I would have fallen together with the ladder. And overall, even though the trail is rough and magical in its way, what made it less enjoyable for me was the fact that visitors pay a 5+ EUR fee, and during our 3.5 hrs up and down I saw at least 15 foreigners. And there were probably more of them in the morning or there might be as many hikers every day! But the man-made sections of the trail that were supposed to make it easier and more enjoyable were completely neglected. I understand that it's a jungle and a rainforest and rains contribute to the faster deterioration of the materials, but some parts were so bad that they were additionally dangerous and added to the difficulty of the trail, which made me wonder: what do we support with that entry fee? To me it looks like rangers and national park guardians haven't really taken a hike for a while. The place is beautiful and Thai people working there are kind, but please, national park fee is there to keep it clean, safe and enjoyable, so please use that money for that purpose then! There was random garbage at different sections of the trail. It could be from anyone but in an ideal world there should be someone hiking up from time to time to check that as well. Otherwise, nice place to challenge your limits and enjoy the limestone from the bird's...

Today was the second time I've climbed up to Dragon's Crest viewpoint (actually named Nong Thale peak). Access is through Khao Ngon Nak nature trail. Entry fee is 200b, which seems high, but quite a bit of work has gone into constructing and maintaining the trail. That said, maintenance could use a tune up these days, as there are many broken stairs and considerable erosion has occurred along the trail. Most of the hike is shaded, but don't fool yourself - it's hot going up there. Count on drinking at least 2 liters of water, maybe more if you're a sweaty person, and bring energy food as well. Today I saw at least a dozen people headed uphill without any food or water, the logic of which escapes me. OK, exiting "dad mode" now. As you approach the peak, you will start coming across viewpoints, all of which are spectacular on a clear day. There are a few side trails leading off to other attractions, but honestly I'd save your energy for the trip to the top, and only walk the side trails on the way down if you've got the stamina. The main attraction is the view from the top. Be sure to walk the narrow trail all the way around from the main boulder, as this trail leads to several more great view points. The time you spend going up and coming down could vary greatly, depending on how fit you are (not how fit you think you are). For me it was 1.5 hours up and 1.25 hours down, but I'm not a slow climber. A reasonable time would probably be around 4 hours total up and back. And count on at least an hour on top to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Ok, back to "dad mode" for one more brief moment. Please pack out all of your rubbish. The trail was pretty clean overall, but I still filled a big bag full of empty water bottles and miscellaneous rubbish collected along...