NatureKrabi

Krabi Hot Springs & Emerald Pool: Day Trip Guide

6 hoursFrom $10 USDUpdated July 29, 2026

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What to Expect

These are two separate sites in Khlong Thom district, in the south-east of Krabi province, and they're almost always sold together as one day trip because they sit within a short drive of each other. Neither is close to Krabi Town — budget the best part of a day.

The hot springs are a series of smooth, worn limestone basins in a forest stream, fed by thermal water that arrives at roughly bath temperature. You sit in the pools while the water runs through and spills down into a cool stream at the bottom, which is the point: warm soak, then cold plunge. It's shaded, it's compact, and it gets busy — the basins only hold so many people at once.

Emerald Pool (Sa Morakot) sits inside the Khao Phra Bang Khram Nature Reserve, reached by a boardwalk and forest path of roughly a kilometre from the car park. It's a shallow, spring-fed pool in lowland rainforest, and the colour is genuine — a strong green that shifts toward blue depending on the light and the season. You can swim here, and most people do.

A short walk further on is the Blue Pool (Sa Nam Phut), a deeper, more intensely coloured spring. Swimming is not permitted there, and it's often closed for part of the year to protect the site, so treat it as a bonus rather than a reason to come. For an organised trip with transport included, compare Krabi hot springs day trips on GetYourGuide.

Practical Information

Both sites charge separate entrance fees, and foreigners pay more than Thai nationals — budget a few hundred baht per person in total, and carry cash, as card payment is unreliable at the gates. Opening hours run through daylight only; the reserve stops admitting visitors well before dark because the trail is unlit.

Go early. Tour groups from Krabi and Ao Nang tend to arrive late morning, and both sites are much better before they do. Weekdays are noticeably quieter than weekends.

Bring swimwear you can walk in, plus a towel and a dry bag — there are changing facilities but they are basic, and the forest path is humid. Water shoes help on the limestone at the hot springs, which is slick. Insect repellent is worth having. And take your rubbish out with you; this is a nature reserve, not a resort.

The dry season, November to April, is the most reliable window. In heavy rain the pools can cloud and lose the colour that people come for, and the Blue Pool in particular may be shut.

Getting There

Khlong Thom is roughly 60–70 km south-east of Krabi Town — about an hour each way by road, and further from Ao Nang. There's no practical public transport to either site.

Most visitors book a day tour, which is usually the cheapest option once you account for transport and typically bundles both sites with one or two other stops. The alternatives are a chartered taxi for the day, or a rented car or scooter if you're comfortable with the ride. If you drive yourself, do the hot springs first and Emerald Pool second — the forest walk is more pleasant before the midday heat.

Nearby Attractions

Both sites are in the far south-east of the province, so they pair with each other rather than with Krabi's coastal highlights:

Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea), famous for the 1,237-step climb to its summit shrine, is a separate trip on the other side of Krabi Town, north-east of the centre. It is not connected to Emerald Pool and is best done on its own morning.