Today I would like to share my adventure - trekking trip to Cape Krating in the Southern part of Phuket Island. Even though I've lived 5 years in Phuket, I've never heard about this place and was really excited to discover it!
To get there you should go to Ao Sane beach first, which is located next to Nai Harn beach. You have to leave your transport near Ao Sane beach because after it the journey begins! We passed an abandoned guesthouse complex which looked pretty scary especially on the way back, when it was dark. I guess some day it could be popular among tourists, but nowadays people prefer to have all advantages of 21 century in their room and probably won't stay in a traditional Thai bungalow made from palm tree leaves anymore. After you pass it there will be another small beach , which you can't access from outside.
Phuket got dozens of those small beaches, which you never heard about even if you live here for a while. There is no road after, only a narrow trail which makes its way on the rocks above the sea. I was not sure how safe the route is, but it was not so difficult to tell you the truth :) It takes around 30 minutes to get to Cape Krating, which was our destination for today. Now only lizards stay there :) Local people call this lizard " Uncle Pokko" d believe< that it can help to lure the money, you just have to ask this lizard:)
In some places its difficult to recognize the trail, but even if you lose it you can easily find it after. Sometimes the road is pretty steep and you have to be very careful to keep balance! I wouldn't recommend taking this trip during the rain as the rocks should be very slippery and you can easily fall down into the sea from 20-30 meters.
In Thai language, Krating means a "Bull". I am pretty much sure you tried "Red Bull" energy drink which originally came from Thailand, here it's called " Krating Dang". One Austrian entrepreneur discovered a great tasting local energy drink during a trip to Thailand and brought the original recipe to Europe slightly changing it and starting the production of "Red Bull" in 1987.
Finally, after a 30-minute trip, we arrived at the Cape! What a spectacular view opened in front of us! Cape Krating is quite popular among local photography enthusiasts, as there is no light pollution at night and one can capture Milky Way on a good day. When we arrived to the spot there were a few people already, all locals and many more arrived later. I was the only foreigner at the place!!! You can climb higher to make some nice photos on the rocks or chill closer to the sea, you can even have a picnic there!
Finally the sun was getting down promising one of those splendid sunsets monsoon season is famous for. We spend around an hour over there having some rest and enjoying the atmosphere of this nice view point. Sunrise and sunset is almost the same time in Phuket during the year.
Usually the sun rises at 6:30 am and sets at 6:30 pm, as Phuket is located only 9 degress from the Equator. During the year the timing can slightly change, plus or minus 20 minutes depending on the season.
This day sunset was planned at 6:45, so we decided to leave a bit earlier to have a clear vision of the pass before the dark.
The way back was a bit faster as we knew the trail already even though we stopped a couple times to make pictures :) If you are going to visit Laem Krating I would recommend you to wear sport shoes and shorts, take a flashlight, some water and prbly some snack! Have a great upcoming week, guys!
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