Ban Kok Krai Community Tourism

Ban Kok Krai is a coastal fishing and oyster-farming community in Marui subdistrict, on the Klong Marui estuary where the Thap Put district of Phang Nga meets the Krabi border. It is one of Thailand’s main oyster-farming areas, and the community has opened its working waterfront to visitors through a low-key, locally run tourism programme rather than any resort development.

The signature experience is the natural hot-mud spa at Klong Marui — said to be the only hot, salty spring of its kind in the country — where visitors walk on warmed sand, soak in the hot water, then rinse in the cool canal. Around it, half-day trips take in the oyster farms, kayaking through the mangroves, and traditional fishing, with the tides setting the schedule. The community’s women’s group turns local resources into OTOP products under the “Sab Samut” label, including scrubs and soap made from oyster shells.

This is a working community rather than a staged attraction, so a visit means joining the rhythm of the estuary — best arranged in advance through the community tourism group so a guide and a boat can be ready. Homestays let you stay overnight and share the day’s catch with a host family.

Phang Nga’s cooler, drier months from about November to April are the most comfortable for the boat trips and mud spa, and the hot spring is best at low tide. The community lies in Thap Put district, reached by car from Phang Nga town or as a detour off the Phang Nga–Krabi road; contact the community tourism group ahead to confirm activities and timing.