Ban Laem Sak Tourism Community

Laem Sak Tourism Community Enterprise organises visits into ten fishing villages on a cape in Ao Luek district, Krabi, where Thai Buddhist, Thai Muslim, and Thai Chinese families have lived side by side since the early Rattanakosin period. Around 450 people across the ten villages run the enterprise, which won Thailand’s Responsible Tourism Award in 2022. The Buddhist community traces its roots to Nakhon Si Thammarat, the Muslim community to Malay settlers from Perlis, and the Chinese community to Hokkien migrants — and the local temple, Solahuddin Mosque, and a Chinese shrine sit within a couple of hundred metres of one another in the same village.

Most visits are arranged through the enterprise or a partner tour operator rather than as a casual drop-in. The best-known activity is a kayak trip through mangrove-lined channels to a limestone cave holding rock paintings estimated at roughly 3,000 years old. Other options include a batik-dyeing session, cooking khanom chak chai (a sweet coconut dessert steamed in palm leaves) alongside village cooks, and a visit to a sea-grape farm. Multi-day packages add boat trips into Ao Luek Marine Park and homestays with local fishing and farming families.

Locals call the area “Tale Nai” — the inner sea — because a ring of limestone hills shelters the bay from open-water storms, which is why the community can receive visitors through most of the year rather than only in the dry season. The pace follows tides and weather more than a fixed itinerary, so treat any single-day visit as a sampler rather than the full experience.

Insider Tip: Book the cave-painting kayak trip and cooking session together through the enterprise rather than separately — operators bundle them at a better combined price, and it saves arranging two separate boat pickups.

Comfortable walking shoes, modest clothing, insect repellent, and sun protection cover most of what you need. The community operates Monday to Friday, leaving weekends for family time, so a weekday visit is the only option. For nearby stops in the same district, Than Bok Khorani National Park and Klang Cave are both within Ao Luek, and Krabi province has the full range of accommodation and tour options for planning a longer stay.