Longtail boat through the bay
A traditional longtail boat crosses the sheltered bay past limestone islets and mangrove edges, towards the Tuk Kon Sai sandbar.
Krabi · Community
Laem Sak, Krabi: a community guide
Laem Sak is a small peninsula in Ao Luek district, Krabi, with the sea on three sides. Families of different faiths live here side by side and run tourism themselves, so what you do is shaped by the people who live in the village. This guide describes the experiences, the food and the products of the community.
Photos: Laem Sak Community
A village of several cultures
Thai Buddhist, Thai Muslim and Thai-Chinese Peranakan (Baba-Nyonya) families share Laem Sak. The old quarter has Sino-Portuguese houses, among them the Blue House, and a Chinese shrine facing the water, while the community’s own mural and signs tell the story of the place.
Visitors are hosted by the community: guests eat, paddle, paint and sleep with the people who live here, and the income stays in the village.
What you can do in Laem Sak
These are the experiences the community offers. Programmes combine them, and the order can change with the weather and the tide.
Sea kayaking by the mangroves
Paddle about three hours along the mangrove and the inner sea. The water is calm and the scenery is the point.
Orchids back to the forest
A community project in which guests help return orchids to the forest, a small, hands-on way to give something back.
Khao kluk kapi for lunch
Rice mixed with shrimp paste and served with local side dishes, a classic of the coast, eaten in the village or at the water.
Three cultures in one village
Walk the old quarter, see the Blue House and the Chinese shrine and learn how Buddhist, Muslim and Peranakan traditions live together.
Batik and a Baba-style dinner
Paint batik with local artisans, then sit down to an evening meal in Baba-Nyonya style.
Sunset at the white chedi
The white chedi of Wat Mahathat Laem Sak looks out over the sea, a quiet place to end the day.
Photos: Laem Sak Community
Products of the community
Laem Sak makes and sells its own products: skincare made with sea grapes from the village’s seaweed farms, dried fish, shrimp paste and batik clothing and bags. They are a good way to take a piece of the village home, and each purchase supports the families who make them.
Programme examples
Three ways to put the experiences together. Times are approximate.
One day: boat, lunch and village culture
Arrive in the morning, take the longtail boat through the bay, join the orchid activity, have khao kluk kapi for lunch and spend the afternoon with the cultures of the village before heading home in the late afternoon.
One day with kayak
The same boat trip and lunch, followed by an afternoon paddle by the mangroves and the limestone hills.
Two days, one night
Day 1: arrival and check-in, boat, orchids, lunch, kayak and a Baba-style dinner. Day 2: breakfast, village culture and departure.
When to go
Laem Sak can be visited through the year. A vegetarian festival takes place in the community in February and March, with processions and food, a lively time to be there.
Stay with the community
Our private stays use the same village, boat and kayak, with a van, a guide and the Peranakan accommodation arranged for your group.