Cattery's Jungle Odyssey to Krabi Hot Spring, Emerald Pool & Tiger Cave Temple

On this full-day tour you will see the 3 main attractions of the Krabi jungle: Wat Tham Suea (the Tiger Cave Temple), Sra Morakot (the Emerald Pool), and the natural hot spring. First you will visit the Tiger Cave Temple, aptly named because of the rock outgrowth nearby resembling a tiger’s claw. Located about 3 kilometers from Krabi Town, the temple is known as a center for meditation and its spectacular setting in the Ao Luk Thanu mountain range provides the necessary quiet atmosphere for meditation.

Some 250 monks and nuns live in the temple compounds at the moment. The main vihara (sanctum sanctorum) is inside a small shallow limestone cave, where the walls are lined by cells. The area is well lit and very well maintained to preserve the serenity of the environment.

Here you can venture up the hills by taking 1 of the 2 passages. One passage takes you up 1,239 steps to the hilltop and the other is only 130 steps up to reach a place where monks live in their small cottages. The commanding view all around is worth taking the strain to climb the hill. The whole area is full of caves and limestone rock formations. Archeologists have found remnants of ancient habitations as old as from the Stone Age. Stone tools, shards of pottery and beads, and idols of clay have all been unearthed which bear testimony to the cultural heritage of the area.

You will also trek through the jungle to the Emerald Pool/Crystal Lagoon, a fresh water pool inside the Khao Phra Bang Khram Nature Reserve. The waters of this 120-square-meter pond take on a green hue thanks to an abundance of minerals from the surroundings limestone hills. The crystal clear water is unsuitable for drinking and feels thick due to its high calcium carbonate content which can cause gallstone. Here you can go for a swim to escape the heat of the day and admire the stream, one of the sources of the pool, which tumbles in at one end over rock made smooth by mineral deposits.

Another natural wonder you will see on this tour is the natural hot spring in Krabi. Out in the forest about 40 kilometers south of Krabi Town is Klong Thom Waterfall. Though the falls itself is just a cascade tumbling gently but a few meters, it is unique in that the spring water that feeds it bubbles up from the earth at temperature of more than 50 degrees Celsius. It cools a bit as it flows to the cascade and you can swim in the calm stream below for a much cooler bath.