The Mystic Dragon Crest Hike
How To Get To Khao Ngon Nak Viewpoint
The Mystic Dragon Crest Hike {How To Get To Khao Ngon Nak Viewpoint}
Exhausted from all of the leisurely and repetitive island tours around Krabi? Take a break from the monotony and make the ascent to the most epic viewpoint in all of Thailand.
Ngorn Nak aka Dragon Crest Mountain is a stunning 3.7 km hike located in northern Krabi, Thailand. Situated a mere 25-minute drive from Ao Nang beach and a 40-minute drive from Krabi Town, this climb will indisputably offer some of the most breathtaking photos out of all your Thailand adventures.
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How To Find Dragon Crest Peak
Locating the trailhead for Dragon Crest Mountain can be a rather difficult task, especially if you are making the venture on your own. Simply looking up “Dragon Crest Viewpoint” or “Ngorn Nak” on google maps can lead you amiss towards several different false starting points.
This is exactly what happened to us, three times exactly, before finding some more than helpful local kids to guide us in the right direction.
The park entrance for the Dragon Crest Trailhead can be found at the northern end of highway 6024 in Tubkaek Beach just past Amari Vogue Resort.
Although we did manage to get lost more than we like to admit, the drive itself could not be more appealing and we highly recommend taking a motorbike to get the most out of the experience.
Just be sure to enter the correct address below into your maps and this will take you to the correct location.
"Checkpoint Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park"
Pro Tip
If you are not comfortable with driving a motorbike you could very well hire a Tuk Tuk or a Taxi, but I have been told this can cost upwards of 1000 baht.
Once you reach the park entrance, proceed straight past the gate to park your motorbike. No need to worry about a park entrance fee, however once you complete the hike it is recommended you tip the park rangers a couple hundred baht.
Proceed directly past the restaurant down the hill and you will find the trailhead conveniently located on your right side.
How Difficult Is The Hike?
The trail itself takes anywhere from 2 ½ to 4 ½ hours to complete depending on your fitness level and how many photo breaks you take along the way. It took us just over an hour to reach the peak at a consistent pace with minimal photo breaks.
We did the morning hike as we desperately needed to return back to our hotel in Krabi Town before 11 a.m in order to finish packing our bags and check out on time. Needless to say, once we discovered how mind-blowingly breathtaking the panoramas atop the Dragon Crest summit were, this did not happen.
The hike itself is pretty intense given a majority of the trail is a vertical climb, however until you reach the peak, the trek up the mountain is relatively safe with very few death defying moments.
Just be sure to bring some water and snacks to replenish yourself along the way because after a while the hike does get quite grueling.
Not to mention on the way down, you will see quite a few exhausted and severely sweaty hikers along the way frequently asking “how much further?”
What Time Should I Hike Dragon Crest Mountain?
The park is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., however I advise you arrive at the park when it opens to avoid the influx of tourists that come later in the day.
Sharing the viewpoint with dozens of overzealous photo hungry visitors can quickly ruin the Dragon Crest experience.
Moreover, I would avoid attempting the hike in the afternoon, as the scorching hot temperatures of Thailand will have you dehydrated for the next week.
Pro Tip
I’ve also heard stories of people sneaking into the park after it was closed to capture those lust worthy sunset shots, but I can’t personally attest to this.
If you have any knowledge on this at all, please email us and let us know if this true or not.
Hiking Dragon Crest Mountain
Although it might be tempting to stop at every viewpoint and waterfall you see along the way, I highly suggest you either wait until the trek down or just skip them all together.
Unless you are visiting Dragon Crest Mountain during the rainy season, the few pathetic waterfalls along the trail are rather unimpressive and quite frankly not even remotely worth your time.
Furthermore, if you are attempting the early morning hike, then you should be focused on beating the hordes of tourists to summit as oppose to letting them catch up to you while you take photos of some mediocre viewpoints along the way.
The panoramic views from the summit are truly second to none and after that vigorous and exhausting climb should be serenely enjoyed without the hounding flocks of impatient tourists all fighting for their turn.
Pro Tip
Trust us when we say, once you reach the summit all the other viewpoints along the way become quite arbitrary.
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Upon reaching the summit of Dragon Crest your jaw will literally hit the ground as you endlessly gaze out over the magnificently stunning Krabi countryside.
Touted as the best viewpoint in all of Thailand, Dragon Crest offers unbeatable panoramic views and endless photo opportunities to spice up that Insta-feed.
As long as you’re not deathly terrified of heights or currently suffering from any degree of vertigo of course…
The daunting limestone cliff perched over the mountains edge offers the quintessential photo opportunity that you have exhaustedly hiked all this way for.
However, all the breathtaking photos aside, be sure to give yourself a moment or so to just sit down and really appreciate the extraordinary panoramic views of Krabi as you sit atop the summit of the most exhilarating hikes in Thailand.
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