Krabi, Thailand

Krabi sits on the Andaman Sea coast of southern Thailand, where roughly 35,000 residents live within a province of about 470,000 people. The Krabi River estuary opens onto a seascape of 130 limestone karst islands. Inland, the 1975 Wat Tham Sua temple crowns a 600-metre karst peak reached by 1,237 steps, with views extending to the Phi Phi islands. The 1983 Khao Phanom Bencha National Park protects the eleven-tier Huai Toh waterfall, while south of the city a 200-metre beach of fossilised shells dates back 35 million years.