KRABI · THAILAND
Island days between the limestone.
Phi Phi and the four-island longtail hops, the hidden Hong lagoons, climbing at Railay and the plankton swims after dark. Every Krabi day trip, weighed up and sorted.
Only here
Three things this coast does best.
Snorkel trips and beach days happen at every warm-water destination. A lagoon hidden inside a ring of cliffs, climbing straight off the sand, and a swim through glowing water are Krabi’s own.
The hidden room
Inside the Hong Lagoon
Hong means room in Thai, and that is exactly what it is. The cliffs of Koh Hong close into a near-perfect ring, and a single gap lets a kayak slip through into a still emerald lagoon walled on every side by limestone. At low tide the water glows green and the only sound is the paddle.
- 1 Krabi: Hong Islands Day Trip by Speedboat with Lunch
- 2 Krabi to James Bond and Hong Islands Offbeat Speedboat Tour
- 3 Ao Nang: Hong Islands Tour by Speedboat or Longtail Boat
Boat-access only
Climbing Railay
Railay is cut off from the mainland by limestone, so you arrive by longtail. The same cliffs that wall it off are some of the most famous climbing in the world: hundreds of bolted routes rising straight off the sand, plus deep-water soloing where the only thing under you is the Andaman.
- 1 Krabi: Half-Day Rock Climbing at Railay Beach
- 2 Beginner’s Half-Day Rock Climbing Tours at Railay Beach Krabi
- 3 Krabi: Ziplining with Abseiling and Rock Climbing Options
After dark
Swimming the Plankton
On the right moonless nights the water off the Hong and Phi Phi islands fills with bioluminescent plankton. Slip in after dark and every movement lights up around you in cold blue-green sparks. It is the part of a Krabi night tour nobody quite believes until they are in the water.
- 1 Krabi 4 Island Sunset Snorkeling Cruise + Bioluminescent Swim
- 2 Krabi: Bioluminescent Plankton, Snorkeling & Sunset Tour
- 3 Krabi: 7 Islands Sunset Tour with Plankton Swim and BBQ
Start here
The one boat day everyone books.
If you only have time to read about a single Krabi trip, make it this one. More travellers plan a day around it than anything else on the coast.
The classics
Krabi's Most Popular Boat Days
Phi Phi, the Four Islands, the Hong lagoons and Maya Bay. The trips most people fly into Krabi for.
Where to begin
The days a Krabi trip is built around.
Phi Phi and the four-island run, the Hong lagoons, the sea-kayak mangroves, the sunset cruises and the temple-and-pool day inland. The handful of trips most weeks are planned around, and the best way to do each.
The big decision
Which island day trip?
Almost every Krabi trip comes down to this. The islands sit in different directions, draw different crowds and cost very different money, so the which matters more than the when. Here is how the three big choices actually compare.
Inland Krabi
Leave the coast for a day.
An hour inland the limestone turns to rainforest. The Emerald Pool is a spring-fed jungle lagoon you can swim in, the hot springs downstream pour into smooth stone tubs, and at the Tiger Cave Temple a staircase of 1,260 steps climbs to a gold Buddha and a view over the whole province. One day off the boats and Krabi looks completely different.
Read the guide: temples, pools and hot springs →Evening
Stay out past the sunset.
The best part of a Krabi day often comes last. A seven-island cruise times the run so the Andaman turns gold and then pink behind the karsts, drops anchor for a swim while dinner cooks, and waits for the dark. On a moonless night the plankton lights up the water on the way back in.
See the sunset and night tours →The Andaman
Towers of limestone, set in green water.
The karsts off Krabi are reefs that grew, dried and tilted skyward over millions of years, until the sea rose around them and left a maze of cliffs standing straight out of the shallows. Caves, hidden lagoons and overhangs riddle them. The only way through is a boat, and the best way is slow.
Boat trips & cruises →Maya Bay
The cove from The Beach.
Maya Bay, on uninhabited Phi Phi Leh, is the white crescent that played the hidden paradise in the Leonardo DiCaprio film. It was closed for years to let the reef recover and now reopens under limits, so the trips that get you there early and keep you off the coral are the ones worth booking.
- 1 Phi Phi Early Bird & 4 Islands – Day Tour by Speedboat From Krabi
- 2 From Ao Nang: Phi Phi Islands Day Tour by Boat with Lunch
- 3 Krabi: Phi Phi Islands & Maya Bay Speedboat Tour with Lunch
By intensity
Pick your day, from spa to send.
Krabi runs the whole range. A slow morning in the hot springs at one end, a longtail snorkel day in the middle, and limestone you climb straight off the sand at the other.
Take it slow
Markets, woks and warm water.A morning cooking class over the market stalls, an afternoon in the hot springs, a sunset longtail with nowhere to be.
The classic day out
Snorkel masks and longtail spray.The four-island hop, the Hong lagoon by kayak, snorkelling the reefs off Phi Phi. The days most people fly in for.
Full send
Straight up the limestone.Climbing the karst walls at Railay, abseiling the cliffs, quad bikes through the rubber plantations and the jungle ziplines.
By kayak
Into the mangroves and the sea caves.
Where the cliffs meet the tide, the limestone is hollowed into caves and tunnels you can only reach at the right water level, and a kayak slides in where the longtails cannot. Paddle the mangrove channels at Ao Thalane for the eagles and monkeys, or thread the sea caves and the Hong lagoon when the tide lets you in.
See all 68 sea-kayak trips →By place
Pick your corner of the coast.
Ao Nang for the beach and the boats. Railay for the climbing. Phi Phi for the famous bays. The Hong Islands for the hidden lagoon. The Four Islands for the easy hop. And inland for the pools and the temple steps.
By activity
Or pick how to spend the day.
A longtail if you want the classic shot. A kayak if you want the quiet caves. Snorkel for the reefs, a wok for the market, a night boat for the plankton, or the limestone if you want to climb.
Plan it
Three perfect days.
First time in Krabi? Here is a three-day run that covers the islands, the close water and the jungle without a wasted morning.
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