Limestone karsts straight out of the sea, and beaches you reach by longtail boat because there is no road. Quieter than Phuket, more dramatic, and better value.
It's a peninsula, not an island, but cliffs cut it off from the mainland entirely.
You get there by longtail from Ao Nang in fifteen minutes, and once you're there it's four beaches, a handful of hotels, world-class rock climbing and no cars at all. Staying there is quiet and slightly restrictive; staying in Ao Nang and visiting is more practical, with restaurants, boats and a proper town. Most people should base in Ao Nang and take the boat over — and be aware the last longtails back run early evening.
Boats, cliffs and caves. Almost everything here involves getting on the water.
Four beaches, no road, and Phra Nang cave beach — regularly called one of the world's best. Longtail from Ao Nang.
Chicken Island, Tup, Poda and Phra Nang, with a sandbar you can walk between at low tide. The classic day out.
Quieter than the four islands, with a lagoon you enter through a gap in the rock. Ask for the early boat.
Mangrove channels between karsts, no engine noise, and monkeys in the trees. Two hours, and the calmest thing here.
1,237 steps to a hilltop temple and a 360-degree view. Brutal in the heat — go at seven in the morning.
Inland, and a good rainy-afternoon option. Spring-fed pools in the jungle, an hour from Ao Nang.
Ao Nang is the practical base. Everything else is quieter and harder to reach.
Restaurants, boats, shops and the widest hotel choice. Not the prettiest beach, but the most useful.
No roads, no cars, four beaches. Beautiful and slightly cut off — plan your boat times.
Twenty minutes north. Calm, spacious beachfront hotels and almost no nightlife.
Two hours by ferry. Long beaches, sunsets and very little to do. The quietest option in the province.
November to April, the same window as Phuket and the rest of the Andaman coast.
December to March is the driest and calmest, with the best boat conditions and the highest prices. November and April are quieter and nearly as good. May to October brings heavy afternoon rain and rough seas — some island trips stop entirely, and the low prices reflect that. Gulf-coast Samui is the summer alternative.
Krabi (KBV), 30 minutes to Ao Nang. Also reachable from Phuket by road or ferry in about two hours.
Longtails and songthaews. You won't need a car unless you're going inland.
Thai baht. Boats and beach restaurants are cash.
None needed for UK passports under 60 days.
We'll pick between Ao Nang, Railay and the quieter north, book the island trips, and write the payment plan out in full.
Krabi is prettier, quieter and cheaper. Phuket has better flights, hospitals and more choice. If it's your first trip to Thailand, Phuket is easier.
For two or three nights it's magical. For a week most people find it restrictive — no roads means no spontaneity.
Yes, on a smaller boat and going early. The big joined-up tours arrive everywhere at the same time as each other.
Easily — two hours by road or ferry. Split a fortnight between them and you get very different halves.
Flights, accommodation and transfers as one package. Every one can be reshaped — different dates, different board, a different airport, or a stopover on the way.
Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, accommodation and transfers. They indicate what a holiday of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, board basis, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.
Ready-built itineraries with flights, transfers and internal hops booked as one package, ATOL protected. Every one can be reshaped around your dates.
12 nights · Apr–Oct · from £1,749pp
13 nights · Nov–Mar · from £1,649pp
13 nights · Nov–Mar · from £2,099pp
13 nights · Dec–Mar · from £1,599pp
14 nights · Apr–Oct · from £1,849pp
15 nights · Apr–Oct · from £2,199pp
14 nights · Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov · from £2,999pp
12 nights · Nov–Mar · from £1,849pp
