The Web's Best Guide to Thai Island Hopping
Introduction
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The large number of islands in southern Thailand make it an excellent place to go island-hopping. |
| As the reader will shortly see, there are a lot of excellent options available. |
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The problem most visitors have is in figuring out which of the fantastic destinations they can bear to cut out of their itinerary. |
| We can help you with this choice, and also book all your accommodation, day-trips and transfers, at less than the price that you would pay the hotel or tour operators direct, thus saving you money. |
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We earn our commissions from hotel, tour and transport suppliers, not from our customers. Our extensive experience and expertise are at your disposal, and are free to you. |
Island Hopping in Phang Nga Bay
Phang Nga Bay lies between Phuket and Krabi, and is surely one of the loveliest places on the planet. This journey, for which the visitor should allow at least 3 nights but preferably longer, starts at Phuket's Bang Rong Pier, where the visitor takes a speedboat or local-style longtail boat to Koh Yao Noi island. This pristine island is a great base from which to go island-hopping in the bay, click here for an island-hopping day-trip from Koh Yao Noi. Leaving Koh Yao Noi, the visitor jumps back on a speedboat or longtail boat and crosses the gorgeous Phang Nga Bay, admiring the massive karst cathedrals rising sheer out of the sea, an archipelago of islands, whose overlapping sillhouttes form one of the prettiest views in Thailand. Stopping at the lovely Koh Hong island, the visitor arrives back on the mainland at either Ao Nang, Railay or Ao Thalane.
From Ao Thalane the visitor can if he wishes transfer to Krabi town and start the Southern Andaman Island-hopping trip described below, possibly without spending a single night on the mainland. A better option, after completing this Phang Nga Bay Island Hopping trip, is to spend a few nights in Ao Nang, where you can lap up a bit of luxury and go on the Ao Nang 4-Island Trip, plus take a boat day-trip or two to the incomparably beautiful Railay Peninsula. Leaving Ao Nang, you can then transfer to Krabi town or Koh Lanta and start the Southern Andaman Island Hopping itinerary below.
Click here for our Phang Nga Bay Island-hopping Package.
Island-Hopping the Southern Andaman
This journey can start at Krabi Town or on Koh Lanta island.
If starting from Krabi Town, you take a ferry to Koh Jum. After spending a few nights on Koh Jum, you get back on the ferry and travel to Koh Lanta.
If time is short, this first leg of the trip (Krabi Town - Koh Jum - Lanta) can be missed out and you can start the island hop on Koh Lanta.
You should spend at least 2 nights on Koh Lanta, in order to go on the Koh Lanta Four-Island Day-trip, plus maybe one of the other excellent tours available from Koh Lanta, which include the great Koh Rok snorkelling day-trip. Click here for all the tours available from Koh Lanta.
After leaving Koh Lanta, you can stop at Koh Ngai island, but this destination is nothing special. A much better bet is the lovely Koh Lao Liang island, where you are recommended to stay at least 3 nights.
After leaving Lao Liang, you can visit Koh Lipe and/or Koh Bulone and/or Koh Sukhorn. Or from Lipe Koh Lipe you can continue to Malaysia's Langkawi Island, from where it is possible to fly to Malaysia's Penang Island, and then continue travelling southwards in Malaysia.
Click here for our southern Andaman Sea Island-hopping Package.
Gulf Coast Island-Hopping
Several times a day ferries leave Chompon, 200 km south of Bangkok on Thailand's Gulf coast, bound for Koh Tao, then Koh Phangan, then Koh Samui, then for Dornsak pier, on the mainland 30 km south of Surat Thani. In addition to visiting the above 3 islands, it is possible to make a diversion to visit the islands of the Ang Thong Marine Park.
This island-hopping trip used to be one of the best in the kingdom, but has been rather spoiled by the huge numbers of people every year who do it. Four million tourists flood into Koh Samui annualy, plus still more visit Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. The massive ferries now used and the large numbers of other passengers have taken away the feeling of adventure, while the destinations themselves have suffered environmentally. It's not all doom and gloom, though - for more on Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Ang Thong Marine Park, read the following articles on these destinations in our Thailand e-zine :
We don't particularly recommend this trip, but can organise all your accommodation, ferries and tours, contact us for assistance.
Packages
Click on a package for details:
All of our packages can be shortened, lengthened and tailored to meet your requirements. Contact us for a customised itinerary.
Andaman Sky, Co., Ltd, 454/2 Moo 1, Ao Nang, Thailand
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