The "4 islands" is Krabi's busiest boat trip: the boat leaves straight from Ao Nang beach and every stop on the route lies a few kilometres offshore. Below: which islands these are, what you see on them, why it takes half a day rather than a whole one, and what the trip costs once you count what is paid separately.
- Which four islands these are
- Why the trip is short: the distances by sea
- Talay Waek — the sandbank you only see at low tide
- What it costs and what is paid on top
- Longtail or speedboat
- Whether to take it if you already have Phi Phi
Which four islands are these?
Koh Poda, Koh Gai (Chicken Island), Koh Tup and the beach at Phra Nang Cave. Koh Poda is known for its white sand and the free-standing rock in front of the shore — the most reproduced view in the province. Koh Gai takes its name from a rock whose outline resembles a chicken's head. On the beach at Phra Nang Cave stands the shrine of Phra Nang, princess of the sea and goddess of fertility; the cave itself is on the Railay peninsula rather than on an island, so on the route it is a stop off the shore rather than a landing on separate land.
Why is it half a day rather than a whole one?
Because of the distances: the stops all lie within six kilometres of Ao Nang, while everything else people come to Krabi for is twenty kilometres away and further. An Ao Nang operator puts the run out to the four islands at about half an hour by longtail boat; a speedboat is quicker.
| From Ao Nang to | Km in a straight line | What it is on the route |
|---|---|---|
| Railay West | 3.0 | The Phra Nang Cave beach — the first stop |
| Koh Poda | 4.9 | Lunch and swimming |
| Koh Gai (Chicken) | 5.8 | Snorkelling by the rock |
| Koh Hong | 23.4 | A different park and a different full-day trip |
| Koh Mai Phai (Bamboo) | 23.5 | Part of a Phi Phi day |
| Phi Phi Don (Tonsai) | 33.3 | A whole day on the water |
| Maya Bay | 39.9 | The furthest point of the popular trips |
The distances are calculated from coordinates in a straight line — not the length of a sailed track, and the time depends on the boat and the swell. But the order of magnitude explains the timetable: the four islands fit into half a day, Phi Phi does not.
What is Talay Waek and when can you see it?
Talay Waek means "the separated sea": a sandbank linking Koh Tup with Koh Mo and, in the same chain, with Koh Gai. At low tide you can walk across it and the three islands look like one piece of land; at high tide it goes under. The phenomenon is tidal, so it is worth seeing at low water, and you need to check the tide for your own date — there are no tide tables here on purpose, since publishing unverified timetables is worse than publishing none.
What does the four islands trip cost?
It is sold two ways: a seat on a shared boat, and the whole boat. A seat means a morning departure with an afternoon return; a whole boat is priced per hull no matter how many people come along, within its capacity.
| Trip | Operator | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four islands by longtail boat | Barracudas Tour | ฿990 (about $27) per adult, ฿750 per child | 6 h |
| The same route by speedboat | Barracudas Tour | ฿1,190 (about $33) per adult, ฿950 per child | 6 h |
| A longtail boat to yourselves, 2–7 guests | Krabi Travel The Sea | ฿4,500 (about $125) per boat | 5 h |
| Private longtail, up to 10 guests | Wangsai Speedboat | ฿6,250 (about $175) to ฿8,100 per boat, by number of guests | 5 h |
| Private luxury longtail, up to 8 guests | Boat and Beyond | ฿8,500 (about $235) per boat | 4 h 30 min |
The same waters have an evening version: the seven islands sunset trip with a beach barbecue and a night swim among plankton — ฿1,390 (about $39) per adult and ฿1,150 per child by longtail, 5 h 15 min. If you are here for the water rather than the beaches, there is a half day of snorkelling around the Ao Nang bay islands by speedboat at ฿1,500 per person.
Important
the national park fee is paid separately from the trip price, in cash, in baht, to the rangers on site. Koh Poda is named individually in the National Parks Department announcement of 22.11.2550, which set a special rate for the island zone — ฿400 per foreign adult and ฿200 per child instead of the ฿200 and ฿100 of the park's general scale. In 2560 the park's board confirmed that rate after Krabi operators asked for it to be lowered. That is where the confusion comes from: trip descriptions quote both ฿200 and ฿400. Carry cash at the higher rate — there are no ATMs or exchange counters on the islands — and confirm the amount with your operator on the day.
Longtail or speedboat?
The route and the stops are identical; the difference is transit time and price. With Barracudas Tour the longtail costs ฿990 (about $27) per adult and ฿750 per child, the speedboat ฿1,190 and ฿950. A longtail is the traditional wooden boat with a long propeller shaft: hops between islands take longer and you get wetter. A speedboat spends less time in transit. The transfer within Ao Nang is included by Barracudas Tour, while pick-up from Klong Muang, Tub Kaek or Krabi Town costs ฿100 per person; Railay is served on the speedboat option only, at ฿200 per person.
Is it worth taking if you already have Phi Phi booked?
They are days of different size: the four islands are half a day within six kilometres of the shore, Phi Phi is a full day and 33.3 km each way. They do not substitute for one another financially either — fees are paid per trip, even when the rate is the same.
If you only have one day, there are combined departures: the early bird trip to Phi Phi and the four islands at ฿2,395 (about $66) per adult and ฿2,195 per child aged 4–11, 10 h 30 min; and Koh Hong early plus the four islands at ฿2,200 per adult and ฿1,600 per child aged 3–11, 11 h. The second is a two-park day: Hong belongs to a different national park, so the fees are paid twice. Groups who also want the sunset have a private catamaran speedboat with the four islands, sunset and night snorkelling at ฿22,000 per boat for a party of one to four, 6 h 30 min.
