4 Islands Krabi: names, the map in words, sandbar timing and price

“4 Islands” is not an official classification but a tour name. Operators bundle a group of destinations off Ao Nang under it, and the exact selection can differ slightly. The classic set, including on our tour, consists of these four stops:

The table shows what makes each stop special. The notes on water level are general rules of thumb, not a forecast for any given day.

Instead of a picture map, here is the geography as you experience it from the boat. The starting point is Ao Nang. From there all four stops lie to the south and southwest, towards Railay and the open sea. According to our tour data the Poda group is only 15 to 30 minutes from Ao Nang. That is why the 4 Islands also work with a start in the early afternoon.

Koh Poda lies southwest of Ao Nang and is the stop furthest “out” of the four. Chicken Island and the Tup sandbar are only a few boat minutes from Koh Poda, and so close to each other that you experience both in one go. The sandbar runs between the small islands of Koh Tup and Koh Kai, and the rock pinnacle of Chicken Island rises right next to it. Phra Nang Cave Beach and Railay are also only a few boat minutes from this group, on the limestone peninsula with the big cliffs.

You can remember it as a triangle: Ao Nang and Railay as coastal points, with Koh Poda, Chicken Island and Tup as the island group in front of them. Because the distances between the islands are short, you spend little time travelling and a lot of time in the water or on the beach.

Most group tours follow a fixed pattern: first Koh Poda, then Chicken Island for snorkelling, then the Tup sandbar, and finally Phra Nang or Railay. This is also the order in which we list the stops in our tour description: Koh Poda, Chicken Island, Tup sandbar, Phra Nang Cave.

The order is not set in stone, though. What matters is the water level on your day. If low water falls early in the window, there is a good case for taking the sandbar first. If it falls later, the sandbar comes later. With a group tour on a fixed schedule that is hardly possible; with a private charter it is.

As rough orientation for the time of day, based on our island guides:

The Tup sandbar is the reason why timing matters so much on the 4 Islands. It only appears between Koh Tup and the neighbouring islands at low tide and is submerged at high tide. The Andaman Sea usually has two low waters a day, and the times shift later by almost an hour from one day to the next.

For your planning this means there is no fixed time for “the sandbar”. When it is visible depends on the day, and how big it gets also depends on the moon. Around new moon and full moon (spring tides) low water falls especially low and the sandbar becomes wide and long; around half moon (neap tides) it may only partly emerge. We deliberately give no specific times here, because any table is only valid for one particular day.

In our guides the window is roughly an hour before to an hour after low water. A detailed explanation of how to read a tide table and which destinations need low or high tide is in our tides guide. Details on the sandbar itself, snorkel spots and photos are in the guide to Chicken Island and the Tup sandbar.

The 4 Islands are small and close together, so many boats head for them in the same time window. According to our island guides, most day trips from Ao Nang reach Koh Poda between late morning and early afternoon. If low water also falls in the late morning, everything crowds onto the sandbar.

Two windows are usually much calmer: early morning and late afternoon. When the group boats head back to Ao Nang, calm settles over the islands and the light turns soft.

That is exactly what our tour is built around: we depart at 1 pm, as the group boats head home, and end with the sunset in front of Phra Nang’s limestone cliffs. Nobody can guarantee that the sun will be visible in the end, but the evening light is there even with clouds. More on timing is in our guide to places and times without the crowds.

The “4-Islands VIP & Sunset Special” is our private version of the tour: Koh Poda, Chicken Island, Tup sandbar and Phra Nang Cave. It lasts 6 hours and starts at 1 pm. You walk the Tup sandbar at low tide, snorkel at Chicken Island and enjoy the sunset in front of Phra Nang, with chilled prosecco on board.

The price is from 18,500 THB per boat for up to 5 guests, not per person. With two people you split that amount between two, with five between five. According to the inclusion list the price covers the private speedboat with captain, time to relax, water and soft drinks, the sunset prosecco, snorkel gear and the hotel transfer.

An entrance fee is charged on site and is not included in the tour price. Whether and how much applies at your destination, you will learn when booking; our article on national park fees in Krabi explains the background. The enquiry is non-binding, and a date is only reserved once we confirm it.

The islands are small and there is little infrastructure, so a short packing list is worthwhile. Most of it applies to any boat tour; the key points for this route: