Krabi itinerary for 3, 5 or 7 days

The short answer: three days are enough for a good first impression, five days for a relaxed programme with two boat days, seven days if you want to experience Phang Nga Bay, Phi Phi and a few evening tours in addition to the islands and still have time to rest.

What matters is less the number of days than the number of good boat days. Allow for weather reserves, especially in the low season. A cancelled day should not blow up your plan. The plans below therefore deliberately include rest days that you can swap for a boat day if needed.

Stay in Ao Nang or in Railay? Ao Nang offers the most restaurants, shops and departure points for tours, while Railay is quieter and reachable only by boat. Both have their charm, and the location relative to the water plays a big role in planning.

Do not fix boat days by calendar but plan them flexibly. Two factors set the rhythm: weather and tides. The sea is often calmest in the morning, and the wind picks up more often in the afternoon. Open destinations like Phi Phi are more weather-dependent than sheltered bays.

For tides, the Tup sandbar matters most, as it is only visible at low water. If you want to see it, put the boat day on a day with suitable low tide. Our tide guide explains how to find out. For evening tours with plankton the moon phase plays a role: around new moon the glow is most intense.

Practical tip: place the most important and most weather-dependent boat day early in your stay. If it is cancelled, there is still time for a replacement date. This applies especially to Phi Phi and Koh Rok.

With three days you concentrate on the essentials. The plan relies on a gentle start, a free day and one big boat day.

Day 1, arrival and Railay: if you arrive in the morning or at midday, the Railay & Phra Nang Half-Day Escape (4 hrs, flexible, 11,500 THB per boat) is ideal. It is short and intense: Railay’s climbing cliffs, Phra Nang cave and a swim stop at Koh Poda. It can also be scheduled for the afternoon or sunset. A boat day on arrival day is a good way to shake off jet lag in the fresh air.

Day 2, beach and land: a deliberately quiet day. Stroll through Ao Nang, treat yourself to a beach, a massage or a café. If you want land activities, you will find temples, jungle trails and hot springs around Krabi; please check opening hours and prices locally, we do not list them here.

Day 3, big boat day: depending on taste, either the Hong lagoons (7 hrs, from 8 am, 21,500 THB per boat) with an emerald lagoon and bays, or the 4-Islands VIP & Sunset tour (6 hrs, from 1 pm, 18,500 THB per boat) with Koh Poda, Chicken Island, Tup sandbar and a sunset off Phra Nang.

For a Krabi itinerary over 5 days we recommend this rhythm: a short tour to arrive, a land day, a nearby boat day, a rest day and a far boat day. That gives you weather reserves and enough time to recover.

Day 1, Railay half-day tour: short, beautiful and stress-free (11,500 THB per boat, 4 hrs).

Day 2, land day: temples, jungle or hot springs in the surroundings, by rental car or with a driver. Plan realistic distances. And skip programme that does not interest you: half a day on the beach is not wasted time.

Day 3, nearby boat day: the 4-Islands VIP & Sunset tour (6 hrs, from 1 pm, 18,500 THB per boat) or the Family Fun Day with sandbars and shallow bays (6 hrs, from 9 am, 15,500 THB per boat) if children are along.

Day 4, rest day: sleep, beach, massage, reserve for a weather swap. In the evening a Sunset Romance & Dinner on Board (4 hrs, from 3:30 pm, 16,500 THB per boat) suits you if you travel as a couple.

Day 5, far boat day: either Phi Phi Early Bird (8 hrs, from 7 am, 28,500 THB per boat) for Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and Bamboo Island, or Uncharted Phang Nga (8.5 hrs, from 8 am, 26,000 THB per boat) for Koh Roi, Koh Kudu and Koh Nok. If the preferred day is cancelled, shift it to day 4.

With seven days you can combine the three big worlds around Krabi: the islands off Ao Nang, Phang Nga Bay and Phi Phi. Evening programmes and two rest days remain. The plan is loosely set and can be swapped depending on the weather.

Day 1: arrival and Railay & Phra Nang Half-Day Escape. Day 2: rest or land day. Day 3: 4-Islands VIP & Sunset or Hong lagoons. Day 4: Phang Nga with Koh Roi, Koh Kudu and Koh Nok (Uncharted Phang Nga) or James Bond Island & Phang Nga Bay Private. Day 5: rest day and reserve. Day 6: Phi Phi Early Bird. Day 7: an evening on the water before you fly home.

For the evening you can choose: Sunset Romance & Dinner on Board, Sunset & Night Glow Combo (6 hrs, from 3:30 pm, 19,500 THB per boat) or the pure Night Glow tour with plankton (4 hrs, from 6 pm, 14,500 THB per boat). If you like fishing, our fishing tours (half-day reef fishing, Catch & Cook Sunset BBQ or night squid fishing) are nice alternatives to classic island tours.

In the dry season you can also add the Koh Rok & Koh Haa Snorkel Safari. It is seasonal and usually not possible during the monsoon.

This overview assigns our tours to the plans. Prices are per boat for up to 5 guests; Catering on board can be booked for 500 THB per person, the 4K drone package costs extra.

For most travellers Ao Nang is the practical base: plenty of accommodation, restaurants, shops and short distances to the boat departure points. Railay is quieter and scenically impressive, with climbing cliffs and beaches, but reachable only by boat, which makes logistics a little more complicated.

From a boat perspective both have advantages. From Ao Nang you reach almost all our destinations without a detour, and the hotel transfer Ao Nang/Krabi is included with our tours. Railay guests start conveniently towards Phra Nang and Poda. Decide by your travel type: if you want choice in the evening, pick Ao Nang; if you like quiet, Railay.

We plan a dedicated comparison of the two places as a separate guide. If you have questions about the location, we are happy to advise you when booking.

The best plan depends on the season. In the dry season, roughly November to April, the sea is usually calm and all destinations are accessible. In the rainy season, roughly May to October, we recommend more reserve and sheltered routes, especially in Phang Nga Bay and at the islands off Ao Nang.

Note the closures: Maya Bay was most recently closed from 1 August to 30 September, and Koh Rok and Koh Haa are officially closed from 16 May to 15 November (open roughly mid-November to mid-May). These are orientation values that can change. More in our guides on the rainy season and on Maya Bay.

In the rainy season it is best to plan two buffer days instead of one and to put open-sea destinations like Phi Phi at the beginning. And keep evening tours as a flexible option: when the sky clears, use it.

With children, shorter boat days and shallow bays are worthwhile. The Family Fun Day and the Railay half-day tour are made for this; the mandatory life jackets are on board, and we provide snorkel masks free of charge (tick them when booking). Plan breaks to the children’s rhythm and shaded spots. The hardtop cabin boat offers shade as well as a bench and comfortable boat seats.

As a couple, Sunset Romance & Dinner, the Sunset & Night Glow Combo and the plankton tour fit. A longer Phi Phi day or the Phang Nga day can be combined with a quiet evening. If you want memories from above, the 4K drone package is available for an extra fee.

For seniors or guests with less stamina, shorter, nearby tours and set breaks are decisive. Skip long days with an early departure, rely on half-day tours and use the hotel transfer. Tell us about mobility wishes when booking so we can adapt the boat and route.