Where from
Island hopping from Ao Nang: boats off the beach
Almost every trip on this page leaves from Ao Nang, and almost none of them leaves from a pier. The boats come bow-first onto the sand, you wade out, and that one detail shapes the whole morning.
Quick answer
Most Krabi island hopping trips leave off the beach at Ao Nang, from $53 for a shared seat or $105 for a private longtail. Ao Nang is the base for the four islands and for most of the day trips; Railay departures exist too, at $127, and the RIB-style speedboat charters run from the same stretch of coast.
Leaving from Ao Nang
- Boarding
- Off the beachnot from a pier
- Cheapest departure
- $53shared, seven islands at sunset
- Private longtail
- $1054–6 hours, 1,446 reviews
- Luxury private longtail
- $213shade and cushions, rated 4.8
- From Railay instead
- $127the same islands, other side
- Hotel pick-up
- Usual in the Ao Nang areacheck your listing
- To Railay
- 10–15 minutesby shared longtail through the day
- Four islands
- Straight offshorewhich is why Ao Nang is the base
- Wet landing
- Every timeshoes you can soak
- Free cancellation
- All departuresup to 24 hours before
What a beach departure actually means
Three practical consequences
Wet feet, no shade at the meeting point, loose timings — and the islands right offshore.
Wet feet at the start, not just at the stops. The boat cannot come alongside anything, so you walk into the water and climb over the side. Do it in the shoes you plan to wear all day, or carry them.
No waiting room, no shade at the meeting point. The meeting point is a stretch of sand. Arrive with a hat on rather than expecting to find shade.
Timings slip. Boats leave when the last person arrives and the tide allows, not when the listing says. Build the day around that rather than against it.
And the upside: the four islands are directly offshore. You are on the water within minutes of leaving your hotel, with no transfer, no pier queue and no ferry terminal.
The crossing to Railay from the same beach takes ten to fifteen minutes.
Ao Nang to Railay→Common questions
Departures, answered
Where do island hopping boats leave from in Ao Nang?
Off the beach itself rather than from a pier. Boats come bow-first onto the sand and you wade the last couple of metres.
Is hotel pick-up included?
On most listings in the Ao Nang area, yes. Check your booking; some ask you to meet at the beach.
What is the cheapest trip from Ao Nang?
$53 for a shared seat on the seven-island sunset run.
Can I leave from Railay instead?
Yes — a private longtail from Railay is $127 for four to six hours around the same islands, which saves two crossings if you are staying there.
How far are the four islands from Ao Nang?
Directly offshore. You are among them within about twenty-five minutes of leaving the beach.
What time do trips leave?
Morning departures are the norm for the four islands; the sunset trips leave in the early afternoon. Expect some slippage — boats go when everybody is aboard.
Go deeper
More on island hopping in Krabi
What it costs
From $53 to $611, plus the park fees nobody mentions.
The verdictWhich trip is best
All fourteen ranked, by islands rather than by number.
The classicThe four islands
Poda, Chicken, Tup and Mor, and the sandbar between them.
The lagoonThe Hong Islands
A separate group, and an almost enclosed lagoon.
SunsetThe sunset run
Seven islands, a barbecue, and a swim after dark.
Further outPhi Phi
An hour out by speedboat, and what the day costs.
