Phuket & Krabi tours
A Phuket Krabi tour is a day that starts on one coast and works the water belonging to the other. Eight of the eighteen listings here do that, from $46 for James Bond Island and the Hong Island lagoon to $423 for a transfer with a private boat day inside it. This page compares them by what they actually reach, because the province a boat is sold under matters far less than the islands it stops at.
Quick answer
The short answer. Our pick for a Phuket Krabi tour is $46 — eight hours taking in James Bond Island, Phang Nga Bay and the Hong Island lagoon, with canoeing through the caves at Panak and Hong, hotel transfers and lunch on board, rated 4.7 across 377 reviews. If you want the Krabi islands themselves, $122 is the early departure to Poda, Chicken, Tup and Mo. If the day has to end on the far coast rather than back in Phuket, $423 is the only listing here built that way.
The basics
The bay between the two provinces is full of islands, and the provincial border runs through the middle of them without anybody on a boat noticing. That is why a Phuket Krabi tour is worth understanding as geography rather than as administration. What matters is which islands the day reaches.
The Phang Nga side. James Bond Island, properly Khao Phing Kan, and the cave systems at Panak. This is the classic day out of Phuket and it is priced accordingly: $57 at seven hours is the most reviewed listing on the site with 2,129 ratings.
The middle. Koh Yao Yai and Koh Yao Noi sit in open water between the two coasts, and they are where the day slows down. $64 puts beach time on Yao Yai into an eight-hour day; $140 spends part of nine hours on Koh Yao Noi with batik making and lunch beside the rice fields.
The Krabi side. Hong Island and its lagoon, Lao Lading, the Laem Haad sandbank, and the four islands off Ao Nang. These are what most people mean when they picture Krabi. $99, $104 and $104 work that water.
Where the day ends. This is the line to read twice. Almost every Phuket Krabi tour on this site is a round trip that returns to Phuket in the evening. Only $423 is built to finish on the Krabi coast, and it does so by carrying private transfers, a shared speedboat, luggage storage and a private boat tour inside one 11h 30m booking.
What gets included. Hotel transfers on $46 and $64. Two meals on $64. The national park fee inside the fare on $65. Those three lines explain most of the price gaps you will see below.
Every trip, current fare
The eight listings that cross between the two sides of the bay, cheapest first. Cost per hour divides the fare by the booked length, which makes a three-hour crossing comparable with a nine-hour day.
| Trip | Length | Price | What is included | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speedboat Transfer to Ao Nang or Railay via Ko YaoCrossing via Ko Yao | 3 hours | $46 | Shared speedboat to Ao Nang or Railay via Ko Yao, hotel pickup on the return leg | $15.33 | 4.1 · 14 |
| James Bond, Phang Nga Bay and Hong Island Tour from PhuketOur top pick — rated 4.7 | 8 hours | $46 | James Bond Island, Phang Nga Bay, canoeing at Panak and Hong, lunch, hotel transfers | $5.75 | 4.7 · 377 |
| Krabi Hong Island, Koh Yao Yai & Lunch by SpeedboatLaem Haad sandbank | 8 hours | $99 | Laem Haad sandbank, Hong Island, snorkelling in the lagoons, Thai lunch | $12.38 | 3.0 · 1 |
| 4 Islands Krabi Adventure & Snorkeling Day TourKrabi-side islands day | 8 hours | $104 | Hong Island, Lao Lading, the Bird’s Nest Cave, snorkelling and a viewpoint trek | $13.00 | 4.4 · 52 |
| Hong Island Lagoon and Lao Lading Island Speed BoatKoh Hong and Lao Lading | 8 hours | $104 | Lao Lading Island and Koh Hong lagoon, swimming, beach time, tea before departure | $13.00 | 3.8 · 21 |
| Early Bird Krabi 4 Islands from Phuket/KhaolakEarly start from Phuket | 8 hours | $122 | Early departure to Poda, Chicken, Tup and Mo, the Hong Islands and the viewpoint | $15.25 | 4.5 · 35 |
| Koh Hong, Koh Yao & Lao Lading TourKoh Yao Noi and batik | 9 hours | $140 | Koh Yao Noi, batik making, lunch by the rice fields, Koh Nok, Koh Hong lagoon | $15.56 | New |
| Island Transfer & Private Phi Phi TourTransfer with a boat day | 11h 30m | $423 | Phuket to Krabi with private transfers, a shared speedboat and a private boat tour | $38.45 | 4.6 · 26 |
The day
The order changes between operators, but the shape is shared. This is what eight to nine hours looks like on the water.
| Stage | Roughly | What happens | Where the listings differ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickuphotel to pier | Early morning | A shared van collects from named Phuket areas, or you arrive at the pier yourself | $46 and $64 include round-trip hotel transfers in the fare |
| Out into the baythe first hour | Morning | The karst towers of Phang Nga Bay come up on the left as the boat runs east | $47 makes this a scenic cruise through mangrove channels rather than a straight run |
| Caves and canoesPanak and Hong | Late morning | A sea canoe with a paddler takes you into the caverns and enclosed lagoons | $56 names the Ice Cream and Mangrove caves on Panak; $64 does Hong Island by kayak |
| James Bond IslandKhao Phing Kan | Midday | The film location, the stack, and the shops behind the beach | $47 treats it as a photo and shopping stop; $933 arrives there without any other group |
| Lunchon land or on board | Middle of the day | A buffet at the stilt village of Panyee, or a meal served on the boat | $59 names a buffet at the floating village; $46 serves on board |
| A beach or a lagoonthe Krabi side | Afternoon | Hong Island, Lao Lading, Laem Haad or one of the four islands | This is the stop that most separates one day from the next |
| Back acrossor onward | Late afternoon | Most boats return to Phuket; one booking carries on to the far coast | $423 is the only listing here that ends in Krabi rather than where it started |
The verdict
Book $46 if you want one day that covers the lot. James Bond Island and Phang Nga Bay on the Phuket side, then canoeing through the caves and lagoons at Panak and Hong Island on the Krabi side, with limestone scenery between them, hotel transfers, lunch on board with a halal menu and vegetarian options on request, and a swim at Naka or Kaya depending on the package. There is a choice of a speedboat or a bigger cruise boat. 4.7 across 377 reviews, which is the best rating of any day trip here, and it is the cheapest of the eight.
Book $64 if the canoeing is the point. Eight hours with breakfast and lunch, James Bond Island, sea kayaking among the limestone formations and caves at Hong Island, and the afternoon at the Palm Beach Club on Yao Yai. 4.8 across 950 reviews, the strongest rating on the site among heavily reviewed listings.
Book $122 if you want the Krabi islands themselves. An early departure from Phuket or Khao Lak to Poda, the three islands joined by sandbanks at Chicken, Tup and Mo, the Hong Islands and the 360 viewpoint. 4.5 across 35 reviews, and the early start is the whole argument.
Book $99 for the sandbank. Laem Haad is one of the long natural sand spits on this coast, and this listing pairs it with Hong Island, snorkelling in the lagoons and a Thai lunch, with an optional village visit that takes in rice farming and rubber tapping.
Book $140 for the quietest version. Nine hours to Koh Yao Noi, Koh Hong and Lao Lading, with batik making, a lunch among the rice fields and snorkelling at Koh Nok. It is a newer listing without ratings yet, and it is the only Phuket Krabi tour here that spends real time on local life ashore.
Book $423 only if the day must end in Krabi. It is an 11h 30m booking that carries private hotel transfers, a shared speedboat, luggage storage and a private four-hour boat tour, and it puts you on the far coast at the end rather than back in Phuket.
Book direct
Our top pick, the canoeing day with two meals, the early start to the Krabi islands, and the sandbank at Laem Haad.
★ 4.7 · 377 reviews
★ 4.8 · 950 reviews
★ 4.5 · 35 reviews
★ 3.0 · 1 review
Choosing
Scenery
James Bond Island and the towers around it. $59 and $57 are built on this.
Paddling
$64 and $56 put the canoe at the centre of the day rather than at the edge of it.
Beaches
$122 and $104 are the days that go for sand and snorkelling rather than limestone.
Local life
$140 takes in batik making and a meal beside the rice fields on Koh Yao Noi.
Mistakes
All six come from the two lines under the fare.
Nearly every listing here is a round trip back to Phuket. $423 is the exception, and it says so.
Phang Nga Bay is limestone and caves. The four islands are sand. $122 is the second of those, not the first.
Some listings put you in a sea canoe with a paddler, some simply pass the caves. $56 and $64 name the caves they enter.
It is charged separately on this coast. $65 includes it; where a listing is silent, carry cash for the day.
$46 and $64 already include round-trip hotel transfers from Phuket.
$140 has no ratings yet because it is new, not because it is poor. $99 has one. Judge those on the itinerary instead.
Checklist
One minute with the listing, and the day holds no surprises.
Back in Phuket, or on the Krabi coast. It is the first question and the one people skip.
Hong Island, Lao Lading, Laem Haad, Koh Yao, Poda. The names are the itinerary.
A paddled canoe into the caves is a different hour from watching the cliffs go past.
On board, or at the stilt village of Panyee, or beside the rice fields on Koh Yao Noi. $47 stops at the Panyee floating market.
Shown on all eighteen listings here, and worth having on a day that depends on the sea.
Our pick is $46 — James Bond Island, Phang Nga Bay and the Hong Island lagoon in eight hours with transfers and lunch, rated 4.7 across 377 reviews.
See the Krabi-side day trips→Common questions
Typically hotel pickup or a pier meeting, a speedboat out into Phang Nga Bay, canoeing at Panak or Hong Island, James Bond Island, lunch, and a beach or lagoon stop on the Krabi side before the run home.
From $46 for the eight-hour day with transfers and lunch. The Krabi-side island days run $99 to $140, and $423 is the transfer day with a private boat tour inside it.
Back in Phuket on every listing here except $423, which is built as a transfer with a boat tour in the middle and finishes on the far coast.
$46, $104, $99 and $140 all name Koh Hong. The first is the best rated of them at 4.7 across 377 reviews.
On most of them. $46 serves on board with halal and vegetarian options on request, $59 uses the buffet at the Panyee floating village, and $64 includes breakfast as well.
Most are morning departures. $122 is sold specifically on leaving early, which is what puts it at the islands before the rest of the fleet.
Go deeper
The direct run across the bay — who sails it, from which pier, and what it costs.
How long it takesTime on the water, pickup windows and why the day is longer than the crossing.
PricesShared bench, private boat and the extras that are not in the headline price.
Krabi day tripsDay trips east from Phuket to the Krabi-side islands and back.
Krabi 4 IslandsChicken Island, Tup, Poda and Phra Nang in one day, starting in Phuket.
Hong IslandThe lagoon at Koh Hong, the park fee, and which boats get there first.
James Bond, Phang Nga Bay and Hong Island Tour from Phuket
★ 4.7 · 377 reviews · Free cancellation 24 h