Which island suits you, how the ferries connect, when the marine parks are open — and the boat trips that are actually worth booking.
The Andaman Sea washes the whole west coast of southern Thailand, from Ranong on the Myanmar border to Satun on the Malaysian one. Along it lie the country’s most famous seascapes: the limestone towers of Phang Nga Bay and Krabi, the cliffs of Phi Phi, the granite boulders of the Similans and the white sandbars of Koh Lipe.
In the dry season a web of ferries and speedboats makes it possible to travel much of the coast by sea, sleeping on a different island every few nights. This guide explains how to do it: the hubs and what each is good for, the routes and seasons, the rules of the national parks, and the tours we would book ourselves. Shorter sections cover Langkawi in Malaysia, Myanmar’s Mergui Archipelago and India’s Andaman Islands.
Curated, well-reviewed experiences booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting points in euros — tap any tour for live availability in your currency.
Speedboat day trip from €32 The classic Phuket day out and one of the most-booked boat trips on the whole coast, with more than four thousand reviews. A speedboat covers Phi Phi Leh’s famous bays, a snorkel stop and a beach break in a single day, at a price that is hard to beat.
Boat tour with canoeing from €60 A full sweep of Phang Nga Bay in one day: the limestone needle made famous by a Bond film, paddled canoes into hidden lagoons and a swim stop on Koh Yao Yai. Rated 4.8 by well over two thousand travellers.
Longtail island hopping from €30 Krabi’s signature trip and the most-reviewed tour on this site, with more than six thousand ratings. A wooden longtail links four islands and beaches a short hop from Ao Nang, with snorkelling and a picnic lunch.
Speedboat day trip from €70 An early departure is the single best way to improve a Phi Phi day, and this one has the reviews to prove it: 4.9 from around three and a half thousand travellers. It combines Phi Phi Leh with island stops on the way back to Krabi.
Speedboat snorkelling trip from €108 The best-reviewed way to see the Similans in a day. An early boat from Thap Lamu pier gets you onto the beaches and reefs before most groups arrive. Runs only while the park is open, roughly mid-October to mid-May.
Afternoon-to-evening canoe trip from €116 An afternoon departure that reaches the caves as the day boats leave, then waits for nightfall to paddle through bioluminescent water. Rated 4.8 by more than two and a half thousand travellers.
Speedboat snorkelling trip from €41 Koh Rok’s twin islands sit well offshore inside Mu Ko Lanta National Park, with bright sand and reef close to the beach; Koh Haa adds a lagoon ringed by rock stacks. The top-rated day trip from Lanta.
Guided land tour from €35 Krabi’s best day away from the sea: a forest pool, warm mineral cascades and a staircase of more than 1,200 steps to a summit view over the karst. More than four thousand reviews at 4.8.
Real-time prices and availability, straight from GetYourGuide.
From Thailand’s biggest island to marine parks open only half the year — the places that make up an Andaman itinerary.
Phuket & Phang Nga Bay Thailand’s biggest island and the gateway to the Andaman Sea
A large, mountainous island joined to the mainland by a bridge, with an international airport, dozens of west-coast beaches, a handsome Sino-Portuguese old town and boats leaving every morning for Phi Phi, Phang Nga Bay and the Similans.
Phuket & Phang Nga Bay Limestone towers, sea caves and James Bond Island
A shallow, sheltered bay between Phuket and Krabi studded with sheer limestone islands. Its hidden lagoons are explored by canoe through sea caves, and its best-known rock starred in a 1974 James Bond film.
Krabi, Phi Phi & Koh Lanta Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and a car-free island village
Six islands in a national park between Phuket and Krabi. Koh Phi Phi Don has the village, hotels and viewpoint; uninhabited Koh Phi Phi Leh holds Maya Bay and the cliff-walled Pileh Lagoon.
Krabi, Phi Phi & Koh Lanta Cliff-backed beaches and the 4 Islands
The mainland coast of Krabi province: the resort strip of Ao Nang, the boat-access-only peninsula of Railay with its climbing cliffs and Phra Nang Beach, and day trips to the 4 Islands, the Hong Islands and the Tiger Cave Temple.
Krabi, Phi Phi & Koh Lanta 
Northern Andaman coast Granite boulders, white sand and the coast’s clearest water
A chain of granite islands about 70 km off Khao Lak, protected as a national park and regarded as Thailand’s best diving. Open only in the dry season, with daily visitor quotas, and visited by day trip or liveaboard.
Well-reviewed hotels chosen for their location — on the right beach, near the right pier — with live rates on Trip.com.
A large beachfront resort that has quiet Kata Noi Beach almost to itself, a short ride from the restaurants of Kata.
Pavilions in a coconut grove on the Railay peninsula, touching three beaches including Phra Nang — the classic Krabi splurge.
Koh Lanta’s best-known luxury resort, on a forested hillside above Kantiang Bay in the scenic south of the island.
Airports, piers, ferry and speedboat links, and three ready-made routes down the coast.
Which island for whom, national park fees, snorkelling and diving, safety and responsible travel.
Month by month: the dry season, the monsoon, and which parks and routes close when.
Paddle into the sea caves of Phang Nga Bay, step onto Maya Bay before the crowds, snorkel the Similan reefs and watch the sun set behind Krabi’s limestone islands. Compare the best-rated boat trips and book in a couple of taps.
It is the part of the north-eastern Indian Ocean bounded by Myanmar to the north, Thailand and Malaysia to the east, Sumatra to the south and India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the west. For most travellers “the Andaman” means Thailand’s west coast: Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Trang, Satun and Ranong.
November to April, when the north-east monsoon brings dry weather and calm seas and every route and marine park is open. From May to October the south-west monsoon brings rain and rough water; some ferries stop and the Similan and Surin Islands close. See when to visit.
Phuket for choice and convenience, Krabi and Railay for scenery, Phi Phi for the famous bays, Koh Lanta for families and quiet, Khao Lak for the Similans, Koh Lipe for clear water, and the Trang islands or Koh Phayam to get away from it all. Our travel guide has a full comparison table.
Yes. In the high season ferries and speedboats link Phuket, Phi Phi, Krabi, Koh Lanta, the Trang islands and Koh Lipe, and continue to Langkawi in Malaysia. Many of the longer routes stop in the monsoon. See our island-hopping guide.
Most of the famous places — Phi Phi and Maya Bay, Phang Nga Bay, the Similan and Surin Islands, Koh Rok, Koh Lipe — are inside national parks that charge foreign visitors an entry fee, typically between about 200 and 500 baht per adult. It is often collected in cash and not always included in tour prices.
Maya Bay reopened in 2022 with visitor caps and a ban on swimming, and in recent years it has closed for about two months in the green season, usually August and September. Rules change, so check before booking. More on our Phi Phi page.
A week is enough for two bases, such as Phuket and Krabi or Krabi and Koh Lanta. Ten days to two weeks allows a proper island-hopping route from Phuket down to Koh Lipe.