Thailand Island Hopping Boat Trip from Krabi

Thailand Island Hopping Boat Trip from Krabi

Planning on visiting Krabi, Thailand? Your trip wouldn’t be complete without some Thailand Island Hopping! It is easily one of the best things to do while in Krabi, and a must on any Thailand bucket list. Below, I am sharing the islands we visited on our Island hopping boat trip from Krabi.

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Finding A Boat Hopping Tour

Originally, we wanted to pick a tour group with the best reviews but found they all had negative reviews. This is when we started bargaining with each vendor for the lowest price. If I could do it over again, I would choose a tour from Viator that is highly rated, like this Thailand boat hopping tour.

We chose a 5 island tour and found that 4-5 Islands are the perfect amount. Any more islands would feel overwhelming, for sure! Our tour included Vikings Cave, the famous Maya Bay, Monkey Beach, Phi Phi Island, Bamboo Island, and two additional stops (one for snorkeling and one for swimming.)

Thailand Boat Hopping Tip: Keep in mind when they say 5 Thailand island hopping tours, it’s not always 5 islands, but usually 5 stops. Some of these stops are just drivebys without getting out of the boat. We also found that the hotel wanted to charge us a lot more for the same trip.

Packing List For Island Hopping in Thailand

Before going on this Island hopping tour, we would definitely recommend packing the items below!

1. Coral-reef safe sunscreen: Believe it or not, traditional sunscreen can cause damaging effects to coral reefs. It’s also good to bring your own sunscreen in general since Thailand sunscreen has whitening agents in it. My two go-to sunscreens are Juice Beauty SPF 30 and Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen Sensitive SPF30 
2. A Dry Bag: This way, you can guarantee your valuables stay dry. We bought one from a street vendor by our hotel and now bring it with us on all our beach trips. If you don’t already have one, check this dry bag out! It already comes with a waterproof cell phone case.
3. Quick-dry towel. These are super compact and dry so well! My go-to is Dock and Bay. I have at least 3 of them!
4. An underwater camera if possible. I use the GoPro hero 6 and love it since you do not need a casing for certain depths!
5. Sunglasses & Swimwear. I find cute swimwear at Shein.
6. We always pack a little snack in case we get really hungry.
7. Extra cash in case you want to purchase something at one of the stops.

Here is my ultimate beach vacation packing list!

Thailand Island Hopping Pick-up

Are you ready for your Thailand Island hopping tour? We were picked up in the morning with a group of other people and brought to the dock. The tour did not start on time and from our research they never do. We were all divided into which tours we were doing and directed to our Speedboat to start our trip.

First Stop: Vikings Cave and Swimming

The views of Southern Thailand by boat are really spectacular! The water was relatively flat, but I got really seasick. I’ve never been seasick before, but I guess there is a first for everything.

With that being said, I would definitely recommend bringing seasickness remedies. I now use the sea-band wrist bracelets,  and find they work for me! Our first stop was the Vikings Cave, where you quickly look at the most beautiful water I’ve ever seen! We were told it was still so clear because swimming is not allowed.

Stop 2: Swimming by the Cliffs of Phi Leh Lagoon

Next, we made it to a cliff area of Phi Leh Lagoon, where other boats were parked for swimming! It was nice to get off the boat, and the water was crystal clear. It was my favorite spot for swimming during the boat trip.

Stop 3: Maya Bay

Next, we went to the famous Maya Bay. This was the beach featured in the Leonardo DiCaprio movie “The Beach.” During our visit, there was trash on the beach and even waste floating in the water, so we were happy to hear it had closed shortly after.

Maya Bay has finally reopened now that the beach has had time to be restored. From photos, the water looks crystal clear!

Stop 4: Lunch at Phi Phi Islands

Our next stop was for lunch at the Phi Phi islands. We had about 40 minutes here to eat and explore. The lunch was pretty average (buffet style), so if you have extra money to spare, I would probably eat somewhere else. In my opinion, the allotted time for Phi Phi island wasn’t enough to really explore the island.

If you have extra days in your Krabi itinerary, I would recommend either doing a full-day trip to Phi Phi Islands or a couple of nights there.

Stop 5: Monkey Beach

After lunch, we drove by monkey beach, where we could see the monkeys hanging on the cliffs. In the past, you were able to go on the beach until people started to get bit by the monkeys. The monkeys are wild and have been known to bite occasionally. Seeing them was still pretty cool, and they were even swimming!

Stop 6: Bamboo Island

After the quick pit stop at monkey beach, we headed to Bamboo beach. Bamboo beach was actually my favorite beach in Thailand.

The water was crystal clear, with shells all along the sand. We spent about 25-30 minutes here. Believe it or not, there’s actually no bamboo on the island. Our tour guide told us that they were all washed away during a tsunami that hit the island years ago.

Stop 7: Snorkeling

Our last stop was snorkeling. We were given equipment and jumped into the water. The water was really clear, and there were lots of fish swimming around. The staff was even throwing in little pieces of bread, bringing all the fish to the surface and all around your mask.

Thailand Island Hopping Wrap-up

After snorkeling, we made our way back to the dock. They cut up fresh fruit for us, which was really nice after a long day in the sun.

Once we arrived at the docks, we were given a ride back to our hotel. Overall, we really enjoyed the Thailand island hopping boat tour and definitely recommend taking one. It gave us the opportunity to see a lot of Thailand by water, which in my opinion is so beautiful!

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below!

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