From Krabi, there are many options for island excursions. Of the nearer ones, you can either make a trip to Ko Phi Phi or Koh Hong.

Ko Phi Phi is an archipelago of 6 islands, including the infamous Ko Phi Phi Leh, where the movie “The beach” was shot (featuring the younger Leonardo Dicaprio). It is flooded with tourists from not just Krabi, but also Phuket and Ko Lanta.

Koh Hong (also known as “Emerald of Krabi sea”) is the less popular destination. But, for me, it has much more to offer.

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Getting there

From Krabi town, you can easily book a day tour from the many tour operators around Krabi. Be mindful that Krabi town is not to be confused with Ao Nang (which is the beach side of Krabi province).

From Krabi town (on the upriver from the coast), you’ll depart from Klong Jirad pier.

From Ao Nang, you’ll depart from Ao Nang beach.

Tip: You really DON’T need to book your tours online. Book it either through your hotel or from the many tour operator booths when you are in Krabi, and you can save as much as 50%! 

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When to go

Krabi is all year warm. You only need to avoid the rainy seasons, i.e. September to October. April to September can be a bit hotter.

Hence, the best time to visit is November to March, when it is cooler and less humid.

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Koh Hong day tour

So, we took the Koh Hong day tour. The tour operator arranged hotel pick up for us. We were transported to the jetty, before sailing off to our first destination.

First stop was Daeng island, which is a small island with rocky shores. The boat halted a safe distance from the rocky shores, and we were allowed to dive in and snorkel around the reefs.

Second stop was Lading island. We had more swimming before we hopped on the boat and set sail for the main destination …

Koh Hong island. We had simple lunch first, which was provided by the tour operator. And after lunch, it was basically free and easy time for about 2.5 hours.

Koh Hong is famous for a (not so) secret lagoon, which is accessible only through this 10 m wide opening. You can hire a long tail boat to ferry you in. However, we challenged ourselves to the more exciting task, i.e. kayaking.

CAUTION: If you choose kayaking, be mindful that the journey is not short (about 2 km). It took us about 1 hour to and fro. Not for the faint of heart.

After kayaking, we rested on the white sandy beach. And I vouched that these are the best sands I have stepped on. If I have to put a word to it, it feels like stepping on “marshmallow”. It is warm, soft and gooey!

After much rest, we swam a bit more, and I shamelessly took a few more photos.

 At 1500 hrs, we started our journey back to Krabi town. We had no regrets choosing this over Ko Phi Phi (and yes, I have been to Ko Phi Phi).