Krabi four islands by longtail
Poda, Chicken, Tup and Phra Nang — four islands, one sandbar you can walk between at low tide, and the best-value boat day in the country.
The tide decides the route
Three of the four islands are connected by a sandbar that only appears at low tide. Get the timing right and you walk between them; get it wrong and you look at the water from a boat. We plan the day around the tide table, not the other way round.
Poda for the beach, Chicken Island for the rock that looks like a chicken, Tup for the sandbar, and Phra Nang for the cave shrine and the best climbing wall in Thailand. Lunch on the sand.
Longtail, not speedboat
The distances are short — fifteen minutes between islands — so a longtail is cheaper, quieter and closer to the water. A speedboat buys you nothing here except noise.
| Time | Where | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 08:30 | Ao Nang departure | Longtail, 20 min |
| 09:00 | Poda Island | Beach and snorkel |
| 10:30 | Tup Island sandbar | Tide-dependent |
| 12:00 | Chicken Island | Lunch on the sand |
| 14:00 | Phra Nang | Cave shrine, cliff |
Private longtail and crew, national park fee (฿400), snorkel gear, life jackets, lunch, water. Not included: tips, beach chairs.
The tide decides the day
The four islands — Poda, Chicken Island, Tup and Phra Nang — are close together, and the thing that makes the trip is a sandbar between Chicken Island and Tup that only exists for about three hours either side of low tide. At high tide you sail over it; at low tide you walk between two islands on white sand with water on both sides. We set departure time by the tide table, which is why this trip starts anywhere between 07:30 and 11:00 depending on the date.
Phra Nang is the last stop and the best: a beach under a limestone cliff with a cave shrine full of carved lingams, reached only by boat. It is also where the climbers are, so you can watch someone 40 metres up a wall while you eat.
Longtail, and why not speedboat
The crossings here are short — 15 to 25 minutes — so a speedboat saves you nothing except the pleasure of the longtail's open stern and the noise of a diesel engine at 08:00. The longtail can also nose into Poda's shallow bay, which a speedboat cannot. It is a wet ride if there is a chop, and there is no shade on the back bench; the covered middle bench is the seat to take.
Park fees, and what they cover
Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park charges ฿400 for foreigners and ฿200 for children, and there is a separate ฿400 per boat landing fee at some piers. Both are inside the $92. You will still see touts at Ao Nang pier selling "park tickets" — you do not need one.
Who it suits
Families from about six (reef shoes are essential on the sandbar and we carry child sizes), couples, and anyone staying in Ao Nang who wants one boat day rather than three. Not for divers — there is no real coral left on this route — and not for anyone who wants an empty beach in February, because Phra Nang is not empty in February.
Before you book
Can we walk the sandbar?
Only near low tide, and the tide moves. We tell you the window the day before and build the route around it.
Is it good for children?
Yes, one of the best — short crossings, shallow water, a beach every hour.
Why not the shared 4-island speedboat tour?
It is the same four islands with eighty other people. The private longtail costs less per group and arrives earlier.
Check your date.
Tell us the day and how many of you — we confirm availability, the boat and the price.
Written and checked by the Travel Thailand Tour team, Bangkok · Last updated · Prices are per person and were correct at the time of writing.