Thailand island hopping in 8 days: Phuket, Phi Phi, Krabi and Koh Lanta

Eight days of Andaman islands, moving one way by ferry: Phuket for the flight, Phi Phi for the limestone, Krabi for Railay, and Koh Lanta to stop. Which island to skip if you dislike crowds, and the monsoon months when the boats do not run.

Southeast Asia
8 days
≈ AED 2,850 / person
Four Andaman stops by ferry, with no backtracking and no Bangkok

Researched & checked by Nitesh Parasher Last verified 30 October 2026

Before you go

This is the island trip with no Bangkok in it. Fly into Phuket, move south-east by ferry, fly out of Krabi. Four stops, one direction, no backtracking.

Phuket is the airport and the first night, not the destination. Phi Phi has the limestone that put this coast on posters, and it is also the busiest place on the Andaman. Railay, reached only by boat from Krabi, has cliffs rising straight out of the sand. Koh Lanta is where you stop moving — bigger, quieter, with a road and somewhere to eat that is not a party.

If you want Bangkok too, the seven-day route pairs it with Krabi, and fourteen days adds the north.

Figure THB 26,000 (≈ AED 2,845) per person. November to April, and the section below on the monsoon is the one that matters most here.

Before you go: the admin

Entry

Visa exemption covers most nationalities, including Indian passport holders, for up to 60 days under the 2024 rules. Thailand changes this often — check yours.
The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) is completed online before arrival.
Six months’ validity.

The ferries, which are the itinerary

Phuket → Phi Phi: about 2 hours.
Phi Phi → Railay/Ao Nang: about 1.5–2 hours.
Krabi → Koh Lanta: about 2 hours by ferry in season, or a minivan-and-bridge route year-round.
Book through your hotel the day before, which includes the transfer to the pier.
Ferry schedules thin out dramatically from May to October, and some routes stop entirely. The minivan route to Lanta runs all year.

Money

Baht. ATMs charge about ฿220 flat per withdrawal.
Cash on the islands — card acceptance is patchy outside resorts.

Two things worth knowing

Maya Bay on Phi Phi Leh was closed for years to let the reef recover and now operates under strict limits — no swimming in the bay itself, timed entry, and a cap on boats. Visit expecting a managed site, not an empty beach.
Longtail over speedboat for day trips: slower, quieter, roughly half the price, and you can hear the guide.

Day by day

Day 1 — Phuket

Land, and do not stay in Patong unless nightlife is the point.
14:00 — Kata or Karon for a quieter first beach.
16:30 — Big Buddha on the hill, 45m of white marble, for the view across the island. Shoulders and knees covered, and sarongs are lent at the top.
18:30 — Old Phuket Town, which is the surprise: Sino-Portuguese shophouses in pastel, a Sunday walking street, and genuinely good food.
Take the morning ferry east.

Day 2 — Over to Phi Phi

08:30 — Two hours by ferry. Phi Phi Don is the inhabited island; Phi Phi Leh is the uninhabited one with Maya Bay.
13:00 — Settle. Phi Phi is crowded and loud — if that is not what you want, treat it as a day trip from Krabi instead and give the nights to Lanta.
16:30 — The viewpoint climb: 20 minutes of steps for the photograph of the two bays meeting at the isthmus. Go late; it faces west.

Day 3 — Maya Bay and the lagoons

07:00 — Maya Bay under the current rules: timed entry, no swimming in the bay, boats capped, and the bay was closed for four years to let the reef recover. Go early — the first slot is the quiet one.
10:00 — Pileh Lagoon and Bamboo Island on a longtail day trip, which is slower and better than the speedboat version.
16:00 — Back for the afternoon swim.

Day 4 — Railay

09:00 — Ferry to Railay, a peninsula reachable only by boat, with limestone walls rising from the sand.
Railay East is mangrove, Railay West is the beach. Stay west if you can.
14:00 — Phra Nang beach at the southern end, the best on the coast, with a cave shrine full of offerings to a sea goddess — carved wooden ones, and not subtle.
17:00 — Sunset from Railay West, which faces exactly the right way.

Day 5 — Climbing, or Hong Island

08:30 — Rock climbing. This is one of the world’s great sport-climbing sites and there are schools for complete beginners — a half-day course gets you up a real route.
Or Hong Island by longtail, and the lagoon at high tide, which is the reason to go and the reason to check the tide first.
16:00 — Ao Nang on the mainland, the practical base with the restaurants and the pharmacies, if you are moving tonight.

Day 6 — South to Koh Lanta

10:00 — Two hours south by minivan and ferry.
14:00 — Long Beach (Phra Ae) for sunsets and restaurants, or Kantiang Bay in the south for the best swimming.
16:00 — Hire a scooter. Lanta’s roads are quiet enough to make that sensible, which is not true of Phuket.

Day 7 — The Emerald Cave

08:00 — The Four Islands tour: Koh Kradan, Koh Mook and the Emerald Cave, which you swim through a dark tunnel to reach, surfacing in a hidden beach inside a collapsed cave. The best day trip on the Andaman.
It is 80m in pitch darkness holding a rope, and there is no turning back halfway — not for weak swimmers or anyone claustrophobic.
17:30 — Sunset on Long Beach.

Day 8 — The park, then home

08:00 — Mu Ko Lanta National Park at the southern tip: a lighthouse, a short jungle trail and monitor lizards on the path, which are harmless and larger than you expect.
11:00 — Old Town on the east coast, stilt houses over the water, for a last lunch.
Fly home from Krabi, two hours away including the ferry or bridge road — so leave four hours before the flight.

Costs and practicalities

Best time to visit

November to April, and this itinerary is more weather-dependent than any other on the site.

November–February — the season. Calm seas, 28–32°C, every ferry and day trip running. December to early January is peak and prices roughly double.
March–April — hot, still calm, and quieter than midwinter. Good value.
May–October — the southwest monsoon on exactly this coast. Ferry schedules thin, some routes stop, and day trips are cancelled in a swell. Rain is usually an afternoon hour rather than all day, and prices fall by a third — but you cannot rely on the island hops running, which is the whole structure of this trip.
September–October are the wettest.

Travel tips

Book each ferry the day before through your hotel; it includes the pier transfer.
The minivan route to Lanta runs year-round when the ferry does not.
Longtail over speedboat on every day trip.
Maya Bay has rules now — timed entry, no swimming in the bay.
Reef-safe sun cream, and Thailand has banned several common chemical filters in marine parks.
Carry cash; island card acceptance is patchy.
A dry bag is not optional on this trip.
Scooters are reasonable on Lanta and a bad idea on Phuket.

What this trip actually costs

Two people, 7 nights, mid-range comfort, international flights excluded:

Item	Cost
Hotels, 7 nights on the islands	THB 21,000 (≈ AED 2,298)
Food and drink, 8 days	THB 11,200 (≈ AED 1,226)
Ferries and pier transfers	THB 8,000 (≈ AED 875)
Day trips, national park fees and snorkelling	THB 7,500 (≈ AED 821)
Scooter hire, taxis and airport transfers	THB 4,300 (≈ AED 471)
Total for two	THB 52,000 (≈ AED 5,691)

Roughly THB 26,000 (≈ AED 2,845) per person for eight days.
National park fees for foreigners are charged per person per park and are a real part of the day-trip line.
December and January run roughly double on accommodation.
Hotel picks here are chosen on location, not on commission — always check prices and recent reviews before booking.

What to pack

A dry bag, which you will use every day.
Reef-safe sun cream — several chemical filters are banned in Thai marine parks.
A rash vest for long snorkelling days.
Shoes you can get wet. Longtails mean wading in and out.
Reef shoes for stony entries.
Strong repellent; dengue is present and the mosquito bites by day.
A Type A/B/C adapter.

FAQ

Is Phi Phi worth two nights? Only if you want nightlife. It is the most crowded place on the Andaman. Many people are happier treating it as a day trip from Krabi and giving the nights to Lanta.

Can I do this in the monsoon? Partly. Rain is manageable; cancelled ferries are not, and the island hops are the structure of the trip. If your dates are May to October, consider basing on Lanta and doing day trips instead.

Is Maya Bay open? Yes, under strict limits — timed entry, capped boat numbers and no swimming in the bay itself. It is a managed site now, not an empty beach.

Which island if I only had one? Koh Lanta. It is big enough to have quiet beaches, a road, and real restaurants, and it is the base for the Emerald Cave trip.

Do I need to book ferries in advance from home? No. The day before, through your hotel, is better — it includes the transfer and lets you check the sea.

Prices and entry rules change, and what you need depends on your passport; last checked 30 October 2026, so confirm with the embassy or your airline before booking.