How many days do you need in Ao Nang?

1. 1Railay & Phra Nang Cave Beachlongtail from the beach booth1 day
2. 24 Islands tourpark fees in cash1 day
3. 3Hong Island or Phi PhiMaya Bay closed 1 August to 30 September1 day
4. 4Tiger Cave Temple or spare sea day1,260 steps; keep it free if a tour was cancelled1 day

The short answer by trip length

• 1 to 2 days: Railay by longtail on day one, a 4 Islands tour on day two. No buffer.

• 3 days: the core. Add Hong Island, a Phi Phi speedboat trip, or Tiger Cave Temple and the Emerald Pool inland.

• 4 days: what we had, and the right length for most people. Each boat day gets a fallback.

• 5 days or more: only if you want beach time, rock climbing at Railay, or a split stay with nights on Railay itself.

Every boat day is weather-dependent, and the most common reason itineraries fall apart here is a cancelled tour with no spare day. Count your days in boat trips, not sights.

Day by day: 4 days in Ao Nang

Day 1, Railay. Buy a ticket at the Ao Nang Long Tail Boat Service Club booth on the beach road; boats leave when about 8 passengers have gathered and take 10 to 15 minutes to Railay West. The fare was about 100 baht one way in recent reports, more after about 6pm. There is no pier, so expect a wet landing. Walk through to Phra Nang Cave Beach under the cliffs, then back to Railay West for sunset before the last regular boats around 6pm. Our Ao Nang to Railay guide has the fares, tides and booth details.

Day 2, 4 Islands. The classic longtail tour: Phra Nang Cave Beach, Chicken Island, Tup Island with its sandbar at low tide, and Poda. National park fees are usually not included and are collected in cash, quoted at anywhere from 200 to 400 baht per foreign adult depending on the islands.

Day 3, Hong Island or Phi Phi. Hong Island's cliff-enclosed lagoon is north of Ao Nang in a separate national park, usually by speedboat. Or a full day to Phi Phi, where landing on Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Le or Bamboo Island costs foreigners 400 baht in park fees. Maya Bay closes every year from 1 August to 30 September, and swimming in the bay is not allowed.

Day 4, inland or the spare day. If a boat day was cancelled, this is when you take it. Otherwise go inland: Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea), on the outskirts of Krabi town, has a climb of 1,260 steps to a hilltop Buddha and a view over the karsts; a taxi from Ao Nang runs about 400 to 500 baht one way. The Emerald Pool and nearby hot spring are further out, about 1 hour 45 minutes by van; combined tours with Tiger Cave run about 800 to 1,500 baht per person.

Where it fits in a Thailand route

Ao Nang pairs naturally with Khao Sok, about 2 hours inland by private transfer. Our route did Khao Sok first (4 days) and Ao Nang second, then went back to Bangkok for 4 days before flying on to Australia. Ending on the coast works if you fly out of Krabi; ending in Khao Sok works if you fly from Surat Thani. See how many days in Khao Sok.

Krabi airport is about 40 minutes by road from Ao Nang, and flights to Bangkok take roughly 1 hour 20 minutes. In Thailand in 2 weeks Ao Nang gets the same 4 days, and our 6-week Thailand itinerary shows how it closes a north-to-south route. For the Bangkok end, see 3 days in Bangkok.

Stay along the beachfront for restaurants and easy access to the boat booth, or on car-free Railay for the cliffs, if you can carry your bags through the surf. Our Thailand guide covers both.

When to go

• November to April: the calm-sea season on the Andaman coast, with dry, sunny weather. Our January stay fell in the middle of it. December and January are the busiest months.

• May to October: the southwest monsoon brings swell and squalls. Island tours are cancelled on rough days, and when the sea off Ao Nang beach is too heavy, Railay boats switch to the sheltered Ao Nam Mao pier and land at Railay East. A spare day matters most in these months.

• Any season: morning boats are usually calmer than afternoon ones.

Common mistakes

• No spare day. One rough morning and the island tour is gone.

• Forgetting cash for park fees. Fees are collected on the day and are rarely in the tour price.

• Rolling luggage to Railay. Wet landing on the west side, mud flats at low tide on the east side. Use a backpack and a dry bag.

• Missing the last regular boat. After about 6pm boats leave only when a group forms, at a higher fare.

• Booking Phi Phi for Maya Bay in August or September. It is closed.

Have small notes ready for the boatmen, and see tipping in Thailand for boat crews and guides. Fill in the Thailand Digital Arrival Card before you fly in.

Frequently asked questions