LGarabito

My family and I (6 adults) are staying in Krabi for a week in May 2012. Our main 'Must-dos" in Krabi is to do one day trip to the phi phi islands, another day trip to the 4 islands (hong, chicken, poda, railay pensinsula), and another day trip to Phang Gna Bay which includes canoeing into the caves. We are open to do group tours however, would prefer to charter our own boat if possible so we can have more flexibility as to where we want to go. I have done some research and found tons of tour operators but 90% of them take-off from Phuket, which leads me to my post. Can you recommend any tour operators that depart from Krabi? Im open to either long-tail boat or speed-boat..but would prefer to book a speed-boat to the phi phi islands so that we have more time to spend on the islands. I would like a company that is reputable and would love some feedback (positive/negative) from companies you have toured with.

Thanks in advance

mcbg1

For Hong/Chicken/Poda/Railay, it would be cheaper for you to hire your own private long tail boat. It's about 75-100$ for the whole day. For Phi Phi/Phang Nga Bay, you would need to go with a group or hire a private speedboat which is more expensive than a long tail boat (300-500$ for the day). I don't know any companies but you can book once you're in Ao Nang. There are booths everywhere to book day trips.

kmkrnn

We used Andaman camp and sea cruises. Had a fabulous day . They picked us up at the hotel beach even. We were staying at the Sheraton in Ao Nang. Their contact info is Andamancamp and Cruise.com, or [email protected]. The trip included a lovely lunch. Sunny is Thai , but speaks good English, and his wife is Ausi. Nice long tail type boat. Have fun.

rhkkmk

i would just say that our day with Sunny was one of the best thai experiences we have ever had... he was fun and took us to great places...

the sheraton is not in ao nang, but he did come there to pick us up... it really depends on the seas if he can land at an hotel beach...

LGarabito

@mcbg1- since we are a group of 6, we figured splitting the cost of a private speedboat would be worth it

@kmkrnn and rhkkmk- I stumbled upon Andaman camp on trip adviser and was considering them. Now that both of you also recommended them i think im going to hire them for the 4 island tour. Im staying at the Amari Vogue Krabi so it would be pretty neat if they could pick us up right on the beach! I wonder if its too far for them though...

Would love to narrow down a few companies that i can book in advance for a trip to the Phi Phi/Phang Gna Bay..please keep the suggestions coming! I really appreciate it

ManuLM

Hi there,

we've been to AoNang last year, and will be back there in 2 weeks ^__^
For visiting Rayley Beach, and spending a lovely day at the 4 islands, you can simply get a long tail boat, they are super easy to find at Ao Nang on the main beach, and this will be the cheapest option most likely. There is no need for a booking !
You can also ask your hotel to set it up, here make sure you had a chat with the long tail guys on the beach, this will give you an impression, if this is reasonable or not. In general it is super easy to set this up on your own, and the distance to cover is not too big so it should be perfectly safe to visit the islands with a long tail boat. We even saw one guy coming on a sea canoe!!!
For Ko Phi Phi you need a more serious boat as the distance is bigger. A private speed boat is a luxurious and ideal solution, make sure you negociate well the price before agreeing on anything, as some captains might be tempted to over charge. Request your hotel for help is probably a good idea, there is usually no problem to get a boat when asking 1-2 days in advance. If you pre-book this trip, I fear you will pay a lot more aloose any opportunity to negociate or make sure the price you pay is reasonnable, and I am also not sure how reliable such a booking would be.

There is also a large boat ferrying every day there, I expect the cost to be much lower, it runs a fixed times (company operated). Travel time is longer, and you will be in a group (note it is also likely the speed boat will put you in a group, but on a speed boat I would expect you can't be much more than ~10-12 people).

Have a good trip!

rhkkmk

are you loving amari?? the place is beautiful and the food excellent... try the special knockies (sp)....

let us know how the boat trip was???

rhkkmk

we were picked up and dropped off at the sheraton so i expect the amari would be easy too

darrenmike99

i would just say that our day with Sunny was one of the best thai experiences we have ever had... he was fun and took us to great places...

yestravel

Based on rhkkmk's rec we used Eilizabeth at Andaman camp and cruise and it was a wonderful day. she will work with you to tailor a day if u wish.

LGarabito

Thank you all for the great suggestions! I took your advice and booked with Elizabeth at Andaman....she even recommended a sunset BBQ dinner cruise and im most excited about that! We set sail in May..cannot wait and thanks again for all your help!