Phuket and Krabi: Island Hopping, Railay and the Best Months to Go

Elijah Tours Team September 2, 2026 7 min read

Phuket and Krabi sit either side of Phang Nga Bay on Thailand's Andaman coast, ninety minutes apart by road or two hours by ferry. Together they give you beaches, limestone cliffs, the Phi Phi islands and enough variety to fill a week without repeating a day.

When to go

November to April is the dry season, with calm seas, clear water and reliable boat departures. May to October brings the southwest monsoon: afternoon showers, rougher crossings and occasional cancelled island tours, though hotel rates drop sharply. Pakistani school holidays in December and the summer both work; December is the safer bet for boats.

Maya Bay on Phi Phi Leh closes to visitors for part of the monsoon every year to let the reef recover, so check the dates if it is on your list.

Phuket: four nights

Stay in Patong for nightlife and shopping, Karon or Kata for quieter family beaches, or Bang Tao for resorts. Spend one day on a speedboat tour to the Phi Phi islands and one on the James Bond Island and sea-kayak trip through Phang Nga Bay. Leave a day for Old Phuket Town, the Big Buddha and a sunset at Promthep Cape.

Krabi: three nights

Ao Nang is the base, with a beach road of halal restaurants and longtail boats leaving from the sand. Railay, reachable only by boat, has the limestone cliffs and Phra Nang cave beach that appear in every photograph of Krabi; go early before the day-trippers arrive. The Four Islands tour by longtail and the Emerald Pool and hot springs inland make up the other two days.

Getting between them

A private minivan takes about two and a half hours from Phuket hotels to Ao Nang and is included in our packages. The ferry via Phi Phi is slower but turns the transfer into a half-day trip; it only runs reliably in the dry season.