One week in Krabi: a day-by-day plan with two bases

A week is long enough to see Krabi without rushing, and to sleep in two places. The plan below stretches the two itineraries we publish, three days and five, to seven: four nights in Ao Nang for the boat days, then three on Koh Lanta or on Railay, with the last day left unbooked for the weather.

Every tour suggested here is one we list. The table comes first, then the days, then who should do something else.

The week at a glance

Four nights in Ao Nang, where the boats leave from, then three nights in a second base. The days are set by the sea, the tide and the weekend market rather than by departure days: every tour suggested here, except the mangrove kayaking day from Lanta, is shown as running every day of the week on its booking calendar as of October 2026.

If your flight leaves early on day 8, read day 7 before you choose Lanta: it is the base furthest from the airport.

Days 1 to 4: the Ao Nang half

The first four days are our five-day itinerary without its spare day, and they keep its logic: the long crossing early, the inland day in the middle, the short boat day after it.

Day 1, Railay. A shared longtail from the Ao Nang beachfront, which leaves when it has about eight passengers, then the peninsula on foot: Railay West to swim, the walkway under the cliffs to Phra Nang Beach, and Railay East on the way. If Railay will be your second base, keep it for then and spend day 1 on the mainland instead: a walk on Nopparat Thara at low tide, or a half day kayaking in the Ao Thalane mangroves.

Day 2, the long day at sea. Phi Phi or Phang Nga Bay by speedboat. It goes early in the week on purpose: if the sea cancels it, you still have days to move it to. Maya Bay closes every year from 1 August to 30 September, and swimming there is not allowed at any time.

Day 3, inland. The Tiger Cave Temple staircase from when it opens, about 1,260 steps by most counts, then a swim in the main pool at the Emerald Pool, then an evening in Krabi Town. The Walking Street runs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, though one guide lists only Friday and Saturday: if the weekend falls on another day of your week, move this day to meet it. It does not need the sea, so it is also the day to swap in on a rough morning.

Day 4, the islands close in. The four islands by longtail, or the Hong Islands with a kayak. If your Phi Phi tour already went round the four islands, take the Hong Islands. The sandbar at Koh Tup shows only at low tide: look at a tide table for your date before you book.

The five-day itinerary, day by day

Phi Phi by speedboat, the plain version

The Hong Islands by longtail, with a kayak

Why two bases, and which second one

Ao Nang is the base for the island days because the boats leave from its beach. After four days of early starts, a second base changes the pace rather than adding more boats. Two make sense, and they do different things.

Koh Lanta for beaches to stay on and a slower island, with its old town on the east coast and, in the season, a day at sea to Koh Rok and Koh Haa that leaves from the island itself. It is a long way from the Ao Nang tours, which is why it comes second, not first.

Railay for the cliffs and the quiet evenings once the day boats have gone, the climbing walls on your doorstep, and a short move: one longtail from Ao Nang. In return, every outing starts with a boat, and your luggage comes in by boat too.

Choose Lanta from November to April if Koh Rok is part of the point. Choose Railay if you want the shorter move, if you climb, or if you travel light. From May to October, neither is a mistake, but each has its catch, set out below.

Where to stay in Krabi: the areas side by side

Days 5 and 6 on Koh Lanta

Day 5 is the move. From Ao Nang it is about three hours by van and car ferry, the way that runs all year. From November to April, boats also go from Ao Nang and from Klong Jilad, near Krabi Town, to Saladan in the north of the island. The ferry has no fixed timetable, and one guide reports waits that add hours in December and January: leave in the morning, and give the afternoon to a beach on the west coast, such as Long Beach.

Day 6 is the day at sea, if the park allows it: a snorkelling trip by speedboat to Koh Rok and Koh Haa, which leaves from Lanta and lasts 7.5–8.5 hours on the trip we have looked at. Koh Rok is closed from 1 June to 30 September in the national parks department's 2026 schedule, and in 2026 Thai press reported Koh Haa closed from 11 June because of Portuguese man o' war, with no reopening announced. Ask the operator whether both are open on your date.

Out of season, or if you would rather stay ashore, go to the old town on the east coast, by day, when you can see the stilt houses of its old merchants. Or take the mangrove kayaking day from Lanta: it does not run on Fridays, by its booking calendar.

Koh Lanta: the island, its corners and its seasons

Koh Lanta from Krabi: the road, the ferry and the boats

Or days 5 and 6 on Railay

Day 5 is a short move: a longtail from Ao Nang to Railay West, where there is no pier and your bags come off the boat into shallow water with you. If that worries you, the boats from Krabi Town and Ao Nam Mao tie up at a pontoon at Railay East. In the monsoon, the Ao Nam Mao crossing, on the sheltered side, is described as the more reliable one.

Spend the afternoon on the peninsula you skipped on day 1: Railay West to swim, then Phra Nang Beach. Over the next two days you have what a day visitor does not: the beaches early, before the tours land, and the evenings after the boats leave.

Day 6 is for the rock or the water. A beginners' climbing class lasts about four hours, with an instructor. Or take a private longtail from Railay, for four or six hours on one of three routes, with no crossing to Ao Nang first. If the weather has been dry and you are steady on steep ground, the viewpoint trail is a climb on mud and ropes: never in flip-flops, never after rain.

Climbing at Railay, for a first time

A private longtail from Railay

The Railay viewpoint and lagoon: what the climb asks of you

Day 7: the margin, then the way out

Do not book day 7. If a boat day was cancelled earlier in the week, this is where it goes, and from May to October, when the sea can stop any departure, it is the day most likely to be used. If nothing was cancelled, it is yours: a beach, a pool, or nothing at all.

Then think about the way out. From Lanta, Krabi Airport is about 2–2.5 hours by van and car ferry, according to travel guides, and the wait at the ferry can stretch in December and January: with an early flight on day 8, move back towards the mainland on day 7. From Railay, every departure starts with a boat, and in the monsoon the boats from Ao Nang can be suspended: leave slack on the day you leave, and know where the Ao Nam Mao crossing lands you.

What closes and what keeps running in the rainy season

Krabi Airport: getting to and from each base

Who this week does not suit

Not you if you would rather unpack once. Then take the five-day plan, add two loose days and stay in Ao Nang, or in Krabi Town if markets matter more than beaches.

Not you if boats make you seasick: day 2 is a long day at sea, as is day 6 if you choose Lanta, and the Phi Phi crossing is in open water. Keep one short longtail day, and fill the others with the inland day, a cooking class or a kayak in the mangroves.

And not a plan for Maya Bay in August or September, or for Koh Rok from June to September. The parks set those closures each year, and no tour can get round them.

Cooking classes, for a day off the water

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