Experience exciting island hopping in Thailand. Reserve your spot now!
Island hopping in Thailand is so popular, as there are many completely different islands to explore. In fact, there are over 1400 islands of Thailand to choose from. While the mainland is full of treasures to discover, the island offers a different insight into Thai culture and mother nature, and some of the best memories from your trip are bound to come from these islands.
There is an island for everyone in Thailand, with every island best known for some activities, foods or characteristics. Not every island is a party island, as some travelers might believe, of course, party islands do exist.
10 best Islands for Island hopping in Thailand:
1. Phi Phi Islands:
The Phi Phi Island (pronounced pee-pee) is a cluster of six islands near the western curve of the southern Thai peninsula, with two major islands travelers like to explore.
Koh Phi Phi Don: If you are planning to spend a night on Phi Phi Islands, there is where you will be sleeping. The islands itself have no motor vehicles and could be crossed by foot in 45 minutes from end to end along the yellow brick road. You will find variety of hotels, hostels, and Airbnbs to stay, all at a short walk from bars, restaurants, and beach parties.
Koh phi phi ley: One of the most attractive features of Phi Phi Ley is scarce man-made attractions and an abundance of marine life. With pure crystal-clear waters all around and uncrowded beaches to explore, the Phi Phi Islands also wipe out with natural beauty.
2. Phuket:
Of all the Thai islands, Phuket is the largest and is the hub of island hopping along the west coast of the peninsula. It's a great point of departure for an island-hopping journey, as there are numerous ferry crossings from Phuket.
It is undoubtedly the most visited island in Thailand. Some people will spend all their time there, but we strongly suggest you travel further throughout Thailand than just Phuket.
There is ample sights and activities to do whilst in Phuket, however one of the most popular day trips are to the Phi Phi islands. We also spent a few nights on our island-hopping tour and a day trip is common for those staying in Phuket.
3. Koh Tao:
Koh Tao is loved by people who are looking for ocean adventures. If you are wanting to learn or try some new diving skills than this is definitely the island for you. There are dozens of beautiful coral reefs along the coast of the small island that deserve your attention.
It is one of the most popular places in the world to get your PADI open water diving certification and as it costs a fraction of the price compared to getting your certification in the west.
4. Krabi:
Krabi is technically not an island but it makes our list as it certainly has the vibe of one and it’s probably the top location to start your island-hopping journey. Krabi has a connection to the mainland but its coastline is surrounded by hundreds of little islands and inlets to explore.
When it comes to Krabi, people get confused about where “Krabi” actually is. It’s little confusing because Krabi is actually the name for both a province and also the name of the town in the province.
Krabi Town is one of the popular spots for travelers searching to start their island journey, and there sure is a lot to love about this town. There’s a good vibe in Krabi Town with night markets to visit, neighborhood beaches to lounge around, and cultural experiences to be had at the temples.
5. Koh Samui:
Koh Samui is one of the most visited of all of the islands in southern Thailand. Although these islands have attracted mostly ravers and partygoers, there are plenty of fun things you can do if you are not a heavy partier.
Some of the most enjoyable things to do in Koh Samui (aside from partying) were to visit the elephant sanctuaries, enjoy the beaches, look at the Buddhist temples and of course attend the beach fire shows.
You can get to Koh Samui by varying transport, however, one of the easiest and most convenient ways to get to Koh Samui is to fly from Krabi. Koh Samui is one of the biggest islands on the east coast of the peninsula among the popular islands and you can ferry to the smaller islands like Koh Tao and Ko Pha Ngan from there.
6. Similan Islands:
While the Similan Island are a long way from the main peninsula, when you visit, you will arrive at a natural paradise with some incredible views and experience. The islands are very remote with no hotels, hostels or places to stay.
If you want to stay, you will have to set up a tent at a campsite and out of the nine islands in the group, you can only sleep on one of them. The Similan islands are generally better experienced as a day trip, and it is possible to boat over from Phuket, which will take around an hour and a half.
7. Koh Lipe:
Koh Lipe had stunning beaches that never photograph as spectacular as they do in real life; one of our least favorite things about the Thai islands is that you can never capture their beauty to show somebody else; you will truly understand just how beautiful they are until you see them yourself.
The water at Koh Lipe is stunningly clear, which also means awesome for snorkeling and driving, another benefit is that Koh Lipe is nowhere as crowded as several of the other islands and is definitely not a party place. a fantastic island to just lay back and relax taking the sounds of silence.
Traveling to Koh Lipe is a bit more challenging than some of the other islands, but there are still multiple ways of reaching it.
Traveling by a bus and ferry combination is a popular method from Krabi, but a bus and ferry combination from hat Yai is also an option. Hat Yai is easy to access from Bangkok by a short flight, which makes Koh Lipe a possible smart starting point for island hopping.
8. Koh Yao Yai:
Koh Yao Yai is another quiet island and is usually overlooked by younger party-goers and enjoyed more by chilled out solo travelers, couples and families.
It should be on the shortlist of anyone looking to relax and unwind. However, not everything is lying on a sunbed and lounging on the beach. Koh Yao Yai can boast a great selection of sports, activities and options to stay active. Koh Yao Yai is pretty much smack bang in between Phuket and Krabi and making it easily accessible by either ferry or speedboat from both locations. It's surprising how few people visit!
9. Koh Pha Ngan:
Koh Pha Ngan is an island with the perfect mix of amazing parties, chilled cafes and tropical beaches. It is probably most famous for its Full Moon Parties, which happen once a month.
Honestly, it has become incredibly famous because they now also have full-moon, half-moon and black-moon parties. While each has its own character, they provide choices between jungle or beach parties.
Most travelers head straight for Haad Rin Beach in the southern part of the island. Here the parties continue from dusk till dawn.
The northern part of the island is generally felt to be considerably more relaxed and has a good range of beaches for swimming, sunbathing, and enjoying. There are also many jungle trails for hiking and exploration, offering a glimpse into the tropical wildlife.
10. Khao Phing Kan:
Khao Phing Kan is the last but certainly not the least contender of the best islands for island hopping in Thailand. It is very touristy, but we love it anyway!
Khao Phing Kan is best known as James Bond Island, and is very popular with both Asian & Western tourists. This limestone island was filmed in “Man with the Golden Gun,” and as the result the number of visitors increased.
There are various landforms that makeup James Bond Island, and if you've never been, you can tour this collection of islands on boat tours. The most famous island 'mushroom' island is sadly closed due to the enormous amount of pollution and litter occurred from such an influx of visitors.
The simplest way to tour the collection of islands and rock forms from the movie is to take the ferry from Koh Nakha Yai, which will connect you to the ferry from Phuket.
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