Surrounded by towering limestone islands floating on the crystal clear water, there are no better places in Thailand to enjoy an island-hopping tour. If you’re planning a trip to Krabi, you’re in the right place! In this article, we’ll have a look at how the 7 Islands Sunset Tour is like, how you can book the tour, what to bring, and of course, how much it costs.
Standing on the top of all island-hopping tours in Krabi would be the Krabi 4 Islands Tour, which is currently operated by countless operators. The Krabi 7 Islands Tour might not sound familiar to you, but I assure you that the experience is very similar at the same price range – if not better!
Before we get started, let me give you a quick picture. For this tour, you’ll be traveling in a longtail boat and enjoy sunbathing, snorkeling (and night snorkeling to see the bioluminescent plankton!), walking between islands through the shallow waters, stunning sunset view over the horizon and most exciting of all – buffet dinner!
Excited yet? Let’s dive in and check out the details of this 7 Islands sunset tour in Krabi!
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Krabi 7 Islands Tour Price?
To be honest, when it comes to pricing, Thailand really had me all confusing. Why?
On our first day in Krabi, our hostel manager in Baan To Guesthouse handed us several brochures. This tour particularly caught our attention and the written price was 1,500 Baht. We asked the manager for more details, and she said she could make it 900 Baht if we booked with her.
Like, 40% discount, seriously?
In the end, we booked our 7 Islands Tour for 900 Baht per person.
My advice is to first consult with your hostel or hotel manager and see if they could offer a better price. If so, why not book with them? Saves you the trouble because the tuk-tuk picks you up right at the doorstep.
My take is that the price might differ depending on the seasons though. I visited in January which is not so much of a peak season.
Note that you still have to pay 10 Baht for the pier fee, which is pretty ridiculous. But it’s 10 Baht so nevermind.
So, in total, I spent 910 Baht for the 7 Islands Sunset Tour. Â
Tup Island and Thap Island
The pickup service will drop you right at the pier area, where you’ll be directed to collect your snorkeling masks and register your names. Pier fee of 10 Baht will be collected upon entering the pier. After that, just wait until your group is called to board the longtail boat.
The process is pretty straightforward so I think there’s no point explaining too much, let’s jump into the main points.
The first island, well, islands to be exact are Tup Island (or Koh Tup) and Thap Island (or Koh Thap). It takes around 30 minutes to get here from Krabi Ao Nam Mao Pier.
Now, some articles will say they are the same islands, but no. Both of these islands are connected by the sandy beach covered by a shallow layer of seawater.
That means you’ll be able to stroll back and forth these 2 islands like a boss, sounds pretty cool, right?
So, what the main activities in these two islands? Well, we were given around 45 minutes to simply walking around and explore.
The seawater in the surrounding is crystal clear, and there were plenty of fishes there. You could bring your snorkeling mask, dive in, and try talking to the fishes. In short, there are no specific activities here other than free time.
Check out these awesome & free viewpoints in Phuket you can explore on a motorbike in one day!
Chicken Island
It’s time for some snorkeling!
If it’s your first time snorkeling, you might want to check out some video tutorials in YouTube to get an idea first. If not, you might end up like an awkward fish that forgot how to breathe.
Trust me, I was that fish.
Snorkeling seems so easy at first that I didn’t bother to try learning it. In my first attempt, I choked on some seawater and the taste remained in my mouth for hours. The video below shows you how to get started.
The sea around Chicken Island is around 3 to 4 meters deep. The operator told us that we were supposed to snorkel somewhere else but the sea condition there wasn’t so pleasant. Or something like that, she was talking when the boat engine beside me is running on full power.
Anyway, don’t expect too much coral reef there, as tourism always kills the sensitive coral reefs. And one thing, use coral-safe sunscreens, please.
At Chicken Island, you’ll be given around 30 minutes to snorkel around the massive limestone hill. There were no beaches around that you can land on, so you either get on the boat or you go swimming with the fishes.
Oh ya, there weren’t many fishes here when I dove until the operator took out some fish-bait-thing and the fishes swarmed in like zombies. I’m not that supportive when it comes to wildlife tourism, but I’m ok with it if it’s just for a brief while.
I didn’t even know why it’s called Chicken Island. It looks more like Lapras Island. (Only Pokemon fans can relate)
Poda Island and Ma Tang Ming Island
Next stop, Poda Island. This island is the perfect spot to chill and relax after the struggling snorkel. We were given an hour in this island to do whatever we like – free time.
Ma Tang Ming Island, located at the opposite of Poda Island is a perfect subject for photography. Unfortunately, there were no beaches on that island so all we could do was admire its beauty from a distance.
Speak of Poda Island, this island is HUGE. The long stretch of white sandy beach is great for simply picnicking and sunbathing. While you’re there, why not dip yourself into the sea and enjoy the crystal clear water?
There are plenty of coconut trees as well to keep the benches shady – you’ll definitely feel sleepy after all the snorkeling and swimming.
Anyway, one hour passed really quickly and we had to move on to the next destination.
Located not so far away from Krabi lies Samet Nangshe Viewpoint, one of the most breathtaking viewpoints in Thailand. Check it out here!
Si Island & Railay Beach with Phra Nang Cave
While Si Island is advertised as one of the 7 islands in the tour, like Ko Ma Tang Ming, we did not set foot onto this island. There was no beach there, and it’s really close to Railay Beach on the Krabi mainland.
The longtail boat parked at the beach of this last destination of the 7 Island Sunset Tour and visitors got to enjoy the perfect sunset view over the horizon accompanied by the enormous Si Island.
The moment you hopped off the boat, the first thing you want to do is pay a quick visit to Phra Nang Cave – probably the most famous cave in Krabi.
This hundred-meter-tall cave is magnificent by itself, due to the erosion of the limestone hill, which contributed to the unique pattern of the cave structure. The giant stalactites hanging over the cave ceiling will surely make you wonder if they’ll drop at any moment. Don’t even imagine it!
After the sunset, before the sunset glow disappears, make sure you bring yourself to the booth of your travel operator to claim your buffet dinner! Enjoying your dinner while admiring the beauty of the purple sky, what’s a better way to end the day?
The Unknown Island
The tour is not over after the dinner just yet! After dinner, hop on back to your longtail boat and you’ll be brought to an unknown island. The island’s name wasn’t mentioned in any of the brochures so I wasn’t sure about the name.
Several longtail boats came together and turned off the light. In 5 minutes, your eyes start to adapt to the darkness and become more sensitive to light. And you guessed it, it’s night snorkeling time!
Night snorkeling might sound a little creepy for some, so make sure you wear the safety jackets if you’re not confident about the safety! Your operator will teach you how to see the bioluminescent plankton.
It’s simple, once you’re in the water, simply flap your hand, or make any motions with your hands. The planktons will let out lights when there is movement around them. Some sort of chemical reactions, according to the operator.
If you don’t feel like snorkeling again, the operator will contain the seawater into a plastic bottle and shake them on the boat, making them shine bright like diamonds. But the experience is very different compared to seeing them yourself in the waters.
Oh ya, the luminescence only lasts for around 0.5 seconds when there are movements. Pretty difficult to take photos, I’d say.
With your wet clothes, it’s time to head back to the pier and end the tour!
Fire Show at Ao Nam Mao Pier
I’m not sure if this applies to all tour operators, but our tour operator, The Lucky Krabi Travel had this fire show thing in their itinerary.
After returning the snorkeling masks, we got to enjoy a 10-minutes fire show before we hopped on our tuk-tuk and dropped off at our hostel. The fire show was conducted by a family of 3 generations, with the youngest being… I think he’s younger than 10 years old.
Anyway, the fire show was pretty impressive. There were some pretty dangerous tricks, but there was no fire breathing trick. Yep, I know it’s very dangerous to the performer, but I’ve never seen it with my own eyes to this day, so…
Excited for this 7 Islands Sunset Tour in Krabi?
So that’s it for the Krabi 7 Islands Sunset Tour. What do you think of it? I highly recommend you to try this or at least the 4 Islands tour. A trip to Krabi without an island-hopping tour is not complete! The seawater condition might disgust you especially at the Krabi Town area, but trust me, once you get the 30-minutes boat ride out of town, things will get so aesthetically different. Let me know if this article helped you. Travel safe and enjoy Thailand!
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