Short answer
Choose the 4 Islands route if you want beaches and the sandbar walk: it is from $35 per person, back at about 2:00 pm, and the park fee on our tour is 200 baht per adult. Choose the Hong Islands route if you want the lagoon inside Koh Hong and the viewpoint: from $40 per person, back at about 3:30 pm, park fee 300 baht per adult. Both leave from the same pier at about 9:00 am, and the park fee is paid in cash at check-in.
Our Krabi tour is two different days, not one
Our Krabi listing covers two speedboat routes that start from the same private pier near Ao Nang at about 9:00 am. The 4 Islands route is from $35 per person; the Hong Islands route is from $40 per person. You pick the route when you book. Hotel pickup in Ao Nang and the Krabi area is between about 7:30 and 8:40 am, and guests staying on Railay and Tonsai are collected from the beach.
The routes also lie in two different national parks. Wikivoyage describes the Four Islands (Ko Poda, Ko Kai, Ko Mo and Ko Thap) as part of Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park. Wikipedia places Ko Hong in Than Bok Khorani National Park, a separate park. That is why the park fee, the sea and the feel of the day are not the same on both routes.
What you see on the 4 Islands route
On our 4 Islands day the stops are Phra Nang Cave Beach, the sandbar between Tup Island and Chicken Island, a snorkelling reef and a picnic lunch on Poda Island. Wikivoyage describes Phra Nang as a fine white-sand beach at the southern tip of the Railay peninsula, about 20 minutes from Ao Nang by longtail boat, with limestone cliffs at each end and a small cave shrine at its northern end.
Wikivoyage's page on the Four Islands says Ko Poda has clear water that is good for swimming, and Ko Kai, called Chicken Island, takes its name from a chicken-shaped limestone rock. Wikipedia puts Ko Poda about 8 kilometres from Ao Nang. Wikivoyage also warns that in high season the islands are busy with boats, so expect company on the beaches rather than empty sand.
What you see on the Hong Islands route
The Hong Islands day goes to the sea caves at Pakbia and Lading, then to the lagoon inside Hong Island, with lunch on a beach and a choice of snorkelling or the climb to the 360° viewpoint. Wikivoyage calls Ko Hong a group of islands between Krabi and Ko Yao whose main island is known for a picturesque lagoon. Thai Wikipedia describes limestone islands with coral reefs in shallow and deeper water.
Thai Holiday Guide describes the lagoon, Thale Nai, as a nearly enclosed pool of flat green water ringed by cliffs, and says its entrance is a narrow gap in the rock that visitors paddle through by kayak. It also describes a viewpoint walkway of 419 metal steps, built in 2020, about 20 minutes each way. Our listing does not include kayaks, so ask us what your day involves before you count on a paddle.
How long you are out on each route
The 4 Islands tour is about 6 hours from hotel pickup: the speedboat leaves at about 9:00 am and is back at about 2:00 pm, after which the minibus takes you to your hotel. The Hong Islands tour is about 7 to 8 hours from pickup and is back at about 3:30 pm. In practice the Hong day gives you roughly an hour and a half more on the water, and the 4 Islands day leaves your afternoon free.
The crossing itself is short on both. Thai Holiday Guide gives 25 to 50 minutes from Ao Nang to Koh Hong depending on the type of boat, and Thai Wikipedia says about an hour on a chartered boat. The Four Islands are closer: Ko Poda is about 8 kilometres from Ao Nang. We do not publish a crossing time for our speedboat, so treat these as the range, not a promise.
Park fees: 200 baht on one route, 300 on the other
On our tour the national park fee is not in the price and is paid in cash at check-in. On the 4 Islands route it is 200 baht per adult and 100 per child. On the Hong Islands route it is 300 baht per adult and 150 per child. For two adults and one child that is 500 baht on the 4 Islands and 750 baht on the Hong Islands, so bring cash on the day.
These figures match the Department of National Parks. Its June 2022 schedule, in force from 7 June 2022, lists Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi in the group where foreign adults pay 200 baht and children 100, and Than Bok Khorani in the group at 300 and 150. We found no later schedule in the Department's news archive as of October 2026, but fees can be revised, so check the amount when you book.
The sandbar, the lagoon and the tide
The sandbar is the one part of the 4 Islands day that the calendar can take away. Our listing says the Tup sandbar appears at low tide and that at high tide you see it from the boat. Wikivoyage says the same of the islands: when the tide is low enough you can walk between Ko Mo, Ko Thap and Ko Kai, a path that is picturesque but often crowded with boats and people.
The Hong lagoon depends on the sea. Thai Holiday Guide says December to April brings the calmest water, and that outside those months swell can make the entrance to the lagoon harder to pass. On both routes, if the sea is unsafe the operator moves the trip to another date or refunds it. If the sandbar is your reason for booking, check a Krabi tide table for your date and tell us your dates.
Who should choose which route
Pick the 4 Islands if this is your first island day from Ao Nang, if you want beach time and the sandbar, if you travel with children from about 4 years old, or if you want to be back by about 2:00 pm and keep the afternoon. It is also the cheaper day by $5 per person and 100 baht in park fee. Its weak point, according to Wikivoyage, is crowding on the beaches in high season.
Pick the Hong Islands if the scenery matters more than beach time and you are happy with a longer day and a climb. Thai Holiday Guide calls the viewpoint a workout in the heat, and our listing says the viewpoint is optional, with snorkelling as the alternative. On both routes we do not recommend the tour for infants under 4, pregnant women or people with back or neck problems. Fins are not provided on either day.
Season, jellyfish and how booking works
Wikipedia's article on Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park gives a rainy season from May to December and a hot season from January to April, with rainfall highest in July and lowest in February; its article on the geography of Thailand says rain on the west coast peaks in September. Neither route is closed by the parks: the 2026 closure schedule lists nothing for Than Bok Khorani, and for the Phi Phi park only the Maya Bay area from 1 August to 30 September and Ko Yung.
To book, send us the route, the date, your hotel and the number of guests on WhatsApp. We confirm availability, the pickup time and the total before you pay. Jellyfish appear in some seasons, so long swimwear and water shoes help. There is no pickup from Phuket, Koh Lanta or Phi Phi, or from hillside hotels that a minibus cannot reach. For the full stop-by-stop route read the travel guide; for packing and times read the tour schedule.
Practical checklist
- Choose the route first: 4 Islands from $35 or Hong Islands from $40 per person.
- Bring cash for the park fee: 200 baht per adult on the 4 Islands, 300 baht on the Hong Islands, half for children.
- Look up the Krabi tide table for your date if the sandbar walk matters to you.
- Pack water shoes, swimwear, a towel, a dry bag and sunscreen; fins are not provided.
- Send us the route, date, hotel and number of guests on WhatsApp, and we confirm the total before you pay.
Questions and answers
Which is better, the 4 Islands or the Hong Islands?
Neither is better for everyone. The 4 Islands is shorter and cheaper, with beaches and the sandbar. The Hong Islands is longer and more scenic, with a lagoon and an optional viewpoint climb. Pick by what you want to see and how long you want to be out.
Can I do both routes in one day?
No. Each is a full speedboat day that leaves at about 9:00 am: the 4 Islands is back at about 2:00 pm and the Hong Islands at about 3:30 pm. If you have two days free, book each route on a different date.
Is the park fee included in the tour price?
No. On our tour it is paid in cash at check-in: 200 baht per adult and 100 per child on the 4 Islands, 300 and 150 on the Hong Islands. Lunch, water, fruit, a mask, a snorkel and a life jacket are included.
Can I walk across the sandbar to Chicken Island at any time?
Only at low tide. At high tide the sandbar is under water and you see it from the boat. The tide on your date decides this, not the route.
Is the Hong Islands route the same as Koh Hong in Phang Nga Bay?
No. This is Ko Hong near Ao Nang, in Than Bok Khorani National Park. A different island with the same name lies in Phang Nga Bay, off Koh Yao Noi, so check the departure point of any tour you compare.