Short answer
Our Krabi 4 Islands tour is by speedboat: from $35 per person, about 6 hours from pickup and back at about 2:00 pm, with hotel pickup, a picnic lunch and accident insurance included and the park fee of 200 baht per adult and 100 per child paid in cash. A longtail is the traditional local boat, slower than a speedboat and sold from booths on Ao Nang beach. Choose the speedboat for a fixed, shorter day; choose a longtail if you want a slower trip and will arrange it yourself.
What a longtail is, and what our speedboat is
A longtail is the traditional local boat. Wikipedia describes the long-tail boat as native to Southeast Asia and originating in Thailand in the early twentieth century, with a common car or truck engine on a pivoting pole and a propeller on a long driveshaft. Many are now used to carry tourists. Wikivoyage's page on Ao Nang says the main beach is the departure point for boats to Rai Leh, Poda Island and Chicken Island.
Our Krabi 4 Islands tour is a shared speedboat with an English-speaking guide. A minibus collects you from your hotel in Ao Nang or the Krabi area at about 7:30-8:40 am, the boat leaves a private pier at about 9:00 and you are back at about 2:00 pm. The stops are Phra Nang Cave Beach, the Tup and Chicken Island sandbar, a snorkelling reef and lunch on Poda Island. Our 4 Islands price guide has the costs.
Time on the water: speedboats are faster
Speed is the clearest difference. Wikipedia notes that speedboats hold more people and travel faster than longtails, and that this made them more attractive as longtails became costlier to build. Ko Poda is about 8 kilometres from Ao Nang, according to Wikipedia. We found no sourced timings for a longtail circuit of the four islands, so ask the boatman for the planned route and the hour of return before you pay.
On our speedboat tour the day is fixed: pickup between about 7:30 and 8:40 am, departure at about 9:00 and return at about 2:00 pm. A travel blog updated in March 2026 describes a standard 4 Islands tour as about 20 minutes from the Noppharat Thara pier to Railay West, then a few minutes to Phra Nang Cave Beach, with Poda and Chicken Island sometimes swapped in order depending on the tour.
Comfort, spray and noise
Wikipedia says the longtail design keeps the engine relatively dry and is easy to build and repair, at the cost of efficiency and comfort compared with a mass-produced boat. That is a point about the design, not a measurement of spray or noise on the Krabi route, and we found no sourced figures for either. Treat any claim that one boat is clearly quieter or drier as an opinion, including ours.
Noise is a recognised issue for tour boats of every kind. When the Department of National Parks opened the Andaman marine park season on 15 October 2026, its director-general said the department is controlling the speed and the noise level of tour boats. On our speedboat tour the Krabi page lists a mask, snorkel and life jacket, suggests water shoes, a towel and a dry bag, and says the boat rides are short and the beaches calm for children from about 4 years.
Sea conditions and season
Both boats use the same sea, and neither makes it calmer. The UK Foreign Office lists rough seas, particularly in the monsoon season, among the usual causes of boat accidents in Thailand. Wikivoyage's page on Ao Nang says a longtail from the beach is available in all seasons, subject to the weather, and recommends using Ao Nammao for the Railay crossing in the monsoon season, May to October.
On our tour, if the sea is unsafe, the operator moves the trip to another date or refunds it. The Department of National Parks said in October 2026 that the opening of some attractions can change with the weather and the situation. If you book a longtail at a beach booth, ask what happens when the sea is rough: a new date, a refund or nothing. The sandbar between Tup and Chicken Island follows the tide whichever boat you take.
Price logic: what the numbers say, with dates
A travel blog updated on 23 March 2026 quotes around 500 to 800 baht per person for a 4 Islands tour by longtail and 1,000 to 1,500 baht per person by speedboat, with the national park fee on top. Our speedboat tour is from $35 per person, also with the park fee on top: 200 baht per adult and 100 per child, paid in cash. Convert baht at the rate of the day if you want to compare.
Beach prices are not fixed in the pages we read. Wikivoyage says price lists are posted at ticket booths on Ao Nang beach, but it does not date them. Thai PBS reported in February 2017 that new boats in the Phi Phi park area had grown from about 500 to about 2,000 and that operators were undercutting each other. So a low quote can be genuine and still leave out the park fee, lunch, snorkel gear or insurance. Ask what the number covers.
Who each boat suits
The speedboat suits a traveller who wants a fixed, shorter day with everything arranged: hotel pickup, a guide, breakfast at the pier, a picnic lunch, snorkel gear, accident insurance and a return at about 2:00 pm. It is not for everyone. The tour is not recommended for infants under 4, pregnant women or people with back or neck problems, and fins are not provided.
A longtail suits someone who wants the traditional boat and a slower pace, is staying in Ao Nang and is comfortable buying at a booth and agreeing the route and the return. Wikivoyage notes that the longtails to Rai Leh leave from a beach with no pier, so expect wet feet when boarding. Nothing we read says a longtail is gentler on a bad back, so ask your doctor, and ask the boatman what the seats and the landings are like.
Questions to ask before you pay for a longtail
Ask the questions you would ask on any tour boat. After the 2018 Phuket boat accidents, the Tourism Authority of Thailand's release on the official action plan said that passenger numbers must not exceed what each boat can legally carry, that all passengers and crew must wear life jackets and that the captain must hold a licence. The UK Foreign Office names overloading, poor maintenance and rough seas as the usual causes of boat accidents in Thailand.
Then ask about the day itself: which islands and in which order, how long at each, when the boat returns, whether the park fee, lunch, water and snorkel gear are included, whether the boat is private or shared, and what happens if the weather turns. Write the answers down, or ask for them on the ticket. If the answers are vague, a speedboat tour with a confirmed total is the simpler choice.
How to book our speedboat tour
To book our speedboat tour, send us the tour, the date, your hotel and the number of guests on WhatsApp. We confirm availability, the pickup time and the total before you pay. The price is from $35 per person, and the park fee is separate and in cash. Our 4 Islands tour page and the travel guide show the stops in order.
If you would still like a longtail, you can buy one at the booths in Ao Nang, using the questions above. If you want a bigger scenic day by speedboat, compare the 4 Islands with the Hong Islands in our guide to 4 Islands or Hong Islands, or read about the Hong Island tour from Ao Nang.
Practical checklist
- Decide what matters most: a fixed short day with everything arranged, or a slower trip you arrange yourself.
- Ask any longtail booth what the price covers: park fee, lunch, snorkel gear, insurance and the return time.
- Ask how many people the boat may carry and whether every guest gets a life jacket.
- Ask what happens to the booking if the sea is rough on the day.
- Keep 200 baht per adult and 100 per child in cash for the park fee on our 4 Islands tour.
Questions and answers
Is the Krabi 4 Islands tour by speedboat or longtail?
Our Krabi 4 Islands tour is by speedboat: a shared boat with an English-speaking guide, from $35 per person, with hotel pickup in Ao Nang and the Krabi area. Longtail tours are sold separately, for example at booths on Ao Nang beach.
What is a longtail boat?
The traditional Thai boat, with a car or truck engine on a pivoting pole and a propeller on a long shaft, according to Wikipedia. It originated in Thailand in the early twentieth century and is now often used to carry tourists.
Which is faster, a longtail or a speedboat?
A speedboat. Wikipedia notes that speedboats hold more people and travel faster than longtails. We found no sourced timings for a longtail circuit of the four islands, so ask the boatman for the route and the return time.
Is a longtail cheaper than a speedboat for the 4 Islands?
A travel blog updated in March 2026 quotes about 500 to 800 baht per person by longtail and 1,000 to 1,500 by speedboat, park fee extra. Prices on the beach vary, so ask what is included before you compare.
Do I pay the park fee on top of either boat?
On our tour, yes: 200 baht per adult and 100 per child, in cash at check-in. The March 2026 blog also says the park fee is not in the ticket price. Always ask whether it is included in a quote.
Is a longtail safer than a speedboat, or the other way round?
No source we read ranks one above the other. Safety depends on a licensed captain, life jackets for everyone, a passenger count within the boat's legal limit and the weather. Ask the same questions of either boat.