Short answer
Choose our 4 Islands speedboat tour if you want a morning on the beaches and to be back by about 2:00 pm: it is from $35 per person. Choose our 7 Islands sunset tour if you want an afternoon and evening on the water with dinner on Poda and a night swim with plankton: it is from $40 per person, by longtail boat, and ends at your hotel at about 7:30 to 8:00 pm. The national park fee is 200 baht per adult and 100 per child on both, paid in cash.
The short answer: a morning on the beaches or an evening on the water
Choose the 4 Islands speedboat tour if you want a morning of beaches and the sandbar, and the afternoon for yourself. It is from $35 per person, the speedboat leaves the pier at about 9:00 am and you are back at about 2:00 pm. Choose the 7 Islands sunset tour if you want the light of late afternoon, dinner on Poda and a night swim with plankton. It is from $40, the longtail boat leaves at about 1:00 to 2:00 pm and you are at your hotel at about 7:30 to 8:00 pm.
They are two different days over the same water, not two versions of one tour. Both visit Chicken Island and the Tup sandbar and both stop on Poda Island. The 4 Islands day adds Phra Nang Cave Beach, which Wikivoyage's page on Rai Leh describes as a fine white-sand beach at the southern tip of the Railay peninsula, 20 minutes from Ao Nang by longtail boat. The 7 Islands day adds snorkelling at Koh Yawasam and Koh Tan Ming, the sunset and the plankton stop. Both start with hotel pickup. Each tour has its own price guide, so this one concentrates on the choice.
Time of day and how long you are out
The 4 Islands tour is about 6 hours from hotel pickup. Pickup is between about 7:30 and 8:40 am, there are coffee and a light breakfast at the pier, the speedboat leaves at about 9:00 am and you are back at about 2:00 pm. The 7 Islands tour is about 7 to 8 hours: pickup between about 12:00 and 1:30 pm, the longtail leaves Nopparat Thara Pier at about 1:00 to 2:00 pm, and you are at your hotel at about 7:30 to 8:00 pm.
That decides more than the price does. The first takes your morning and leaves the afternoon free; the second leaves the morning free and takes the evening, dinner included. Our 7 Islands notes call it an island tour in reverse: snorkelling and the sandbar in the afternoon, dinner at sunset and the plankton swim last, in the dark. If you have a fixed plan for the morning or the evening, count the hours before you choose.
Speedboat or longtail: what changes for you
The 4 Islands tour is a shared speedboat tour and the 7 Islands tour is a shared longtail boat tour. Wikipedia says that speedboats hold more people and travel faster than longtails, which run on a second-hand car or truck engine. Our 4 Islands page puts the islands 20 to 45 minutes from the pier, so on that tour most of the day is spent on the beaches. We do not publish crossing times for the longtail.
We compare the two kinds of boat in our guide to longtail or speedboat on the 4 Islands tour, so we will not repeat it. One practical difference is the meeting point. On the 7 Islands tour the boat calls at Railay to collect more guests, and Railay and Tonsai guests meet it there or at the pier. On the 4 Islands tour Railay and Tonsai guests are collected from the beach.
Price and extras: $35 or $40, and the same park fee
The 4 Islands tour is from $35 per person and the 7 Islands tour is from $40. The $5 difference buys a longer day, a BBQ buffet dinner on Poda and the plankton stop. Both prices include hotel pickup, an English-speaking guide, mask, snorkel and life jacket, water, fruit and accident insurance. The 4 Islands price adds a light breakfast and a Thai picnic lunch; the 7 Islands price adds dinner. Our guides to the 4 Islands price and the 7 Islands price list what is extra.
The park fee is the same on both: 200 baht per adult and 100 baht per child, paid in cash at check-in on the 4 Islands tour and at the pier on the 7 Islands tour. The Department of National Parks' schedule of 2 June 2022, in force from 7 June 2022, puts Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park in the group where foreign adults pay 200 baht and children 100. Wikivoyage says the park covers Ao Nang, Rai Leh and the Four Islands. Fins are not provided on the 4 Islands tour; ask us about fins on the 7 Islands tour.
The tide, the plankton and the season
Both tours depend on the tide for the Tup sandbar, which appears at low tide; at high tide you see it from the boat. Wikivoyage describes the walk between Ko Mo, Ko Thap and Ko Kai at low tide as picturesque but often crowded. On the 7 Islands tour the order of the stops follows the tide, so check a Krabi tide table for your date and tell us if the sandbar is your reason to book.
The plankton is the one part of the 7 Islands day that nobody can promise. It depends on the moon, the tide and the water, and the swim lasts about 30 minutes. If it is your only reason to choose that tour, read our plankton guide first. Jellyfish appear in some seasons on both tours, and long swimwear helps.
Our tour pages put the best time at November to April for the 4 Islands and November to March for the 7 Islands. In the wet season both usually run on calm days and move to another date otherwise; if the sea is unsafe the operator moves the trip or refunds it. Wikipedia gives the park's rainy season as May to December and its hot season as January to April.
Who should pick which
Pick the 4 Islands tour if this is your first island day from Ao Nang, if you want to be back by about 2:00 pm, or if you travel with children from about 4 years old, because the boat rides are short and the beaches calm. It is not recommended for infants under 4, pregnant women or people with back or neck problems. It has no pickup from Phuket, Koh Lanta or Phi Phi, or from hillside hotels that a minibus cannot reach.
Pick the 7 Islands tour if you want sunset, dinner on the beach and a night swim, and you are happy to be out until about 7:30 to 8:00 pm. It is not recommended for pregnant women, infants under 2, people with heart conditions or people with back, neck or spine problems, and climbing into a longtail from the beach can be hard for young children and older guests. Bring a dry change of clothes for the ride back after dark.
Can you do both, or choose something else?
You can, but the two share Chicken Island, the Tup sandbar and Poda, so the second day repeats three stops. What you add is Phra Nang Cave Beach on the 4 Islands day, and the snorkelling reefs, the sunset and the plankton on the 7 Islands day. Wikivoyage warns that in the high season the Poda islands are swarmed by visitors on longtail boats, so expect company on the beaches either way.
If scenery matters more than beach time, our 4 Islands listing also sells a Hong Islands day from $40 with a lagoon and a viewpoint; our guide to 4 Islands or Hong Islands compares those two. To book any of them, 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.
Practical checklist
- Decide first: a morning on the beaches (4 Islands, back at about 2:00 pm) or an evening on the water (7 Islands, back at about 7:30 to 8:00 pm).
- Bring cash for the park fee on either tour: 200 baht per adult, 100 per child.
- Check a Krabi tide table for your date if the Tup sandbar matters to you.
- Treat the plankton on the 7 Islands tour as a bonus, not a promise.
- Pack a dry change of clothes for the 7 Islands ride back after dark; bring water shoes on both.
Questions and answers
Which is cheaper, the 4 Islands or the 7 Islands tour?
The 4 Islands tour, from $35 per person, against from $40 for the 7 Islands tour. The park fee is the same on both: 200 baht per adult and 100 per child, paid in cash.
Which tour is better for the sandbar?
Neither is better. The Tup sandbar appears at low tide on both tours, and at high tide you see it from the boat. The 7 Islands order of stops follows the tide, so tell us if the sandbar matters most.
Does the 7 Islands tour go to Phra Nang Cave Beach?
No. Phra Nang Cave Beach is a stop on the 4 Islands tour. The 7 Islands route has Koh Yawasam, Koh Tan Ming, Chicken Island, the Tup sandbar, Poda and Koh Raeng.
Is the 7 Islands tour a speedboat?
No, it is a shared longtail boat tour that leaves Nopparat Thara Pier at about 1:00 to 2:00 pm. The 4 Islands tour is a shared speedboat tour that leaves at about 9:00 am.
Are both tours suitable for young children?
The 4 Islands tour suits children from about 4 years old and is not recommended for infants under 4. The 7 Islands tour is not recommended for infants under 2, and young children may find it hard to climb into a longtail boat from the beach.
Can I book both in one stay?
Yes, but the tours share Chicken Island, the Tup sandbar and Poda, so you would see three stops twice. Send us your dates on WhatsApp and we will confirm availability and pickup times.