Island-Hopping the Andaman Coast
Longtail boats, towering limestone cliffs, and the endless, hopeful search for a beach with no one else on it.
The longtail boat's engine has a sound you'll never forget — a throaty, uneven chug as the driver swings the long propeller shaft around like a rudder. Point it out into the Andaman Sea, past the limestone towers, and Thailand's islands unspool one after another.
Base yourself well
Everyone funnels through Phuket, but Krabi and the smaller beaches around Ao Nang and Railay make a better base — quieter, cheaper, and closer to the good stuff. Railay in particular, cut off from the mainland by cliffs and reachable only by boat, feels a world away despite being twenty minutes from town.
Charter your own longtail for the day rather than joining a group tour. It costs a little more, and buys you the freedom to leave when the tour boats arrive.
Chasing the empty beach
The famous spots — Maya Bay, the Phi Phi viewpoint — are stunning and swamped. The trick is timing and a willingness to go small:
- Go early or late. The tour armada runs roughly 10am to 3pm. Bracket it.
- Ask your boatman for his favourite. Ours took us to a nameless cove that wasn't on any itinerary, and we had it to ourselves for an hour.
- Respect the reefs. Reef-safe sunscreen, no standing on coral, no feeding the fish.
The long way home
Save something for the ride back — ideally the golden hour, when the cliffs turn amber and the sea goes glassy and the longtail carves a long wake toward the mainland. It's the kind of ordinary-perfect moment that Thailand hands out for free.