thailand island hopping itinerary 2 weeksquality sterling silver necklaces

:)) They have won numerous awards for sustainable tourism and animal welfare and we never saw any signs that animals would be mistreated. However, if you are looking for ideas for an epic island hopping experience in Thailandand are not sure where to start, then youve come to the right place! However, we would have done this trip regardless! At the moment, its 200 TBH (5,5 EUR) for adults and 100TBH (2,8 EUR) for the children (fees for Thai residents are much lower). Also, about halfway through our drive, we stopped to stretch our legs and get some lunch, so all in all the transfer went well. These magnificent islands are really a must when island-hopping in Thailand! Just as the previous boat transfers, we got this booked through Phuket Ferry. Every family I know who visited there, really liked it as well and most people we met on the island were there for at least a week. More info:Disclosure. We could kayak and swim the whole morning, then take a shower, pack our bags, and have a nice lunch. The sunsets here were out of this world! Im Jurga, a traveler with a camera, a mom of three boys, and the founder of Full Suitcase, one of the world's leading family travel blogs. Would you recommend staying on Raley beach or Ao Nang? This is by far my favorite itinerary/blog! What a great trip! The biggest regret of our Thailand island hopping trip was that we didnt make it toPhang Nga Bay, or the James Bond Island. We considered staying on Phi-Phi Don and visiting the islands on a boat tour from there, but after some research, we decided its better done as a day trip from Phuket. Accommodations get fully booked months in advance and already expensive hotel prices surge even more a few months before the travel dates. But, as I said, it was the best place for us to fly to. We always heard that Phuket island is busy, crowded with tourists, and all in all maybe not the best place for people who like to avoid the crowds at all costs. Hi Umang, sounds like a fun trip! Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to help you plan your trips. I can't wait - super thrilled to hear you loved Lanta, and now I don't feel bad for skipping Lipe this trip :). Racha Yai is much closer to the Southern part of Phuket. The island also has many beaches and it's really great for families. We woke at dawn the next morning for a sunrise cruise to the Phi-Phi islands. Here you can read about ourBangkok canal tour and why we think its a must in Bangkok! If you are planning to do some sightseeing and not just stay in one resort, I think I'd suggest Koh Samui. Although, I have the feeling that sunrise trips are even more popular than regular day trips. Pin this image! What we try to do on every trip is to make the best of the short time that we have and see all the best places that are worth the trip the most. So depending on where you stay, it might be a better option with less time wasted on transfers and more in the water. Luckily, we planned our trip 7 months in advance and still had plenty of choice of available accommodations at somewhat affordable prices. This is excellent blog - thank you! We didnt have an underwater camera, but here is the best image I found from snorkeling in Koh Lipe. We could meet a couple of elephants, see them bathe, prepare the food for them, feed these magnificent animals, and even wash them. Click the star next to the title of the map to add this map to your Google Maps account. We dont want to change hotels frequently and would consider staying on two islands. Your post has been very helpful and I love your honesty about price. If you found this post useful, dont forget to bookmark it and share it with your friends. Luckily, the storm was a bit less strong than predicted and all in all the damage to the local communities was not too bad. :) Good luck with the planning! Koh Lipe island, often referred to as the Maldives of Thailand, is part of a National Park. So I'm not sure about the transfers if you visit Khao Sok on your own. All the boats were fully booked when we traveled. So I think it is prudent for people to realize that if you don't have (or don't want to waste) time to haggle and search once landed, you certainly do want to pre book. We left our hotel for a 20-min drive to Rassada Pier for our transfer to Ko Lanta. The boats were on time or had a very slight delay (and once it left earlier since everyone was already there anyway), they were in a very good condition and felt safe, our luggage arrived together with us, and nobody got seasick. The views from the pool were amazing and the sunsets out of this world! READ ALSO our complete guide to island hopping from Phuket. In the meantime, I took our oldest kayaking. Are you on Pinterest? Its probably the most diverse tour they offer, in terms of activities, as well as accommodation. However, I have to be honest with you we found snorkeling in Thailand much less impressive than in most other places that we had visited in the past. It might have also helped a bit that we went early in the morning. It has good reviews on Google and on Facebook. This post may contain affiliate links, which means that we may earn a small commission, at no cost to you, for qualifying purchases. On this blog, I share our family's travel experiences from all over the world, coupled with lots of practical information and useful tips for your trips. Thanks for the great recommendations! Hi Brittany, depending a bit on how you plan your trip, I think you could go to either Phuket or Koh Samui after Bangkok (there are direct flights to both) and stay there for a few days. And yes, I really recommend using PhuketFerry.com for all your transfers when island-hopping in Thailand. It's the most touristy beach we visited but was worth seeing it (I wouldn't stay there). It's all about the choices. However, in every single town and every single hotel during our trip, we saw plenty of brochures promoting elephant riding tours. Its so close to Phuket, Krabi, and even Ko Samui, so its strange we never heard about this place. Excellent information. We learned about Elephant Hills by coincidence, from somebody who described it as the best experience ever. Our hotel was located just by the beautiful Nai Yang Beach, part of Sirinat National Park. Enjoy the time without the kids - I often wish we could do at least one trip with just the two of us thank you for making our two week trip IN two weeks a little easier to plan! Our first stop was atPhi Phi Leh, with its beautiful Maya Bay. The tents are beautiful and each has a terrace overlooking the lake. We knew that this tour was the most popular island hopping trip from Phuket, so we expected it to be extremely busy. But if you have your trip dates and accommodations fixed and dont want to waste hours looking for suitable boat transfers, just do it from the comfort of your seat at home. Our second day in Khao Sok started with a short visit to a local market, on the way toCheow Larn Lake. We left Phuket around noon and two hours later we were sipping cocktails and shakes by the pool of our hotel in Koh Lanta. In the afternoon, we went for a jungle trek that ended with a visit to a huge stalactites and stalagmites cave where we also visited a bat cave. It felt more authentic, more green, and less touristy than Phuket, Koh Lipe, or Krabi. In the end, all went well and we left Phuket just hours before the storm hit the area. We booked a private long-tail boat for this tour and it cost just 2,500 TBH (67 EUR) for the five of us for the whole day. So we could escape the crowds when we wanted to, but still. We checked all the tours that you can do in Koh Lanta and had a tough time choosing just one for the next day. From everything I read, it seems that Similan Islandsand Koh Racha Yai are by far the best places for diving and snorkeling near Phuket. Despite having just a day in Bangkok, we managed to see so many of the citys highlights. Traveling from Koh Lipe to Krabi was the longest travel day of this Thailand island hopping trip. Thanks again!! There are 12 elephants at the camp at the moment, the youngest is just 13 years old, the oldest 75. We visited the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha Temple, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Bangkok canals, a flower market, and Khao Sarn Road. If you want more colors, youll have to go diving. See their website for all the transfers info. The scenery here is simply spectacular and the canoe trip was a real jungle experience we even saw a couple of snakes hanging in the trees! We also visited a local gibbon sanctuary and Bangpae waterfall. But now that you know that there are more ethical ways to interact with elephants in Thailand, I really hope that youll avoid elephant riding experiences. Not once. Railay Beach is probably the most beautiful beach we visited in Thailand. However, its really far on the southern tip of the island, so its best done if you have the whole day for it. Elephant Hills arranged our transfer back to Phuket. Here you can find tours that go to Koh Racha Yai. For us it was cheaper to buy tickets to/from Phuket rather than try to fly out from a different airport, so we made this into a round trip. The booking process was simple and quick. If you travel in the off-season, without children, and have more flexibility, you can also just wait and look for boat connections as you go. The most popular day trips that you can book on the island are the so-called A and B trips. The tourism industry took care of this problem by starting to use elephants for tourism entertainment, rides, etc. We made this trip with our three children (age 8, 8, and 10) and so it has a good mix of relaxing beach time, fun family-friendly activities, local culture, nature, as well as (ethical) animal encounters. I just wish everyone would stop portraying Thailand only as an extremely cheap destination - as I somehow had that idea before starting to book this trip (and was quickly disillusioned. However, since our hotel was on an island, we were a bit worried to book early morning tours. It just felt too far for our time limit of 2 weeks. I have to add that we were extremely lucky with the weather and relatively smooth seas. If you have more time in your island-hopping itinerary in Thailand, Id recommend staying in Railay for a day or two. In the morning we could take the kayaks again and set to explore the lake and the jungle on our own. We stayed on an island (Coconut Island Resort) there so it was great (one of our kids still talks about it as the best hotel and vacation ever), but I don't think I would have wanted to stay in Phuket itself. Our 2-week Thailand island hopping itinerary covers many of the must-see islands, such as Phuket, Krabi, Koh Phi Phi, andKhao Ping Kan (James Bond Island). We will spend 2 weeks on Thailand with our 8 and 12 year old but will only have one week for the islands (we plan 3 days in Bangkok and 3 days at elephant hills). Our flight back home went via Bangkok, where we had a 12-hour layover. There are lots of diving courses and diving day trips available as well. Read on! All the boats were ordered to stay ashore for three days. We took a 9.30 AM boat from Koh Lipe to Pak Bara Pier (1,5 hrs), followed by a minivan transfer to Krabi (4,5 hrs). We had planned to spend our last day in Phuket by visiting the James Bond Island (see day 4 above for suggestions). The hotel boat brings you to a nearby hotel (see map),which is just a 5-minute boat ride away, so you can ask the tours to pick you up from there. We used, We did take a couple of smaller backpacks for electronics, cameras, and e-books as well. Long-tail boat from Ao Nang Beach to Railay Beach takes just 15-20 minutes and is an absolute must when in Krabi! Since those were our last days in south Thailand, we never made it to the famous James Bond Island. I also indicated our accommodation choices for each place that we visited. Lesson learned. Sunrise and fewer crowds make it worth getting up a bit earlier. We booked a 3 day/ 2 night Jungle Lake Safari tour. When we had several nights in one place, we opted for more luxurious resorts. It looks pretty much like the snorkeling locations that we visited. So I contacted Phuket Ferry. We were given vouchers with very clear information for each part of our journey. We felt sorry to leave so quickly! But if youre short on time as we were, now you know that its possible to visit Railay Beach in just an hour or two as well. Its so much more comfortable in an air-conditioned van than on a boat! Kids spent the whole first day testing all the swimming pools and water slides of the resort, while we enjoyed the private pool of a magnificent beachfront villa that we got upgraded to. The coastline here is amazing and the famous Railay beach is also really picturesque. If you have any questions about our experience with boat transfers in Thailand, dont hesitate to leave a reply below and Ill try to help. So the first thing you have to do upon arrival is to pay the National Park fees. The final stop was on the white-sand Bamboo Island, where we had lunch and plenty of time to swim and relax. We also heard that this tiny island has a reputation for being a party island, so not our thing at all. There are various tours in Koh Lanta that go to Talabeng sea cave, they all offer somewhat similar itineraries and always include mangroves and monkeys. Find out! We planned three nights/ 2 full days on Koh Lipe in our itinerary and we felt that it was enough. So if you are looking for just one right answer or ultimate guide to island hopping in Thailand, you might be disappointed. Join us as we discover the world one beautiful adventure at a time! So if you want to go snorkeling in Koh Lipe, its safer to join one of the organized tours or hire a private boat to bring you to one of the nicest snorkeling sites nearby. Luckily, there was this one website that kept popping up in the search PhuketFerry.com. Also, my husband needs AC or he won't sleep so if you need certain accommodations they will cost more. The tour also passed mangroves where there was an obligatory stop to feed fruit to the wild monkeys that live there. A couple of hours later we checked in at our last hotel, close to Phuket airport. We saw stunning white sand beaches and little islands dotted in the azure blue water, beautiful coral and lots of colorful fish. We chose this one since it explicitly mentioned a walk to the beautiful viewpoint on Phi Phi Don (and it was well worth the short but steep hike). Their multi-lingual website was actually understandable and extremely easy to use. It was our kids first encounter with local life in rural Thailand. First, it has an excellent location close enough to the airport and the main piers (for excursions and transfers), but far away from the crowds. In no time I found all the boat connections for our trip and had a much clearer picture of what was offered and where the price differences came from. Our practical tips and information will help you to plan and book your own dream trip. As I said, there are many ways to organize your Thailand island hopping trip. Vacation can be as simple as that! I checked the Elephant Hills website and was sold. It was busy, but it somehow didnt disturb much as there was plenty of space. I'm planning on going from Railay to Khao Sokdo you have any insight on what is the best way to make that transfer? @Jurga, this is so helpful, thank you! Ours was really expensive, but that's ok because we stayed at some amazing places and had some incredible experiences that were worth it. There were also so many websites in broken English that made it impossible to figure out what exactly it was you were trying to book, where or when the boats would leave, and why in the world the same trip would take 4 hours and cost 15 EUR here and 1,5 hours and 20 EUR somewhere else Complete chaos. Thank you!! Not like the usual hotel with an early check-out. If you rather do more sightseeing, there are countless options in Phuket. Or you can have Elephant Hills drop you off in Krabi and there's a transfer from Krabi to Koh Lanta. At the end of our trip, we also visited a wonderful place that you wont find in many south Thailand itineraries Khao Sok National Park. Boat transfers were my biggest worry when researching our Thailand island hopping trip. They said that they only work with companies that have a proven record of reliability, good service, and safety. It just didnt feel very safe and we were constantly on the lookout for the boats. You wont find elephant riding here; only ethical experiences. All the tours in Phuket offer complimentary hotel pick-up. Maybe ask the place where you'll be staying if they have a similar service. Here you can find our tips on how to see the best of Bangkok in one day. I shared my concerns and all the horror stories that I heard about boat transfers in Thailand. Other suggestions in Koh Lanta include visitingMu Ko Lanta National Park. The island has become extremely busy and touristy in recent years; it was not really the paradise that we expected to find But yes, if you are looking for white sand, clear blue water, snorkeling directly at the beach, and laid back atmosphere, youll find it all in Koh Lipe. And it really was we loved every minute of our stay here. If you just cant get enough of the underwater world, you could opt for one more snorkeling day trip from Koh Lipe. 2 night Phi Phi at a boat access only resort, 3 nights Koh Lanta, 3 nights Koh Jum, 3 nights Railey. If we had two days in Koh Lanta, we would have definitely done this trip, but instead, we chose something else that involved a bit more adventure and variety. When it comes to Thailand island hopping, there are countless options and hundreds of possible itineraries. In Phuket, it's just too much like a big city. Of course, these are still animals in captivity and not in the wild, and Im sure there will be moments when theyd prefer to roam around freely rather than do whats expected of them. It's not as touristy as others, there's plenty to see and do (see some tours here), but it feels much more local. At the end of our trip, a major tropical storm, Pabuk, was on the way to the area. Everyone we asked recommended B trip, so thats the one we chose. We spent the rest of the day swimming, kayaking, playing on the beach, reading, and sipping cocktails. Were glad that we included Koh Lipe into our trip itinerary and we all agreed that we would have regretted it if we hadnt. Whereas when we were just passing by, we chose good price/quality accommodations that had big family rooms and the most convenient location for our transfers. Afterwards, we visited Talabeng Island where we swam and kayaked in the most spectacular landscape, including Talabeng sea cave. This Phang Nga Bay: Early Bird Tour is the best-rated James Bond Island tour from Phuket. After a lot of research, we opted for this sunrise Phi-Phi islands tour, which also includes a walk to the viewpoint in Phi-Phi Don. Here is the map indicating all the main places mentioned in our island hopping itinerary. Nowadays, more and more places in Thailand seem to realize that responsible tourism and ethical animal experiences are the future. Anyway, glad to hear that our blog was helpful and hope you have an amazing trip! Of all the islands that we visited on this trip, Koh Lanta is the only one that we left with a feeling that we should have stayed longer. If you are looking for quietness in the literal sense of the word, then you wont find it here the jungle is a very noisy place. READ MORE about our stay at Elephant Hills in Khao Sok NP. We started and ended our Thailand island hopping trip in Phuket, since it has an international airport with lots of flight options. Happy travels! How to Use This Map:Use your computer mouse (or fingers) to zoom in or out. Obviously, you can find other accommodations on the same islands and make this trip as expensive or as cheap as you like. The prices were in line with what you pay when booking directly with the boat companies, but the ease of using their website and the trust factor were incomparable. However, when the elephants were not allowed to work anymore, many of them were left homeless. Although this trip is coming out to be a huge bang for the buck it by no means is $20 a night accommodation. Our trip was on a more expensive side we arent fans of hostels or guest houses. If you are visiting Bangkok and want to get a bit off the beaten path, then dont miss its canals! At the bottom of this post, you can find more information about boat transfers in southern Thailand and other practical information for planning an island-hopping trip in Thailand. We had planned this amazing sunrise trip at the end of our trip, but we should have done it on day 4, thus I mention it here. We ended up booking an overpriced short tour from our hotel and visited Wat Phra Tong, the Temple of Buddha that emerges from the ground. Accommodation: 4 nights atThe Village Coconut Island Beach Resort. Sunshine, beach, and cocktails Our jet lag was gone before it started. For the third day of our Thailand vacation, we were debating whether to go to town, make a beach trip to a sister island directly from our hotel, or just stay on Coconut Island. The whole sky and sea colored red incredible! Second, it has a beautiful private beach, water sports, kids club, and a huge choice of family villas (many with a private pool) for various budgets. Theyve got all the major destinations covered and make your trip planning so much easier! We preferred the Sunrise Beach by far it was amazing at sunset as well and is just a much nicer place to be. We are looking for a beautiful beach, tranquility, high-end accommodations, and local charm. This 2-week Thailand island hopping itinerary reflects exactly that. Im not really sure how to feel about feeding wild animals, but the children had the times of their lives! We saw spiders and birds, monkeys and gibbons, and were deafened by the sound of cicadas and other wildlife. Every trip has its regrets. Accommodation: 2 nights at Coco Cape Lanta Resort. Anyway, Im sure youll have better luck (tropical storms like Pabuk are really rare in Thailand). Compared to huge hotels with thousands of guests located on the most popular beaches of Phuket, Coconut Island looked like a paradise. For the sake of giving you more available options than what we did, I adapted our itinerary here and there in order to show you whats possible if you want to fill each and every day with sightseeing. We visited Koh Phee (The Skull Island), where after some really adventurous climbing we explored the impressive caves that open up to the sea through the eyes of the skull.