Where things stand
Do these next
- Book Blue View Divers for Sun Dec 6 afternoon (Discover Scuba, 2 dives, photos). Do the PADI eLearning and medical form before you fly. Book now
- Book the Dec 6 speedboat and the Dec 7 Maya Bay sunrise tour. Dec 5–7 is a Thai holiday weekend. Book now
- Pick your Krabi plan for Dec 4–5 with the switch in "Plan your days", then book those tours (choose free-cancellation listings). Decide
- Check your domestic flight bookings. Confirm SL 807's time (it has run at 13:20 on other dates), that FD 9162 leaves from Suvarnabhumi, and that checked bags are included on all three. Verify
- Elephant Nature Park is booked. Confirm they pick up at Le Canal, and whether the rest after your 40% deposit is due on the day. Booked
- Email Golden Beach Resort: confirm twin beds, and ask them to hold your big bags Dec 6–8. Verify
- Submit the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online in the 3 days before you land (Nov 22–25). Before you go
What the research found
- Reddit backs the plan's shape. Hong Islands get the most repeated praise for scenery, and low-tide kayaking at Ao Thalane is the most consistent complaint. Plan A′ handles both.
- Railay moves to Dec 8. Speedboats run Phi Phi → Railay (a GetYourGuide transfer is rated 4.8), but Reddit had no reports of it, so confirm the Dec 8 schedule.
- Plankton is real but subtle. Expect flashes when you move in the water, not a glowing sea. The new moon is Dec 9, so Dec 4–8 evenings are dark.
- Blue View has a good 2026 report from a first-time diver: its own small boat, and morning and afternoon two-dive sessions. That fits your Dec 6 arrival.
- Monk's Trail: stop at Wat Pha Lat. Several hikers met aggressive dogs on the upper section; take a songthaew up to Doi Suthep instead.
- Bangkok's most-reported scam is "the palace is closed today", which leads to a tuk-tuk ride and a shop. Rajadamnern upper seats run about 1,000 THB.
- Phi Phi nightlife carries. One visitor needed earplugs away from the beach clubs; ask Panmanee for a room on the quiet side.
- All your lodging is booked. Tango Vibrant Living puts you in Pratunam for Dec 9–12, near the markets and the Airport Rail Link.
Build each day
Blue blocks are getting around: flights, taxis, boats and transfers, with their fares. Teal is what you've picked; green is booked. Between stops, a slim blue line gives the walk or ride time, a taxi or Grab estimate and a Google Maps route. Red means two things overlap; amber means there isn't enough time to get between places, or a time outside opening hours. The yellow line on each bar is sunset; the pink band is airport time around each flight, and nothing is offered inside it. Change a pick's start and end times ("Reset time" puts the suggestion back), or use "Move to…" to shift it to another day where it's available. Open "Swap or add" under any day for its options.
See your days on the map
Pick one or more days. Stops are numbered in order and coloured by day; dashed blue lines are tours, boats and transfers, dotted ones are flights. Drag to move, zoom with + and − or by pinching, and tap a stop for its time and a Google Maps link.
Street map from OpenStreetMap (Protomaps build of Nov 2, 2026), stored with this page so it loads without outside services. Streets are detailed in central Bangkok, Chiang Mai's Old City, Ao Nang, Railay and Tonsai on Phi Phi, and simpler further out. Tour stops sit at the main destination, and tours whose meeting point isn't known (some food tours, the pub crawl) are left off. Use the Google Maps links for directions.
The street map couldn't load here. The stop list and its Google Maps links still work.
Six ways to do Krabi
Each plan fills Dec 4, Dec 5 and Dec 8 in the day builder. Pick one, then fine-tune those days by hand. Costs are per person for the activities on those three days.
My pick is still Plan A′: islands first, Railay on the way back
Hong Islands on Friday (a weekday, with morning water in the lagoon), the private 7:30 kayak at Saturday's high tide, the 7 Islands sunset and plankton tour Saturday afternoon, and Railay on Dec 8. Plan F covers the most (it adds Tiger Cave and the 4 Islands sandbar) but sees Hong Lagoon near low tide and packs Saturday with three outings. Plan E is the gentlest.
"Islands" counts islands landed on or passed close by. Hotel changes are the same in every plan: Golden Beach → Panmanee → Golden Beach.
Ao Nang tides, Dec 4–5
Predicted heights in metres, local time. Ao Thalane is a few kilometres away, so ask the operator too.
Neap tides: a small range, about 1.0 m low to 2.3 m high. Morning high water helps the mangrove channels and the Hong Lagoon entrance. Afternoon low water uncovers the Tup sandbar.
Ask the kayak operator
- Is there enough water on your date to enter the narrow mangrove and canyon passages?
- What time do you actually put in the water?
- Is 7:30 the hotel pickup or the paddling start?
- What time will you drop us at Golden Beach Resort?
- Do you change the route at low tide?
If the weather turns
- Rough sea Friday: swap Friday to the inland day (Emerald Pool, hot spring waterfall, Tiger Cave). It needs no boat.
- Sunset tour cancelled: take a longtail to Railay for the afternoon and sunset instead, and skip the Dec 8 stop.
- No Phi Phi → Railay boat Dec 8: take the direct ferry to Ao Nang.
What to confirm on Phi Phi
Panmanee is about 300 m (2 minutes on foot) from Tonsai Pier, so no boat taxis. Check-in from 14:00, checkout by 11:00. The village stays lively late, so ask for a room away from the street.
Arrive, then two dives
Maya Bay at opening
Sharks, then Railay
Scams, letdowns and what to skip
From threads your research agent found (2025–2026). Most are single reports, so treat them as things to watch for, not rules.
Bangkok
- "The temple is closed today." The most-reported scam: it leads to a tuk-tuk, a gem shop or an overpriced boat. Walk in yourself. Apr 2026 · Aug 2026
- 20 THB tuk-tuk rides "paid for by a petrol company" end at a tailor. Agree the destination and fare first. Oct 2026
- "Can I see your foreign banknotes?" One traveller lost cash this way. Jun 2026
- Look-alike restaurants: a taxi took one traveller to a similarly named place. Check the map pin. Jul 2026
- Skip or rethink: tuk-tuk food tours on value, buffet dinner cruises, Jodd Fairs as a destination in itself.
Chiang Mai
- Dogs above Wat Pha Lat on the Monk's Trail; the lower trail is fine. Dec 2025
- Rushed Doi Inthanon tours: check how long each stop really is before you book. Nov 2025
Krabi
- Private boat terms: one 8:00–16:00 boat ended at 14:00. Get route, stops, fees and return time in writing. Feb 2025
- Park fees are usually extra (300 THB for Hong, 200 for 4 Islands). Carry cash.
- Rowdy shared boats can spoil a trip; check group size. Jun 2026
- Ao Nang beach itself is called touristy; the islands are the point. Jan 2026
Phi Phi
- Maya Bay at midday is crowded, with megaphones and no swimming; go at opening. Mar 2026
- Noise near Loh Dalum reaches hotels off the strip; bring earplugs. Feb 2026
- Snorkelling quality is mixed: some report healthy reefs and sharks, others damaged coral. Protect time at one good spot rather than adding stops. Jan 2026
- Don't touch or feed the monkeys at Monkey Beach; there's an older report of a bite. 2023
Fares and opening hours
The fares behind the blue transfer blocks and the ride estimates between stops. Per car unless it says each; "est." means my estimate.
| Ride | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bangkok metered taxi | 35 THB first km, then 6.50/km to 10 km, 7.00 to 20 km, 8.00 to 40 km | Plus 3 THB a minute in slow traffic, 50 THB from the airport taxi stands, and road tolls. Grab Taxi adds 20 THB. (THAIest, Apr 2026) |
| Suvarnabhumi ↔ Sukhumvit 22 | ≈400–450 THB all in | About 250–300 on the meter + 50 airport fee + ~75 tolls (est.). Split: ≈215 each. |
| Don Mueang → Pratunam | ≈250 THB + 50 + tolls | About 22 km, 20–30 min. Bus A3: 50 THB each, every ~30 min. (THAIest, Dec 2025) |
| Airport Rail Link | 15–45 THB each | Ratchaprarop (by Tango) → Suvarnabhumi is the full line, about 45 THB (est.). The 20 THB flat fare is for Thai ID holders only. (Nation Thailand) |
| BTS and MRT | ≈17–50 THB each | By distance (est.). The BTS extensions moved to 17–45 THB in Nov 2025. (Nation Thailand) |
| Chiang Mai airport → Old City | from ≈150 THB | Airport taxi, 10–15 min; Bolt and Grab are similar. (Trvlogue, Oct 2026) |
| Rides in Chiang Mai | Grab 60–120 · songthaew 40–60 each | Red songthaews are shared; agree the price first. To Doi Suthep, 40–80 THB each from the Chang Phueak Gate or university area. (Nomado; Thai Holiday Guide) |
| Krabi airport ↔ Ao Nang | Van 150–200 each · Grab 600–900 | Airport bus 150 THB each; private taxi 1,200–1,500. 25–45 min. (Byklo, May 2026) |
| Longtail Ao Nang ↔ Railay | ≈100 THB each way | More after dark (listed +50 after 18:30). (Reddit 2026; Backpackers Wanderlust) |
| Speedboat Ao Nang → Phi Phi | 500–1,000 THB each | Listed fares; pier transfer extra or included. |
| Phi Phi → Railay or Ao Nang | ≈600–1,000 THB each | Speedboat to Railay ~1,000 (GetYourGuide); Ao Nang Princess ferry ~600 (Travelocity); direct ferry ~650 (old quote). |
| On Phi Phi | Walk | No cars in Tonsai village; longtail taxis go to other beaches (agree the price first). |
Opening hours
From the guides named in each row; check on the day, especially around the Dec 5, 7 and 10 holidays. Amber in the day builder flags a pick you've moved outside these hours.
Booked, and what your picks need
Flights and hotels come from your Wanderlog. The tour list below follows what you've picked in the day builder.
What's left to spend
Per person, from your current picks plus food, transport and extras. Excludes international flights, everything already paid, and shopping. Shared taxis and boats are split between the two of you.
Booking checklist
Built from your picks; it changes when you swap activities.
Open choices, with my pick
Nothing here is decided for you. Each card shows the options, the trade-off, the price difference and what to confirm first.
Where the facts come from
Checked Oct 29–31, 2026. Ratings and prices are from the listing pages and change often. "Reviews say" tips summarize reviewer comments on those listings. Price labels: listed = online listing, not checked for your date; est. = my estimate. Reddit tips come from threads your research agent found on Oct 31; Reddit is blocked from my tools, so I couldn't open them to re-check.