A week from Phuket: Phang Nga, Koh Yao Noi, Phi Phi
Phang Nga Bay is limestone towers rising straight out of flat green water, with hidden lagoons, the hongs, inside the islands. The loop is about 110 nm from Ao Po marina on the north-east of Phuket: three short days inside the bay, where there is almost never a sea running, and two legs of about four hours each, out to Phi Phi and back. A good route for families and for a first week in the tropics.
Day by day
Ao Po marina
- Phuket (Ao Po)8.077, 98.435
Boat handover after 17:00 at Ao Po Grand Marina on the north-east coast of Phuket, forty minutes from the airport. The easiest provisioning is at Phuket supermarkets on the way from the airport. Check the dinghy and outboard: half the week's programme depends on them.
Ao Po → Koh Hong (Phang Nga)
- Koh Hong8.228, 98.509
Two hours north-east into Phang Nga Bay, between limestone towers over flat water. The afternoon is for the hongs, the hidden lagoons inside Koh Hong and Koh Panak: you go in by dinghy or kayak through the sea caves, and only at low water.
Koh Hong → Koh Panyi
- Khao Phing Kan8.275, 98.501
- Koh Panyi8.333, 98.505
Past Khao Phing Kan, the James Bond Island with the limestone needle of Koh Tapu, to Koh Panyi, a Muslim fishing village on stilts with a floating football pitch. Lunch in the village, night at anchor under the cliffs.
Koh Panyi → Koh Yao Noi
- Koh Yao Noi8.110, 98.600
South through the bay to Koh Yao Noi, an island of rubber plantations and rice paddies where bicycles are the way to spend the afternoon. Anchor off the beach, with the silhouettes of the Phang Nga islands at sunset.
Koh Yao Noi → Phi Phi Don
- Phi Phi Don7.740, 98.778
The long leg: about four hours south across the Andaman Sea. Phi Phi Don is two bays separated by a sandy isthmus; take the dinghy to Monkey Beach and spend the night on a buoy off Tonsai.
Phi Phi Don → Koh Naka Yai
- Phi Phi Leh7.678, 98.766
- Koh Naka Yai8.040, 98.470
Early in the morning, before the speedboats arrive, Phi Phi Leh: Maya Bay and the Pileh lagoon. Then four hours north up the channel along Koh Yao Yai to Koh Naka Yai, a quiet beach a mile from the marina. Last night at anchor.
Koh Naka Yai → Ao Po
- Phuket (Ao Po)8.077, 98.435
A last swim and an hour into the marina. Refuelling and handover; night on the boat in the marina, fly out the next day.
Coordinates are approximate, for the harbour or bay. Paste them into Google Maps or a chartplotter, and check the chart and pilot book before you moor or anchor.
Good to know
- Season: the north-east monsoon, November to April, brings dry weather, 10–15 knots and flat water; the best months are December to March. From May the south-west monsoon brings rain and a westerly swell, and the open anchorages at Phi Phi become uncomfortable.
- Plan B: Phang Nga Bay is enclosed on all sides and can be sailed in any monsoon wind; only the Phi Phi legs are exposed. If the forecast is unsettled, drop Phi Phi and keep the week inside the bay: Koh Hong off Krabi and the Koh Yao islands, about 70 nm and just as many beaches.
- National parks: Phang Nga Bay and Phi Phi are marine national parks. Fees are paid per person to the rangers ashore or on their patrol boat — keep the receipts. Never anchor on coral; use the park buoys. In Maya Bay you may neither moor nor swim: you land at the jetty on the far side of the island.
- Shallows and logistics: the bay is shallow with a muddy bottom, and the tide changes the depth by two to three metres — work from the tide tables. From Phuket airport to Ao Po is about 30 km, roughly 40 minutes by taxi.
When to go and what it costs in Thailand
Median € per berth per week from the agent's latest check, monohulls; each month's page has both boat types, a chart and boats departing that month.
Discounted boats in Thailand
All boats in Thailand
How long is the Phuket — Phang Nga route and where do you stay overnight?
7 days and about 110 nautical miles in a loop, starting and finishing in Phuket. Overnight stops in order: Phuket (Ao Po), Koh Hong, Koh Panyi, Koh Yao Noi, Phi Phi Don, Koh Naka Yai. The longest leg is day 5, 30 nm.
When is the best time to sail the Phuket — Phang Nga route?
In Phuket and the Andaman Sea the season runs November to April, with the best weather December to February. May to October brings the south-west monsoon: rain and swell, cheaper boats. Samui is the reverse: dry in summer, wet in November–December. By the agent's latest checks (monohulls), the cheapest month is October: a median of €408 per berth per week. The most expensive is January, at €595. The most boats with 20% off or more are in October: 15%. The agent checks the current month and the next five; each month has its own page with the numbers.
How much does a yacht for this route cost?
A whole boat in Thailand for a week starts from €9,599 in the agent's current selection: the cheapest discounted week departing in the next three months. Prices per berth by month are higher up the page; the boats are under “All boats in Thailand”.
Do I need a licence to charter a yacht?
For a bareboat charter (no skipper or crew provided), yes: a skipper's licence and, as a rule, a VHF radio certificate. Without a licence, we add a skipper, paid separately from the boat price.
What's included in the boat price?
Just the boat, for a week. Usually paid separately: transit log and final cleaning, fuel, marina fees, the security deposit (or deposit insurance), a skipper, cook and hostess if you need them, and extras (SUP board, on-board Wi-Fi, coffee machine, child safety netting).
