Coastal drives and an optional Maya Bay boat day from Ao Nang.
Begin with two nights in Phuket, drive north to Khao Lak for three, then continue to mainland Krabi for the final two. This keeps the luggage journeys on roads while leaving room for the Andaman’s beaches and limestone scenery. The days run from arrival in Thailand to departure from Krabi; allow additional time for international flights.
Choose the first hotel around your one full Phuket day: a west-coast beach or Old Town’s streets and food. Khao Lak supplies the slower middle stay, with two full days rather than a single chance to get offshore. For the finish, Ao Nang suits beach and boat outings; Krabi Town favours food and riverfront evenings. The pictured Maya Bay can be visited on an optional full-day island excursion from Ao Nang on day seven, instead of Railay. Neither excursion is needed to connect the three bases.
Kata puts sand and restaurants together for a beach-led first stay; Old Town replaces the coast with colourful shophouses and food streets. With only one full day here, choose the setting you most want to explore rather than commuting between both.
Nang Thong has the main concentration of services, while Bang Niang is a quieter alternative nearby. The longer middle stay makes time for the shore and local history as well as an optional offshore day; it need not become two consecutive tours.
Ao Nang gives beach travellers a practical launching point for Railay and offshore tours. Krabi Town offers a different final evening around its food streets and riverfront. A Railay hotel adds a luggage boat journey, changing the road-based plan.
Days three and six connect the hotels and leave the afternoon for settling into the new coast. A hired car avoids a sequence of bus changes; its price is shared by the travelling party, while public transport may suit a solo traveller better.
The Similans and Maya Bay have different closure calendars. A November-to-April trip usually fits the beach-led version of this route, but the park notice and sea conditions still determine which excursion can run on your dates.
A Krabi departure removes the long drive back to Phuket. Compare the two-airport flight cost before booking: an inexpensive return fare from Phuket can lose its advantage once the extra road journey and time are included.
Best for
Think twice if
Travellers who need guaranteed Similan access, want nightlife at every stop or do not want two daytime road transfers.
StartBooker answer
Spend two nights in Phuket, three in Khao Lak and two in mainland Krabi, arriving through Phuket Airport and leaving through Krabi Airport. Move hotels by car on days three and six, leaving four full days for exploring. Choose November to April for a beach-led holiday. A seasonal Similan trip can fill one Khao Lak day; in Krabi, choose Railay or a full-day island excursion with Maya Bay sightseeing. Both are optional, so the seven-night road plan also works without an island outing. International travel time comes on top of these eight days.
The two hotel changes are by car. Each stop has a distinct use: Phuket for arrival, Khao Lak for a slower coast, Krabi for the final limestone landscape.
3 stops · swipe
1
Phuket Airport, one chosen coast and an overland exit toward Phang Nga
Stay in one Phuket district for two nights. Kata combines a beach with nearby restaurants; Old Town favours food and architecture. A northern beach reduces the airport and northbound drives, but puts you farther from the southern island’s sights.
Watch out: A room far south on Phuket can add substantial backtracking before the northbound road, even when its nightly price is lower.
Read the Phuket guide →
2
Bang Niang or Nang Thong services, long beaches and seasonal Similan access
Three nights leave two full days on this long coast. Choose Nang Thong for services or Bang Niang for a quieter beach base. Northern resorts suit staying put; use one day offshore only in the Similan season, leaving another for the shore and local history.
Watch out: A secluded resort can require a car for ordinary meals; central services are concentrated around Nang Thong and Bang Niang.
Read the Khao Lak guide →
3
Ao Nang or Krabi Town, Railay or Maya Bay outings, and the airport exit
Two nights give one full Krabi day. Ao Nang suits Railay boats or a full-day tour including Maya Bay; Krabi Town offers food streets and riverfront walks instead of a resort beach. Both keep the final airport journey on the road.
Watch out: Railay remains boat-accessed, while a “Krabi” hotel can lie far from both the coast and airport road.
Read the Krabi guide →Move hotels on days three and six. Each full day has one main focus; the Similan and Krabi boat outings are optional alternatives, not extra stops to fit in.
Take the airport transfer to your chosen Phuket base and leave the first evening local. A beach hotel gives you a shoreline walk and an easy dinner after the flight; Old Town makes the first meal part of exploring the streets. There is no need to cross the island again today. On the west coast, swimming flags determine whether the first dip is sensible. If arrival is late, enjoy dinner and save sightseeing for the morning.
Base: Phuket
Choose a west-coast beach day, an Old Town day or a booked Phang Nga outing. For a beach stay, keep a long stretch of time free for the sand and a leisurely lunch rather than collecting viewpoints around the island. In Old Town, look at the shophouses around Thalang Road and browse on foot, pausing indoors during the hottest part of the day. A Phang Nga tour is a full-day alternative for limestone scenery; it should replace the local programme. Return to the same Phuket hotel tonight.
Base: Phuket
Drive north to Khao Lak after breakfast. The scenery and pace change from Phuket’s busy resort roads to a much longer, quieter coast. After arrival, have lunch and spend the afternoon near the hotel rather than adding another excursion. Nang Thong makes services easy to reach; Bang Niang gives a more relaxed beach setting. A remote resort calls for a different afternoon: beach, pool and dinner on or near the property. A later road arrival still leaves two full days here.
Base: Khao Lak
In the open season, use this full day for a Similan excursion if snorkelling and clear offshore water are priorities. It is a boat day rather than a short beach detour, so leave the evening free for dinner and recovery. The 2026 official calendar closes visitor islands Ko 4 and Ko 8 from 16 May to 14 October; an opening date does not guarantee a safe crossing. Book with an operator that confirms current access, hotel collection and its weather cancellation terms. If the park is shut, or a long sea journey is unappealing, spend the day on your local Khao Lak beach and in the nearby service centre instead. Rough surf rules out swimming even on a sunny shore; a pool or an indoor meal remains a useful option when the sea is unsuitable.
Base: Khao Lak
Give the second full Khao Lak day to the coast itself. A slow beach morning and long lunch make a good counterpoint to yesterday’s offshore trip. Later, choose a visit to learn about the 2004 tsunami around Bang Niang, or a nature outing suited to the conditions. Travellers staying farther north may prefer time around their resort. Bang Niang market is another possibility when its trading day matches your visit. If the Similan trip moved from yesterday to today, exchange the two programmes rather than doing both.
Base: Khao Lak
Continue overland to Krabi, with a rest stop and lunch during the journey or after arrival. Ao Nang introduces a different coastline: a seafront backed by limestone and a busy restaurant strip. Krabi Town has an inland riverfront and food streets rather than a beach at the door. Keep the afternoon local; there is no boat connection to make today. For tomorrow’s longer island outing, reserve ahead and make sure the pickup covers your hotel.
Base: Krabi
Railay is the lighter beach-and-limestone choice from Ao Nang: arrange the return boat, then allow time for the beaches, the Phra Nang walk and lunch. For the beach pictured above, choose a full-day island speedboat tour instead. Ao Nang Travel lists morning hotel collection and an afternoon return to the mainland, with Maya Bay sightseeing among the stops. Ask whether your date includes landing: sightseeing wording alone does not promise time on the sand. Maya Bay access is through Loh Samah and the boardwalk; swimming is prohibited to protect the recovering marine environment. Follow ranger instructions and leave shells and coral in place. Do not add Railay to the same day. If you prefer dry land, explore Krabi Town’s food streets and riverfront, with lunch and a relaxed afternoon. Return to the same mainland hotel tonight.
Base: Krabi
Keep breakfast and any final walk close to the accommodation. Work backwards from the airline’s check-in requirement, including the full road journey from Ao Nang or Krabi Town and time to collect luggage. Leave remote viewpoints and boats for another visit. A later flight allows a leisurely meal near the hotel; an early departure means arranging the airport car before breakfast rather than squeezing in a last outing.
Base: Krabi
Two hotel-to-hotel road transfers connect Phuket, Khao Lak and Krabi. Ask for the exact addresses in each quote.
2 transfers
Phuket Khao Lak
Allow about 2–2.5 hours from Patong or Kata to Khao Lak. Northern Phuket can shorten the journey; a resort beyond the central Khao Lak beaches adds local distance. Treat the drive as today’s main travel, with a lunch or rest stop if needed.
Booking note: Choose the Phuket base and Khao Lak property together so the northbound road does not reverse the island.
Khao Lak Krabi
The operator gives roughly three hours to Ao Nang or Krabi Town. Reserve part of the day for a rest stop and the hotel approach, then keep the arrival evening local. This leg stays on the mainland and needs no ferry ticket.
Booking note: Reserve the road stage with exact endpoints and keep the Krabi arrival evening free of marine bookings.
Times are planning estimates for hotel-to-hotel road travel; traffic, exact addresses and rest stops can extend either journey.
For two adults sharing one room, 18–25 October 2026: allow about THB 32,000–38,000 before flights and optional boats. This combines dated advertised room examples with car fares and labelled spending allowances; it is not a live package quote.
Booking tips
This Krabi search can include stays beyond Ao Nang and Krabi Town. For the recommended boat-day base, choose an Ao Nang address; compare the result’s location before booking.
Check the order of Phuket, Khao Lak and Krabi before choosing hotels. The markers show the bases, not live driving time.
Phuket → Khao Lak → Krabi route
Yes, if you mean eight days in Thailand rather than an eight-day trip including international flights. Seven hotel nights give you one full Phuket day, two in Khao Lak and one in Krabi. The two hotel changes are by road; allow extra days for flights to and from your home country.
Krabi adds a distinct limestone landscape and a direct airport road. Ending there avoids the long return across Phang Nga to Phuket.
Beginning in Krabi is straightforward for a suitable flight, then the road runs through Khao Lak to Phuket. Move the Similan decision with Khao Lak and verify that the final Phuket district fits the outbound airport.
Book a car for day three to Khao Lak and another for day six to mainland Krabi. Chill Transfers separately lists THB 2,500 from Patong to Khao Lak for a standard car carrying one or two passengers. The budget uses another operator’s sedan fares, so this is a comparison rather than a package discount. For a solo traveller, compare private-car convenience with a shared service before booking.
No. All three overnight bases are road-accessible and the hotel changes use cars. Khao Lak still has a second full day for the coast or local history; mainland Krabi has food streets and riverfront time. Exchange day four and day five if a Similan departure shifts, but keep the Krabi drive on day six. If a boat cancellation follows severe weather, choose the replacement activity for those conditions rather than assuming every swim or forest walk is suitable.
Its long coast benefits from a slower stay. Three nights give two full days: one can go offshore, while the other belongs to the beach, local history or simply resting at the resort. With only two nights, a full-day Similan trip would occupy almost all the time between arriving and leaving.
November to April is the clearest starting point for this beach-led route. May to October brings the wetter southwest-monsoon period on the Andaman coast; it can suit town, food and resort time, with fewer dependable sea days. The official 2026 calendar closes Similan visitor islands from 16 May to 14 October, and Maya Bay, Loh Samah and Loh Ko from 1 August to 30 September. Late October is a transition month and the budget example reflects that season, not winter rates. Check current access and the marine forecast for your actual boat day.
No. The mainland Krabi hotel remains your base for both final nights. The longer day-seven island excursion returns to Ao Nang and replaces Railay or the town day. Staying offshore would require different accommodation, luggage transfers and a new departure plan, so it is not an extra stop to add to these same seven nights.
A road-based holiday can omit both sea outings. Ao Nang Travel advises against its speedboat trip for children under two, pregnant travellers and elderly guests because crossings can be bumpy. If you have mobility needs, discuss boarding and the beach approach directly with the operator; do not assume a boat tour is step-free. Choose a reputable operator, use the life jacket and keep insurance appropriate to the activity.
Research editor StartBooker
Checked on 2026-10-10
Updated
How the route was verified: Road fares and advertised October room benchmarks were checked against the operators and hotels, including occupancy, surcharges and inclusions. Park calendars and conservation rules support optional island days. Rough Guides and Travelfish inform the base choices; spending allowances are labelled separately from quoted prices.
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