Krabi excursions (Koh Hong island) - how much do excursions cost in Krabi province and where you can go. Krabi excursions (Koh Hong island) - how much excursions cost in Krabi province and where you can go. In what year was the Koh Hong company founded
Phuket Hong Island and Yao Yai are one of the popular day excursions in Thailand. While vacationing on the island of Phuket, you will definitely want to visit another island, which is smaller, the sand on the beach is better, and the water is cleaner. One such island in the Andaman Sea is Hong Island. Reviews are almost always positive, but we will add our own review as detailed as possible. Hong Island is located between the island of Phuket and mainland Thailand's Krabi province. The travel time will be from 30 minutes to 3 hours, depending on where you are vacationing and how to get there. Hong Island is one of the many islands for a day trip in Thailand in search of white sand beach, blue water and snorkeling.
- meeting point and start of the excursion to Hong Island and Yao Yai
- description of the photo of the ship for an excursion to the Hong Islands of Thailand
- where is Hong Island located on the map | Hong Krabi in Thailand in the Andaman Sea
- Hong Island | Hong in Thailand beach lagoon photo
- jungle and monitor lizards on Hong Island | Ko Hong in Thailand
- Yao Yai Island | Yao Yai in Thailand in the Andaman Sea spit photo
Meeting point and start of excursion to Hong Island | Ko Hong and Yao Yai
On the eve of the trip, as promised by the hotel guide, an SMS was sent saying that the departure time from our hotel was at 7:30 and required confirmation in the form of an OK message. In the morning we arrived in Thailand, it’s good that breakfast started at 6:30 and we always had time to have a snack before the excursions. At the appointed time, a minibus arrived and picked us up. We went on many excursions and never had transport delivery delayed by more than 15 minutes, although our friends complained that the bus arrived 30 minutes late for them.
After about 40 -50 minutes we were at the meeting point for our excursion.
Collection point at Ao Po port
The gathering place is a pavilion covered from the sun and rain, but somehow I don’t dare call it a barn, but I want to. Benches and chairs were placed inside the waiting area. There is not enough seating space for everyone.
Waiting place There are also small shops selling souvenirs and essential items (swimsuits, towels, bags, goggles, swimming circles, creams, as well as waterproof bags and waterproof cases for photographic equipment and phones) and ice cream.
Selling essentials At the back of the waiting room there was a table for tea and coffee, but it cost 20 baht.
Table of paid coffee and tea But then all the buses arrived and we moved in a long line to the pier to our ship, passing by a small booth they tried to count us.
We headed to the pier Moving along the pier we passed local boats called longtails | longtail, so called for the peculiarity of the screw rotation feed mechanism.
Boats called longtails 
Description of the ship on which we sailed to Hong Island Thailand
And so we approached our ship, but in order to get on it we need to go through another one. Our ship is the second one in the photo; it does not have an awning on the upper deck. The ship turned out to be not the first freshness, but renovated.
Our second excursion ship Having boarded our ship, we put on life jackets and sat in the free seats around the perimeter of the ship. The animators talked about themselves, the ship and the ship's crew, said a few words about the tour program to the islands of Hong and Yao Yai, and introduced them to the rules of conduct on board and on the islands.
And we went to the Andaman Sea to meet white sands and blue lagoons. As soon as we left the port, we were allowed to take off our vests and were given the opportunity to move around the ship. On the ship, all events took place on the middle second deck, there was also shade. On the first or lower deck there was a toilet and a bar. As soon as we set off, a free breakfast of cookies, coffee, tea, carbonated drinks and fruit juice was offered.
Breakfast bar Alcoholic drinks, as well as cocktails made from them, are available for an additional fee.
The lower deck was always semi-static, because there is shade here, and secondly, the ship’s engine makes a lot of noise, which, if desired, could be studied from the open windows and doors.
Lower deck 
There is also a latrine or a simple toilet on the lower deck. It also has a shower, not included in the photo.
Bathroom on a ship The upper deck is divided into two, front and rear. Climb them up the stairs. There is always sun on the upper deck. There are a dozen old sun loungers in the front room.
There are sun loungers on the bow on the top deck of the ship On the back top there was only a bench along the side and there they mostly took pictures against the backdrop of the sea and islands.
Upper deck And the views are really beautiful. We were unlucky, or maybe on the contrary we were lucky that the sky was with clouds and the sea, depending on the sun, changed color.
View of the Andaman Sea 
But what impressed me most was not the large islands with beaches, but the lonely tourists on them. It's wonderful to be on the island all alone with its beautiful beach.
The travel time is about three hours, during which time the animator managed to entertain the children. He showed them magic tricks and taught them how to do them, gave each one face paint and showed them how to make little animals out of inflatable balloons.
Showed how to make balloon animals After the children, I started working on the adults. Held several interesting competitions.
In general, the mood was not bad, and those who took cocktails were generally having fun, both literally and figuratively.
Where is Hong Island located on the map | Hong in Thailand
Where is Hong Island located on the map | Hong in Thailand? Hong Island is located in the Andaman Sea between Yau Yai Island and Krabi Province. The map shows the travel route from Phuket, but from Krabi it will be closer.
Hong Island | Ko Hong Krabi in Thailand photo
Hong Island | Hong in Thailand looks fabulously beautiful from the sea.
Hong Island in the Andaman Sea And the closer you get, the more beautiful the views.
Ko Hong Island And so our ship dropped anchor, and since we are big, we cannot moor to the pier.
A small boat headed towards us and in groups of 20 people they began to transport us to the shore.
The pier is made of plastic blocks that move on the waves. Landing on the pier of Hong Island was not at all difficult, but with its own peculiarity. At the first moment it seems that you will fall, but after taking 10 steps you begin to adapt to moving along this ever-swaying pier.
Immediately we meet a local inspection point and sell tickets to visit the national park in the amount of 300 baht per person.
They didn’t take any money from us, since we were an organized excursion group. But if you hire a boat yourself, for example a boat from the Krabi coast for 6 people will cost from 1,700 to 2,500 baht prices for 2017, then as a rule they don’t tell you what else you will need to pay for visiting the park at 300 baht per person . And the fact that the island is popular among independent travelers, there are photos of boats in the background that tourists hired on their own to visit the island, there are more than a dozen of them.
Well, we set foot on the sandy shore of Hong Island in the Andaman Sea.
There are like two beaches in this place. One to the bay, and the second opposite the bay. Therefore, the first beach is not as popular as the second. The photo shows the shore of Hong Krabi Island in the Andaman Sea and, as you can see, the island’s beach is divided into two parts. The first beach is visible in the photo on the left, and where the rock from the sea begins in the center and reaches the huge rock, between them there is a blue lagoon.
The shore of Hong Krabi island in the Andaman Sea Therefore, all people go to the most beautiful. Along the way we meet the film crew who were filming the film. They said the name of the series, but I don’t remember, but they say it’s well known.
There were practically no people on the first beach; everyone wanted to relax on the opposite side of the lagoon. Moreover, filmmakers sometimes climbed into the water for filming and asked people to get out of the frame.
There were practically no people on the first beach Along the way we came across a sign confirming that we were on Hong Island | in Thailand.
The beaches are conventionally separated, since there is one sandy coastal strip on one side adjacent to the jungle, and the other smoothly enters the sea. There is a lifeguard station on the beach and a lot of information posters on how to swim and where to run in case of a tsunami.
We, like most, went to the beach opposite the lagoon.
Now about the blue lagoon. On our visit she was not blue, this was probably due to two reasons. The first is that there are a lot of people in the sea, which lifts sand from the bottom, the second is that on our visit the sun was more often behind the clouds and probably it was not possible to illuminate beautifully. But the place itself is really beautiful, the rock formations that hang above you are impressive. Photo of the beach on the island of Ko Hong Krabi Thailand.
Swimming on both beaches is convenient, since the entrance to the sea is smooth and sandy, but you won’t go far, as the corals begin. If you look at the photo of the bay on Hong Island, you can see that you can go in a little higher than waist-deep, but then you need to swim.
To visit the island and if you plan to snorkel, I recommend taking “coral slippers”, since the bottom is not level, you can hurt your leg, and there are also sea urchins in places. It was noted from reviews of tourists that the ebb and flow of the tides also greatly influence.
Seabed 5 meters from the beach Snorkeling excursion to Honk Island | Ko Hong in Thailand in the Andaman Sea photo
Snorkeling excursion to Honk Island | According to reviews, Ko Hong Krabi in Thailand in the Andaman Sea was very good and there were a lot of beautiful fish. Therefore, masks and snorkels are provided free of charge for snorkeling on the ship. Approaching the sea, you can see that most of the swimmers are looking at the underwater world of the Andaman Sea. Upon entering the water and lowering his head, it was discovered that the water was cloudy.
Having been on the island for 3 hours and periodically entering the water, it was determined that the water was cloudy almost everywhere, but closer to the rocks in some places the water became clearer and something could be seen.
Closer to the buoys, that is, at depth the water is better, but there is nothing to see. And closer to the shore, where the depth is from a meter to one and a half, there is something to look at, but it’s muddy. What you can see is, of course, the sergeant fish, it swims in all seas and is not afraid of humans, especially if you feed it.
You can throw a banana near the shore and see a bunch of fish. Children like this spectacle and adults do not need to be afraid that children will go into the depths. Look at the fish in the shallows. However, you must remember that this is a state reserve and whether it is allowed to feed the fish or not, you must check with the guide, otherwise you will find yourself in a difficult situation due to feeding the fish.
Feeding the fish by the beach The overall snorkeling experience is poor. During our visit to the island of Koh Hong in Thailand, the transparency of the water was not very clear, or rather, one might say cloudy, visibility was no more than 1 meter. In some places it reached maybe three or four, but no more. The coral reef is simple, flat with little color variation. It is difficult to see fish with beautiful colors, and in muddy water the beauty is lost. We were probably unlucky, it’s not right to make a conclusion based on one trip, but if you are planning good snorkeling, then this is not the place. Maybe you won't be lucky either. It is useless to compare with the Red Sea in Egypt, there is nothing here. For example, look at the Dominican Republic, it’s right on the hotel’s beach. It’s better to take an introductory dive and see the underwater world in all its beauty, like watching and reading.
Jungle and monitor lizards on Hong Island | Ko Hong in Thailand photo
One of the entertainments on an excursion to Hong Island | Ko Hong in Thailand walk through the jungle and search for monitor lizards. It was also announced on the ship that at 13:00 local time, an excursion through the jungle would be organized for those interested. And indeed, quite a lot of people had gathered at the appointed time.
The guide who entertained us on the ship gave us some instructions on behavior and told us that on December 26, 2004, the largest tsunami hit the coast of Thailand. That on this island, people also suffered. And as soon as we set off, we saw the wreckage of the boat, which corresponded to a reminder of that tragedy.
In some places the guide stopped and made short stories about the area and fauna. For example, these mushrooms are used in making soup. Showed wild aloe.
In another place, everyone was looking out for a local bird, but they didn’t see it, although there was a sign. Then there was a short climb uphill to the mountain.
Climbing uphill The mountain looked majestic and beautiful.
Walking along the mountain you pass by depressions where stalactites and stalagmites are formed. In fact, this is nonsense.
Stalactites and stalagmites In general, the route takes a maximum of 20 minutes. There is nothing interesting, but I still recommend walking through it. Since this is a new entertainment from the sea, you can walk through the jungle, although not completely wild. The path is well trodden, but it is better to walk in shoes, but there are also enough slates. Also, along the entire route, everyone was looking for monitor lizards, as the guide warned about this. But life turned out to be simpler, all monitor lizards walk closer to humans and you can probably meet them on this path, but the easiest way to meet them is on the way to the toilet on the beach.
Since the island is prepared to receive tourists, it has many amenities. It’s easier to meet a monitor lizard on the way to them than in the jungle. They saw it themselves and knowledgeable people said it.
Several individuals live on the island. They are not afraid of people, but they are wary. Also, if you are lucky, the local ranger will feed the monitor lizard a large bone or two, and you will watch how he eats them. The spectacle is not for the faint of heart.
Local star At 15-00 o'clock they began to gather us all onto the ship. Upon arrival at the ship, lunch was waiting for us. Lunch took place on the first deck.
Yao Yai Island | Yao Yai in Thailand in the Andaman Sea photo
Yao Yai Island | Yao Yai in Thailand in the Andaman Sea is our next stop on this excursion. While we were having lunch, the ship approached a picturesque spit on the island of Yao Yai | Yao Yai photo. As in the previous case, the ship cannot moor to the island and we are transported to the island on small boats.
And so we landed on the second largest island of Yao Yai in Thailand after Phuket. The island is large, but we were dropped off at an interesting place on the island. In this place there is a sand spit that goes far into the sea.
Everyone headed to the spit Everyone took off their slates and went to measure the water level on the spit.
Some tourists walked several hundred meters, and the water level remained knee-deep.
Walking along the spit is a little scary, since there is a current and the water is not transparent and therefore the bottom is not visible, although the depth is not great. And it always seems that you are about to turn a little and fall into the water.
But as it turned out, the braid turned out to be quite wide and there was no need to worry. Everyone walked along the spit, the water was warm, the sun appeared from behind the clouds, the mood was great. We spent 30 minutes on the spit, but there was nothing else to do there. Some went inland and took pictures against the backdrop of palm trees and the sea on Yao Yai Island | Yao Yai in Thailand in the Andaman Sea. It is marked in red on the map.
Panorama of the sand spit of Yao Yai island The photo shows Koh Yao Noi Island | Yao Noi is also a large island and there are hotels on it where you can relax. They say that if you want to see what Phuket was like 20 years ago, then visit Yao Noi island | Yao Noi. After Yao Yai Island we headed to the port of Phuket Island. The island of Yao Yai floated overboard | Yao Yai in the Andaman Sea and I felt a little sad. Hotel The Three By APK 3* Phuket Phuket Thailand the most complete tourist review photo Siam Niramit Show in Phuket | Siam Niramit holiday for all photos
Show Siam Niramit Phuket | Siam Niramit show in Phuket Thailand is a bright holiday on vacation in Thailand. The show Siam Niramit will not leave anyone...
The islands of the national park are a group of small islands, ranging in size from several tens to several hundred meters, located off the coast in the area of beaches and. It includes 16 islands, two of which, Koh Hong Island and Koh Pak Bia Island, deserve special attention.
Hong Island (Koh Hong)*, also known as Koh Lao Bileh, is famous for its excellent 400-meter long beach, with fine white sand, emerald water and stunning views of the neighboring islands. Vertical cliffs along the edges of the beach and lush tropical vegetation that almost completely covers the island are also pleasing to the eye, no less than the views of the emerald surface of the sea.
In addition to the beach, one of the best in Krabi province, Hong Island has another attraction of a more exotic nature. In the depths of the rocks located in the north of the island, there is a lagoon of rare beauty, with extraordinary bright green water, mangroves and many trees, it is unclear how they are located on vertical rocks.
It should be noted that compared to mainland Krabi, the vegetation on Hong Island is indeed more lush and more diverse. The same can be said about the local fauna, numerous fish living in the vicinity of the island and surprisingly large reptiles living on the island itself.
In order to get acquainted with the inhabitants of the underwater world, in the case of Hong Island, you don’t even have to take a mask and snorkel with you. The sea opposite the beach is shallow and you can see fish right off the shore without going deep into the water. When going to look at the fish, don’t forget to take with you a few bananas, which the local fish are partial to. In this case, you will be able to gather around you entire schools of cheerful striped fish that will eat bananas right from your hands.
In addition to vegetarian-minded fish, there are other inhabitants on the island that are not inclined to a plant-based diet. Hong Island is famous for its 2-meter monitor lizards, calmly walking along the beach in search of scraps from some chicken. It should be noted that these huge reptiles are absolutely not afraid of humans and, rather, on the contrary, the kings of nature look with caution at the impressive claws of these phlegmatic creatures. However, in fairness, it should be noted that these lizards are non-aggressive and almost completely safe for humans.
If you come to Hong Island, do not forget to rent a kayak, since such an opportunity is available on the island. A kayak trip is the best way to explore the local lagoon. Plus, a kayak trip gives you the opportunity to visit the island's shallow, deserted beaches and get an up-close look at its impressive cliffs.
In addition to Koh Hong Island, there is another island in the archipelago that deserves a special stop. This is an island Koh Pak Bia. If Hong Island is considered an excellent place for a beach holiday and kayak trips, then Pak Bia Island is considered the best place for snorkeling. In addition, from the shallow beach of Koh Pak Bia island you can enjoy wonderfully beautiful views of the surrounding islands, especially picturesque during low tide.
* Koh Hong - literally translated from Thai means “an island with a hole (emptiness) inside.” There are 2 islands with this name in the bay, and they should not be confused. The first of these is located in Ao National Park, north of Yao Noi Island. The second one in question is located in the Than Bok Khorani National Park and is located east of Yao Noi Island.
Location of Hong Island (Koh Hong). Organization of trips to Hong Island.
Koh Hong Island is 17 km away. from the city (), exactly in the middle between the Krabi coastline (near Tub Kaek beach) and the island of Koh Yao Noi. The distance from Hong Island to both Tub Kaek Beach and Yao Noi Island is approximately 5 km.
There are two ways to get to Hong Island: either by hiring a longtail boat or by purchasing an excursion. The cost of a boat from Ao Nang and back is 2500 - 2800 baht (the price depends on the number of islands visited), the cost of a boat from Tub Kaek beach is 1700 baht (for a full trip, including visiting all the islands). The cost of excursions starts from 1000 baht per person. It should be noted that trips to Hong Island are sold not only in Ao Nang. They can be bought in Phuket, on the island of Yao Noi, and, naturally, in all popular tourist spots in Krabi.
Photos of Hong Island (Koh Hong)
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| Hong Island (Koh Hong), view from the boat | ||
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| Beach of Koh Hong island, early morning | Bright green vegetation on the beach | Hong Island, wide and deserted beach |
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| Hong Island, main beach of the island | The far deserted part of the beach | View towards the central part of the beach |
Giant lizards of Koh Hong Island
Large lizards are not uncommon in Thailand and they are found almost everywhere. The presence of a person does not frighten them and they can easily be found even in Bangkok, you just need to get away from busy highways and enter the territory of one of the many parks of the Thai capital.
However, Hong Island stands apart among the habitats of these colorful reptiles. The thing is that the largest of the Thai lizards, the two-meter Bengal monitor lizard, live on the island of Koh Hong (Bengal monitor lizard, Varanus bengalensis), an Indian species of large lizards, not very common in Thailand.
Looking at these hefty creatures that clearly do not suffer from hunger, one cannot help but wonder how they survive on an island where, by and large, there is nothing but sheer cliffs? The answer lies on the surface. The lizards of Hong Island are a tourist attraction just like the lizards of the Komodo Islands, which tourists from all over the world come to see. And the residents of the villages neighboring the island of Koh Hong are well aware that their material well-being depends, among other things, on how well-fed their lizards are. So, local monitor lizards do not experience a shortage of food and quite successfully grow to the two-meter size established by nature. And at the same time, they delight tourists who are partial to these exotic creatures with their presence.
A little time has passed since we went to fresh water bodies, probably a couple of days. And this time we decided to restore the salt crust on the skin and go on a short boat trip to Hong Island.
Hong Island, like many of the Thai islands that tourists are taken to, is a piece of rock sticking out of the water, with a small beach, a bay, and a fishing line. And in principle, they are all similar to each other, like two peas in a pod, the nature on them is absolutely the same, the only differences are in the architecture of the rock itself and the landscape.
However, lately, I believe, many islands have been united by another unfortunate circumstance - paid entrance! Yes Yes! The Thais have become completely insolent, now the territories of the islands have been declared natural parks and a national treasure, and entry to them costs the same magic amount - 200 baht. That is, in addition to the fare or excursion, prepare some money for entry. This is not pleasing on the one hand... On the other hand, if you look at this circumstance, then of course, year after year, there are more and more tourists, walking around, trampling, leaving garbage and cigarette butts... So now anyone who is even more or less attractive The island is a nature reserve. Perhaps ALL islands are nature reserves, but on some it is simply not profitable to set up a cash register, they are too small and, in principle, nothing is possible.
The question is, what do they do with this money? Do they maintain order on the islands, do they clean the island, or does everything simply wash away into the sea with the tide... The Thais are lazy people, five years passed before they learned to collect money, I think it will take the same amount of time before they learn to use it correctly, and For now, they are just rejoicing at their sharply increased incomes.
Anyway…
Hong Island is located approximately 35-45 minutes by long-tail from Nopparat Thara Beach, towards Phuket. To put it bluntly, it is located between Krabi and the islands of Yao Noi and Yao Yai.
On the way we met a shark. It was not possible to capture it entirely, but a piece of the shark got into the frame :)
In fact, this is not a meat-eating shark, but an ordinary one that feeds on plankton, which is what it actually did on the surface of the water, like swallowing water with a school of something edible. By the way, the boatman himself was quite surprised by this meeting, like, the spectacle is not exclusive, of course, it’s not like we’ve seen, but so close to the shore, and in these waters…. We swam around her for probably five minutes (or she swam around us) until our heads began to spin. And Hong was already clearly looming ahead.
O. Hong has a sad history - in 2004 a tsunami hit here and to this day, 50 meters from the shore, as a reminder of the tragedy, broken boat hulls lie in the jungle. The people in them died.
Actually, this is where the trail “in the wake of the tsunami” begins. The people who survived the first wave fled here, to the rock.
The rock has a balcony that is higher than the surface of the island. It was on this that they climbed and waited for the water to go away.
After this, the path goes deeper into the island and there are no more traces of the tragedy along the way. But there are signs with the names of animals and birds living here and which you will never see - because the animals are rare. Even those who wrote the signs probably described the animals from memory and stories that he got from his grandfather, who saw these animals... In short, there are signs, there are no animals, maybe they are not rare, but we didn’t see anyone :).
And ultimately, the path, having made a circle around the island, again leads to the beach. We just entered there, in the distance behind a large stone where the boats are moored, and came out here.
As on almost all the islands, there is pretty good snorkeling and cheerful and voracious beeline fish, also popularly known as yellow minke whale :)
And snorkeling begins in this lagoon, here you dive and swim, the further you go, the more interesting it is. It’s a pity, of course, that you can’t take a camera with you, there are very beautiful corals and all sorts of cool-looking animals. Maybe, of course, not as colorful as in the Red Sea, but no less interesting.
Here we tumbled around for about three hours, after which our boatman came up to us and said that if we want to see some kind of lagoon, then we need to hurry. The tide is starting and the entrance (swimming) into it will soon be closed with water. Well, what, a beggar gets ready, just put on his belt, three minutes and we’re in the boat.
The lagoon is a stone bag, inside the same island, there is only one entrance to it, between the rocks.
Inside, while the tide is still low, there is a rather shallow lagoon, the size of one and a half football fields.
Bordered on all sides by rocks. Where the sea deposited silt, small salt marshes formed, on which mangroves grew.
The bottom of the lagoon is also predominantly muddy, although not very marshy. If you bend down and look closely, you can pick up armfuls of starfish!
The water is rapidly rising and there is almost no dry place left; another 20 minutes will flood the last dry strip in the lagoon. It's time to leave here.
We go to the next island, where you can safely swim and have lunch. Naturally, we took food with us, since on these small islands there is no service sector at all. We got excited about something and took almost nothing with us, but our friends from Novosib got enough for five, so we had to help them eat. Otherwise it gets worse, God forbid :)
We see there is a rock in the sea,
there is a deep hole in it,
in that hole in the sad darkness,
the citizen is sitting impudently...
Unlike us, this citizen feeds on the holy spirit and mosquitoes.
If it’s hard to see, he’s under the canopy, with his paws folded like a pretzel.
We're approaching! Let's stop on this island!
Although, someone turned out to be ahead of us.
No problem! What are they?! Alone here, and even just the two of us, there are seven of us! Let's dock now, start playing Chinese, running around, laughing loudly, making a fuss... five minutes and the island is free!
We drove up, looked, and they were “romantic” there. The fire is burning, the pot is boiling... there is a bottle of wine, and a show-off boat with sun loungers on the bow, covered with snow-white sheets, and decorated with petals... The dog is with you... keep kissing...
We moored on the other side, it wasn’t bad either, although there were a little more people.
There is nothing remarkable on this island, just a narrow strip of sand and a rock behind. I snorkeled, also not very interesting, compared to Hong, gray and dull. We ate, slept, shopped. All that remains is to visit the last, small but very proud island, with the ambitious name “Paradise”, and go home.
This is how it looks from the sea, on the right there is a rock, on the left too, in the middle there is a small beach and a residential area.
Who lives here, who the hell knows, some people. Whether they live here or just caretakers or who it is is not clear.
Here they have a house for sleeping, a bench with a table, tubs for fresh water, a small open kitchen, and that’s about it. The habitable area is two hundred square meters, including the beach.
26.02, 8th day of the hike.
On this day we are planning a transition from Koh Phakbia to Hong Island; read about our adventures on this island. But we, the adults, got up, as is our custom, a little squeamish, and at dawn we went to catch crabs. To do this, I came up with a special way - with a hand wearing a neoprene paddling glove, grab the crab by the claw and throw it into a bucket, which you immediately cover with a lid.
A crab claw is like a hand - if you grab it by the wrist, the crab will not be able to grab your finger, no matter how much it wants to.
In just half an hour we caught about 20 crabs, among them there was one bright red one with one claw. Either he’s a different breed, or he’s already been in someone’s pot and got out by sacrificing a limb.
He couldn't get out of our pot! We ate our catch and began to get ready so that, after waking up and feeding the child, we could rush to Hong Island next to the krabi (there is also another Hong in Phang Nga).
Suddenly something rustled in the bushes, I tensed up, I thought: “Here it is, an attack from a pack of evil monkeys!” But instead of a monkey, a lizard-like monitor appeared. Out of surprise, I screamed, which scared both the monitor lizard and the sleeping Vanya.
At my exclamation, Dima, who was fiddling with the boat, came running. He turned on our action camera and arranged a photo hunt for the monitor lizard.
And another guest, this time expected, visited us that morning. A macaque appeared on a tree standing next to the tent. She was swinging on the branches above the tent, but was in no hurry to go down. After feeding the child and drinking tea, we quickly packed up the camp and sailed away from this zoo.
Drop to Hong Island
We left at 8.30 am and went to Hong Island (an island with a navel - a lake inside).
We walked 10 km, the storm was quite strong. Seeing how we stubbornly rowed through the waves and wind, the Ministry of Emergency Situations approached us on a boat and asked if we were all right. 
We reached Hong Island, a Thai landmark, and entered the inland lake. The lake has emerald water, but there are a lot of tourists and boats - from elegant speed boats with the names of famous five-star hotels to very simple boats.
We went around Hong Island on the leeward side. On the rock we saw a hermit's house and a grotto. The hermit clapped his hands and pointed towards a narrow corridor in the rock from where the wind was blowing.
Dima decided to walk along this corridor, but soon returned, since the walkways thrown over a deep gap inside the cave, with each step, became more and more flimsy, sagged under his weight and creaked.
To this day we do not know who this hermit was. Either an ordinary madman, or some kind of seeker of the “Loch Ness monster” in Thai. Did he want to show us something in the cave or, conversely, did he want to sacrifice us to some monster….
When we left the grotto, the hermit hid in his house on the rock.
Continuing our way around Hong Island near Krabi, we came to the large white sand beach of Pelay. The boat jumped cheerfully over the waves, we leaned on the oars and, at the same time, shouted: “Hello!” and waved to all the speedboaters and longtailers who greeted us.
Overnight at Pelai Beach
We moored successfully on Hong Island; we were surrounded by the captains of other, more powerful ships that brought tourists to the island. They shook hands, showed respect and respect.
We docked our boat and walked along the beach and deep into the tropical park, which turned out to be a nature reserve. On Pelai Beach there is a canteen with an unfriendly price tag, all sorts of filthy amenities and a house for the staff. In general, an ordinary beach with a crowd of people that does not decorate the island of Koh Hong, the photos of which convey it as a completely paradise.
Birds and large butterflies fly in the park, and there is also a plaque stating that during the 2004 tsunami, people escaped here by climbing into the cracks of the rocky walls that surround this tropical paradise.
After some time, the beachgoers began to leave. We decided to stay on Hong Island and set up camp. The caretakers didn’t mind; they didn’t ask us for any money. They showed the hospitality and caring characteristic of many Thais - they recommended moving the tent deeper into the island, as “high water” would come, and helped with moving the camp. Well, they suggested staying one more day, because according to the forecast, the next day was also supposed to be stormy.
In the dark, a large monitor lizard walked along the beach, and large fireflies fluttered around the tent - at first it seemed to us that these were someone’s eyes glowing in the dark.
We walked 6 km to Hong Island, Krabi, but what a storm!
How we rested along Krabi
27.02, 9th day of the hike.
At 8.00 we set sail from the beach lagoon of Hong Island; the storm did not seem dangerous. But as soon as we got out of it, we realized that the storm was strong.
Dima wanted to return because he is reasonable. And I don't like to go back. Because I don't love it.
Fortunately, he came up with the idea of walking crookedly - between the islands, using them as cover from the big waves. So we reached Nang AO (Nang coast).
We ate at a restaurant on the shore. Vanya, who walked with us on the waves and was not afraid of anything, jumped up to the ceiling when he heard a loud hiss coming from the kitchen - it was squid rings being fried for us.
The owners of the cafe noticed his strange behavior, we explained to them that he was autistic and they gave Vanya a banana. We later learned that one of King Phumpion Adulyadej's grandsons, who died in the 2004 tsunami, was autistic. In Thailand, work is underway to study autism, and charities for autism work under the patronage of the royal family.
While we were having breakfast (the restaurant had just opened, it was about 12 noon), curious people walked around our boat and, again, “huffed their socks off”!
The restrained curiosity of local residents and the more active curiosity of tourists accompanied us throughout the entire trip. The dialogue followed approximately the same pattern: “Is this your kayak?”, “Where are you from? From Russiaiiiiii." When we travel through our home country or the states adjacent to it of the former USSR, Russia changes to “From St. Petersburgaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaait is from St. Petersburg. Everyone is even more surprised when they hear about our route, for example from Hong Island to Krabi.
Having finished our meal, we boarded our red kayak and walked along the coast through industrial piers and reached Krabi JSC.
There we stocked up on canned fish and other provisions at the nearest 7-11. It was time to look for a secluded parking place, but, as luck would have it, it didn’t come across.
The entire coastline was built up with expensive hotels, past whose beaches we moved, aiming for a deserted area at the end of the cape.
We stopped at a more or less decent beach. There was a road nearby, along which cars occasionally passed. The low tide revealed cracked rock tongues that looked like pieces of solidified lava.
We covered a record distance of 19 km from Hong Island to Krabi.
28.02, 10th day. In the morning, while they were getting ready, the Thais came up and said that it was impossible to stand here, and besides, there were large snakes in these thickets.
Indeed, something rustled in the darkness at night. But we didn’t see any snakes this time or any other time. For comparison, during a 5-day May hike along the Neya River (Kostroma region) we saw three vipers, one of them confidently tried to climb into Dimina’s wade, but accidentally caught our eye.
We didn’t understand why we couldn’t set up camp, but moving away from the shore, we saw a palace house with golden domes. And at the very tip of the cape there is a cordon. We assumed that this was the residence of the royal family.
In the jungle of Chicken Island
On this day, our plans were to reach the Pondo Islands (that’s what the sign on one of them said), then we found information that one of them is called Chicken Island. We walked again on a choppy sea.
There are 4 islands in this archipelago; numerous tourists from Krabi JSC are brought here to swim.
The first island, the largest, was crowded. We moved to the next one and came across a post where they were collecting money for entry into this National Park.
There they sold us tickets for a 1-day visit to the reserve for 400 baht for an adult (800 baht), children are free.
We walked around the island and found a small beach where the tourists they had brought were swimming there. When almost everyone had left, they set up camp. Then, when we were already sailing away from the island, we saw that the rocky bump crowning it was really somewhat similar to a chicken neck. This was probably Chicken Island.
It seemed to us that at full tide the beach would be flooded, so we set up camp higher up - in the jungle, under a rock. There is no Internet, you can’t even post a couple of photos to your Contact for friends. An information vacuum has formed!
There are some rustling noises in the bushes again. Good night!
Paradise islands with beautiful lagoons, white sand and clear water, feeding fish, monitor lizards, cats, bungee jumping... It was one of our best days in Krabi, which cost only 1070 baht (rubles) for three. Today it's all about how to organize an independent trip to Hong and Paradise Islands, a lot of photos and videos.
Dozens of islands are scattered near the coast of Krabi, for which travelers from all over the world come here. There are three piers where you can rent a boat to different islands. On Hong and Paradise The cheapest longtails are from the village of Klong Muang, because the islands are only 15-20 minutes away by sea towards Phuket.
Klong Muang beach early in the morning. Not a soul, the water is clear - beauty!
From Ao Nang to Klong Muang by bike it takes 15-20 minutes maximum. Already at the beginning of nine, our entire company was assembled, and we set sail for the islands. Six adults and six children - a great company, in my opinion. Arinka glows with happiness in anticipation of a good day.
Misha and I sat on the bow of the boat and took photographs of the surroundings. Suddenly, a huge cargo ship appeared on the horizon. And where is he here from, and most importantly - for what? Is it possible that the seaport of Krabi is capable of unloading such giants?
To the first island called Hong We got there in about twenty minutes. There he is, visible ahead. There are already a couple of boats there, which means we are not the first.
The beach on Hong Island is divided into two parts by a rock. Boats are parked on one side...
...and if you go behind the rock, a wonderful lagoon with white sand, clear and very calm water appears. An ideal children's beach - a lot of shade from the trees, a smooth descent into the sea, and most importantly - a complete absence of waves.
Of course we didn't expect that you still need to pay separately for entrance to the island. Hong and a dozen neighboring islands are a sea Than Bok Khorani National Park, but the entrance here is worth it 200 baht per person. This guy - the ticket taker - explains that by paying here once, we can visit all the other islands of the National Park.
Sasha tried to bargain, but it didn’t work out. They charged 1,200 baht for six adults, gave everyone tickets and let them go to the beach in peace.
First of all, we went to feed the fish. They are almost tame here, fed by numerous tourists. They eat fruits, bread and cookies.
Here's an underwater video. If you bring a mask and snorkel with you, you can have an interesting dive in this fish soup.
The bare-bottomed company is building a volcano. Work is in full swing, everyone is very busy. It's good to have a lot of children! They keep themselves busy, and adults have precious free time.
Sasha went to wander around the island and look for a viewpoint. I really wanted to photograph the beach of Hong Island from above. But there was no way to the tops of the rocks. But Sasha discovered large monitor lizards grazing near the trash heap. The children abandoned the volcano and went to look at the giant lizards. Here is one of them in the photo, and next to it is an ordinary car tire for scale.
Monitor lizards have the body of a crocodile and the face of a lizard. From a distance, a small crocodile appeared one after the other. Scary!
Here Nadya is trying to tame a monitor lizard. Within a moment, the lizard will make a feint with its ears and rush a meter forward, as if warning - get out of my territory, woman! Everyone was scared, and then we tried to stay away from the monitor lizards.
We counted about five scavenger lizards on Hong. They don’t eat anything out of their hands, and in general they turned out to be quite shy. To film this video, Sasha put a piece of chicken on a board and hid. Within a few minutes, smelling something delicious, he came.
Meanwhile, the number of people on Hong increased, the tide began to rise and everyone was already sitting on each other’s heads. It was time to move on, because ahead of us was an amazing lagoon on the back side of Hong Island.
The entrance to the lagoon is very narrow, it is unlikely that two large boats will pass there. But it's very spacious inside. It’s difficult to take clear photos there; it’s better to watch a video.
People swim in the lagoon from boats, although personally I don’t see much point in this. The water is muddy, the underwater world is not visible, the pleasure is doubtful. Let's go further - to Paradise Island. Here is the exit from the lagoon, and beyond it is the ocean and other islands.
On the way we met a boat. Such speedboats sail to Hong and Paradise from Phuket. By the way, such a cruise is a very expensive pleasure.
Here we are in Paradise. There is a very tiny beach here, surrounded by rocks.
The view from the bay is simply stunning, and the water is an extraordinary turquoise color.
There is a lot of entertainment on the tiny beach. The girls immediately climbed onto the swing.
Sasha went to swing on the bungee.
Then everyone hit the punching bag. We are in Thailand, Thai boxing is a national sport, so every second person here knows how to box.
In the distance a rock with a rope ladder could be seen. You could climb up there and jump into the water. But we decided not to risk it. A week before flying home, you need to be especially careful.
Then, fortunately for Arinka, a dozen cats suddenly turned up on Paradise Island. Black, white, colorful, big and small... where do so many come from?
Arina tried to smooth over everyone. I tried very hard...
This poor fellow had to be directly scratched out of the tenacious hands of the young cat lover.
And this cat seems to reproach: “We’ve come to our Paradise in large numbers”...
Everyone went swimming, and I wandered to a secret beach on the other side of the island. I pass by bamboo temporary shelters. Hardly anyone lives here. It is rather just a shelter from the rain.
Water tanks.
This is what Paradise Beach looks like from the depths of the island.
And this is a narrow path to the second beach.
I was already prepared to cover a decent distance through the jungle. I went into the very jungle, when suddenly someone rustled in the bushes. In a split second, the most disturbing thoughts flashed through my head: a bird, a snake, a giant monitor lizard, a crocodile, a leopard!!! At this time, a fat pregnant cat crawled out of the thickets. So, a new addition is expected at Paradise soon.
And here it is secret beach. It takes about forty seconds to get there. It's strange that there's no one here. The place is quiet, the water is clear. Yes, the view here is not as beautiful as on the main beach, but if you want privacy, then this is an ideal option.
On this beach, instead of sand, there are small smooth pebbles, beautiful, even if you collect them for home decor.
The coconut crop has already ripened nearby - be careful, getting hit on the head with such a nut is a fatal adventure.
Some Robinson hung a garland of pebbles.
Returned to the main beach. There's a lot of excitement there, they caught a hedgehog out of the water. If you step on something like this, of course, you won’t die, but your foot will take a long time to heal in a humid climate.
Well, you can take a photo for memory. Paradise, you truly are a piece of paradise. I will remember you for a long time.
It’s also good to go on excursions with. Misha, thank you for this family photo.
And this is our boatman. And why didn’t it occur to me to ask his name? A very smiling, quiet grandfather, a true professional in his field.
How to organize a self-guided excursion to Hong and Paradise Islands:
And now about how we organized it all ourselves and how much the trip cost.
Renting a boat for the whole day from 8 am to 4 pm cost 2000 baht (rubles) for six adults and six children. We set off from Klong Muang Beach, and got there from Ao Nang on our own on bikes in 20 minutes.
We also paid separately 200 baht per person for entrance to the National Park, within which Hong Island is located.
None There is no trace of a cafe on the islands, so be sure to take provisions and water with you.
In total, the whole trip cost 3,200 baht for six people, i.e. 533 baht per adult (children do not count).
Boatman's phone number: +66878894846, his name is Bat (this is the son of our grandfather).
P.S. Returning home, we found a goat near the neighbor's house. Arina spent the entire evening petting her and feeding her grass.
And the next day the goat suddenly disappeared, and the owner of the house was contentedly frying something aromatic in a large cauldron on a fire right in front of the house. I still sincerely believe that the goat is alive, it was just given to someone...