Hong Island is truly stunning with its dramatic limestone cliffs, crystal clear water and excellent snorkeling. It’s no surprise it’s one of the most popular day trips from major tourist hubs such as Phuket and Krabi. However, departing from those areas also means larger crowds and sharing the boat with over 20 other people.
If you want a more relaxed experience, we highly recommend visiting Hong Island from Koh Yao Yai, which is much closer and far easier to reach.
In this guide, we share our experience to help you decide whether a private Hong Island tour from Koh Yao Yai is right for you. We also strongly recommend spending a few nights in Koh Yao Yai itself, as it’s a stunning and unspoiled island. If you’re planning a visit, be sure to check out our full guide to Koh Yao Yai Best Beaches.
Jump to:
- Hong Island from Koh Yao Yai: How to Book
- Private Hong Island Tour: Our Experience
- Private Tour of Hong Island from Koh Yao Yai – Final Thoughts
Hong Island from Koh Yao Yai: How to Book
We stayed at Resting Place Koh Yao Yai and the owner helped us to arrange a private day tour of Hong Island. One of the best parts is how affordable it is to rent a private longtail boat. We paid £100 in total for 6 hours which is great value. That price also included hotel pick up and drop off, snorkelling equipment and drinks and snacks.
Most hotels and hostels on Koh Yao Yai will be able to arrange the tour for you for a similar price. There are also several travel agents on the island where you can book the tour. There’s also an option to book a private tour of Hong island via Klook but the price is much higher.
Private Hong Island Tour: Our Experience
We decided to set off at 8:30am to get ahead of the day trips coming from Phuket and Krabi. With the private tour, you can choose your departure time, so leaving even earlier means enjoying the sights with fewer people around.
Once on the boat, we had plenty of space to relax and admire the views. The ride was very comfortable and it took us only 15 minutes to reach our first stop.
Pak Bia Island
Pak Bia Island was the first stop on our private tour of Hong Island from Koh Yao Yai. The island was truly stunning with picturesque limestone cliffs, beaches on both sides, and plenty of shade in the morning. Although a few other visitors were already there, there was still lots of room to relax and enjoy the island. There’s also a little beach hut selling drinks, and toilets are available on the island.
Getting off the boat was a little challenging at first, as the seabed is rocky and covered with coral. We really recommend wearing aqua shoes to avoid hurting your feet. The water was very shallow in the morning so we couldn’t really swim much, but the island was still incredibly impressive and well worth the stop.
Koh Pak Ka
Koh Pak Ka is another picturesque island surrounded by limestone cliffs. There wasn’t really a proper beach on the island but it’s good for snorkeling with crystal clear waters and plenty of marine life. Even from the boat we could see plenty of colorful fish. This spot was really quiet in the morning, with only one other boat around.
Koh Hong (Hong Island)
The famous Hong Island was the third stop on our trip. The island is known for its stunning limestone cliffs, scenic nature trials and crystal clear waters that are perfect for snorkeling. Upon arrival, we had to pay a national park entrance fee of 300 TBH for foreigners (around £7 per person). We decided to stay 2 hours on the island, which seems to be standard time for most of the day trips. A private tour gives you the freedom to be more flexible.
We decided to climb to the top of Hong Island viewpoint first. We were slightly nervous at the start after seeing a sign saying the climb takes 45 minutes. In reality it took us just 10 minutes and was fairly easy if you have a moderate fitness level. The views from the top were absolutely breathtaking, with panoramic views of nearby islands, Hong Lagoon, and the endless turquoise sea. As we arrived in the morning, it wasn’t too busy at the top, though we noticed more people heading up as we descended and the day trips began to arrive. The viewpoint was an absolute highlight of our trip and we really recommend starting your time on Hong Island with the climb.
After the viewpoint, we followed a small nature trail that took around 10 minutes to complete. Along the way, we saw a variety of plants and information signs explaining the island’s flora.
Once we finished exploring, we grabbed a refreshing fruit shake from the beach bar. It was slightly pricier (around £3) than in other places in Thailand, but definitely worth it after a hike.
Hong Island is also a great spot to snorkel directly off the beach. We swam towards the rocks and we saw a variety of coral and colorful fish. Even as the beach got more crowded, there was still plenty of space to relax on the sand and we even found some shade.
After 2 hours, our boat picked us up from the small pier on the island. This was the busiest and slightly chaotic part of our day, with many tours arriving and departing at the same time. It made us especially glad that we’d arrived earlier than most of the crowds.
Hong Lagoon
Hong Lagoon was another highlight of our day trip to Hong Island from Koh Yao Yai. Cruising through the lagoon was incredible, with towering limestone cliffs on both sides and beautifully clear water below. The water was quite shallow and we saw some people getting out for a paddle. Again, we’d definitely recommend wearing acqua shoes.
Koh Nok (Nok Island)
Nok Island was the last stop of our trip and a perfect spot to wind down. This small, inhabited island is located very close to Koh Yao Yai and Koh Yao Noi. We spent some time relaxing on the beach and enjoying a refreshing swim. This was the perfect way to end the tour. There’s also a viewpoint on the island that offers panoramic views of the surrounding limestone cliffs.
We were lucky enough to have the beach pretty much to ourselves, sharing it with just one other couple who had kayaked from Koh Yao Noi. However, after about 30 minutes, a speedboat arrived with day trip visitors so we decided it was the perfect time to head back to Koh Yao Yai.
Private Tour of Hong Island from Koh Yao Yai – Final Thoughts
We truly believe that a private tour from Koh Yao Yai (or Koh Yao Noi) is the perfect way to visit Hong Island. You will be able to hire a private longtail boat at an affordable price. A much better way to travel than sharing it with a lot of other people. Even though Hong Island got busier towards the end of our trip, we managed to beat some of the crowds and enjoy the trip at our own pace. We hope this guide on Hong Island from Koh Yao Yai has helped you plan your trip.
