Koh Poda (Ko Po Da Nai), Krabi: the beach in the four-islands day

Horizon Cruises Phuket runs Koh Poda as a private charter on speedboats and motor yachts berthed on the east coast: Ao Po Grand Marina is the closest at about 42 km, with Royal Phuket Marina and Boat Lagoon a little further. The Krabi day starts at ฿83,000 in low season per boat on the motor yacht Mami Wata, eight guests in the rate and up to twelve aboard. Tell us the date on WhatsApp and we will arrange the four islands around it.

Koh Poda is the beach of the Krabi four islands: a wide strip of sand off Ao Nang, 25 minutes from the mainland by longtail and a 7–10 hour charter day from Phuket. It lies inside Hat Noppharat Thara – Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, has basic toilets and seasonal snack vendors, and no accommodation at all — so nobody stays the night, and the island empties out by evening.

What are the four islands, and where does Poda fit?

Poda, Chicken Island, Tup and Mor — the group sold from Ao Nang as the "four islands" tour, and from Phuket as a single full day. Poda is the one with the beach you spend time on; the others are the sandbar, the rock and the snorkelling.

Poda's chart name is Ko Po Da Nai, "inner Poda", and Chicken Island is Ko Po Da Nok, "outer Poda". They are a pair by name, and they are visited on the same day — which is why our price list has one Krabi day rather than one island.

What are the four islands, and where does Poda fit?

Island	What it is for	Landing
Koh Poda	the wide beach: swimming, shade at the tree line, time ashore	tender onto sand
Chicken Island (Ko Kai)	the chicken-head rock and snorkelling off the sand	tender onto sand
Tup and Mor	the Thale Waek sandbar you walk at low tide	tender onto sand

Koh Poda in numbers

Koh Poda in numbers

Names	Koh Poda, Poda Island / เกาะปอดะใน / Ко Пода · Ko Po Da Nai on charts
Province	Krabi
National park	Hat Noppharat Thara – Mu Ko Phi Phi
Coordinates	7.9708 / 98.8081
Park fee	per person, cash on the day, children at a reduced rate; current rate confirmed with your quote
Season	open year-round; best visibility November to April
Landing	tender onto sand, there is no pier
On shore	basic toilets and snack and drink vendors in high season; shade along the tree line; no restaurants
Overnight	not possible — there is no accommodation on the island
From Ao Nang	about 25 minutes by longtail
Busiest	after lunch, when the Ao Nang longtails arrive; the timing moves with the tide

Checked: 27.09.2026 · thainationalparks.com and krabinature.com (park, fee, facilities), asiatouradvisor.com (longtail time from Ao Nang), coordinates and Thai names — Wikidata. Monkeys on the island are reported by visitors rather than by an official source — keep food and bags with you.

Which departure point is closest to Koh Poda?

Ao Po Grand Marina, at roughly 42 km. Royal Phuket Marina and Boat Lagoon add four kilometres, and Chalong — on the wrong side of Phuket for Krabi — adds eleven. These are straight-line figures; the water route is longer.

Which departure point is closest to Koh Poda?

Departure point	Straight line	Speedboat	Motor yacht
Ao Nang, by longtail	—	—	about 25 minutes
Ao Po Grand Marina	42 km (23 nm)	40–55 min	50 min – 2.5 h
Royal Phuket Marina and Boat Lagoon (shared channel)	46 km (25 nm)	45–60 min	1–3 h
Chalong Pier	53 km (29 nm)	50–70 min	1–3 h

Sailing catamarans do not run this route: at 5–7 knots the crossing alone would eat the day, which is why the Krabi formats in our price list belong to speedboats and motor yachts.

Is it better to come from Phuket or from Ao Nang?

From Ao Nang it is 25 minutes by longtail; from Phuket it is a 7–10 hour charter day. If you are staying in Krabi, the longtail wins on time. If you are staying in Phuket, the charter replaces a 180 km road transfer with a day on the water.

The difference is not only the distance. A longtail arrives at Poda inside the same window as every other longtail, which is usually after lunch. A charter from Phuket sets its own hour and can take the islands in the order that keeps them empty longest — and it carries its own shade, toilets, food and snorkelling gear, which matters on an island whose shore facilities are basic and seasonal.

What our captains know

The order of the four islands is yours. We ask what the day is for — time on a beach, snorkelling, or seeing the monkeys — and build the sequence around that answer, not around a fixed circuit.

The longtails from Ao Nang usually come after lunch, and their timing shifts with the tide as well. Mornings on Poda are the calmer half of the day.

Where we anchor depends on how busy it is. The charter is private, so the captain moves to where other boats are not.

The monkeys do not bother our guests — they entertain them. The boats that lose things are the speedboats that park right up against the rocks: the monkeys climb aboard and take what is loose.

The park fee goes to the rangers on the islands, in cash, per person.

What do you need to know about the shore?

Bring everything back to the boat: rubbish collection on Poda runs only in high season, when the vendors are working.

Shade exists but is a line, not a field — it follows the trees at the back of the beach and moves through the day, so a group that wants shade at 13:00 sets up for it at 11:00. Toilets are basic and seasonal. Water and lunch come from the boat, which is the practical argument for a charter over a longtail hop.

The monkeys are part of the visit rather than a problem; what they do go after is described in the captains' block below.

The in-water rules are the national-park ones that apply across the group and are set out on the Chicken Island page: no feeding fish, no touching coral, two metres of clearance, life jacket without a freediving certificate. The park fee is collected by the rangers on the islands themselves, in cash.

What does a day to Koh Poda cost?

Poda is priced as the Krabi four-islands day, 7 to 10 hours, per boat.

What does a day to Koh Poda cost?

Boat	Guests for a day trip	Departs from	Price for the Krabi day
Mami Wata, motor yacht	8 in the rate, up to 12	Royal Phuket Marina	from 83,000 THB, low season; 94,000 THB high, 104,000 THB peak
Nimbus T11, speedboat	10	Royal Phuket Marina	115,000 THB year-round, 125,000 THB peak
Galeon 500 Fly, motor yacht	6, up to 10 with extra-guest charges	Royal Phuket Marina	162,700 THB, one rate all year

Three of these four leave from Royal Phuket Marina, which is the pattern for the Krabi day: the east-coast marinas are the short run. Boats that price the same islands from Chalong — AQVA 37, Al Dhaen 38 Vice, The Origin 90, Azimut Atlantis 50 — are listed on the Chicken Island page.

Prices from the yacht pages, 2026/27 season. Fuel for the agreed route is inside the rate, except where a yacht's page lists a fuel fee. Outside the rate: paid extras, crew tips and the park fee per person, except on boats whose page lists it in the rate. Where a boat charges a fuel supplement for a longer version of the route, its own page says so. Full tables by format and season are on the prices page.

When is the best time to go to Koh Poda?

November to April: settled water, reliable visibility and the vendors on the beach are working. The island has no seasonal closure of its own — unlike Maya Bay or the Surin and Similan parks, it stays open all year.

From May to October the south-west monsoon arrives in bands rather than constantly, and the crossing from Phuket's east coast matters more than the island itself: it is 42 km of open water, and on a windy day the captain will suggest a Phang Nga Bay route instead. Low season has its upside here, though — the four islands are at their emptiest, and the park fee buys a beach that in January is shared with dozens of longtails.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to visit Koh Poda?

The national park fee is paid in cash to the rangers on the islands, per person, with children at a reduced rate; the parks revise their rates from time to time, so we confirm the current figure with your quote. The boat is charged per charter, not per person.

Can you stay overnight on Koh Poda?

No. There is no accommodation on the island, so it is a day stop. Visitors who want to stay nearby base themselves in Ao Nang or Railay on the mainland.

What facilities are on Koh Poda?

Basic toilets and snack and drink vendors in high season, plus shade along the tree line. There are no restaurants, so a charter day brings its own food, water and snorkelling equipment.

How long is the trip from Phuket to Koh Poda?

Around 50–70 minutes by speedboat and one to three hours on a motor yacht from the east-coast marinas, over about 42–53 km depending on the departure point. The whole day is 7 to 10 hours.

Is Koh Poda part of the four islands tour?

Yes — with Chicken Island, Tup and Mor. Poda is the beach stop of the four; the sandbar between Chicken, Tup and Mor is walkable around low tide.

Is Koh Poda good for children?

Yes, the water off the main beach is shallow and calm on settled days, and entry is straight off the sand. The shore facilities are basic, and the monkeys near the tree line are part of the attraction rather than a nuisance — loose items still stay on the boat.

Which boats run the Krabi day to Koh Poda?

Besides Mami Wata: the speedboat Nimbus T11 for 10 guests at ฿115,000 year-round and the motor yacht Galeon 500 Fly for 6 guests, more with extra-guest charges, at ฿162,700 in any season, both from Royal Phuket Marina. Boats that run the same islands from Chalong Pier are listed on the Chicken Island page. None of these prices includes the park fee, which the rangers collect in cash.

Can we sail to Koh Poda on a catamaran?

Not in practice. A sailing catamaran makes 5 to 7 knots, and at that speed the crossing from Phuket's east coast would eat the day, so the Krabi formats on our price list belong to speedboats and motor yachts: 40 to 55 minutes from Ao Po by speedboat, 50 minutes to 2.5 hours by motor yacht. A sailing day is better spent in Phang Nga Bay, which is closer to the same marina.

Is Koh Poda open all year?

Yes. Unlike Maya Bay or the Surin and Similan parks, Poda has no seasonal closure. November to April brings settled water, reliable visibility and working vendors on the beach; between May and October the monsoon comes in bands, and the open-water crossing from the east coast matters more than the island itself, so on a windy day the captain will suggest a Phang Nga Bay route instead. Low season has the emptiest beaches.

Do we need to take our rubbish back to the boat?

Yes. Rubbish collection on Poda runs only in high season, when the vendors are working, so everything you bring ashore comes back on board. Shade is a line along the trees at the back of the beach and moves through the day; a group that wants shade at one o'clock sets up for it at eleven. Toilets are basic and seasonal, and water and lunch come from the boat.

Are the monkeys on Koh Poda a problem?

No, they are part of the visit. The monkeys live near the tree line and go after whatever is loose: the boats that lose things are the speedboats parked right up against the rocks, which the monkeys climb aboard. Keep food and bags with you ashore and leave loose items on the boat. Monkeys are reported by visitors rather than by an official source, so treat this as practical advice, not a guarantee of a sighting.