A Look into the Stunning Andaman Islands on the East Coast of Thailand
The Andaman coast of Thailand is located in the southwest of the country, on the outer edge facing the Andaman Sea - the area is separated by land, divided away from the Thai gulf. This means the region has a unique landscape that is abundant in picturesque nature spots, thriving wildlife and magnificent destinations to visit, it includes some of the most awe-inspiring and sought after yacht charter destinations in the whole of Southeast Asia, such as the now well developed tourist destinations of Phuket and neighbouring Krabi province, and also the outstanding Phang Nga Bay.
You can easily explore these truly bucolic shores that feature some of the best beaches in Thailand, and travel to their nearby smaller islands being immersed in the height of luxury, enjoying the best amenities aboard with all the creature comforts of home by booking a half-day trip, or full-day charter with us, on one of our exclusive yachts.
Our fleet offers many choices of vessels for your yacht charter: Motor Catamarans are great for large groups, whilst speed boats provide great value and utility and of course for luxury we have a wide range of exclusive private yachts built by the best yacht builders to the highest of standards. All of our charters provide an all inclusive package with complimentary concierge hotel or airport transfer for anywhere in Phuket, additionally when on board your charter there are a plethora of activities available such as water toys, fishing and snorkeling equipment, and also spa treatments and Thai massage.
All our charters provide a delicious gourmet lunch that is tailored to your tastes, and dietary requirements, plus fresh seasonal fruits, juices, cocktails and alcoholic beverages.
Regardless of what yacht charter you arrange whether it be for a half-day or full day tour, you can choose from many truly wonderful pristine islands which are great for swimming and snorkeling on their beautiful beaches which have those quintessential white powder sands, and extremely clear, high visibility turquoise tinted waters, that have made the Thai Andaman islands famous worldwide.
Once you begin the process of organising your yacht charter, you are in charge of every detail of the voyage, and will be able to consult with our expert crew to create the perfect itinerary for your trip.
When you visit the Andaman coast of southeast Thailand, there are many wonderful beaches and islands that can be taken into consideration for your trip, below are the details of our most frequently requested charter destinations - although if you want to really get out there on your own, and see some hidden gems then please contact us directly, so that we can discuss your plans privately in further detail.
Phi Phi Islands
The ‘Phi Phi Islands’ essentially consists of 2 main islands which are Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh. Additionally to these two large islands, there is also Yung island (also known as Bamboo Island) which is a smaller island located nearby the main ‘Phi Phi Islands’.
Phi Phi is considered one of the best of the main tourist attractions in the Thai Andaman Sea, with its pristine coves and large bays that are all accompanied with beautiful white powder sand beaches that are just perfect for sunbathing and relaxing on, you’ll find some of the best beaches in Thailand here. Phi Phi Don is certainly a very desirable destination, and is ranked in the top 10 most beautiful islands in the world!
Phi Phi Don is a pleasure seeking location where you can enjoy tasty fresh Thai dishes in its many restaurants, and enjoy the late hours in its many clubs, and bars. Due to this Phi Phi Don is quite developed for mass tourism - especially at Ton Sai Bay which is full of long-tail boats and speedboats. However, if you charter a yacht with us, you can of course skip this kind of densely populated tourist area and have your lunch served privately aboard the deck of your yacht.
In contrast to this Phi Phi Ley is quite undeveloped and inhabited by a relatively sparse populace, and thus experiences less pollution and also enjoys great coral reefs which are naturally stocked with a plentiful selection of wild, vibrantly coloured tropical fish such as the incredible parrot fish which will catch your eye with her neon colors and unique beak like mouth, with scales that are tinted vibrant shades of magenta, cyan and turquoise blues.
The water is crystal clear in Phi Phi Ley - especially near the Viking Cave which is a unique location for bird nest farming from swiftlet birds. The swiftlet bird nests are harvested from caves in the islands limestone cliffs and used for medicinal purposes. The Chinese believe that swiftlet bird nests are very high in nutrition, being exceptionally good for health and longevity.
Also located in this area, is an incredibly well known spot - Maya Bay which is one of the best beaches in the Phi Phi island cluster and was made famous around 20 years ago by the filming of British movie director Danny Boyle’s blockbuster hit “The Beach” which starred Leonardo Dicaprio and Robert Carlyle and featured the location of Maya Bay as its main filming location using it as a backdrop for most of the movie, which served as a hidden Elysium for the plots cast to escape from the world and be surrounded by unspoilt nature in their own paradise island.
Sadly since the runaway success of the movie - too many tourists decided to recreate the film’s plot and make their own getaway to the ‘The Beach’ as they began visiting Maya Bay in droves, which led to absolutely ruining the ecosystem, and causing huge pollution which began to damage the wildlife.
Therefore several years ago, locals became very concerned by the effects tourism was having on the wildlife and outstanding natural beauty of the area, so after much discussion Phi Phi National Park stepped in to temporarily close Maya Bay to all visitors, to ensure a swift recovery to the ecosystem and the bays’ coral reefs, which are now reportedly looking much healthier and recovering steadily.
Hopefully Maya Bay will be reopened again for a few months a year in the near future, to ensure you stay in the know - subscribe to our newsletter to get notified about when we can begin to charter to the area again.
Lanta Island
Lanta island has been gaining more popularity over the past few years, as you can now find restaurants and even resorts located here now. There are limited tourist activities, and a quiet nightlife so Lanta is really suitable for reflecting on life, relaxing with family or reading some books.
Lanta island itself contains many smaller islands that are near to its shores, the most well-known is Lanta Yai which is considered developed enough now for some light tourism, although it is still very much a rustic and extremely rural place. In this area there are many world class diving and snorkeling spots due to the clean waters and the high visibility offered by its waters.
To access Lanta island we can route your charter from several areas: Railey beach, Phuket, Krabi Town, and Phi Phi islands.
Poda Island
Poda Island is part of a popular four-island tour in Krabi. It is one of the first islands found off the coast from Ao Nang which is around 8 km from land, it is an attractive location that has a nice shallow gradient beach which is superb for paddling and sunbathing. For many tourists Koh Poda has become their highlight of traveling in Krabi due to its charming aesthetics, and peaceful island ambience.
One thing to be aware of is that the northern side of Poda can be very busy as there are many long tail boats and speedboats coming and going frequently. Although over on the east coast, you can find those more preferable clean white sand beaches and find yourself a secluded spot to do some sunbathing and swimming.
Although Poda island is actually a private island, there are no entry fees. The best time to visit Poda is during low tide, and ideally not in the monsoon season as heavy weather can hit the island hard.
Hong island
This island has won an award as being ranked as one of the cleanest beaches in the world! Hong island is located in the Than Bok Khorani National Park, on the west coast of Krabi and consists in total of roughly ten small islands. Inside this area you can find ‘Bay Lake’ which has a gloriously curved, glistening sandy beach which appears to be shaped like the wings of a flying bird! This beach is arguably one of the best beaches in Thailand, as the sand gradually sinks elegantly down into the sea which has many coral lines that offer a wide variety of coral species, which makes diving in this area a real feast for the eyes.
The uniqueness of Hong island is its spectacular limestone rock formations that jut vertically out of the water and tower above you. Here you can use a kayak to explore the islands small channels because the water here is not deep, and it’s also ideal for swimming as there is not a strong current.
Racha Islands
Racha Island consists of 2 islands, they are essentially twins which are known as the big and small islands - Racha Yai Island and Rach Noi Island (Yai means big, and noi is small in Thai) they are separated by a stretch of approximately 6 km of sea between the two.
Racha Yai Island
This is a very popular tourist center, mainly due to the silver sand beaches. There is a very unique beach on the west side between a valley that is shaped just like a horseshoe - this is called Pak Tok Bay and it’s certainly well worth a visit!
Racha Yai Island has 3 bays, these are West Bay or Pak Tok Beach, Siam Bay and Ao Thue which can all be walked through together for a beautiful family day out, or romantic island trip.
Racha Yai Island has become a premier diving site in the Andaman Sea, because the seawater here is exceptionally clear for the whole year round, and there are beautiful coral and bountiful tropical marine life to be found here with coral species such as staghorn and stony coral, you’ll also encounter sea eels, stingrays, pufferfish and giant squids which are unique to Racha and not commonly seen at other diving sites.
Racha Noi Island
This island is perfect for nature lovers and is full of unspoiled nature, with fine glistening bright white powder beaches that are adorned with perfectly clear waters. The island features the iconic steep hills, boulders and rocks which are seen throughout this area of Thailand’s Andaman shores.
During the low tide, there is a natural phenomenon that occurs on the island known as the Thale Waek (Separated Sea) where the tide lowers, and enables you to walk right through the sea to connect to the other side of the island!
Because Racha Noi’s larger twin Racha Yai is normally frequented by many tourists, Racha Noi Island is not extremely popular now. Since Racha Noi is far from mainland shores it’s become somewhat protected from the outside world, and become a beautiful paradise island for those who wish to seek it out!
Racha Noi is very rich in resources, especially underground and in the nearby waters. It is a spectacular deep-diving point where there are many kinds of coral, including coral reefs, dish coral, and soft coral variants including sponges and sea fans that are extremely rare and unique to the areas. This really is a must see for divers and lovers of marine life.
Hae Island
Known for some time now as ‘The Coral Island’ - Hae Island is a small island that’s located around 10 kilometers from the Southern side of Phuket’s coastline.
Hae island is a very popular island for tourists that are visiting Phuket for a short break, as you can travel easily by 10-15 minutes speed boat to the island so it is really quite convenient to travel too for a day trip and also the cost is not very high. Because of this Hae Island often has many tourists visiting for the day, and can become a bit crowded in places, especially during the high season.
There are plenty of shallow water corals to be found here, complemented by clear waters with huge schools of fish swimming through the underwater world that is found on the west side of the island. Additionally there are many unique corals such as brain and Staghorn corals to be found along Hae Island’s long reef which is also home to plenty of colorful exotic fish such as the butterflyfish.
Krabi, Phuket and Phang Nga are ideal places to select as a base for island hopping and starting your excursions around Thailand’s Andaman Sea, where life slows down a pace enabling you to just relax and take in the very best beaches in Thailand marvelling at the glorious unspoilt nature, and exploring the vibrant corals found lurking below!
With so much to choose from it’s really hard to get enough done in just one day, and would be practically impossible to even fit it all into a week - unless you are chartering your own yacht with an expertly designed route that can swiftly navigate you through the waters, island hopping from beach to beach, commanding unfettered at your own pace of movement.
We understand that the last thing your holiday needs is any extra stress, travelling to Thailand can be enough of an ordeal, and you certainly do not want time wasted spent being busy, planning and organising your itinerary once you have arrived. Being aware of this ourselves, we have designed our service for you, with this in mind.
At Hartt Voyages, we provide an all-inclusive charter for all our trips which includes gourmet food and concierge service that will pick you up from your residence, or the airport and take you directly to your yacht - where everything is waiting prepared for your trip, so you can just spend this valuable time enjoying life, without anything else required on your behalf, other than to relax, lie back and enjoy the cruise!
Our professional team will cater for your every whim, and endeavour to ensure you have a thoroughly enjoyable, exclusive trip voyaging around the islands aboard one of our luxury yachts with no expense spared. If you want to go fishing, diving, unwind with a massage, have a taste for a certain dish or all of the above - just let us know, your wish is our command.
To discuss your next charter with our team, call +66 82 636-4222 or email info@harttvoyages.com