Koh Poda and the 4 Islands Tour

It was the morning of our first full day in Railay, and Pinky and I made our way to the pier at West Railay to try to find a boat. It wasn't hard to find one!

off on our first adventure

We arranged a tour of four islands for our first full day in Railay, and after a delicious and filling hotel breakfast, we met up with Coke, our captain, on his longtail boat. We had hired the boat for a half-day adventure cruising to four of the area's most famous islands.

sailing on a longtail boat

We cut across the Andaman Sea, dotted with rocky tropical islands and limestone karsts, zooming along on the little wooden boat. The motor was so noisy that it was difficult to talk without shouting at one another, so we sat back and enjoyed the bumpy ride and the stunning views.

tropical islands in the Andaman Sea

Our first stop was the island of Koh Poda, a part of the Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park and one of the top island destinations in Krabi. Normally the national park is quite crowded with tourists and day-trippers, but we nearly had the whole place to ourselves. 

strange tropical fruits

After paying the national park ticket fee, we hopped off of Coke's boat and onto the pristine white beach of the famously beautiful island.

the beach on Koh Poda

There is one lone karst standing just off of the coast which makes for some super cool photos. Krabi Province is really otherworldly. It's almost unreal how beautiful the south of Thailand is. I rarely make it down there, but it feels like being in a completely different country from Bangkok.

a sunny day on the island

After spending a while swimming and playing in the sparkling blue water off of Poda Island, we hopped back aboard Coke's boat to cruise past the funniest island I've ever seen or heard of: Koh Gai, or "Chicken Island". When you look at this unusual island, it's not hard to see where it got its name!

Koh Gai

A crazy cliff sticks straight out of the island like the spindly neck of a chicken, complete with a beak!

Chicken Island

Since it was just the two of us on our tour, we had complete control over our schedule! Normally on a trip like this you spend an hour or so at each site before being rushed to the next one. It was worth it to pay a little extra for the private boat so that we could move at our own pace and really enjoy the full day. Coke was a super nice guy, and he made sure to point out some interesting things to see along the way. 

Coke, our boat captain

Next, we docked at Koh Tub, and this time we really were the only people on the island (except for a rather bored national park ranger who looked really happy to see visitors).

resting on the island

Koh Tub is connected to nearby Koh Mor by a tiny spit of white sand which is only visible at low tide. This phenomenon is called the "separated sea", and its really cool, however we had arrived a little too early to see it. The two islands were still separated by water. We hung out at the beach for a while before moving on to cruise back to Railay.

crystal clear water

On the way back, Coke piloted his longtail boat up close to some of the steep limestone karsts off of the coast of Railay. This is a protected area where swiftlet birds build their nests. These birds live in the caves and crevices of cliff sides and are unique for their use of echolocation to navigate in the dark! They are one of the few species of birds who with this ability. 

islands near Railay

Swiftlets have a difficult time, though. Their nest is the key ingredient in birds nest soup, a Chinese delicacy. People like to harvest their nests, which are spun together almost entirely from the saliva of the swiftlets, for the soup.

sailing beneath the cliffs

 Bird's nest is one of the most expensive animal products consumed by humans due to its rarity and difficulty to obtain. In fact, a high-quality nest can sell upwards of $3000 for a pound. There are more ethical commercial productions of bird's nest, although it's understandable why local people will go to extremes to harvest and sell the ones that they can find.

That's why protected areas like this one are so important for the species.

limestone caves near Railay

We didn't see any bird's nests, but we did see tons of colorful fish swimming near the coral in the shallow water by the rocks! We decided to go out and buy goggles so that we could get a better look at the fish the next day we went out.

overhanging cliffs

On our way back, Coke cruised us past a rocky cliff on the eastern beach of Railay. Speaking in Thai, he pointed out a cave.

"There's a shrine in there", he told us. "You don't want to miss it. It's got a very ancient legend."

We had to learn more.

Shipwreck Gap