Southern Thailand Jungle & Islands

You reserve your spot for free and pay nothing to join. Once enough travellers have signed on, usually around 10, we confirm the departure and email you a confirmation with an invoice for the full trip price. You pay by card or bank transfer within 7 days, in US dollars, pounds, euros, Australian dollars, Canadian dollars, New Zealand dollars or Indian rupees, and the price shown for each date is what you pay. Reservations close 7 days before the start date.

Islands Hopper (10 days) starts at Ao Nang and stays on the coast the whole way, finishing with three nights on Koh Phangan in the Gulf. This trip starts in Bangkok, spends a night in the rainforest on Cheow Lan Lake before reaching the coast, and stays on the Andaman side throughout, finishing on Koh Phi Phi. If you want a Gulf island and a Full Moon date, Islands Hopper is the better fit.

Solo travellers aged 18 to 40. Most people come on their own, and some bring a friend. The maximum for each departure is shown with its dates, and it's never more than 16.

The Trip Host travels with the group for all 10 days and sorts out every train, van, boat, ticket and check-in. They're also the person you go to if anything goes wrong. Where an activity needs one, such as the lake tour, the islands day or the climbing taster, a licensed local guide leads the visit. Nothing on the itinerary is compulsory, so just tell the Trip Host if you'd rather skip something.

It starts at our hostel in Bangkok on the afternoon of Day 1, and we send you the address when you book. It ends on Koh Phi Phi after breakfast on Day 10. Phi Phi has no airport, so take the ferry to Phuket (about 1 to 2 hours) for the widest choice of flights, or to Krabi, and book a flight leaving from the afternoon of Day 10 or later.

Departures are scheduled in the Andaman dry season, roughly November to April, when the sea is usually calmer and the boat trips to Railay, the four islands and Maya Bay mostly run. Even then, weather can change a boat plan on the day. We don't run it from May to October, when the southwest monsoon brings rough seas, red flags and some ferries stop.

Many nationalities can visit Thailand without a visa for up to 30 days, which covers this trip. Rules change, so check our Thailand visa guide for your passport before you book flights. Everyone also needs to fill in the free online Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) within the 3 days before you arrive.

Social hostels and small guesthouses with air-con, chosen for location and cleanliness. You share a twin or small dorm room with travellers of the same gender. On Day 2 you sleep in a 2nd-class berth on the sleeper train, and on Day 3 in a simple raft house room on the lake, where bathrooms may be shared.

Seven meals are included. Budget roughly 1,000 to 1,500 baht a day for food, drinks and local transport, and expect the islands to cost more than the mainland. A large beer in a bar is about 80 to 150 baht. Tell us about vegetarian, vegan or allergy needs when you book: Thai food is easy to adapt, and for serious allergies we can give you a card in Thai to show at restaurants.

A backpack or soft bag you can carry down a pier ramp and onto a longtail boat, because suitcases are awkward on boats. Bring clothes that cover shoulders and knees for the Grand Palace, swimwear, sandals you don't mind getting wet, a dry bag for the boat days, a torch for the raft house, a refillable water bottle and reef-safe sunscreen.

Yes, it's a condition of joining. It must cover medical treatment and evacuation, and water sports such as snorkelling and rock climbing.

Averagely fit. There's some walking in Bangkok's heat, canoeing and swimming at Khao Sok, and getting in and out of longtail boats most days. You need to be comfortable in the water to snorkel, so tell the Trip Host if you're a weak swimmer. The Railay taster on Day 6 is a beginner half day with an instructor, no experience needed, and it's optional: if climbing isn't for you, spend the afternoon on the beach.