10 daysThailandAges 18–40
10 days · Krabi, Koh Lanta & Koh Phi Phi
Thailand Islands Hopper is a 10-day group trip for solo travellers aged 18 to 40 who want a beach holiday with company. It's islands the whole way. You start in Ao Nang, among Krabi's limestone cliffs, then take the ferry to Koh Lanta and on to Phi Phi. Then you fly across to the Gulf for three nights on Koh Phangan. Your Trip Host is with the group from the first evening to the last breakfast.
Updated
From, per person
$1,530 / £1,148 / €1,340 / A$2,180 / CA$2,160 / NZ$2,700 / ₹1,46,500
Free to reserve
Sarthak's best travel memories come from going solo: hostel dorms, a new activity most days, new cultures and new food. SoloNomads grew out of that.
Sarthak travels with every group, from the first day to the last, so there's always someone on hand to sort things out when plans change and to make sure nobody gets left out.
In every country, a licensed local agency and licensed local guides look after the ground services, so you get local know-how too.
Ao Nang to Koh Phangan, 5 stops in 10 days.
5 stops
10 days
Day 1
Fly into Krabi whenever suits you. The airport is about 40 minutes from Ao Nang. The Trip Host meets everyone at the hostel in the late afternoon, and we walk down to the beach to watch the sun go down behind the limestone islands. Then it's the welcome dinner, where you'll meet the people you're travelling with.
Day 2
We have our own longtail boats for the day. We stop at Phra Nang beach on the Railay peninsula, with its cave and cliffs, then Poda and Chicken Island. At Tup Island, a sandbar joins two islets at low tide, and you can walk across it. Bring snacks, water and reef-safe sunscreen. We're back by mid-afternoon, and the evening is free.
Day 3
A late-morning ferry takes us past Railay and Koh Jum to Koh Lanta, about two hours with the stops. The afternoon is yours to settle in and swim. Lanta is long and slow, with a string of beaches down the west coast, and at sunset we find a beach bar to watch it from.
Day 4
A full day on the water to four small islands south of Lanta. The highlight is Koh Mook, where you swim through a dark sea tunnel, with a life jacket and a guide, and come out on a hidden beach closed in by cliffs. We also snorkel and swim at Koh Kradan and Koh Ngai. Lunch is on the trip.
Day 5
A free morning for a last swim or a coffee in Lanta's old town. Then the ferry takes us to Phi Phi in about an hour and a half. Phi Phi has no roads for cars, so we walk to our guesthouse. In the late afternoon we climb the steps to the viewpoint for sunset over the two bays. It's steep, so take water.
Day 6
An early boat to Phi Phi Leh, so we get there before the day-trip boats. At Maya Bay, the beach from the film The Beach, you can walk on the sand, but swimming isn't allowed. Then we swim in Pileh Lagoon, a green pool closed in by cliffs, and snorkel on the way back. We're back by lunchtime, and the afternoon is free. Phi Phi's beach bars have fire shows at night if you want to stay up.
Day 7
This is the one travel day. A morning ferry takes us to Krabi and a van to the airport. We take a direct flight to Koh Samui, which takes about 50 minutes, and the flight is included. From Samui we take the boat to Koh Phangan, which is about 30 minutes across. We stay on the quieter side of the island, well away from Haad Rin, and get in by early evening, in time for dinner and a swim.
Day 8
Nothing is planned. Do a yoga class, try a Muay Thai lesson, find a quiet beach or sleep late. The Trip Host can book anything you want to try. On Full Moon departures, tonight is party night: we go to Haad Rin together by taxi, stay together and come home the same way. On other dates we watch the sunset from a west-coast beach.
Day 9
A slow morning, which you'll want after a Full Moon night. In the afternoon a longtail takes us from Chaloklum to Bottle Beach, about 15 minutes along the coast, for a swim in a quiet bay that most people reach by boat. In the evening the group gets together one last time for a farewell dinner by the sea.
Day 10
The trip ends after breakfast. The boat to Samui takes about 30 minutes, so book a flight out of Samui leaving from about 13:00. Surat Thani airport is cheaper, but it's further away by ferry and bus. If you're staying on, the Trip Host is happy to suggest where to go next.
Prices are per person, and reserving is free. A date goes ahead once about 10 travellers have joined. You pay nothing until then. Once it's confirmed, we send you an invoice for the full price, and you have 7 days to pay it (or until the trip starts, if that's sooner).
15 Jan – 24 Jan 2027
AvailableFull Moon departure, party 22 Jan, both coasts at their bestMax 16 people
Price
$1,530 / £1,148 / €1,340 / A$2,180 / CA$2,160 / NZ$2,700 / ₹1,46,500
15 Feb – 24 Feb 2027
AvailableFull Moon departure, party 22 FebMax 16 people
Price
$1,530 / £1,148 / €1,340 / A$2,180 / CA$2,160 / NZ$2,700 / ₹1,46,500
14 Apr – 23 Apr 2027
AvailableFull Moon departure, party 21 Apr, overlaps Songkran on Days 1-2Max 16 people
Price
$1,530 / £1,148 / €1,340 / A$2,180 / CA$2,160 / NZ$2,700 / ₹1,46,500
You reserve your spot for free and pay nothing to join, and you can reserve until 7 days before departure. 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 it by card or bank transfer within 7 days, in US dollars, pounds, euros, Australian dollars, Canadian dollars, New Zealand dollars or Indian rupees.
Departures marked "Full Moon" are timed so the party falls on the night of Day 8, with Day 9 kept slow for recovery. The party is optional. The Thai authorities sometimes move the date for Buddhist holidays, and if that happens we tell you straight away. It's a huge beach party, and the usual risks come with it: spiked or home-made drinks, theft and injuries. On party night we go together, keep to the group and share a ride home. Buy drinks sealed, skip the buckets and never leave a drink unattended.
Thailand in 2 Weeks goes north to Chiang Mai and Pai before two Gulf islands. Islands Hopper is 10 days of islands only: three on the Andaman coast and then Koh Phangan. If you want temples, mountains and the sleeper train, that one's for you.
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 ferry, boat, flight and check-in. They're also the person you go to if anything goes wrong. On the boat days, the boat crew and a licensed local guide lead the trip on the water.
It starts at our hostel in Ao Nang on the afternoon of Day 1, and we send you the address when you book. Fly into Krabi (KBV), which has plenty of flights from Bangkok. The trip ends on Koh Phangan after breakfast on Day 10. Book a flight home from Koh Samui (USM) leaving after about 13:00, or fly home from Bangkok the next day. Surat Thani (URT) is usually cheaper but takes longer to reach.
January to April. That's when the Andaman side is dry and calm and the Gulf side is past its rainy season. From May to October the Andaman coast gets the southwest monsoon and rough seas, and Maya Bay closes for a two-month recovery break each year (August and September in 2026). In November the Gulf islands get their heaviest rain.
Many nationalities, including the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and most of Europe, can enter Thailand visa-free for up to 30 days as tourists, 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) before arriving.
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 Phi Phi we pick somewhere a short walk from the bars rather than right above them.
A backpack or soft bag you can carry along a pier and onto a longtail, because suitcases are hard work on boats and on Phi Phi's paths. Bring swimwear, a rash vest or sun shirt for the boat days, reef-safe sunscreen, a waterproof phone pouch, sandals plus shoes with grip for the viewpoint, and one outfit that covers shoulders and knees.
Insurance is a condition of joining, and it must cover medical treatment and evacuation. If you plan to dive, check that it covers diving too. You won't need a scooter: Phi Phi has no roads for cars, and we arrange transport everywhere else. To ride legally in Thailand you need a motorbike licence from home and an International Driving Permit that covers motorbikes. Without both you can be fined, and most travel insurance won't pay out if you crash.
You need to be comfortable in the water. The Emerald Cave swim is short, and you do it in a life jacket with a guide, but it's dark for part of the way. If you'd rather not, you can wait on the boat. Life jackets are available on every boat day.
Ask here and someone on the team will email you back within 1 to 2 business days.
From
$1,530 / £1,148 / €1,340 / A$2,180 / CA$2,160 / NZ$2,700 / ₹1,46,500