Things to do in Koh Yao Noi & Koh Yao Yai
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Koh Yao Noi & Koh Yao Yai
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season with the calmest seas, the most reliable boats and the clearest snorkelling; December and January are peak.
Hot and still mostly dry, with calm seas, thinner crowds and Songkran travel pressure in mid April.
Monsoon months with rough seas, reduced services and possible boat cancellations; prices fall and the islands empty.
What's on
- Ramadan About 8 February to 9 March in 2027, shifting earlier each year
Village life slows in the daytime and some small local restaurants close until evening; resorts operate normally.
- Songkran Mid April
Thai new year; domestic travel surges and boats and piers get busy for a few days.
Best things to do in Koh Yao Noi & Koh Yao Yai
Pasai Beach
The main east coast beach of Koh Yao Noi, a sunrise swim at high tide with places to eat behind the sand.
Khlong Jark Beach
The sunset beach of Koh Yao Noi, a sheltered south west bay facing across the channel to Koh Yao Yai.
Tha Khao Beach
A lived in east coast beach in front of Tha Khao village, with fishing boats, a pier and karst views.
Long Beach
A long, empty karst facing beach at the north east end of Koh Yao Noi, reached by a partly rough track.
Laem Haad Beach
A white sandbar at the tip of Koh Yao Yai that you can walk at low tide, with water on both sides.
Loh Paret Beach
The main west coast resort beach of Koh Yao Yai, broad, calm and built for sunset.
Khlong Son Beach
A quiet, tree backed bay on Koh Yao Yai with a village feel and almost no beach machinery.
Island Yoga
A beachfront yoga retreat on Koh Yao Noi running since 2009, with drop in classes and week long stays.
Where to stay in Koh Yao Noi & Koh Yao Yai
Pasai and Tha Khao, Koh Yao Noi
first stay, restaurants and boat trips
The east coast base with sunrise beaches, the widest choice of independent places to eat and the shortest rides to the piers.
North Koh Yao Noi
seclusion and resort stays
Cliff backed bays at the end of the island, beautiful and deliberately far from dinner choices outside the resorts.
Klong Jark, Koh Yao Noi
sunset and budget bungalows
The south west sunset side of Koh Yao Noi, quiet and a scooter ride from most restaurants.
Loh Paret, Koh Yao Yai
resort beach and sunset
The established west coast resort beach of Koh Yao Yai, with the widest choice in one place and sunset from your terrace.
North east Koh Yao Yai
large luxury resort stays
The Anantara coast near Laem Haad, a self contained luxury resort on a long beach, isolated beyond its gate.
East coast, Koh Yao Yai
smaller resorts and village feel
The older, smaller scale resort coast around Khlong Son, with the most village like feel on Koh Yao Yai.
Think twice about
- Far south Koh Yao Yai for a first, exploring stay
Long rural distances, almost no independent restaurants and no useful transport make it a stay put choice only.
- North Koh Yao Noi resorts as a touring base
Beautiful and secluded, but a long and partly rough road from the villages, restaurants and piers of the island.
Best restaurants in Koh Yao Noi & Koh Yao Yai
The Hilltop
The Six Senses signature restaurant beside the hilltop pool, the splurge dinner above Phang Nga Bay.
Rice Paddy
The best known independent restaurant on Koh Yao Noi, Thai and international cooking above the rice fields.
Hornbill Restaurant
The Cape Kudu dining room, Thai and international food with seafood at its centre, facing the bay.
Chaba Cafe & Gallery
A family run cafe and gallery near Tha Khao, the daytime heart of Koh Yao Noi for coffee and long lunches.
La Luna Restaurant & Pizzeria
The long running Italian of Koh Yao Noi, wood fired Neapolitan style pizza and pasta in a garden setting.
Pum Pui Restaurant
A simple, well loved seafood restaurant near Koyao Island Resort, cooking what the boats brought in.
Pasai Seafood
A small beachfront seafood place on Pasai Beach, grilled fish and Thai dishes at beach shack prices.
Pakarang
The refined Thai restaurant of Anantara Koh Yao Yai, the bookable luxury Thai dinner on Koh Yao Yai.
Outdoor things to do in Koh Yao Noi & Koh Yao Yai
Koh Hong
A national park island 15 minutes from Koh Yao, with a lagoon, a white sand beach and a 360 degree viewpoint.
Khao Phing Kan
James Bond Island, best done as part of a Phang Nga Bay canoe day through lagoons and sea caves.
Ao Thalane
Mangrove and limestone gorge kayaking on the Krabi mainland, often combined with Koh Hong in one day.
The Mitt
The best known crag on Koh Yao Noi, included with a plain warning that climbing here is flagged as banned.
Big Tree
A giant ancient tree in the forest of north Koh Yao Noi, reached by a short shaded trail walk.
Koh Nok
A small uninhabited island off Tha Khao for swimming and snorkelling, 15 minutes by longtail.
Khai Nok Island
A small, clear water snorkelling island toward Phuket, an easy and family friendly boat day from Koh Yao Yai.
Best hotels in Koh Yao Noi & Koh Yao Yai
Six Senses Yao Noi
Pool villas above the east coast of Koh Yao Noi with the famous dawn view over the Phang Nga Bay karsts.
TreeHouse Villas Koh Yao
Adults only duplex treehouse villas with plunge pools in the forest canopy of north Koh Yao Noi.
Cape Kudu Hotel, Koh Yao Noi
A smart boutique hotel on the east coast of Koh Yao Noi, with a bay view pool and the Hornbill restaurant.
Koyao Island Resort
A small, long established villa resort on the east coast of Koh Yao Noi, with an infinity pool facing the bay.
Paradise Koh Yao
A secluded resort in a cliff backed bay at the northern tip of Koh Yao Noi, with its own long private beach.
Sabai Corner Bungalows
Family run bungalows above Klong Jark Beach with a terrace view across to Koh Yao Yai at sunset.
Koh Yao Seaview Bungalow
Budget beach bungalows with sea facing verandas and a small restaurant at Tha Khao on Koh Yao Noi.
Suntisook Resort
A calm, well kept budget bungalow resort in gardens at Tha Khao, a short walk from the beach.
Is Koh Yao Noi & Koh Yao Yai expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | THB 2,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | THB 6,000 a person |
| Splurge | THB 20,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Island Yoga: a few days ahead
- Koh Hong: a few days ahead
- Khao Phing Kan: a few days ahead
- Ao Thalane: a few days ahead
- Koh Nok: a few days ahead
- Khai Nok Island: a few days ahead
- Six Senses Yao Noi: months ahead
- TreeHouse Villas Koh Yao: weeks ahead
- Book Six Senses, TreeHouse Villas and the Anantara weeks to months ahead for December and January.
- Book the Hilltop and Rice Paddy for dinner, and take the earliest boat to Koh Hong.
- Confirm every boat time with your hotel the day before travel; old timetables online are unreliable.
Is Koh Yao Noi & Koh Yao Yai safe?
- Wear a helmet on every scooter trip and carry an international driving permit with a motorcycle entitlement.
- In monsoon months, roughly May to October, boats can be cancelled; keep a buffer night before any flight.
- Jellyfish risk rises after rain and storms; believe beach and boat crew warnings and use vinegar as first aid.
- Alcohol is served at resorts and some restaurants only; dress modestly in villages and near mosques.
Koh Yao Noi & Koh Yao Yai travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Arriving at Laem Haad at high tide, when its famous sandbar is underwater.
- Planning Koh Hong or a flight connection on the same day as a monsoon boat crossing.
- Booking a secluded resort as a base for eating out locally every night.
Getting around Koh Yao Noi & Koh Yao Yai: public transport and more
- Speedboats from Bang Rong pier on Phuket reach Manoh pier on Koh Yao Noi and Chong Lard pier on Koh Yao Yai in about 30 minutes.
- From Krabi, boats run from Ao Thalane and other piers to both islands in about 30 to 45 minutes.
- Longtails cross between Manoh and Chong Lard piers in about 15 minutes for around THB 100 per person.
- Scooters rent for roughly THB 250 to 350 per day; there are no meter taxis or public buses on either island.
Who Koh Yao Noi & Koh Yao Yai suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Koh Yao Noi & Koh Yao Yai your trip
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