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View all Krabi toursHong Island and Ko Pak Bia with Sunset Barbecue Dinner in Krabi
Swim and snorkel around Hong Island and the sandbars of Ko Pak Bia, then stay out for a barbecue dinner at sunset and a night swim with glowing plankton.
Highlights
- Snorkel and swim around Hong Island's sheltered bays
- Explore the shifting sandbars of Ko Pak Bia
- Barbecue dinner served as the sun sets
- Night swim among bioluminescent plankton
- Round-trip hotel transfers included
Full description
This trip takes the standard Hong Islands route and keeps going after everyone else has gone home. The afternoon covers the familiar ground: the enclosed lagoon at Hong, snorkelling over sheltered reef, and the pale sandbars of Ko Pak Bia that shift shape with the tide and rarely have more than a handful of people on them.
What sets it apart is the second half. Rather than heading straight back, the boat holds position while the crew set up a barbecue dinner, timed so you eat as the sun drops behind the limestone towers and the whole bay turns copper.
After dark comes the last swim of the day. In sheltered water away from lights, bioluminescent plankton glow faintly around every movement, and the crew give you time in the water rather than rushing the moment. Transfers, dinner and snorkelling gear are included.
Tour Itinerary
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Hotel pickup
Midday transfer to the pier, briefing and boarding.
Hong Lagoon
Enter the enclosed lagoon through the cliff passage and swim in calm, shallow water.
Ko Pak Bia sandbars
Time ashore on the tidal sandbars with snorkelling from the beach.
Sunset barbecue dinner
Barbecue dinner served on board or on the beach as the light fades.
Plankton night swim
Final swim in a sheltered bay to look for bioluminescent plankton.
Return to hotel
Boat back to the pier and drop-off at your accommodation.
Detailed Itinerary
Pickups run from around 12:30 and the boat leaves the pier early in the afternoon, heading north towards the Hong archipelago. The first stop is the lagoon, reached through a narrow gap in the cliffs, where the water is shallow and unusually still.
By mid-afternoon you are at Ko Pak Bia, a low island fringed with sandbars that appear and disappear with the tide. There is snorkelling straight off the beach and enough time to explore on foot.
Around 17:30 the crew set up dinner, timed so the barbecue is served as the sun goes down behind the limestone. Once it is fully dark the boat moves to a sheltered bay for the plankton swim, then starts back to the pier at about 20:30 with transfers waiting.
Includes
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Boat trip with crew and guide
- Snorkelling equipment
- Barbecue dinner
- Drinking water, soft drinks and fruit
- Life jackets
- Insurance
Excludes
- National park entrance fee
- Alcoholic drinks
- Towels
- Tips
- Personal expenses
Important information
Meeting point
Hotel pickup in Ao Nang, Krabi Town and Nopparat Thara
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts
About this activity
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Traveler Reviews
Hong Island in the afternoon, then the sandbars at Ko Pak Bia which are the prettiest thing we saw in Krabi, pale sand curving out into turquoise. Barbecue dinner was grilled fish, chicken skewers and rice cooked on the boat as the sun set. Then a night swim with plankton to finish.
Ko Pak Bia is a proper sandbar you can walk along and it was almost empty when we arrived at around four. Snorkelling around Hong was fine, plenty of fish though the coral is patchy. The barbecue was cooked fresh and there was plenty of it.
The plankton were visible but not dramatic on our night and the crew said clearly beforehand that it depends on the moon phase and cloud. Even faint, swimming in the dark with sparks around your hands is worth it. Warm shower on the boat afterwards.
Eight hours but it builds well, snorkelling first, then beaches, then dinner, then the swim. The barbecue was served on the upper deck with the limestone silhouettes all around. Best sunset we had in Thailand.
Lovely trip with a good crew. The night swim is optional and a few in our group found the dark water unnerving, which is fair enough. Hong Island and Ko Pak Bia in the late afternoon light were the real draw.
Fewer boats everywhere because you go out after the morning fleet returns. Vegetarian option at the barbecue was grilled vegetables and tofu and it was properly done. Life jackets and glow lights for the night swim.
The sandbar at Ko Pak Bia changes shape with the tide and our guide explained exactly when it appears. Water was bath warm at seven in the evening. Well worth the extra over a standard day trip.
Boat was comfortable with a shaded deck and mats for lying out. Fruit and drinks were topped up all afternoon. Getting back to Ao Nang around nine after a barbecue and a night swim was a perfect end to the trip.