Ao Nang offers plenty of family-friendly things to do with kids, from short island tours and relaxed beach trips to easy land-based day trips like the Emerald Pool. With young kids, shorter routes, flexible timing, and fewer stops usually work best, while long, packed island-hopping days are often less suitable. Ao Nang is one of the most family-friendly bases in Krabi, which means these activities also work well if you’re staying elsewhere in the Krabi area with kids.
When traveling from Ao Nang (Krabi) with kids, the “best” things to do depend largely on your children’s age, sea conditions, and how flexible you want your day to be. Some island tours that are perfect with older kids can feel overwhelming with babies or toddlers.
Shorter island routes with fewer stops tend to work best for most families, especially when boat time is limited and there’s enough flexibility to slow down or head back early if needed. Tours that combine many islands in one long day are usually the most challenging with young kids.
That’s why choosing the right type of tour often matters more than choosing the most famous destination.
Below is a quick overview of the best family-friendly things to do in Ao Nang, including tours, beaches, and easy day trips, based on age, pace, and flexibility.
Quick Decision: Best Things to Do in Ao Nang with Kids
👶🏻 Best all-round family island tour
3 or 4 Islands Tour
Short routes between Koh Poda, Tub Island and Chicken Island. Flexible, varied, and easy to adapt for different ages.
🏝️ Most scenic island tour
Hong Island Tour
Beautiful lagoon and scenery. Works best if you plan timing carefully or choose a private tour.
🏖️ Best relaxed beach day (no tour needed)
Railay Beach
Easy to reach by longtail boat from Ao Nang. Perfect for a slow beach day with kids, without a fixed schedule or guided tour.
🤩 Most famous destination (with considerations)
Phi Phi Islands & Maya Bay
Iconic scenery, but long days and crowds mean this works best with older kids or private tours.
🛶 Best nature day trip without boats
Emerald Pool & Hot Springs
An easy-paced day on land, ideal with toddlers or if your kids are done with boats for a day.
❌ Think twice with young kids
7-islands or “all-in-one day” tours
Long days, strict schedules, many stops, and little flexibility. These are tiring even for adults, let alone young kids.
Many of the best things to do in Ao Nang with kids involve short boat trips or simple guided tours. Below, we explain which options work best for different ages and how to choose realistically.
We explored the Ao Nang area while traveling with our own kids, who were 1 and 3 years old at the time. At that age, flexibility, timing, and realistic expectations mattered far more than ticking off famous sights.
We didn’t do every possible tour from Ao Nang, and we also chose to skip certain trips that felt too long, crowded, or with very fixed schedules for our family at that stage. Some tours worked surprisingly well with young kids, while others looked great online but didn’t make sense in real life.
The recommendations in this guide are based on what we personally experienced, combined with careful planning around age, sea conditions, and tour structure. If you’re still getting oriented, our Ao Nang & Krabi with Kids guide explains how Ao Nang works as a family-friendly base within the wider Krabi area, while our broader Thailand with kids travel guide helps put these activities and tours into the context of a longer family trip.
Need a fun but uncomplicated activity for kids while exploring Thailand? Our free Thailand Bingo is an easy printable to take along.
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The classic 3 or 4 Islands Tour is one of the most flexible things to do in Ao Nang with kids when it comes to island hopping. In practice, the “three islands” usually refer to Koh Poda, Chicken Island (also called Koh Kai), and Tub Island.
Some 4 Islands tours also include a stop at Railay Beach, which is often counted as the fourth “island,” even though it’s technically a beach rather than an island. If you have enough time, we generally recommend doing the three islands as a tour and visiting Railay separately, as it works better as a relaxed, standalone beach trip. Routes can vary slightly depending on the operator and sea conditions. This is one of the easiest island trips in Krabi with kids, especially when starting from Ao Nang.
3 & 4 Island Tour: Best booking options for families in Ao Nang
👶🏻 Best with babies & toddlers
Private longtail boat
Slower pace, flexible timing, and the option to head back early if needed.
→ Private Longtail Options
🧒 Best with older kids
Speedboat tour
Much faster travel time and more time on the islands, but with a fixed schedule.
→ Speedboat options
💰 Best budget option
Shared longtail tour
Affordable and fine on calm sea days, especially with slightly older kids.
→ Shared longtail tours
The Hong Island Tour is one of the most scenic things to do in Ao Nang with kids, known for its dramatic limestone cliffs and beautiful lagoon. From Ao Nang, it’s a longer ride than the classic island-hopping routes, but many families find the overall experience calmer and more nature-focused when planned well.
Hong Island: Best booking options for families traveling with kids
👶🏻 Best with babies & toddlers
Private longtail boat
Slower pace and full control over timing, stops, and return time. Especially helpful on hotter days.
→ Private Longtail Options
🧒 Best with older kids
Speedboat tour
Much faster travel time to Hong Island, but with a fixed group schedule once you’re there.
→ Speedboat options
💰 Best budget option
Shared longtail tour
More affordable, but less flexible and more dependent on group timing.
→ Shared options
Before looking at the remaining tour options, it helps to understand what actually makes a tour work well with kids. The points below explain what mattered most for us when booking tours from Ao Nang as a family.
When booking tours from Ao Nang (Krabi) with kids, the tour name alone doesn’t tell you what the day will actually feel like. These factors make the biggest difference when traveling with babies, toddlers, or young children.
Quick Facts: Ao Nang Activities & Tours – what matters most with kids
- 🕘 Half-day beats full-day for younger kids
- 🚤 Speedboat vs longtail depends on age and flexibility
- 👨👩👧👦 Private tours = more control, group tours = lower cost
- 🏝 Fewer stops usually work better than many short ones
- ☀️ Shade, toilets & lunch timing matter more than you expect
- 🌊 Sea conditions can change everything, even on short routes
- 🦺 Safety & life jackets: child-sized life jackets are not always available, especially for babies and toddlers
🕘 Half-day vs full-day tours from Ao Nang with kids
With young kids, half-day tours are usually the easiest option. Full-day tours often involve early starts and long hours, which can be tiring once nap times and heat come into play. Full-day trips tend to work better with older kids or very flexible schedules.
🚤 Speedboat vs longtail boat tours from Ao Nang
There’s no single “best” option, it depends on your kids’ age.
- 🚤 Speedboats are faster and can work well with older kids, but usually follow a fixed group schedule.
- 🛶 Longtail boats are slower and louder, but often feel calmer and allow more flexibility, especially when booked privately.
What matters most is how easy it is to slow down or head back early if needed.
💡 Crew Tip: Longtail boats can be surprisingly loud. With babies or toddlers, we always bring child-sized hearing protection, especially on longer rides.
👨👩👧👦 Group tours vs private tours from Ao Nang with kids
Group tours are more affordable and can work well with school-age kids. Private tours cost more, but allow you to:
- 🕘 choose your departure time
- ❌ skip stops
- 🔙 return earlier if kids are tired
With babies or toddlers, that flexibility often makes a big difference.
🏝 How many island stops work best with kids?
Tours that include many islands in one day can feel rushed with kids. Packing up and moving repeatedly is tiring. Fewer stops usually mean a calmer pace and more time to actually enjoy each place.
☀️ Comfort on tours from Ao Nang: shade, toilets & food
These details are often overlooked but matter a lot:
- ☀️ shade on the boat
- 🚽 access to toilets
- 🥖 predictable lunch timing
Small discomforts can quickly become big issues with young kids.
🛟 Safety note for families
Safety standards can vary between operators. If this matters to you, it’s worth checking a few things before booking:
- life jackets in child sizes are not always available
- baby-sized life jackets are often limited or unavailable
- shade on the boat is not guaranteed
If proper child-sized life jackets are important for your family, always confirm this in advance or bring your own
💡 Crew Tip: If proper life jackets weren’t available for our kids, we used the swim vests or arm floaties they were already comfortable with.
🌊 Sea conditions and flexibility on Ao Nang boat tours
Even short boat rides can feel very different depending on the sea. Calm days make almost any tour easier, while rough water can turn a short trip into a stressful one. Flexible tours are much easier to adapt if conditions change.
💡 Crew Tip: Even on calm days, boat rides can trigger motion sickness. We always carry child-safe motion sickness medication, just in case.
From Ao Nang, you can book tours in two main ways: directly at local tour offices or online in advance. Both work, but with kids there are a few important differences.
Booking tours and activities in Ao Nang
Along Ao Nang Beach and the main road, you’ll find many small tour offices. Booking here is easy and often slightly flexible on price, but availability can be limited, especially in high season. You may also need to wait until a group fills up, which isn’t always ideal with young kids.
Booking tours and activities online
Booking online lets you:
- ✅ check recent reviews
- 🚤 compare boat types and group sizes
- 🕘 reserve specific dates and times
- 🚫 often cancel for free if plans change
This can be especially helpful when traveling with babies or toddlers and you want more predictability.
Our booking advice for families in Ao Nang
For families with young kids, booking a tour that clearly mentions:
- boat type
- group size
- duration
- cancellation policy
usually leads to a much smoother day than choosing the cheapest or fastest option on the spot.
Most activities around Ao Nang revolve around the sea, beaches, and island tours. If you’re looking for a break from boats or want something different for a day, these land-based activities are good alternatives for families.
Visiting the Emerald Pool, Hot Springs & Tiger Cave Temple from Ao Nang with kids
This popular land-based tour combines the Emerald Pool, nearby hot springs, and (optionally) the Tiger Cave Temple. It’s a long, full-day trip, so it works best if your kids are comfortable with longer days and early starts. It’s a popular thing to do in the Krabi area with kids, with Ao Nang being the most convenient base.
Best booking options for families:
- 👶 Best with babies & toddlers
Private tour
More control over timing, breaks, and how long you stay at each stop. Helpful if you want to skip or shorten the Tiger Cave visit.
→ Private tours - 💰 Best budget option
Shared tour
More affordable and well-organized, but with a fixed schedule and less flexibility once the day starts.
→ Shared tours
💡 Crew Tip: The Tiger Cave Temple involves many steep steps. If you plan to include it with young kids, a comfortable baby carrier is essential. Many families choose to skip this stop altogether.
Thai cooking class with kids in Krabi
A Thai cooking class is a relaxed, no-boat activity and a nice change of pace from touring. Most family-friendly classes last around 2.5 hours and include simple dishes and hands-on participation.
Best for: kids aged 4–5+, especially if they enjoy helping and tasting food.
With younger toddlers, it’s often less practical unless the class explicitly welcomes very young children.
Railay Beach is one of the easiest and most relaxed beach trips from Ao Nang. You don’t need a tour to get there. Just take a longtail boat directly from Ao Nang Beach.
For families, Railay works well as a slow, flexible beach day without fixed schedules, group timing, or pressure to move on.
Why Railay works well with kids
- ⌛️ Short boat ride from Ao Nang
- 🏖️ Wide beaches with space to play
- 😴 Easy to leave whenever kids get tired
- 🆓 No itinerary to follow
If you have enough time in Krabi, we generally recommend doing the 3 islands as a tour and visiting Railay separately. It works better as a standalone beach trip than as a rushed stop on an island-hopping route, and it’s also one of the beaches we often recommend when looking at the best beaches in Thailand with kids.
Practical note
Longtail boats leave when there are enough passengers, so you may need to wait a bit during busy hours. Early mornings or later afternoons are usually calmer.
This makes Railay a great in-between option if you want a break from tours and boats, especially with younger kids.
The Phi Phi Islands and Maya Bay are among the most iconic places in Thailand. From Ao Nang, visiting Phi Phi usually means a long, full-day trip with early starts and many hours on the water.
Our family experience with Phi Phi
We chose not to do Phi Phi with our kids at the time, mainly because of the long day involved. With children aged 1 and 3, the day simply felt too long and too intense compared to other options from Ao Nang.
If we were to do Phi Phi in the future, we would likely stay overnight on Phi Phi and visit Maya Bay from there. That way, you avoid the longest boat journeys in one day and can experience the area at a slower pace.
💡 Crew Tip: With young kids, the biggest difference is rarely where you go, but how long the day is and how flexible the schedule feels. Choosing fewer stops and shorter routes often leads to a much better experience for families.
What to expect when visiting the Phi Phi Islands with kids
Why families still choose Phi Phi
- 🏝 Iconic scenery and beaches, often considered among the most beautiful in Thailand
- 🐠 Clear water and snorkeling, especially around the islands
- 📸 A once-in-a-lifetime stop for many families traveling to Thailand
Things to consider with kids
- 🕘 Long travel time by speedboat, making it a full-day trip
- 😮 Busy, popular stops, especially around Maya Bay
- 🗓 Fixed schedules on most day tours
- ⚠️ Limited flexibility once the tour starts
Best Phi Phi & Maya Bay tour options from Ao Nang for families
🧑🧑🧒🧒 Best option if flexibility matters
Private speedboat tour
More expensive, but allows earlier departures and better timing at Maya Bay.
→ Private Phi Phi speedboat options
🧒 Best with older kids
Shared speedboat tour
Faster than longtail routes, but fully dependent on group timing.
→ Speedboat tours to Phi Phi
Traveling from Ao Nang gives families a lot of flexibility when it comes to tours and day trips, but where you stay can make those days much easier or much harder. Staying in the right area helps keep travel times short and days more relaxed, especially with young kids.
If you’re still deciding where to base yourself, our Where to stay in Ao Nang with kids guide breaks down the most practical areas and family-friendly options.
Ao Nang also fits well into a longer route through Thailand. If you’re planning a bigger trip, our 2-week Thailand itinerary with kids shows how Krabi can be combined with other family-friendly stops without rushing from place to place.
The right tour isn’t about doing everything. It’s about choosing what fits your family best.
More family-friendly travel guides in Thailand
If you’re comparing destinations or planning travel days around Ao Nang, these guides may help:
- Khao Lak with Kids – a quieter alternative to Krabi, often easier with very young children
- Phuket with Kids – more infrastructure and resorts, but busier than Ao Nang
- Getting around in Thailand with Kids – transport options, travel times, and what’s realistic with children
- Best Time to Visit Thailand with Kids – seasons, weather patterns, and school holiday considerations
- What to Pack for Thailand with Kids – a realistic packing list for heat, boats, and travel days with children
📥 Want more practical help for traveling with kids?
Visit our Family Travel Shop for printables, travel journals, and guides designed to make family trips through Thailand more relaxed and realistic.
You can also follow our journey and daily tips on social media.
The Little Passport Crew
Yes, many activities and tours from Ao Nang are safe for families, and this applies to most family-friendly tours in the Krabi area as well, as long as you choose realistic routes and suitable boat types.
For most families, the classic 3 or 4 Islands Tour is the best island trip from Ao Nang with kids. Short distances between islands, a flexible pace, and the option to choose between shared or private boats make it manageable for different ages. It’s usually easier than longer, full-day island-hopping routes.
You can visit the Phi Phi Islands from Ao Nang with kids, but it’s a long, full-day trip with early starts and limited flexibility. Many families prefer Phi Phi with older kids, or choose to stay overnight on Phi Phi instead of doing it as a day tour from Ao Nang.
Both are possible, but booking tours online in advance is often easier with kids. It allows you to read reviews, choose specific boat types, and secure availability, often with free cancellation. Booking on the spot in Ao Nang can work, but availability and timing may be less predictable during busy periods.
Yes, Railay Beach is one of the easiest and most family-friendly day trips from Ao Nang. A short longtail boat ride lets you visit Railay without a fixed schedule, making it ideal for a relaxed beach day with kids. Many families prefer Railay as a standalone trip rather than as part of an island-hopping tour.
Yes. Ao Nang is one of the main tour hubs in Krabi, so most island tours and day trips are easily accessible even if you’re staying elsewhere in the Krabi area. Travel times may vary slightly, but the activities themselves remain the same.