🌴 Our suggested 8-day family Thailand sailing adventure

 

 I'd start and finish around Phuket, travelling through Phang Nga Bay, Koh Yao, Krabi, Railay and Phi Phi, with plenty of time off the boat.

Day 1 — Phuket → Koh Yao Noi

Sailing: 2–3 hours

Settle aboard the catamaran and sail east into the wonderfully sheltered waters of Phang Nga Bay.

Family activities:

Swimming and paddleboarding

Snorkelling from the yacht

Take the dinghy ashore

Explore a small fishing village

Thai dinner on the beach

Koh Yao Noi is particularly attractive for families because it feels much more relaxed and authentic than Phuket. The island is known for quiet beaches, coconut plantations and traditional villages.

Day 2 — Koh Yao → Phang Nga Bay

This is the big adventure day.

Sail among the extraordinary limestone pinnacles of Phang Nga Bay.

Activities ashore/on the water:

Kayak through sea caves

Explore hidden hongs (lagoon caves)

Visit James Bond Island

Visit Koh Panyee, the spectacular village built on stilts over the sea

Have lunch in a local restaurant

Swim from the yacht in the afternoon

The combination of kayaking, caves and the floating village makes this one of the best days for children.

Day 3 — Phang Nga → Koh Yao Yai

A deliberately easy day.

Sail south through the islands, stopping whenever you find a beautiful beach or snorkelling spot.

Once ashore on Koh Yao Yai:

Hire bicycles

Cycle through coconut plantations

Visit a local village

Stop for a Thai lunch

Visit a rubber plantation

Have a beach afternoon

Sunset dinner overlooking the bay

This is the day I'd keep relatively unstructured—the children can have some independence while the adults enjoy the scenery. Cycling and exploring the villages are among the activities commonly suggested for the island.

Day 4 — Koh Yao Yai → Koh Hong → Railay

Sailing: around 3–4 hours, broken up with stops.

Stop at Koh Hong for a morning swim and kayak into the spectacular lagoon.

Then sail towards Railay Beach.

Afternoon ashore:

Explore the beaches

Walk through the jungle

Visit the famous caves

Try introductory rock climbing with an instructor

Explore the little restaurants and shops

Railay is particularly good if you have teenagers—it adds a genuine adventure/sport element rather than simply another beach stop.

Day 5 — Railay → Phi Phi

Head south towards the famous Phi Phi Islands.

I'd avoid spending the whole day around the busiest areas and instead have the skipper look for a quieter anchorage.

Activities:

Snorkelling

Paddleboarding

Cliff jumping where safe and permitted

Beach exploration

Sunset from the boat

The journey from Krabi to Phi Phi is roughly 25 nautical miles on typical itineraries, making it a proper little sailing adventure without being an enormous passage.

Day 6 — Phi Phi exploration day

This would be your no-sailing day.

Take the dinghy or a local boat to explore:

Maya Bay

Phi Phi Leh

Monkey Beach

Hidden coves

Snorkelling reefs

Viewpoint hike

For younger children, I'd concentrate on swimming and snorkelling; for teenagers, the viewpoint hike and kayaking make the day more adventurous.

Day 7 — Phi Phi → Koh Racha

This is your tropical-island finale.

Sail towards Koh Racha Yai.

Spend the afternoon doing absolutely nothing—or:

Snorkelling

Paddleboarding

Swimming

Beach football

Fishing from the boat

Sunset barbecue

I'd make this a particularly relaxed evening aboard the yacht.

Day 8 — Koh Racha → Phuket

Have one last swim after breakfast and sail back towards Phuket

If your flight isn't until the following day, I'd actually recommend adding one night in a Phuket hotel rather than going directly from yacht to airport. It gives everyone a chance to have a proper shower, explore Phuket and recover from the sailing adventure.

The important thing is not to make it a sailing holiday where everyone is stuck on the boat all day. Thailand is at its best when you alternate short sailing passages with genuinely interesting things to do ashore.

⛵ What I'd choose for the boat

For a family I'd look for a 40–50 ft crewed catamaran with:

3–4 cabins

Air conditioning

Large shaded cockpit

Good dinghy

Kayaks or SUPs

Snorkelling equipment

Plenty of water toys

Experienced local skipper

Cook, if budget allows

A catamaran is especially appealing here because it gives you shallow-water access, lots of deck space and considerably more stability than a monohull.

There are already 5–8 day itineraries operating around essentially this route, including Phang Nga, Koh Yao, Krabi, Railay, Phi Phi and Racha.

☀️ When I'd go 

For this particular family adventure, I'd choose November to April. The Andaman Sea is generally much more settled during this period, with clearer water and better conditions for family sailing, although the exact weather always needs checking before departure.

My personal sweet spot would be February–March: warm, relatively dry, and excellent for swimming and snorkelling.

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