Krabi Sunset Cruises Review – Super Fun “Sunset Cocktail Cruise”!

April 19th, 2014 by Evan | Tagged in: Ao Nang, cruise, Krabi, sunset, Thailand

“Sunset Cocktail Cruise” with Krabi Sunset Cruises

“I have never seen a boat like this in real-life before!”

I tell Raevian as we sail on our longtail boat towards the cool-looking Siamese Junk boat that will bring us out to sea for our “Sunset Cocktail Cruise” with Krabi Sunset Cruises. Raevian had found this tour on the internet and we decided to give it a try as it is ranked as the Number One attraction in Ao Nang on TripAdvisor. Basically, it’s a sea tour that brings you to the best spots of the day around Koh Poda and Chicken Island, where you can indulge in activities like snorkeling and cliff-climbing. There is also free flow of water and soft drinks, complimentary fruits, a Thai style buffet dinner, and a bar on board selling alcohol. Finally, you get to admire the beautiful sunset from the boat before the tour ends.

Longtail boat bringing us to the junk boat “Pla Luang”

Sunset Cruise on Siamese Junk Boat
I am getting excited even before I go up this junk boat christened as “Pla Luang”. It looks really cool but her sails are folded up and I’m hoping they will let it down later so we can see the boat sailing with her distinctive red sails. Our longtail boat parks beside Pla Luang and it’s time to board the junk boat. The boat crew is helpful and helps to support us as we climb warily between the two unsteady boats. I am a little worried for Raevian but we make it across fine thanks to the crew.

Once we settle down on the boat, I can immediately see why this tour is so popular. It’s not overly-packed with tourists and there is plenty of space to sit on the comfortable cushioned seats that are lined around the boat interior. If you feel like lazing on the deck floor, there are comfy cushions on the floor and these even have back-rests so that you can lay back, relax, and chill with a glass of wine/whisky/cocktail/beer in hand. That’s what I do immediately upon boarding. I order a Singha beer and chill on the cushion while the boat is sailing across the azure Andaman sea.

Left: I contemplate trying to adjust the sails. Right: I realize it’s a silly idea and turn to admire the azure sea with an ice-cold Singha beer in hand. You can see the comfy cushions on the deck floor.

Great views from the junk boat

The boat has a really nice feel to it with her polished teak interior and deck. This is definitely a different vibe from the two typical sea transports in Krabi: speedboats and longtail boats. There is also a clean washroom on the boat (with clear running water and flush system). Krabi Sunset Cruises provides free flow of water and soft drinks, complimentary fruits, and there is a bar on board that sells cocktails (Mojito, Long Island Tea, Mai Tai), hard liquor (Vodka, Whiskey, Rum), red wine, and beer (Chang and Singha). Oh man, the boat has only just begun sailing but I know it’s going to be a great trip.

Krabi Sunset Cruises Bar on Board

Free-and-Easy Snorkeling at Chicken Island (Koh Kai)
As the boat sails towards our first destination, I stand on the open deck to admire the azure sea and revel in the beauty of Krabi. After a while, we reach Chicken Island (Koh Kai) with its distinctive “chicken shape”.

Chicken Island (Koh Kai)

Michael, the boat captain, informs us that we’ll do some snorkeling in this area first before proceeding to the next destination. Flippers and snorkeling masks are provided. However, I do not use any of these. I love swimming and I jump into the sea wearing just my goggles and trunks. There are lots of corals here, but visibility is not very good. I spot lots of fish and I think I even see a barracuda. There are lots of ominous-looking sea urchins on the sea floor/ corals, and I take note of Michael and the boat crew’s earlier repeated warnings to NOT touch or go near them.

After about twenty minutes, I swim back to Pla Luang, and Michael passes me a plate of watermelons. It feels really good to munch on the sweet fruit after a tiring swim in the open sea. Good service by Krabi Sunset Cruises!

Snorkeling near Chicken Island

Turtle Island and Cliff-Climbing
Next up, we sail to Turtle Island (Koh Poda)! Turtle island is so named because well, its shape resembles a turtle.

Admiring Koh Poda and the vast Andaman sea

After taking some photos with Koh Poda in the background, it’s time for the highlight of the trip: Cliff-Climbing! I have heard of “rock-climbing” before but “cliff-climbing” is completely new to me. Michael tells me with a shrug in his cool Australian accent that basically, “you swim to the base of the cliff, climb up a rope ladder, and then proceed to climb the cliff.” There is no harness whatsoever, and if you miss a step you simply fall into the sea. I look at the choppy waters, the daunting cliff, the flimsy-looking rope ladder, and wonder why he made it sound like a piece of cake.

Cliff climbing with Krabi Sunset Cruises

But hey, you only live once. And Michael has swam to the cliff to tie a more sturdy rope ladder. I proceed to swim about hundred metres towards the cliff. Halfway through, I start to regret not using flippers. The sea is quite choppy and I have to swim really hard just to move forward. I reach the base of the cliff, but the person in front of me is taking a really long time to climb up the ladder. I keep treading water while waiting for him, and after about fifteen minutes I’m thinking if I should swim back to Pla Luang before my legs give way. Finally, he manages to make his way up the ladder and onto the cliff.

Moment of truth for me. As I climb up the swaying rope ladder, I realize it is a lot harder than it looks. Since the ladder is not very stable, I need to rely a lot on my upper body strength, and it feels like I’m doing multiple pull-ups as I go up the rungs.

Treading water while waiting for the person in front of me to climb up the ladder

Finally, I clamber onto the narrow stone ledge at the top of the ladder. I proceed to scale the cliff, but the earlier water-treading and tedious climb up the ladder has taken its toil on my body, and after a short while I decide to jump into the sea. I take a deep breath, try to convince myself it’s no big deal jumping into a sea with choppy waves constantly crashing against the base of the cliff, and take a literal leap of faith.

I drop into the sea and the world goes quiet for one second. I resurface and start swimming back towards the boat. This time round, I really regret not using the flippers because even though I am trying to swim forward, I keep moving sideways due to the waves. Eventually, I make it back to the boat, and I’m immediately served with a plate of watermelons by the boat crew. However, I’m too busy trying to catch my breath to eat or drink anything.

Thai Style Buffet Dinner and Beautiful Sunset
Enough of swimming for me today. The Thai style buffet dinner is laid out on the table, and I rush to the table before the rest of the tourists in typical Singaporean style. The dinner is decent enough but doesn’t taste spectacular.

Thai style buffet dinner with Krabi Sunset Cruises

Raevian sets up our camera tripod to capture a time-lapse video of the beautiful sunset. We have our dinner while looking at the sun slowly sinking beneath the horizon in the fiery crimson sky. Life is good.

Heading Back
As Pla Luang sails back towards Ao Nang Beach, Raevian and I lie flat on the deck cushions to look at the stars. It is night time by now and the stars are shining like dusty diamonds in the Krabi sky. I point out the Orion’s Belt (incidentally the only constellation I recognize) to Raevian, and we just enjoy the moment with our hands clasped together.

Sadly, our tour is coming to an end. I take a quick photo with Michael, our amicable and handsome boat captain, and shortly after we are transferred onto a longtail boat which drops us off at Ao Nang Beach. We do some sightseeing and shopping along the streets of Ao Nang before taking a tuk-tuk back to our resort.

A photo with the captain. His hand never leaves the helm!

Krabi Sunset Cruises – A Day I Won’t Forget
We enjoyed this tour immensely. We had a fantastic time snorkeling, cliff-climbing, visiting the beautiful islands, watching the beautiful sunset, and just chilling out on the boat. The mood was perfect and the pace just right! Snorkeling would have been better if there were higher visibility (but that’s not the fault of the tour anyways). I guess the quality of food could have been better too, but it was definitely decent enough for the reasonable price we paid. Plus it was a buffet dinner so we did not have to worry about going hungry. I’m glad I went on this fabulous tour.

“Sunset Cocktail Cruise” with Krabi Sunset Cruises runs daily from 3pm to 8pm, and there are two pickup points: Railay West Beach or Ao Nang Beach. A longtail boat will bring you from the pickup point to the junk boat. If you are going on a trip to Krabi, be sure to check out the “Sunset Cocktail Cruise” by Krabi Sunset Cruises!

This article is part of our completely free and fantastic Ultimate Ao Nang (Krabi) Travel Guide. Why spend days researching when all your holiday information is simply a click away? ?

“Sunset Cocktail Cruise” with Krabi Sunset Cruises – fantastic tour!