Krabi Must See Sunset Cruise Tour by Yacht Master

Overview

Five hours on the Andaman Sea aboard a restored Siamese junk, with swimming and snorkelling stops where the sea allows and an anchored stretch through the golden hour beneath Krabi's limestone cliffs.

What to expect

• Boarding at the pier at the time given with your booking; hotel transfers are separate unless stated.
• A short safety briefing and life jackets issued before departure.
• Cruising out along the coast with the cliffs on one side and open water on the other.
• Swimming and snorkelling stops in sheltered water, chosen on the day according to sea conditions.
• Anchoring for the golden hour, with a light meal and drinks served on deck as the light goes.
• Return to the pier after dark, around five hours after boarding.

Why the sunset works here

Krabi faces west. That sounds obvious until you compare it with Thailand's other coast, where the sun sets behind the land and the sea goes grey while the sky is still bright. On the Andaman side the sun drops into open water, and the limestone towers stand between you and it as silhouettes. It is the single reason a sunset cruise from this coast is a different proposition to one from the Gulf.

The rig, and when it is actually used

A junk rig carries full-length battens across the sail, which is why the sails look ribbed. The design is centuries old and enormously practical: a battened sail can be reefed in seconds by dropping panels, and it holds its shape without a crew hauling on it. On a working day here, though, the engine does most of the moving — sail is set when the wind is worth using, not on a schedule, so treat it as a bonus rather than the itinerary.

Cliffs that people come to climb

The towers around this coast are among the most concentrated climbing areas in Asia, with hundreds of bolted routes on rock that overhangs the water. What you are passing is not just scenery for boats; look up and you may see figures on the walls, and the pale streaks running down the faces are chalk and the tufa formations that make this limestone climbable in the first place.

The tide decides the anchorage

Tides on this coast run to several metres, which is enough to change the map. Sandbars that carry you between islands at low water are gone at high; anchorages that are sheltered at one state of tide are exposed at another. The crew choose stops around that rather than around a printed plan, which is why the order of the day may not match what you expected.

Practicalities

Bring a towel and a change of clothes — the swim stops come before sunset, not after, so you will be sitting in the evening air afterwards. Confirm whether snorkel gear is supplied before you rely on it. Carry small notes for any park charge collected on the day, and take something for motion sickness before boarding if you are prone to it, since a junk under way rolls more than a speedboat.