Ko Poda

Ko Poda is a small island about eight kilometres off Ao Nang with a beach of fine white sand on its northern side and a limestone tower rising behind, and it is the image most associated with Krabi. It sits inside Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park. There is no accommodation and no overnight stay - camping was stopped - so all visits are day trips, and it appears on the standard four islands tour with Chicken Island, Tup and Mor. That means the pattern is predictable: boats begin arriving around ten, the beach fills, hundreds of people are on a small strip of sand through the middle of the day, and it empties in the late afternoon. Chartering a private longtail to go early or late is the only way to see it as it appears in photographs. The water is shallow and clear, and at low tide a sandbar links Tup and Mor islands nearby, which is part of the same tour.

What you actually see

• The white beach - fine sand on the northern side with the karst tower behind.
• The four islands tour - Poda with Chicken, Tup and Mor islands.
• The sandbar - linking Tup and Mor at low tide.
• The day-trip rhythm - full from ten, empty by late afternoon.

When to go

November to April. Go early or late by private boat - the standard tours all arrive within the same window and the beach is crowded from mid-morning.

Honest expectations

Very crowded midday; the empty-beach photographs are taken outside tour hours. No accommodation and no overnight stay. National park fees are charged on top of the boat. Little shade on the sand.

Nearby

Chicken Island, Tup and Mor are on the same tour; Ao Nang and Railay are on the mainland side.