2-hour Clear Kayak Illuminated Night Tour In Krabi

The guides are some of the most welcoming and nicest people you will meet in Railay - they went above and beyond to help me out, showing me pure kindness, as well as keeping us safe and having an amazing time! I would 1000% recommend if you want to spend your evening with some fabulous people, exploring some of the natural wonders of this beautiful place! Thank you so much, I will never forget this experience!!! 🛶🌌💙

Unfortunately the lights on the boat were out half the time. I would not consider this as good value for money, as this was the most expensive tour I've booked in Krabi but the equipment didn't work all the time, which was disappointing. We were lucky to see a stingray and the plankton which was very cool. I wish we could have spent more time there but the weather turned. We experienced bad weather, which isn't the tour's fault, but I want to explain the experience for people who might be considering going if you're not a good swimmer or not too fit. Several times we had to get out of the boat and carry things due to the tide being out so far, walking over rocks in the waves, and finally the kayak sunk in the rough waves so we walked back onto shore. We came away feeling a bit sea sick, with some bruises, and totally soaking wet. We are good swimmers so were not scared but would've been really scary for someone that's not a good swimmer. Tour guides did their best to help us, sometimes paddling the boat for us to get through rough water, but with no lights in the dark and limited English it was pretty difficult to understand and see what to do. They did keep checking on us asking if we were ok which was nice. Again not the tour's fault the weather was bad but half of the time on the tour was spent concentrating trying to navigate the waves and rocks without light rather than sight seeing or having a fun time. So this is why it was 3 stars, just OK experience for me considering this is an expensive tour.

It was such so amazing. My daughter and I loved it and think it was the best activity we have done on our trip here in Thailand. I highly recommend booking this adventure!

It was absolutely amazing! Highly recommend!

We had an amazing time on the 2 Hour Clear Kayak Night Tour for the Bioluminescent Plankton at the Railay Beach area. There were also an abundance of crabs and fish as we waited for the sunset to see the plankton so the tour gives us that sightseeing bonus. The crew were friendly and entertaining. They took a very good care of us and place safety as their priority. Even if it was a little disappointing to return early because of an unexpected storm, I am happy that they value our well-being. They do the best they can in unexpected conditions, and when we ran into a problem, the company were very eager to help and make it up to us. That’s a great sign of accountability. Simply put, we ended up having a great time. And their hospitality would be the reason we would choose them again.

My boyfriend and I booked the early evening clear kayak sunset tour. We arrived at the meeting point around 6pm and met the team, all of the staff were so friendly. Son and Phen took us out on our boat and we were the only ones booked on at that time which meant we were lucky enough to have a private tour! We watched the beautiful sunset on the east side of the beach and saw loads of bats flying out of the caves, when it went dark the kayak lit up and we saw so many fish in the sea and plankton lighting up the water. Son and phen were so lovely and looked after us so well! We really enjoyed the tour so much, Thankyou freebird! Would highly reccomend if visiting Railay beach.

An amazing, unique experience. Simone and the team made the whole process from booking to being back in the shop after the even seamless and fun. We were in good hands throughout. The experience is wonderful, kayaking at night with Railay as the backdrop. Even the luminous kayaks look magical.

I first did this tour a few years ago and when coming back to southern Thailand and Railay I had to make sure to make the time to do this tour again! Again an amazing experience, you get to paddle through a hidden cave with your kayaks and the LED's on the kayaks making the entire cave/water glow like something out of Avatar, you'll then paddle around and maybe if you are lucky see some wildlife like turtles. The bioluminescent itself makes the trip worth it and you'll end with circumnavigating one of the peninsulas on Railay. An unforgettable experience and would recommend to anyone. The staff were very friendly, helpful making the whole trip go very smoothly.

You’re divided into 2 groups. One group gets to have a great time and swim with the plankton (this was the group I was in). The other group barely saw a thing and when they came back to shore the owner lied to them and kept trying to tell them that no one swam and no one saw any plankton which was just a straight up lie. Then when I said he was lying he then tried saying I couldn’t board the boat home because I didn’t pay even though I was literally holding up the receipt for paying. I was lucky for my experience in the water but I would definitely do this with literally any other company. This is a scamming horrible lying company and be aware you might get screwed over. Also to top it off when he was arguing and lying to the other group he was starting to smile and looked like he was enjoying ripping them off which just rubbed me wrong personally.

Had an absolutely wonderful experience! The guides were incredibly helpful and informative, and were very willing to answer any questions we had. We had the chance to see lots of fish, coral and the bioluminescent plankton, which was breathtaking. Highly recommend, would 100% do it again.

Magical! As first time kayakers - my son and I were terrible kayakers. We were totally saved by our guide, Gob. He was so patient, kind and helpful and of course ensured we were safe at all times. We watched the sunset, saw the bioluminescent plankton and loads of different types of fish. Some were so excited to see us they jumped into our kayak! Just being out on the water in the night is magical enough but this was something else. Fabulous experience. The whole team at Freebird are warm, friendly and really looked after us. - Thank you.

Excellent communication, perfectly organized, and such a magical experience! Paddling as the sun set and continuing into the peaceful night was unforgettable. Highly recommend!

Very disappointed with the tour. I don’t leave poor reviews lightly but be careful when booking. Family of 5 and were unsure due to weather. We were assured it would be fine and that we would see everything. We saw a few specs of plankton and some tiny fish in the lights of the guides. We spent the majority of the time sheltered in the caves due to pending storm. While I enjoyed being out on the water and night, my 2 kids were quite scared of the weather conditions. At close to $350 assume dollars, it was a waste of money.

This was amazing. The guides know the water and rocky formations really well and took us on a tour as the sun set through different sites. We went through caves and alleys in the rocks that boats can't get through. As the light faded completely we entered the bioluminesent plankton space and all the lights were turned off. When you agitate the water they sparkle like the stars!! It was wild! There were jumping fish too! The guides safely got us back in pitch blackness, and again through amazing rock caves and channels. They also helped if you were feeling tired. I got their boat back to Ao Nang also which is sensible if staying off Railay as the price goes up from 100baht to 1500baht after 6pm with regular boats! Highly recommended.

This trip was great! I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but the plankton was amazing, like glitter in water, quite magical. As a solo traveler I found someone else in the group to paddle the kayak with together, which was great.

Views were amazing and it was such a good experience to see the sea in the day and at night! The staff and workers were so lovely and kind and made the experience really good

The concept of this tour is a great idea, but they had way too many people on this one. With 20-30 kayaks in a group we felt like the whole time was spent herding everyone from point A to point B. All of the kayaks were constantly bumping into each other. Nobody could hear what the instructor was saying, and about halfway through, everyone was extremely eager for it to be over. We saw 0 fish, and could barely see any bioluminescence.

The night time kayaking was a great experience and the guides were really lovely - always making sure everyone was doing okay! It was a little confusing at times as to know where to go, as it was difficult to hear/see the guides at certain points. But overall this was a great experience and I would recommend anyone give it a go!

Amazing experience! Breath taking views and natural wonders. Professional and extremely nice guides! Definitely recommend and will do again! Thanks guys! - Derek

This was such an epic experience 😍 we joined the night tour, I have never seen anything like this before. Kayaking during night with lights underwater is just so special. We saw a lot of different fishes, bats and bioluminescent plankton. The guides were super kind and gave us a lot of insights about the area. Overall 10/10! You just need to experience this, highly recommend. Also take your phone in a waterproof case, you can get some stunning shots.

Amazing experience clear kayaking at night! The tour is well organized and there were about 4 or 5 guides with our group so it is super safe. We paddled around the islands near Railway beach, passed through a cave and saw the bioluminescent plankton. It was my birthday so we even celebrated during the tour :) the team had a cake and a candle for me! The only thing I would say is that I wish the tour was longer!! I loved it

Amazing experience with Freebird Paddle! The booking was very easy, the price was decent, for this experience we had and they explained the tour in details. The guide on the tour was kind and informative and took good care of us all the way. He took us to see the Cave and glowing plankton - it was so impressive. It was an overall amazing experience and i would definitely recommend anyone that likes the sea and nature, to go and experience this! Thank you Freebird Paddle! See you again!

Yesterday, we went on the trip, and it was simply a traumatic experience. To start, the waves were very strong, and only when we got into the kayaks, we were informed that we wouldn’t reach the cave because the waves were too intense. This was something that was not mentioned when we booked the reservation. The attraction was very unsafe. People capsized with their kayaks, and the guides tried their best to help, but there were more kayaks than guides. We weren’t told beforehand that huge amounts of fish could enter our kayak, which made paddling much harder and exhausting as it was. After all the paddling, we reached the plankton, which weren’t very impressive, especially since we couldn’t go into the cave. We were exhausted and just wanted to return, but there was no way back midway. The guides didn’t have proper rescue equipment, and there was no motorized boat to take people back to shore if necessary. The tour was overpriced —2,000 baht per person was not worth it. Honestly, we left traumatized.

It was a very exciting adventure. Lam, David and Zon was very friendly and give good guidance. Lam and David took great care of all 5 of us. David came to rescue me and my husband when we both fell into the water and he is very experience and good. Lam also came to our rescue fast and even helped to retrieve my husband handphone which fell into the water. All I can say is kudos to all 3 staffs. They are very valuable and hope the company will not let them go. Thank you Lam, David and Zon👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

This is an amazing tour. The plankton were so cool to see. The tour guides were really friendly and helpful. It's well worth the trip if you have the chance.

Was great thing to do with my 9 yo son, he totally loved it. Instructors are experienced and caring, not very tiring activity to do but quite fun. We were blessed by the amazing sunset 🌅

My husband and I had a wonderful experience on this tour! Our guides were super amazing and we became friends with everyone so quickly. Super funny and enjoyable. We even saw the plankton as the weather was perfect for it! Even if we didn’t see the plankton, the clear kayaks and paddle boards made the experience super enjoyable because we could see all sorts of marine life! Loved it thank you!

This was a super fun experience! We didn’t get to see the sunset because it was too wavy on the west side, but it was fun nonetheless. The guides were funny and pleasant and the bioluminescent plankton is very cool!

I had an amazing experience, the clear kayaks and paddle boards were an awesome way to cruise over the beautiful corral, watch the fish, crabs and even spot the plankton. We visited a cave and the guides were all super fun, and helpful. Would definitely recommend this tour!

Lam was lovely, we had a great time with him. The tour was very fun, but a bit slow paced to our taste. Anyway, we got to see puffer fish, turtles, jellyfish, lobsters and of course the planktons which were truly beautiful. We would also have appreciated some more details and content throughout the tour. All in all a very cool experience, recommended!

Lam was an excellent guide it was a really good tour Very hard to describe the unique experience of sitting in a clear lit up kayak in the dark seeing everything below and around you We saw turtles lobster puffa fish and the bio luminescent plankton was beautiful Thanks guys for a great experience

What a fun night activity! We met in Railay Beach after Suzanne helped us review our options for getting to this side of Krabi from Ao Nang beach, and was very helpful and thorough explaining our options. I opted for the stand up paddleboarding (SUP) experience but the activity could have been done with a clear kayak just as well. The guides led us at an easy and relaxed pace. We walked to the launching spot on the East Side of the island as sun set, so I would have put on a little more bugspray for the beginning of the excursion. Our guide instructed us on how to maneuver the paddleboard effectively using good English! She was very nice and pleasant and kept checking in on us throughout the tour. At first, as the sky darkened, we turned on lights that illuminated the bottom of our boards. It was really pretty and cool, but not what we were expecting. THEN, we got to turn them off and experience the bioluminescence! The plankton that caused the shimmery underwater effect could be seen afterall. We got to swim around a little in the dark and activate the bioluminescent effect with our bodies. There were fish that could be seen swimming around our boards when the lights were turned on. I enjoyed being able to be out on the water at night, the air was cool but not freezing, and the waves were calm so beginners could still enjoy the ride without getting stuck behind. It was a very cool experience and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. The guides are trustworthy and safe. The staff was accommodating and friendly. Very fun, and operated well with COVID-19 restrictions being followed appropriately.

Lam was the best tour guide! His personality is extremely welcoming and funny. After arriving on Railay Beach, I did some research on what tours were available during “covid times”, and found gofreebird on Instagram. They responded within minutes, and helped me plan not 1 but 2 adventures! The evening clear kayak tour was breathtaking, you’ll never find a better sunset than sitting in the middle of the ocean looking at the beach.

We went on the sunset/night time clear kayak tour to see the bioluminescent plankton. The shop was closed that day but they came out just for us! Tee and Golf were great guides and were very patient with us. They even hitched up my friends' kayaks to their paddle boards when they ran out of energy. Swimming with the plankton was incredible! Like lots of tiny stars in the sea, and all the real stars up above us. There honestly weren't many fish to see through the bottom of the kayak but the plankton more than made up for it. Wonderful experience, definitely recommended!!!

We booked this tour on a whim and I am SO GLAD we did! There were a total of 10 people on the tour with 4 instructors - Lam, Gof, Bean and Tui. They made the night so enjoyable with their kindness, laughter and friendly attitudes. Our safety was always their number one priority. As the waves were choppy we couldn't kayak to West Railay so instead we explored the East of the bay and saw the plankton in a cave. It was truly an unforgettable experience. Seeing Lam do a headstand on his paddleboard was definitely one of the highlights! I cannot recommend this tour enough and I will definitely be going back. Thank you!

We did this tour because we absolutely wanted to see planktons. We did see it and were delighted about that. But... that was way too overpriced for what it is. Our biggest deception was the guide. His English was very poor and all he was saying was "look" (we almost never knew what to look for) and "give us a good review on Tripadvisor!" (He really insisted on that). We didn't learn anything during the tour and there wasn't much to see in the sea. There was a turtle a some point and the guide started to chase after it, trying to catch/block it to show it to us. I felt bad for the animal. I can't deny the staff were friendly, but the quality of the service wasn't here. Don't expect to be in a small group. There are better tours if you want to see planktons

I have had the pleasure of not only joining on a guided night tour, but also renting paddleboards during the day. The staff at FreeBird are amazing, always greeting people with a smile. You can tell they love their job and want to make customers happy. The cliffs around Railay are breathtaking, and the best way to experience them is on a paddleboard. It's great that you have the option of renting the boards on your own if you're experienced, or go with a tour if you aren't. The night tour was really fun, we had 2 guides who made the trip exciting and we felt safe the whole time. Watching the sunset from the boat was incredible. The staff are the highlight of the trip, they make the trip safe and fun. I definitely recommend FreeBird when you come to Railay 😊

The staff was entertaining and enthusiastic. We did the clear bottom kayak bioluminescent night tour. If I could do it again, I would definitely do the paddle board night tour instead.

We were lucky to do this on the half moon. My tip would be to go when the moon is the smallest. We went on a different tour a few days later when the moon was brighter and more full and the effect wasn’t as impressive. Cloudy days would also be better. We chose the canoe over the stand up boards. The people who chose SUP rather got to stand because of the waves but they seemed to be faster. It was also cool to see the sea floor with the clear canoes. My boyfriend thought the plankton were the coolest natural phenomenon he had ever seen and it is like magic. You really must get out of the canoe/SUP and swim to fully appreciate it.

I didn't have a terrible time, but it was certainly underwhelming. I tend to put a lot of weight on TripAdvisor reviews, so having seen the number of 5 star reviews, I am thinking that other people must have had quite a different experience than we did. Let me start by saying that it wasn't all bad. Firstly, I absolutely love kayaking, so any time paddling around in a beautiful place is time well spent for me. However, in much of the world I'd say that 10 dollars is about the going rate for kayak hire or maybe 20 in an expensive or exclusive place. Here you can add the fact that the tour is guided, but nevertheless I'd say that it would have felt overpriced at half the cost. 2000 baht (1800 with a discount for paying in cash) is still over 55 dollars. The positives- 1) Railay West is a wonderful beach and the sunsets are spectacular. 2) you get plenty of time. We were out for a good 2 hours i was told. 3) we did see some bioluminescence The negatives- 1) communication with the guides was poor. We didn't know what was happening much of the time. There was little explanation at the beginning. Often, the guides would tell us to head somewhere and then you would get there, wait for everyone else to arrive (people travel at their own pace of course) and then wait to find out what was happening next- often without ever finding out. 2) there were way too many people in the group. This made communication harder, and meant that every time they tried to get us close together, we just spent almost the whole time trying to avoid bumping into each other. Not everyone knows how to steer or brake effectively or how to tuck in their paddles, and the cluster of SUPs and kayaks together made for a rather limiting experience without the freedom I associate with kayaking or SUPping. Perhaps with less than 10 in the group this experience might have worked? 3) points 1 and 2 added to the range of athletic abilities meant that there was a lot of waiting. This was the first time I have ever been bored in a kayak. 4) the longtail boats zipping around make a lot of noise and spoil the peace somewhat, in addition to limiting where you can safely paddle. 5) yes you could see the bioluminescence, but not for long. You have to get somewhere sheltered from the moonlight (unless you are lucky enough to go with a new moon - it was less than a half moon when we were there and that was bright enough to make it hard to see. Furthermore, considering this was the main selling point of the trip, it was really quite underwhelming. To make matters worse, this costs more than other sunset trips you can do that include (1) a boat trip to several beaches in the afternoon, (2) snorkelling amongst coral, (3) a lovely dinner and (4) the chance to swim amongst the bioluminescence (which I thought was better). So, my recommendation is that this trip is very bad value and your should look around before you buy.

Just kayaking in the night with the lights under a transparent kayak was worth it, but the sight of fish jumping near us escaping from garfishes was wonderful. Plus the fun of watching the moving water shine with those little light bubbles of bioluminescent plancton, paddle in the cave and see the sunset in the sea... If you want to swim throught the plancton you have to go with the paddleboard, and you can go without any experience with it, but it's probably better to already know the basics. Our tour guide, John, was very thoughtful, my wife suffered a little for sea sickness while returning to the beach, and he speeded up the return. They are a very fun family! Go Freebird!

One of the highlights of my Krabi trip. Different from the normal sea tours. If you go on the right night, you get to see a stunning sunset with longtail boats silhouette. The instructors are very friendly and speaks English. They are very attentive to our needs and capabilities. They also takes water safety seriously and engage your attention so that you won’t get bored or feel tired. They help the kayakers through rough waves and currents. Thank you John, Mr Bean and Lam

The bioluminescent plankton was nice to look at and night Kayaking was new to us. We often had to paddle in group and close to each other so canoe often bumped into each other which was frustrating to me at times. But I Guess that was for safety issue, ensuring people are safe together. We don’t really like stupid jokes and team building games. For example, when they spotted a squid or other fishes, one of the staff would keep saying cook it for Tom Yum instead of telling us more about the squid, like how it lives in water, how they live. While we were waiting for the staff to turn on the lights, the guide told us to shout out our name and say one thing what we love to do and point out the other person and he/she must do the same thing. While some people are fine, we are introverts and really dislike this. The guide could use this time to let us know about the bioluminescent plankton. Do bring a water-proof bag, bring water bottles and your own camera for the Kayaking. The pictures taken by the staff could be just paddle boarders without any kayakers.

Fantastic night tour to see bioluminescent plancton on a clear kyak. Very professional company which value safety and make sure everyone enjoy the trip, not leaving anyone behind and always helping throughout the tour. John and Lamb the tour guides are such a fun guys ! Well worth the money they ask for, even if quite expensive compared to other (different) experiences you can make in Thailand.

Thank you for a very nice nighttour with kajak . Our guide Lam and his two friends were awsome!!/Jeanette and Tonny from Sweden

We stumbled upon Freebird Paddle Co. on a walk through Railay Beach, and decided to try the bioluminescent night tour in clear kayaks. The experience itself was a little underwhelming, as the water was choppy and it was hard to see any plankton without stirring the water by hand, but the guides made this such a fun experience. John was our tour guide, and his personality made the trip worth the price of admission. He was funny, chatty, made an effort to get to know everyone in the group, and frequently checked in on us to make sure we were ok. I got seasick due to the choppy waters, and the guides pulled me and my kayak back to shore. Would recommend doing the kayak/paddleboards during the day, as the night tour was a little underwhelming.

Thunderstorm? No problem for these lunatics. They took us out in inclement weather with lightning striking all around us. It was pouring so hard they instructed us to "paddle three times, then turn around and scoop water out of the kayak". So by some miracle we get back to the shore and we're just standing around for like a half hour, then we have to walk all the way back to the starting point (barefoot, mind you) The other party in our group was promised a free tour the next day, but we were leaving the next day and were promised a refund. The next day the owner emails us a whole novel of how the other group LOVED their tour, and accused us of being under the influence of alcohol (I'm 10 years sober so this was especially disheartening). I get that they can't change the weather, but the handling of everything around it, and the complete disregard for basic safety makes this one a hard YIKES. Pass, next please. Save your bhat on 100 less expensive things!

I was pretty underwhelmed by my tour with Freebird Paddle Co. 1. We were only at the bioluminescent plankton for 10 minutes. I was pretty surprised by this, but the staff assured me this was a normal amount of time the tour stays at the plankton. 2. The plankton were underwhelming (at least in October). I could only see a few plankton light up while gentle waving my hand or paddle in the water. I thought they were just bubbles at first actually. 3. It was the most expensive thing I booked in Thailand. Other guided tours I did offered far more for less. 4. The tour was hit with dangerous weather. There was a very bad thunderstorm on the horizon when we left the dock. I trusted that the local guides knew the weather well and that we were a safe distance away, but our tour was hit with enough rain to force us to bail water from our open-top kayaks every few minutes to stay afloat. Large waves and lightning striking within half a mile of the tour were also a concern. I wouldn't recommend this tour. It turns out that bioluminescent plankton aren't unique to Thailand anyway and exist in oceans all around the world, so consider going somewhere closer to home.

Our group of 5 was excited for this tour to get to see the bioluminescent plankton, but had we known what the experience would entail, we would not have booked because of the price, the short amount of time spent in the plankton area, and the fact that a dangerous thunderstorm during the trip apparently does not warrant a refund. First off, what the company doesn’t mention is that you should expect to spend only about 10 minutes in the bioluminescent plankton area. The kayak ride out to the area was pleasant, but I certainly wouldn’t pay that much just for a kayak trip. I will also say, there’s a reason that none of the pictures on this tour page actually show the plankton. Because when we went at the end of October, it’s kind of underwhelming, looking more like a dull, sparse flicker in the water when you stir it up with your hands. However, our biggest issue was that a thunderstorm occurred while we were out on the middle of the trip. The rain was bad enough that the guides would instruct us to paddle no more than 3-5 times before stopping to clear out our kayaks from the rain water so we wouldn’t sink and lightning striking about a half mile away. We were effectively forced to abandon the trip early, dock at a random beach, and walk the rest of the way back. Despite this, we were not given a refund because this was “mother nature” Outside of the refund, it just felt irresponsible for them to take us out on the water in the first place given the safety concerns. So, if you're willing to roll the dice on bad weather ruining the tour, go for it since the plankton are unique, but you should at least know what to expect and be prepared to be underwhelmed.