Koh Yao Yoi – August 2026

As one mentioned before, the vehicle ferry that serves Koh Yao Yai only runs once a day and, on this occasion, left the pier for Phuket at 8am. As passenger ferries run from the island every hour, it was decided that the accessible van would catch the vehicle ferry with Superbunny and then pick us up from the passenger terminal at a later time.

Prior to ones visit, it was known that said passenger ferries from Koh Yao Yai were not wheelchair accessible. However, one expected more of a resemblance than a speedboat which can be a little tricky to negotiate as a wheelchair user…

Essentially, if one wishes to visit Koh Yao Yai in 2026 as a powered wheelchair user, the only option one has is to catch the vehicle ferry from either Krabi or Phuket.

No trip to Southern Thailand would be complete without cruising around a few islands on a traditional Longtail boat. Unfortunately, as of 2026, no known wheelchair accessible Longtail boats are available, especially on islands such as Koh Yao Yai. However, it is possible to drive an accessible vehicle to the pier where locals are willing to assist in any way possible, for example carrying ones manual wheelchair onboard if needed…

It appears that a standard ‘package’ from Koh Yao Yai includes activities such as snorkeling, however, one can skip this and simply enjoy the surroundings with a Thai meal. One may visit Monkey Island also where it is possible to admire various monkeys from the boat…

With Thailands growing tourism industry in addition to notable accessibility improvements, it seems only a matter of time before a wheelchair accessible Longtail boat becomes available.

For ethical related reasons, one has always been uncomfortable visiting elephant type attractions. However, Koh Yao Elephant Care & House had 4 stars hence one thought it would be worth a try. The attraction (approximately 40 minutes drive from ones hotel) is wheelchair accessible providing one doesn’t mind a little rough ground and offers ‘packages’ where one can feed, bathe etc two elephants followed by a Thai meal. Of course, one simply wanted to observe from a distance…

Granted, these elephants have been born into captivity and need funding for their care, however the question still remains, is it ethical to fund this through ‘performing’ to tourists?

Fully accessible hotels on Thai islands such as Koh Yao Yai are very limited if not non-existent. It is for this reason that wheelchair users need to be a little creative with hotels such as the Royal Yao Yai Island Beach Resort. Despite having zero ‘wheelchair accessible’ rooms, a standard room has ample turning space and one can request for a plastic chair to be placed in the shower…

Ramps are present throughout the resort (albeit a little steep!) as one would expect. One must say that the views from the breakfast and restaurant area are spectacular…

As one visited during ‘low season’, the hotel restaurant had a very limited menu meaning that it was necessary to exit the resort. However, several restaurants are wheelchair accessible and within a 10 minute walk of the resort.