Similan Islands from Phuket: day trip, pickup time, price and season

The Similan Islands can be visited as a day trip from Phuket: the minibus collects you at your Phuket hotel between 5:00 and 6:00, the speedboat leaves from Siam Pier in Ban Nam Khem, north of Khao Lak, and is back at the pier at 16:00. From Phuket the Similan "Early Bird" tour costs ฿4,500 per adult and ฿3,500 for children aged 4 to 12, with hotel transfer, national park fees, lunch and snorkelling gear included. The national park is open from 15 October to 15 May.

At a glance

• ·Price from Phuket: ฿4,500, children (4–12) ฿3,500, hotel transfer included — from Khao Lak ฿4,100, children ฿3,100 (as of November 2026)
• ·Season: 15 October to 15 May, daily in season
• ·Pickup: Phuket 5:00–6:00 (Khao Lak 6:30) · boat back at the pier at 16:00, then the drive back
• ·Included: hotel transfer from Phuket, light breakfast, national park fees, guide (English, German, French), snorkelling gear, lunch, drinks, snacks and fruit, insurance
• ·Not included: beach towel, tips
• ·Boat: speedboat with at most 32 guests, from Siam Pier in Ban Nam Khem · minimum age 4 · not for pregnant guests

Can you visit the Similan Islands from Phuket in one day?

Yes — it is the same tour guests from Khao Lak take, with a longer road transfer. Our Similan boats do not leave from Phuket but from Siam Pier in Ban Nam Khem, on the mainland north of Khao Lak; the islands lie about 70 kilometres off that coast. That is why Phuket hotels are collected as early as 5:00 to 6:00, Khao Lak hotels not until 6:30. Ten to eleven hours pass between the pickup and the boat's return to the pier at 16:00, and the drive back to Phuket comes on top. Plan nothing for that evening.

How the day goes

We send the exact pickup time for your hotel the evening before. At Siam Pier there is a light breakfast, then about an hour by speedboat. The first stop is Donald Duck Bay on Koh Similan, island no. 8 — beach time before the crowds arrive, and the short hike to the Sail Rock viewpoint. Then come the first snorkelling stop, a picnic lunch and beach time at Honeymoon Bay on Koh Miang, the nature trail to Princess Bay and two more snorkelling stops. At 16:00 the boat is back at the pier.

From Phuket or from Khao Lak — which is better?

If the Similan Islands are the main reason for your trip, Khao Lak is the better base: pickup at 6:30 instead of 5:00–6:00, ฿4,100 instead of ฿4,500 — the ฿400 difference is the transfer from Phuket, already in the price — and a short drive home after the boat. One or two nights in Khao Lak turn the longest day of the holiday into an ordinary day out; the details are in our guide to the Similan Islands from Khao Lak. If you are staying in Phuket, the day trip works too. The drive is shortest from hotels in the north of the island (Mai Khao, Nai Yang) and longest from the southern beaches (Kata, Rawai).

The Surin Islands from Phuket

The Surin Islands work the same way: Phuket pickup at 5:30, back at the pier at 16:00, ฿4,700 per adult and ฿3,900 per child from Phuket, daily from 15 October to 15 May. Surin lies further out — roughly 90 minutes by speedboat — and adds a walk through the Moken village, three snorkelling stops and a Thai buffet at the national park restaurant. The rule of thumb: Similan for the beaches and the view from Sail Rock, Surin for the reefs and the Moken village.

Without the long drive: Phi Phi and Koh Rok

Two speedboat tours leave from Royal Phuket Marina on Phuket itself, with pickup at 6:30:

• ·Phi Phi Island X-Large — Early Bird: ฿4,100, children ฿3,100 · daily, all year · back at the marina at 15:00 · Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, lunch on Bamboo Island · Phi Phi as a day trip
• ·Koh Rok & Koh Haa: ฿4,900, children ฿3,600 · season 15 October to 15 May, minimum 12 guests, days on request · back at the marina at 17:00 · two long snorkelling stops, visibility up to 30 metres · see the tour

From 16 May to 14 October the Similan national park is closed. Phi Phi and James Bond Island run all year; more in our guide to the rainy season.

A private boat to the Similan Islands

The Similan route is also available as a private charter from the same Siam Pier: the speedboat at ฿69,900 per boat and the speed catamaran at ฿76,900 per boat, for up to 32 guests depending on the boat. The catamaran is noticeably steadier in a swell and has a toilet on board — the better choice with children. Breakfast, an English-speaking guide, insurance, snorkelling gear, drinks and snacks are included; hotel transfer, lunch on the beach and towels can be added.

With children

The minimum age on the speedboat is 4; children aged 4 to 12 pay ฿3,500 from Phuket. The hurdle is less the boat than the alarm clock and the length of the day. For younger children Phi Phi is the better fit — pickup at 6:30, back at the marina at 15:00. Pregnant women cannot join speedboat tours.

What to bring — and what happens in bad weather

Swimwear under your clothes, a beach towel (not provided), sunscreen, a hat, a light jacket for the early-morning drive and a little cash for tips; if you are prone to seasickness, take a tablet beforehand. The operator decides in the morning on the day's weather and safety conditions: route and departure time can be adjusted, and on a storm warning the trip is cancelled. We then tell you as early as possible and find a new date with you. The calmest weeks are in our guide to the best time to visit, all tour conditions in Thailand from A to Z.