Surin Islands from Khao Lak: snorkelling, the Moken village — and Surin vs Similan

The Surin Islands lie far out in the north of the Andaman Sea, just short of the Myanmar border, and are the best snorkelling you can reach from Khao Lak in a day: shallow, dense coral gardens with the bottom in plain view. The Surin tour costs ฿4,300 per adult, ฿3,500 for children aged 4 to 12 — park fees, snorkelling gear, lunch and insurance included — and runs daily in season, 15 October to 15 May. Pickup at 5:00, back at the pier at 16:00.

At a glance

• ·Price: ฿4,300, children (4–12) ฿3,500 — from Phuket +฿400 transfer
• ·Season: 15 October to 15 May, daily
• ·Pickup: Khao Lak 5:00 · speedboat about 90 minutes · back 16:00
• ·Programme: Moken village, three snorkelling stops (Ao Mae Yai, Suthep Bay, Pak Kad Bay), beach time at Chong Khad, Thai buffet at the park restaurant
• ·Boat: at most 32 guests · guides English, German, French · minimum age 4 · not for pregnant guests

Surin or Similan?

The most common question in Khao Lak — and the answer is simple: Similan for the beaches and the views, Surin for the snorkelling. The Similans are granite; their reefs lie on the slopes, often five to ten metres down, and the picture above — white sand, round boulders, the Sail Rock viewpoint — is the famous one. The Surins are limestone and forest; their reefs start just below the surface, denser and richer, and you swim over them as over an aquarium. Add the Moken village, which the Similans do not have. To do both, leave a rest day in between; both tours start at 5:00.

How the day goes

Pickup at 5:00, a light breakfast at the pier, then about 90 minutes by speedboat north. The first stop is the Moken village in the bay of Koh Surin Tai: a guided walk through the sea nomads' settlement — around 70 households and 300 people, with a school, a health centre and a small information centre. Then the first snorkelling stop at Ao Mae Yai, beach time at Chong Khad and the Thai buffet at the national park restaurant. In the afternoon two more stops, at Suthep Bay and Pak Kad Bay, and around 16:00 the boat is back at the pier.

The Moken village

The Moken are a people of sea nomads who have lived among the islands of the Andaman Sea for centuries. On Koh Surin they have lived in a permanent village of stilt houses since the 2004 tsunami. The visit is a guided walk, not a theme park: ask before photographing people, buy the handicrafts if you like them, and stay with the group. The village is one reason many guests call the Surin trip the finer of the two afterwards.

Snorkelling: what you see

The Surin reefs are among the healthiest in Thailand: table corals, brain corals, anemones with clownfish, parrotfish, surgeonfish, schools of damselfish, turtles often, sometimes blacktip reef sharks in the bay — harmless. The stops are shallow, often just two to four metres, ideal for children and beginners. Mask, snorkel and life vest are on board.

Season and weather

The national park is open from 15 October to 15 May, closed in the monsoon months. The calmest sea is December to April. On a storm warning the operator decides in the morning; if the trip is cancelled we inform you as early as possible and find a new date.

What to bring

Swimwear under your clothes, a towel, waterproof sunscreen, a hat, a light jacket for the morning crossing, a waterproof pouch for your phone, a little cash for tips and for handicrafts in the village. The rest is in our overview of tours from Khao Lak and in Thailand from A to Z.