Best Time for Island Tours from Phuket: Dry and Wet Halves
By the PhuketGO tour desk on Phuket — we book and run these trips every week · Updated 28 September 2026
Island tours from Phuket are best in the dry half of the year, when the sea is calm, visibility underwater is good and every route runs — the Similans included, from mid-October to mid-May. In the wet half the problem is not rain but swell: far sea trips get cancelled, while land trips and the sheltered bays keep going.
Tours and prices in Thai baht
| Tour | Duration | Adult | Child 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Similan islands: the classic day trip | About twelve hours | 2,600 ฿ | 2,400 ฿ |
| Similan islands, early departure | One day, 04:00–17:00 | 2,800 ฿ | 2,500 ฿ |
| Phi Phi at sunrise: Maya Bay before the crowds | One day, 04:00–15:30 | 2,300 ฿ | 2,000 ฿ |
| James Bond island and Phang Nga Bay | Eight to nine hours | 2,000 ฿ | 1,800 ฿ |
| Khao Lak safari: jungle, waterfalls and elephants | One day, around ten hours | 1,650 ฿ | 1,450 ฿ |
| Sea fishing from sunrise | One day, 05:30–15:00 | 2,500 ฿ | 2,200 ฿ |
Prices come straight from our booking system. Children under four join free on most trips — each tour page says so.
What changes between the two halves of the year?
The dry half: calm sea, better visibility, all directions running, the far ones too. It is also the peak for visitors, so the popular stops are busier — which is where sunrise trips earn their early start. For Maya Bay specifically, Maya Bay at sunrise or after 4 pm compares the two quiet hours.
The wet half is not constant rain, whatever people fear. Usually it is a short, heavy downpour and then sun again. The issue is the swell: the west coast faces open sea, and when it blows, the far sea trips are called off. The captain decides on the morning of the trip, and it is not over-caution — a speedboat in waves hits your spine hard.
Water temperature is not part of the decision: it stays warm all year.
Is the sea colder in some months?
No. Air and water temperature barely change through the year; the difference between seasons is a couple of degrees and you will not notice it. 'Cold sea' is not a Phuket thing.
What does change is the national parks. Some, the Similans included, close for the rainy months so the reefs can recover. That is the park, not the operator — closed for everyone. Our programmes give mid-May to mid-October for the Similans. Inside the season, is the early bird Similan tour worth the extra cost helps you pick the boat. Whether the park is open for your dates is on are the Similan Islands open.
That also means the dry-season crowds are the main thing to plan around, not the temperature.
What runs whatever the weather?
Everything on land. Temples, viewpoints, the old town, elephants, rafting, jungle — rain hardly bothers them, and the forest looks better after a downpour than in the dry heat. Our jungle tours and elephant tours are the backup plan most people end up enjoying. The slowest of them, elephant beach and Mantra Spa, finishes in open-air mineral pools. For the temples and the old town in one go, see Phuket sightseeing: Old Town, Wat Chalong and Big Buddha. The rafting, elephant and ATV day is weighed up on rafting, elephants and ATV in one day: is it worth it.
At sea, the sheltered water of Phang Nga Bay and the near islands are more forgiving than the open-sea routes. The rainy-season page goes through which of our trips hold up best.
Which trips depend most on the season?
The far open-sea routes. The Similans are closed for half the year. Phi Phi, the eleven-islands day and the two-day trips cross open water and are the first to be cancelled when the swell comes up. The near south — Racha and Coral — has short crossings and holds up better. Phang Nga Bay is sheltered, so the James Bond island longtail day is the steadiest sea trip we sell. How it compares with the eleven-islands speedboat is set out in James Bond island by speedboat or longtail.
Land trips — rafting, elephants, Khao Lak, Cheow Lan, Krabi's lakes and temples — do not care about the season at all. The Avatar world day is one of them: an elephant bath, bamboo rafting, ATV trails and hot springs at sunset. For families, is the Avatar world tour suitable for children goes through it stop by stop. If Khao Sok's lake is on your list, read is the Cheow Lan lake day trip worth it before you book. Krabi's inland day runs when the boats don't; whether it's worth it is on Secrets of Krabi: is it worth it.
Does the time of day matter as much as the month?
At the famous stops, often more. In the busy season the crowds arrive with the day boats around the middle of the day. The sunrise trips reach Maya Bay around seven and Racha Yai at 06:40; the catamaran reaches Maya Bay after four, when most boats have gone. The morning sea also tends to be calmer, and visibility underwater is usually better early. Maya Bay also follows the park's own calendar; is Maya Bay open explains. The early Racha and Coral trip, with fishing and a beach lunch, is weighed up on is the Racha Yai and Coral island sunrise tour worth it.
So in the high season, pick the hour as carefully as the island. Racha Yai shows it well: the sunrise speedboat lands at 06:40, the catamaran at 09:00 and the standard speedboat at 09:40, all compared on Racha and Coral islands: speedboat or catamaran.
So when should I book what?
Coming in the dry half? Take the far sea routes — the Similans, the long island days. That is what the season is for. Coming in the wet half? Plan land days as the base, and put a sea day early in the trip with a spare day behind it; if it is cancelled, there is time to swap. For the elephant beach day that ends in Mantra Spa's pools, see is the elephant beach and spa day worth it.
Either way, send your dates in the chat. We live here, and we can say straight away whether the sea that week suits the trip you have in mind.
One more point: in the high season the popular departures fill up, so book the far routes a few days ahead rather than the evening before. And whatever the month, the sunscreen advice never changes — on the water you burn faster than on the beach. For the Phi Phi days, how to book a Phi Phi speedboat tour covers the steps.
The tours on this page
Questions people ask
When is the best time for island tours from Phuket?
The dry half of the year: calm sea, good visibility and every route running, including the Similans from mid-October to mid-May.
Can I do island tours in the rainy season?
Yes, when the sea is open. Far sea trips are cancelled more often; the near islands, Phang Nga Bay and land trips hold up better.
Does it rain all day in the wet season?
Usually not. Showers tend to be short and heavy, with sun in between. Swell, not rain, is what cancels boats.
Is the sea colder in some months?
No. Water temperature barely changes through the year around Phuket.
When are the Similan islands closed?
From mid-May to mid-October, when the national park closes for everyone.
Who decides if a boat trip is cancelled?
The captain and the authorities, on the morning of the trip. If the sea is closed, the trip moves or the payment comes back.
Tell us your dates
Send the trip you like, your dates and your hotel. We confirm the pickup time and how the sea looks for that day. Payment is agreed in the chat after the booking is confirmed: by card, bank transfer or USDT.