Racha and Coral Islands from Phuket: Speedboat or Catamaran?

Which of our boats go to Racha and Coral

Three of our trips reach Racha Yai, and two of them are speedboats. The Racha and Coral islands speedboat day and Racha Yai and Coral island at sunrise both visit both islands. The Phi Phi and Racha Yai catamaran spends 09:00–11:00 at Racha Yai, then heads for Phi Phi Don, Pileh Lagoon and Maya Bay, with a sunset stop on the water at Maiton.

• →Racha Yai and Coral island on a normal timetable — the speedboat day
• →Racha Yai and Coral island from 06:00 — the sunrise speedboat
• →Racha Yai in the morning, then Phi Phi until 19:00 — the catamaran

The speedboat day, stop by stop

Pickup is between 08:00 and 08:30, and after a briefing at Chalong pier the boat leaves at 09:00. Racha Yai comes first: Patok Bay from 09:40 to 12:00, with soft white sand, swimming and snorkelling. A short hop takes you to Coral island for a Thai lunch at a beachfront restaurant at 12:30, then snorkelling and beach time until 16:00. You are back at Chalong by 16:40 and at the hotel by about 17:30.

Of the three, this one fits most easily into a holiday (no alarm before dawn, short crossings, dinner at a normal hour). The card is frank that a speedboat can be bumpy, so take something beforehand if you get seasick. Parasailing, the banana boat and jet skis on Coral island belong to beach operators and are paid on the spot.

The sunrise speedboat

The sunrise trip is a speedboat too, run in our Comfort+ format. Pickup is 04:30–05:00 with breakfast boxes, the boat leaves at 06:00 and the sun comes up over open water around 06:30. You land on Racha Yai at 06:40 while the beach is still empty; kayaks, paddleboards and the viewpoints are there, and deep-water fishing starts at around half past nine. A reef snorkel follows at 10:40, then lunch on the beach and free time on Coral island until 14:50, and the pier at 15:30.

Comfort+ here means coffee and tea on board, beer at the pier, Wi-Fi and music, towels and mouthpieces, and wine with ice cream on the way back (what is Comfort+). There is no beach club and no waterslide on this trip. Whether the early start pays for itself is weighed on is the Racha and Coral sunrise tour worth it.

The catamaran, and why it skips Coral

The catamaran is a different kind of day. It is a two-deck boat with a water slide, an inflatable pool, SUP boards, clear canoes, a bar and music, and it runs only in Comfort+. Hot breakfast is served in a lounge at the pier, Racha Yai is the morning stop, lunch is on Phi Phi Don, and the slide and pool come out at Maiton, where the sunset stop happens on the water rather than on land. The boat is back at 19:00.

So the catamaran answers another question: Racha Yai plus Phi Phi on a bigger boat. If Coral island is on your list, it is the wrong boat. The full catamaran day is reviewed on is the Phi Phi and Racha Yai catamaran worth it.

What is included on the two speedboats

Speedboat day: hotel transfer both ways, the crossings, lunch on Coral island, mask and snorkel, life jackets, drinking water and soft drinks, fruit on board, medical insurance, a guide and the island entrance fees.

Sunrise speedboat: hotel transfer, breakfast boxes, coffee, tea and soft drinks, fruit, lunch on Coral island, national park entrance fees, snorkelling gear, life jackets, insurance and rain ponchos if the weather turns, plus the Comfort+ extras above. Kayaks and paddleboards on Racha Yai are paid on the spot.

Which one I would book

For a first island day with Coral on the list, the standard speedboat, because its timetable is the gentlest. For the clearest water and an empty beach, the sunrise speedboat, as long as a 04:30 pickup will not spoil the rest of your week. The catamaran when Phi Phi matters more than Coral, or when a slide and a pool on board will keep the children happy. If snorkelling is the deciding factor, Khai island or Racha Yai for snorkelling compares the water, and Racha and Coral island tours describes the islands themselves. Not sure Racha is the right island at all? Racha Yai or Phi Phi compares it with a Phi Phi day. And if a Krabi day is the other thing on your list, Coral Island or Krabi sets the half day against the full one.

Guide and booking

Every tour in our catalogue runs with an English-speaking guide. Send the tour, the date and your hotel in the chat, and the pickup time is confirmed for your hotel. What you do once you're on Racha Yai is on Racha Yai, Phuket: what to expect. The island where you spend that afternoon is described on Coral Island, Phuket: what to expect. Booking the catamaran is covered on how to book the Phi Phi and Racha Yai catamaran. Thinking of the far Similans instead of Coral? Similan Islands or Coral Island compares the two. For divers in the group, beginner dive day or snorkelling tour compares the dive boat with these island days.

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