Similan Islands Tour from Phuket: Early Boat or Classic Day

How does the classic Similan day go?

Early, but not brutal. Pickup is between 05:30 and 06:30, then about an hour and a half up the coast to Tablamu pier. The boat leaves at 07:30 with breakfast and a safety talk on board. It is a big boat, not a speedboat — steadier, more deck to walk around, a slower rhythm to the whole day. I prefer it for anyone who dreads bouncing.

Island 9 comes first, at nine, for the reef. At ten you are on island 8 and climbing to Sail Rock (the view over the whole archipelago is at the top), then swimming off the same beach. A Thai buffet appears on board at 12:30: chicken, fish, vegetables, rice, fruit, coffee.

After lunch, a second reef at island 7 — reef fish and coral, and usually calmer water than the morning. Last beach of the day is island 4. The boat turns for home around 15:30. Depending on where you sleep, you are back between late afternoon and 18:00. Under-fours travel free without their own seat.

Sail Rock gives the view over the whole archipelago, and on the classic day you climb it in the morning, before lunch — not squeezed in at the end of a long day. All of this runs only in season; are the Similan Islands open has the dates on our cards and what to expect in October.

Why would I take the early Similan boat?

Because the Similans are the most visited islands anywhere near Phuket, and here the hour you arrive decides almost everything. This boat leaves before dawn. Pickup 04:00–05:00, buffet breakfast at the pier at 05:30, off at 06:00. The morning sea tends to be calmer, the water clearer, the beaches still empty. Whether that's worth the extra cost is answered on is the early bird Similan tour worth the extra cost.

At 08:00 you land on Miang island, number 4 — white coral sand and a short walk into the jungle where the flying foxes live. Then islands 7 and 9 from the boat and a snorkel in open water where turtles often turn up. Lunch on island 8, time for Sail Rock. On the way back: snacks, ice cream and a glass of wine, and dinner at the pier before the transfer.

It is the Comfort+ format — Wi-Fi on the speedboat, towels, fins as well as masks — and a group kept small rather than stuffed to sixty. The catch: a wake-up around half past three. The earliest trip we sell, and not one I would do with a child under four.

Staying in Khao Lak? Then the Similans are practically on your doorstep: both our trips collect from Khao Lak hotels as well as from Phuket, and the road to the pier is much shorter from there.

Which Similan trip should I choose?

It comes down to one thing: how much the empty beach matters to you. If the water and the quiet are the whole reason, take the early boat — you arrive ahead of the main groups, and on the Similans that is most of the difference.

If you would rather sleep until half past five, like a big boat better than a speedboat, or want two dedicated snorkel stops and four islands at an easy pace, the classic day is yours. Both include transfer from Phuket and Khao Lak, a guide, food all day, snorkelling gear, jackets and insurance. Every tour in our catalogue runs with an English-speaking guide.

• →Clear water and empty beaches first — early departure
• →Steadier boat and a later start — classic day
• →Travelling with a child under four — classic day
• →Staying in Khao Lak — either, transfer from Khao Lak is included

What should I bring to the Similans?

Everything. Toilets and a small park shop are only on Islands 4 and 8, so for most of the twelve hours what is not in your bag does not exist. A warm layer — before sunrise and on the way home the deck is cold, and people never believe it until they are shivering. Swimsuit on under your clothes; the first stop comes fast.

It is a national park, and the rules are stricter than on Phuket's beaches. You walk where the crew says, and the reef is for looking at, never standing on. The guide explains every stop on the way out.

Questions people ask