Are the Similan Islands Worth the Long Trip from Phuket?
By the PhuketGO tour desk on Phuket — we book and run these trips every week · Updated 12 October 2026
If you snorkel, yes, no question. Nothing closer to Phuket has water like it. If what you really want is a beach and a long lunch, twelve hours on the road and at sea is a lot to pay for that.
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 ฿ |
| Racha and Coral islands by speedboat | Eight to nine hours | 1,400 ฿ | 1,300 ฿ |
| Phi Phi at sunrise: Maya Bay before the crowds | One day, 04:00–15:30 | 2,300 ฿ | 2,000 ฿ |
Prices come straight from our booking system. Children under four join free on most trips — each tour page says so.
How long is the journey, really?
Long, we won't pretend otherwise. The big-boat Similan day picks up between 05:30 and 06:30 and drives about an hour and a half to Tablamu pier. You're on the water at 07:30 and at island no. 9 around nine. Coming home, the boat leaves the islands mid-afternoon and you're at your hotel between 15:30 and 18:00 (it depends where you're staying). Twelve hours, give or take.
The early departure is a speedboat: pickup from 04:00, which means an alarm at about half past three, and you're back at the pier around four in the afternoon. Either way, the sea crossing is roughly two hours each way.
What do you get for those hours?
Two snorkelling stops over coral reefs, the climb to Sail Rock on island 8 (the view everyone has seen), beach time on islands 8 and 4, and lunch. On the early boat, the open-water stop between islands seven and nine is where sea turtles are often seen (often, not every day). The beaches are white coral sand and the water is the clearest in reach of Phuket.
That's why people make the trip. You can read about Sail Rock and island 8 and how the Similans compare with Phi Phi on separate pages.
- Worth it: you snorkel and want the best water
- Worth it: Sail Rock and the view are on your list
- Not worth it: you want an easy beach day
- Not worth it: small children, pregnancy, bad back or knees
Big boat or early speedboat?
The big boat rides more smoothly and gives you room to move, which matters over twelve hours; it suits families with older children and anyone who dislikes speedboats. The early speedboat leaves before dawn and gets to the archipelago ahead of the main groups, when the sea is usually calmer and the water clearer. If snorkelling is the reason you're going, take the early one. If the view and the beaches are the reason, the standard day covers the same area.
We go through this choice in more detail on the early departure page.
When are the Similans not worth it?
From mid-May to mid-October, because the national park is closed for the monsoon and no boat goes. Outside that window, on days with a big swell, the crossing is hard work and the boat may not run at all. The trip isn't suitable during pregnancy or with back or knee problems, and the early version isn't recommended for children under four. Toilets and the small park shop are only on islands 4 and 8.
If the Similans don't fit, the nearer water is still good. Racha Yai is forty minutes from Chalong with clear water at Patok Bay, and the Phi Phi sunrise boat gives you Maya Bay almost empty.
What's the food like on a twelve-hour day?
You won't go hungry. On the big boat breakfast is served on board after departure, and lunch at 12:30 is a Thai buffet (chicken, fish, vegetables, rice, fruit, water, coffee) between the snorkelling stops. On the early speedboat there's a buffet breakfast at the pier at 05:30, a lunch box on island 8, a snack with drinks, ice cream and wine on the way back, and dinner at the pier when you land around four.
Drinking water, coffee, tea and fruit are included on both. Bring cash only for the small park shop on islands 4 or 8.
One practical thing: on the big boat, children under four travel free without a separate seat or meals, and children aged 4 to 9 pay the child price.
What should I bring and how do I book?
A passport or a clear copy (the park registers visitors at the pier), a warm layer for the boat, sunscreen and swimwear. Send the date, your hotel and everyone's ages in the chat; the manager confirms the pickup time and the total, and payment by card online is agreed once the booking is confirmed. Transfer runs from hotels on Phuket and in Khao Lak. The first island stop of the early boat has its own page: Koh Miang, Similan island 4.
The tours on this page
Questions people ask
Are the Similan Islands worth it from Phuket?
For snorkelling, yes. It's the best water in reach of Phuket. For a simple beach day, a nearer island is easier.
How long is the Similan day trip?
About twelve hours door to door: around an hour and a half by road to the pier and about two hours by boat each way.
Which months are the Similans open?
From mid-October to mid-May. The park closes for the monsoon in between.
Will I see turtles?
They are often seen on the open-water snorkelling stop on the early speedboat, but no one can promise wildlife on a given day.
Is the Similan trip suitable for children?
Older children do well on the big boat. The early speedboat isn't recommended for children under four because of the start.
Are national park fees included?
Yes, the park entrance fees are included on our Similan trips.
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.