How to Book a Similan Islands Tour from Phuket

First, the season

The national park closes for the monsoon from mid-May to mid-October, and both our Similan cards say so. Outside that window the trips run, weather permitting. So before anything else, look at your dates. If you land on Phuket in early October, the Similans may simply not be open yet; are the Similan islands open goes into that.

Inside the season, put the Similan day early in your stay if you can. It's a long open-water trip, and if the sea is closed on your date you want a spare day to move it to rather than losing it.

Classic day or early departure

The classic day is the easier one to live with. The minivan comes between half past five and half past six, it's roughly an hour and a half to the pier, and the boat goes at 07:30. You snorkel at island 9, climb to Sail Rock on island 8 and swim off its beach, eat a Thai buffet on board, snorkel again at island 7 and end the day on island 4. The park fees are already paid. Count on about twelve hours.

The early departure is for people who came for the reef. You're collected between four and five in the morning, have breakfast at the pier, and the speedboat leaves at six, reaching Miang island at eight, before the main groups. After that there's an open-water snorkel where turtles are often seen, then Sail Rock, then home from 14:00 with ice cream and a glass of wine. Fins, beach towels and Wi-Fi are part of it. If you're stuck between the two, is the early bird Similan tour worth the extra cost helps.

• →Snorkelling is the reason you're going — Similan islands, early departure
• →Beaches and the view, no 03:30 alarm — Similan islands: the classic day trip
• →Travelling with a child under four — the classic day

What to send, and what you get back

The trip, the date (a second date helps), your hotel, and the adults and children with ages. Both trips collect from hotels on Phuket and in Khao Lak. Children under four travel free, without a separate seat or meals; from 4 to 9 they pay the child price and from ten the adult price. The early boat isn't recommended for children under four, because of the half-past-three wake-up.

Our confirmation gives the trip, the date, the total for your group and your pickup time. If your area carries a transfer surcharge, we say so before you pay. Every tour in our catalogue runs with an English-speaking guide. Khao Lak from Phuket has more on that side of the coast.

Paying, cancelling, and the passport

You pay by card online after we've confirmed the booking in the chat, so the driver at pickup won't ask you for anything. Weather is the usual worry with the Similans. If the authorities close the sea, the trip moves to another date or you get the payment back. Cancelling yourself is different: under 24 hours before departure, a missed transfer or a no-show means the payment stays with us.

On the classic day bring your passport, or a clear copy. The park registers everyone at the pier, and the card asks for it for exactly that reason.

What to pack

Swimwear and a towel, a change of clothes, reef-safe sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses, a waterproof case for the phone, a bit of cash. A warm layer is worth the space: both cards warn that the boat can be cold, and before sunrise on the early run it really is. Motion sickness tablets too, if boats get to you.

Facilities on the islands are limited, so pack the day's water and the snacks you like before you get off. If you were looking at Surin, Similan or Surin Islands explains the difference. Pickup times and breakfast at the pier are on Tab Lamu pier.

Questions people ask