Can I Do a Phuket Tour on the Day I Fly Out?

Which trips are back early enough?

Return times from our cards, earliest first. Coral island from Rawai is back at Rawai pier at 14:00. The sunrise fishing boat returns at 15:00. Phi Phi at sunrise and Racha and Coral at sunrise reach the pier at 15:30. The classic Phi Phi, Maya Bay and Khai day is at Chalong around 16:15, and the Racha and Coral speedboat gets to the hotels by about 17:30.

Most of those are times at the pier, and the drive to your area comes on top. The minivan runs several hotels in a row, so on the later trips there is not much room left before an evening check-in.

Which trips should I leave for another day?

Anything that ends in the evening. James Bond island is back around 18:00 after the drive from Phang Nga, the Phi Phi and Racha catamaran reaches the pier at 19:00 after its sunset stop, and the eleven-islands day drops you at the hotel around 20:00. The classic Similan day returns to the pier and the hotel between 15:30 and 18:00, and the early Similan boat has dinner at the pier at about half past four before the transfer at five. The two-day trips need two clear days.

Sunrise starts have their own catch on a flight day. A pickup at four in the morning, after packing the night before, makes a long day that ends at an airport. With a late-evening flight it works; if you are already tired, the half day from Rawai is kinder.

Where do I leave my luggage?

Not at the pier: there is no luggage storage there on our trips. The usual plan is to check out in the morning, leave the bags with the hotel and pick them up when the minivan brings you back. Ask at reception the day before whether they can hold them, or book a late check-out if they cannot.

Take on the trip only what you need for the day: swimwear, a towel, sun cream and a change of clothes for the ride back. Everything else, including the suitcase, stays behind.

Can the minivan take me straight to the airport?

Not as part of a tour. The transfer runs from your hotel and back to it, so the minivan drops you where it collected you, and the airport is a separate ride from the hotel. That is also why the hotel is the place for the bags.

How do I count back from my flight time?

Work backwards. Start from your airline's check-in deadline, add the drive from the hotel to the airport and a margin for traffic, and compare that with the trip's return time plus the drive from the pier to your hotel. If the two windows touch, choose a shorter trip.

Times move a little in both directions. The minivan collects several hotels in a row and traffic shifts the schedule; on the sightseeing tour the card warns that pickups can move by up to two hours. Return times on the cards are approximate too, so keep the margin generous.

What if the sea is closed on my last day?

The authorities and the captain decide on the morning, for every boat at once. If the sea is closed, the trip moves to another date or the payment comes back; on a flight day there is no other date, so the payment comes back.

If one sea trip matters to you, put it early in the stay and keep the flight day for something short or for the beach. What happens if a tour is cancelled for weather explains who makes the call.

Is the arrival day any better?

Usually not. After a flight an early pickup is hard, and tours do not collect from the airport. If you land on the morning of a trip, it is simpler to start the next day.

Can I still book for tomorrow?

Often, on the near-island routes such as Racha and Coral or the classic Phi Phi day; sunrise and far-away trips are usually full by the day before. How far in advance to book has the details.

Send the tour, the date, your hotel, your flight time and everyone's ages; we confirm the programme and the total, and payment is agreed in the chat after the booking is confirmed. Children aged 4 to 9 pay the child price, and from ten the adult price applies.

Questions people ask