Sunrise Tours and Seasickness: Which Early Trip Is Gentlest from Phuket?

Which early trip rocks the least?

Sunrise on the glass Skywalk and James Bond island. Pickup is at 03:45, then about two hours by road, and at 05:45 you're on the bridge above Phang Nga Bay; the sun comes up around 06:15. Breakfast at the restaurant on top. The water comes later, from 08:00 to 09:30, in a longtail between limestone islands and past James Bond island, in a bay that stays calm when the open sea doesn't. Then the airplane beach and the lily café, and you're at the hotel around 13:00. Adults 2,600 ฿, children 4–9 2,300 ฿.

The catch is the road. Two hours in a minivan in the dark, two more on the way back, and car sickness counts too. Take the tablet before the minivan, not at the viewpoint.

Racha Yai at sunrise: the short hop

Racha Yai and Coral island at sunrise leaves the pier at 06:00 and lands on Racha Yai at 06:40. Forty minutes of speedboat, with the sunrise on the way. After that the hops are short: the reef snorkel, then Coral island from 11:40 until the boat back at 15:00. It runs in the Comfort+ format with comfortable seating. Our card says it isn't recommended during pregnancy, and that weather can change the programme. Adults 1,600 ฿, children 4–9 1,300 ฿, which makes it the cheapest sea sunrise we run.

One thing to know. Deep-water fishing comes mid-morning, so the boat sits still for a while and rolls with the swell. Some people feel that more than the ride itself. If that's you, take the tablet early and keep your eyes on the horizon.

Phi Phi at sunrise: the one to prepare for

Phi Phi at sunrise is the trip most people want, and the one a queasy stomach should think about. Pickup between 04:00 and 04:30, the boat leaves at 05:50, and you're in Maya Bay around seven. That's about an hour of open sea by speedboat, half of it in the dark. Our card puts it plainly: not recommended during pregnancy or with back problems, because the ride is bumpy. After Maya Bay come the short hops around Phi Phi Leh and Phi Phi Don, Bamboo island in the afternoon and the run home at 14:20. Adults 2,300 ฿, children 4–9 2,000 ฿.

Still want it? Fair enough, the empty bay at seven is worth a lot. Sit towards the back, where the bounce is softer, take the tablet before the minivan, and eat something light from the breakfast box at the pier.

The three side by side

Count the open sea, not the hours. The Skywalk day is long on road and short on water. Racha Yai is the other way round, but the crossing is the shortest of the sea trips. Phi Phi gives you the most open water of the three.

• →Skywalk sunrise: about two hours by road each way, an hour and a half by longtail in a sheltered bay
• →Racha Yai sunrise: about forty minutes by speedboat out, short hops after that
• →Phi Phi sunrise: about an hour of open sea before seven, then island hops and the long run home

What helps on any early boat

The usual rules, with a sunrise twist. Take the tablet half an hour before pickup, because at four in the morning the minivan is part of the trip. Have something light in your stomach. Bring a warm layer: it's cold at sea before the sun is up, and cold plus queasy is a miserable mix. Watch the horizon, which at dawn is easy. That's what you came for.

Seasickness in general, and which day trips suit it best, is covered on I get seasick: which Phuket boat tours can I do. The crossing on every trip is listed on how long is the boat to the islands.

So which one should I book?

For the sunrise itself with the least sea: the Skywalk. For a sunrise on the water without much of it: Racha Yai. For Maya Bay before the crowds: Phi Phi, with the tablet and a seat at the back. All three are on sunrise tours from Phuket, and the Phi Phi trips at normal hours are on Phi Phi tours.

Tell us in WhatsApp which one you're leaning towards and that you get seasick, along with the date and your hotel. We'll say which we'd pick for you. Children under four travel free on all three; from ten it's the adult ticket.

Questions people ask