A trip to Similan Islands is one of the best day trips from Phuket or Khao Lak.
While making the Similan Islands day trip from Khao Lak is a better choice since it’s closer, we did it from Phuket. The only difference between visiting Similan from Phuket or Khao Lak is the time you spend in a van that takes you to the pier. Otherwise, everyone from Phuket and Khao Lak gets on the same boat to Similan.
In this article, we’ll review the Similan day trip we did with essential tips you should know before booking your trip.
We absolutely loved visiting the Similan Islands in Thailand, and it’s still one of our favorite trips.
About Similan Islands
The Similan Islands is an archipelago of 11 islands in the Andaman Sea in southern Thailand.
Along with Ko Tachai and Ko Bon islands, the Similan Islands are part of Mu Ko Similan National Park and one of Thailand’s most beautiful places.
With its white sandy beaches, crystal clear turquoise sea, and beautiful granite rock formations, Similan Islands are one of Thailand’s top things to do.
A day trip from Phuket or Khao Lak is the best way to see the highlights of the Similan Islands in a short time.
Choosing between a private and shared Similan Islands tour
No matter which tour you choose, the nature above and underwater at Similan Islands is absolutely stunning, and you will be able to experience it.
While we usually prefer private tours or small groups, we joined this shared Similan tour and had a great experience.
1. Shared Similan Islands Tour
Shared Similan Islands tours are the most common way to do the day trip and are affordable for most travelers. Click to check the shared Similan tour details.
For a better experience, you might be interested in an early-bird Similan tour. However, keep in mind that you’ll have to get up very early for this one, especially if you’re staying in Phuket. Click to check the early-bird Similan tour.
2. Private Similan Islands Tour
Private Similan Islands tours allow for a more flexible schedule and private experience, and we can highly recommend a private boat if your budget permits, especially for families and groups, since the price is per boat, not per person. Click to check private tours to Similan.
What does the Similan Islands day tour include?
While there are some differences between the companies that offer day tours to the Similan Islands, they generally include the same things.
Our Similan Islands day tour included:
- Return transfer from our hotel
- Breakfast at the pier
- National park fees
- Fresh fruits onboard
- Water and soft drinks
- Lunch (vegetarian and vegan options available)
- Snacks at the end of the tour
- Snorkel masks
Good to know:
Return transfer to Phuket and national park fees may not be included in the price of all Similan Islands day tours, so please check that beforehand.
The entrance fee to Similan Islands National Park in 2024 is 500 THB (around $14) for foreign adults and 250 THB for children (3-14 years old).
Important: Snorkel masks were included in the tour price on our tour, but fins were not! So, if you’d like to use the fins, you’ll need to leave a deposit of around 800 Thai baht, which you will get back at the end of the day. Most tours here have it like this, so it’s better to bring some cash with you just in case.
The hotel pickup for the Similan Islands Day Trip is around 6 am from Phuket and around 7 am from Khao Lak. It’s even earlier if you choose an early-bird tour.
What to expect on the Similan Islands day trip
While the trip was well worth it, it was a long day as we got picked up in the morning in Phuket at 6:20 am and only returned to Phuket at 8 pm. This was for a regular tour, but you can also choose an early-bird tour (highly recommended), which arrives in Similan Islands about 1 hour before other tours.
We’d choose that tour if we went to the Similan Islands again.
Also, please note that the speedboat ride can be very bumpy if the sea is rough. Similan is quite far from the mainland, so it takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes of speedboat drive to reach it.
Some people gave bad reviews to these tours because they served the food in so-called “prison trays.” Lunch is served inside the Mu Ko Similan National Park restaurant, and it is basic but tasty.
You’re not going to a fancy restaurant but a national park to see its beauty. Many people will eat lunch at the same spot, and the only way to handle that is with a system like that. If you’re bothered by this, maybe this trip is not for you.
Please keep in mind that this is a VERY popular place in Thailand. And people will always be around you, no matter where you go. However, we noticed that many people didn’t really like going for a swim, so if you want a bit of peace, you should head into the waters. 😃
Similan Islands day trip itinerary
We joined a shared Similan Islands day trip with Love Andaman (click here for the tour).
Most day trips to the Similan Islands from Phuket and Khao Lak have a similar itinerary, so here’s what it generally looks like.
Good to know: Whether you book a trip from Phuket or Khao Lak, you’ll be brought to the same starting point. The only difference is that if you’re staying in Khao Lak, you’ll spend much less time in a van during pick-up (aka you can sleep longer) since the boat departure is in Khao Lak.
- Read next: Where to stay in Phuket Guide
Similan Islands Day Trip itinerary
- Early morning hotel pick-up
- Breakfast and briefing at Thap Lamu Pier in Khao Lak
- 1 hour and 15 minutes speedboat drive to the Similan Islands
- Donald Duck Bay at Similan Island (Island Number 8)
- Sail Rock Viewpoint at Similan Island (Island Number 8)
- Snorkeling at Ba Ngu Island (Island number 9)
- Snorkeling at Payu Island (Island number 7)
- Lunch and two beaches at Mieng Island (Island number 4)
- Drive back to the pier
- Last minute snacks
- Transfer back to the hotel
1. Donald Duck Bay & Sail Rock Viewpoint at Similan Island (Island Number 8)
Donald Duck Bay and its Sail Rock viewpoint are the symbols and most popular spots of the Similan Islands trip from Phuket and Khao Lak.
The Sail Rock viewpoint overlooks the beautiful white sand beach with the most stunning turquoise water of Donald Duck Bay.
Important to know: The viewpoint at Donald Duck Bay can be closed due to bad weather!
As the Sail Rock viewpoint is essentially a bunch of granite rock formations, it can be very slippery and, therefore, dangerous to climb when wet.
Despite the nice sunny weather when we visited, the viewpoint was closed as it was raining heavily in the morning. So, unfortunately, we weren’t able to see it. But it usually takes about 10 – 15 minutes to hike up, and you can expect to queue for photos.
While we were a bit disappointed that we couldn’t visit the Sail Rock Viewpoint, a highlight of the Similan trip, this island is absolutely beautiful, and there are so many other great photo opportunities and lovely spots to enjoy.
Specifically, there’s one big rock on the right side of the beach where you can go and take lovely photos.
A bit of IG vs reality though: that spot was very crowded (even more since nobody could go to the viewpoint), and some people didn’t respect the queue, so we just took a few quick photos and went to enjoy the beach and swim in the beautiful crystal-clear water.
Being unable to hike the viewpoint gave us more time in the water, and we can’t complain about that! The place where we swam was almost empty as everyone took photos on the beach!
There are two spots for swimming at Donald Duck Bay, on the left and the right side, as the middle is reserved for arriving and departing speedboats.
Donald Duck Bay on Similan Islands is one of the most beautiful beaches we’ve ever been to, and we wholeheartedly enjoyed our time here. It made the whole trip worth it!
We stayed here for about 45 minutes before continuing to our next stop.
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2. Snorkeling at Ba Ngu Island (Island number 9)
The first snorkeling spot during the Similan trip is at Coral Bay at Ba Ngu Island, a great spot where you can see all kinds of different fish, but unfortunately, the corals all seemed dead.
It was still a nice snorkeling spot, and we spent about 30-40 minutes there before continuing to the next snorkeling spot.
3. Snorkeling sport at Payu Island (Island number 7)
The second snorkeling spot on the Similan Islands day trip is Payu Island, a famous spot for seeing sea turtles. However, we were unlucky and didn’t see any.
The sea was very choppy at this point, and it was hard to swim and snorkel. We didn’t see much at this spot except just one type of coral, which also seemed dead.
At this snorkeling spot on our Similan Islands trip, we also stayed between 30 to 40 minutes.
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4. Lunch at Mieng Island (Island number 4)
The Similan Islands day trip from Phuket and Khao Lak also includes a buffet lunch. The lunch is served on Island 4 – Mieng Island and the stop lasts around 2 hours. During this time, you can also enjoy the two stunning beaches on the island, one on each side.
Good to know: It’s possible to request vegetarian/vegan lunch options for your Similan trip, but you must inform your tour operator beforehand. We got special vegetarian food prepared for us as the buffet usually contains meat or seafood. And it was delicious.
Mieng Island is usually the last stop on Similan day tours, and we were happy that we had enough time to eat and enjoy the beaches. Before coming, we were afraid we wouldn’t have enough time, but it turned out plenty.
5. Princess and Honeymoon beach at Mieng Island
Mieng Island has two beaches, Princess Beach and Honeymoon Beach.
Princess Beach is supposedly more beautiful for most people, and it’s also bigger.
But we chose to walk around 5-10 minutes through the forest path to get to the Honeymoon beach, which was much less crowded than the other one.
We went to the other end of the beach, where we were almost all alone. 🙂
The color of the water is absolutely stunning, and we enjoyed our time there.
6. Observe the wildlife of the Similan Islands
You can see plenty of wildlife and marine life on and around Similan Islands. And one of the easiest animals to spot is the Nicobar pigeon, a beautiful bird currently present on Island 4.
We saw them around the restaurant area, but unfortunately, we didn’t get a better photo of them as they went away when many people came.
The birds are magnificent, but please do not disturb them, as they may migrate from Similan otherwise.
And you can also sometimes see the monitor lizards, but we didn’t see one this time. So here’s a photo from Melaka for reference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the Similan Islands worth visiting?
Yes, Similan Islands are absolutely worth visiting. While the islands can be crowded, and the trip from Phuket is quite tiring, we loved it! And we can highly recommend it.
Similan Islands are a must-visit place for the powdery white sand beaches, clear turquoise water, rich marine life, and some of the most stunning scenery in Thailand.
What is the price of the Similan Islands day tour?
The Similan Islands shared tour costs between 80 and 120 USD. – click to check all the tours
The Similan Islands private tour costs around 1500 USD for a boat fitting up to 15 people. – click to check the private tour
Should I book the Similan Islands tour in advance?
Yes, we highly recommend you book the Similan Islands tour in advance, as the visitor numbers are limited, and it’s a popular location in Thailand.
We always book our tours in advance here since there is usually a great free cancellation policy until the last day in case our plans change, and we can reserve our spot but pay later.
Can you stay overnight on Similan Islands?
Since 2018, you can’t stay overnight on Similan Islands anymore.
The only way to make an overnight trip to Similan is by joining a Liveaboard multi-day trip since you’re sleeping on the boat and not on the island. Similan liveaboard is the best and the only way to get to the better diving and snorkeling spots.
What is the best time to visit Similan Islands?
Similan Islands are closed from 15th May to 15th October, so the best time to do a Similan Islands trip from Phuket or Khao Lak is anytime outside those dates.
The most secure time for nice weather would be from January until March. However, the tropics are always unpredictable around the weather, so we wouldn’t stress too much about it.
We visited in January and had perfect weather during our trip, but the viewpoint was still closed due to morning rain.
Similan Islands Day Trip Video
We filmed a YouTube video of our Similan trip from Phuket, which you can watch by clicking here. If you like it, make sure to also subscribe to our YouTube channel! ❤️
What to pack for the Similan Islands day tour?
The main things you need to pack for the Similan Islands day tour:
- Reef safe sunscreen
- Quick-dry Towel
- Bathing suit
- Dry clothes (use code SHIPPEDAWAY for 10% at Unbound Merino)
- Sunglasses
- Waterproof bag
- Waterproof phone pouch
- Action camera (GoPro with a waterproof case or Osmo Action)
We have a waterproof backpack that was very useful for our island hopping trips in Thailand and kayaking or beach days. We can fit our camera and drone inside and feel safe.
Boats, especially speedboats, get wet, if not from water splashing inside, then from constantly going in and out of the water, especially on snorkeling trips.
Most people were using waterproof phone pouches with their phones instead of action cameras, which works perfectly fine.
Thank you for reading our Similan Islands Day Trip from Phuket or Khao Lak Guide. We hope we helped you plan your trip. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below! 🥰 And make sure to read our other Thailand guides.
Continue planning your Thailand trip
We hope we inspired you to visit the Similan Islands and that you will have a blast on a day of exploring this beautiful part of Thailand.
> Click here to book your Similan Islands trip <
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