Snorkellers and anyone who cares about water clarity more than sightseeing — the Similans are the clearest water reachable from Phuket in a day. A long day: 12–14 hours with a 05:00 pickup, so not for very young children or anyone who dislikes speedboats. Divers should look at liveaboards instead.
Island trips · 12–14 h · Tab Lamu Pier · park fee 500 THB · All sources
Similan Islands day trip: $76 per adult was the median of 6 join-in listings in September 2026 (range $67–$120). 12–14 h door to door from Tab Lamu Pier, hotel pickup and a meal included; the 500 THB park fee is paid in cash on top. Runs 15 October – 15 May only.
Source: Phuket Travel Price Index, tours series · All sources
This tour in the figure colour; medians per adult, join-in, cheapest first · as of September 2026 · Phuket Travel Price Index, tours series
The Similan Islands are the longest day trip sold from Phuket and, for snorkellers, the best one: nine granite islands about 70 kilometres off the Phang Nga coast, with the clearest water reachable from the island in a day. The catch is geography. The islands are served from Tab Lamu pier south of Khao Lak, not from Phuket, so a Phuket hotel pickup starts at 05:00–06:30, the drive is an hour and a half to two hours each way, and the day runs twelve to fourteen hours door to door. Guests staying in Mai Khao, Nai Yang or Bang Tao have the shortest drive; Rawai and Nai Harn the longest.
Mu Ko Similan National Park is open only from 15 October to 15 May. Between 16 May and 14 October the south-west monsoon closes it completely and no legitimate operator sells the trip; the season prices observed in September are advance bookings for the season ahead, which is why this segment carries a high-season tag whenever it is measured. Since 2018 the park has capped the number of day visitors, and the boats with the best reputations sell out weeks ahead for the Christmas-to-February peak.
The day itself is a speedboat loop: the park headquarters on Koh Miang, two or three snorkel stops over boulders and hard coral around islands seven, eight and nine, lunch on Koh Similan and the short scramble to Sail Rock above Donald Duck Bay for the view the trip is sold on. Breakfast at the pier, lunch, masks, water, a guide and insurance are in the price; the 500 baht park fee per foreign adult is not, and it is paid in cash on the day.
The index figure is the join-in speedboat seat per adult; it is the dearest of the four island trips because of the fuel and the distance, and the spread in the sample is mostly between operators who include the Phuket pickup and those who charge the south of the island extra.
Against the other tours in the September 2026 revision, Similan Islands is number 7 of 8 priced tours, cheapest first: Big Buddha & temples ($26), Coral / Racha ($39), James Bond Island ($52), Old Town walk ($59), Sunset cruise ($60) and Phi Phi Islands ($63) are cheaper; Elephant sanctuary ($88) is dearer. The hub table lines all eight up with hours, piers and park fees.
Boat: Speedboat only for day trips (join-in); liveaboards for divers. Group formats: Speedboat 30–45 · private speedboat 10–20 · liveaboard 15–30 (divers).
Mu Ko Similan National Park: 500 THB adult, 250 THB child — verified Sep 5, 2026.
Mu Ko Similan National Park closes for the south-west monsoon from 16 May to 14 October; nothing runs outside those dates. The park has capped daily visitor numbers since 2018, so the best operators sell out early in December–February.
| Month | Season | Sea, west coast | Rain days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | open · best | calm · 0 rough days | 10 |
| Feb | open · best | calm · 0 rough days | 7 |
| Mar | open · best | calm · 0 rough days | 14 |
| Apr | open · best | calm · 0 rough days | 25 |
| May | closes 15 May | swell · 4 rough days | 28 |
| Jun | park closed | swell · 8 rough days | 22 |
| Jul | park closed | rough · 13 rough days | 24 |
| Aug | park closed | rough · 9 rough days | 25 |
| Sep | park closed | rough · 12 rough days | 25 |
| Oct | opens 15 October | calm · 2 rough days | 28 |
| Nov | open · best | calm · 0 rough days | 27 |
| Dec | open · best | calm · 0 rough days | 16 |
Sea state and rain days are medians per calendar month from Open-Meteo (ERA5), 2015–2026 (marine from 2022-01); "best" months are the catalogue's editorial pick within the calm season. Park dates verified Sep 5, 2026.
Days with waves above the rough threshold, median per calendar month; best months for this tour in the figure colour · Open-Meteo (ERA5), 2015–2026, marine normals from 2022-01
No touching or standing on coral, no feeding fish, reef-safe sunscreen only; rangers enforce it. Sail Rock has a short scramble — closed shoes help.
$76 per adult was the median of 6 advertised season prices observed in September 2026 (range $67–$120), for the full-day speedboat trip with Phuket pickup, breakfast, lunch and snorkel gear. The 500 THB park fee is paid in cash on top.
15 October to 15 May. The national park closes from 16 May to 14 October for the south-west monsoon and nothing runs; the calmest, clearest months on the marine data used by this site are November to April. Season dates verified 2026-09-05.
Tab Lamu (Thap Lamu) pier in Phang Nga province, south of Khao Lak — not from Phuket. Hotel pickup from Phuket is 05:00–06:30 and the drive takes about 1.5–2 hours; the speedboat crossing is another 1–1.5 hours.
For snorkelling, yes — it is the clearest water reachable in a day. For sightseeing or with small children, no: it is a 12–14-hour day with a 05:00 pickup, and Phi Phi or Phang Nga Bay give more scenery for less time. Staying a night in Khao Lak removes the long drive.
Rarely. The fee is 500 THB per foreign adult and 250 THB per child (3–14), paid in cash on the day; rate verified 2026-09-05. Fins are also usually rented separately.
Concierge
A villa, a yacht, a helicopter and private tours arranged as one programme, with dated price references and one contact.
$76 per adult was the median of 6 advertised season prices observed in September 2026 (range $67–$120), for the full-day speedboat trip with Phuket pickup, breakfast, lunch and snorkel gear. The 500 THB park fee is paid in cash on top.
15 October to 15 May. The national park closes from 16 May to 14 October for the south-west monsoon and nothing runs; the calmest, clearest months on the marine data used by this site are November to April. Season dates verified 2026-09-05.
Tab Lamu (Thap Lamu) pier in Phang Nga province, south of Khao Lak — not from Phuket. Hotel pickup from Phuket is 05:00–06:30 and the drive takes about 1.5–2 hours; the speedboat crossing is another 1–1.5 hours.
For snorkelling, yes — it is the clearest water reachable in a day. For sightseeing or with small children, no: it is a 12–14-hour day with a 05:00 pickup, and Phi Phi or Phang Nga Bay give more scenery for less time. Staying a night in Khao Lak removes the long drive.
Rarely. The fee is 500 THB per foreign adult and 250 THB per child (3–14), paid in cash on the day; rate verified 2026-09-05. Fins are also usually rented separately.
All Phuket tours · Island tours: piers, parks and crossings· Tours series in the price index · Open data