People Also Ask About Phuket Island
01 Which is the best island to visit in Phuket?
Below are 9 the best islands around Phuket, each with its own personality and certainly worth a visit when you're in Phuket.
Phi Phi Islands.:The Phi Phi Islands have become one of the prime holiday destinations in southern Thailand for obvious reasons. This small archipelago of 6 islands is stunningly beautiful and can offer an ideal vacation for almost any taste.
Racha Islands:Also known as Raya, the Racha Islands are 2 islets situated some 20 km south of Phuket. Racha Yai and Racha Noi are especially famous for their top-notch diving and snorkelling sites, as well as for their ‘full of fish’ surrounding waters.
Coral Island：Coral Island (Koh Hae in Thai) is a small island that’s around 5 km off Phuket’s southeastern coast. The short commuting time – 15 minutes by speedboat – from Phuket, makes this island a very popular day trip destination.
Similan Islands:The Similans are a group of 9 islands belonging to the eponymous Marine National Park, about 84 km northwest of Phuket. Totally undeveloped, they offer their visitors an unspoiled remote territory in the same state as it used to be thousands of years ago.
Koh Yao Yai and Koh Yao Noi：Koh Yao Yai and Noi are 2 rather large islands situated right between Phuket’s and Krabi’s coasts, at the mouth of Phang Nga Bay. From Phuket, it takes about 45 minutes to get there by local ferry, or 20 minutes by speedboat.
Koh Khai Islands：Khai Islands – Koh Khai Nok and Koh Khai Nai – are 2 tiny islets situated to the east of Phuket, only a 20-minute ride by speedboat. The largest of them, Koh Khai Nok, is particularly busy in high season as it offers a pleasant getaway from Phuket for those who want to enjoy sunbathing and snorkelling without the hassle of a long trip at sea.
Koh Bon:Directly opposite Rawai Beach, off Phuket’s southeastern coast, Koh Bon is a small rocky island that features a long beach to its eastern side and a small sandy patch at its northwestern tip where the only restaurant of the island is situated.
Koh Maphrao:Koh Maphrao (or Coconut Island) is a small isle about 500 metres off Phuket’s east coast. Measuring just 2.5 x 1.5 km and facing Leam Hin, a popular seafood dining area just north of Phuket Town, Koh Maphrao is still rather undeveloped due to the fact that there’s no electricity on the island apart from private generators.
Koh Rang Yai:Koh Rang Yai is about 5 km off the east coast of Phuket. A 1-km long beach occupies on its western part, which gets busy daytrippers to Phang Nga Bay. The southward current gently carries you parallel to the whole length of the beach. The water is also almost at body temperature, between 25°C to 35°C.
02 What is Phuket Island Weather & Climate?
While Phuket Island generally presents hot and humid weather throughout the year, we can loosely separate it into three seasons:
November-February: “Cool Season”Locals consider November to February the “cool” season. While still pretty hot, the weather tends to be more tolerable in terms of temperature and humidity. It’s comparable to Florida’s summer weather with 25-33°C temperature, with occasional short and heavy thundershowers in the afternoons and evenings.
March-May: “Dry Season”The hot & dry season is normally considered between early March and early May. During this time Phuket Island sees little to no precipitations and temperatures that often exceed 35 °C (95 °F). This is the favorite time of the year by most Phuket visitors as the weather tends to be quite stable with the sun shining as well as calm & clear sea pretty much every day.
May-October: “Green Season”Between May and October, during the summer season, the southwestern monsoon wind consistently affects Phuket Island. This brings more frequent precipitations, stronger westerly wind, and – consequently – choppier sea on average.
03 What is tips and must to do for Phuket Island hopping Guide for beginners
With so many stunning tropical islands in Phuket, it’s tough to visit them all. This Phuket island hopping guide shares all you need to know to craft your own island hopping adventure around Phi Phi Island, James Bond Island and more!
1) Light-hearted Adventure Around Phi Phi & Khai island
Explore Phuket's ‘must-see’ Phi Phi islands and more with its surrounding smaller islands on this Phi Phi and Khai Island day Tour.
2) Relaxing Sightseeing around Phang Nga Bay
Need a relaxing morning after exploring Phuket’s night life? The James Bond Speedboat Tour lets you sit back and explore James Bond Island and its surrounding islands.
3) Diving Escapade to King Cruiser, Shark Point & Koh Dok Mai
Triple Dive day trip takes your diving experience up one notch with Phuket’s off-the-coast premier dive sites. For an effortless dive experience, it takes care of everything from hotel transfers to food onboard to insurance. Diving equipment is available for loan at an additional cost.
4) Other Mix-and-Match Options
For more tours to mix and match with, consider these other options:
Phang Nga Bay Sunset Dinner & Canoeing – For a romantic getaway
Racha & Coral Island Day Tour by Speedboat – For an adventure-packed escapade
Similan Island Day Trip – For a diver's paradise*
04 What is Our most recommended things to do in Phuket Island?
Similan Islands Snorkeling Day Trip from Phuket or Khaolak
Ferry Transfer Phuket To/From Phi Phi
From Phuket/Khaolak: Similan Islands Early Bird Day Trip
Phuket: James Bond Island Luxury Sunset Cruise
Phuket: Full Day Speed Boat Tour Phi Phi and Bamboo Island
From Phuket Or Khao Lak: Phi Phi Islands Early Bird Tour
Phang Nga Bay: Early Bird James Bond & Beyond Tour
Phuket: 5-Hour City Highlights & Viewpoints
Phuket: Elephant Save & Care Program
Phuket Old Town 15-Taster Food Tour
05 How to visit them?
1.How to visit Phi Phi Island from Phuket?
Own your own,there are many ferry and speedboat connections between Phuket and Phi Phi Don. A speedboat takes about an hour (you can book a speedboat here)
whereas a ferry will take 2 hours (you can book a ferry here). You can easily visit Phi Phi. With a tour. There are so many options when it comes to tours from Phuket to Phi Phi islands. Prices depend on the type of boat, small group VS big group, and the time of the day (early morning tours tend to be a bit more expensive). But in terms of itinerary, it's pretty much the same.
2.How to visit Phang Nga Bay & James Bond Island?
On your own. You can explore all the attractions of Phang Nga Bay by hiring a long-tail boat. If you have a car or a motorbike, you can drive to Klong Khien Pier and rent a long-tail boat that will set you back around 1,000 TBH for a half day excursion (this indicative fee is per person and depends on how many people share the boat). Alternatively, you can also drive to the Sam Chong Seafood, a floating restaurant that serves good-value tasty food for as low as 10TBH a dish and arranges long-tail boat hires from 1 ,800 TBH.
Book a tour. There is a big variety of organized tours offering island hopping at Phang.Nga Bay. Here are some of the highest-rated tours you can book from Phuket.
No matter how you visit, Phang Nga Bay is definitely worth a trip. Without any doubt, this is No matter how you visit, Phang Nga Bay is definitely worth a trip. Without any doubt, this is
one of the absolute best day trips you can make from Phuket!
3.How to visit Ko Hong?
On your own. With good negotiation, it is possible to hire a private long-tail boat from a local fisherman for the day for about 4,000 TBH per boat. This is a perfect option for couples, families, or groups of friends looking for a more intimate experience and more say in the time spent on the island. It is easy to find local fishermen near the main pier in Phuket or anywhere along the beach. There are often language barriers in Thailand, but with persistence, we found a local Thai person to help arrange the tour for us and negotiate a price. The tour was basic, with nothing provided (no food, water, et...); just a long-tail boat, wind against our faces, and a smiling captain steering the boat.
Book a tour.Tours to this part of Phang Nga Bay by long-tail boat range in cost. Companies charge between 800 TBH and 2,000 TBH per person depending if the tour is on a long-tail or a fast boat. There seem to be more tours going to Ko Hang from Krabi than from Phuket, but there are a couple of James Bond Island tours that visit Hong Island as well.
With an organized tour. Tours to this part of Phang Nga Bay by long-tail boat range in cost. Companies charge between 800 TBH and 2,000 TBH per person depending if the tour is on a long-tail or a fast boat. There seem to be more tours going to Ko Hang from Krabi than from Phuket, but there are a couple of James Bond Island tours that visit Hong Island as well.
4.How to visit Koh Racha Yai & Koh Racha Noi？
On your own. Boats to Koh Racha Yai leave from Chalong Pier or Ra Wai Beach and take 35 min. You can hire a speedboat for around 8,000 TBH or 1 ,200 TBH per person on the ferry shuttle. These prices are approximate, for a return trip. It is also possible to take a long-tail boat from Chalong Beach to Racha Yai, but it will take more than an hour and could be dangerous should the Weather suddenly change.
Book a tour. While not as popular as the other island-hopping options from Phuket, it is possible to find organized tours to Koh Racha Yai. Most of them involve scuba diving but there are also more relaxing tours more focussed on water sports, snorkeling, and beaches. Here's one of the best-rated Koh Racha Yai tours from Phuket that includes SUP's, kayaks, waterslides, snorkeling equipment, and more.
5.How to get to Coral Island from Phuket:
On your own. You can get to Coral island by boat from Ao Chalong pier. With a tour. You can join an organized tour that visits Racha Yai and Ko He as a day trip from Phuket.
6.How to get to Similan Islands ?
The best way to get the most out of your visit is to take an organized day trip to the Similan Islands. If you book a tour, they will arrange. everything including pick up from your hotel, drop-off at the end of the day and take you to all the best snorkeling spots in the Similan Islands.How to get to Similan Islands from Phuket. The best way to get the most out of your visit is to take an organized day trip to the Similan Islands. If you book a tour, they will arrange everything including pick up from your hotel, drop-off at the end of the day and take you to all the best snorkeling spots in the Similan Islands. On a 1-day trip from Phuket, you will visit 2-3 different islands. The Similan Islands have amongst the clearest and most turquoise waters have ever seen, paired with soft white sandy beaches. The islands are a protected national park and there is a wide variety of marine flora and fauna. If you're lucky enough, you might even be able to snorkel with turtles!
7.How to get to Surin Islands ?
Surin Islands are quite far from Phuket, so the best way to get there is by booking an organized day tour. If you rather go on your own, there are boats running from Khao Lak, but depending on the schedule you might have to stay there (camping?) at least one night.
8.How to get to Koh Lanta ?
Lanta is a short (1.5 hour) speedboat ride from Phuket. If you are just visiting Koh L anta just for a day or two, don't take a slow ferry as it can take over 4 hours. The speedboat costs more, around 1300-1500 TBH, butit's so worth it. Boats to Lanta leave from Rassada Pier in Phuket. On Koh Lanta, the boats arrive at the Saladan Pier, which is located on the northwest side of the island. Here you can book a boat transfer from Phuket to Ko Lanta. If you are on a tight schedule, make sure to book a boat there and back in advance! Once you get to Ko Lanta, you can then do the tours that start on the island itself. At the moment, there are no day trips from Phuket that would include the transfer as well as sightseeing, because it is really easy to arrange yourself. And also because most people stay in Ko L anta a bit longer than a day.
06 Practical tips for island-hopping day trips from Phuket
When looking into all the options for island hopping from Phuket, you will get overwhelmed with choices. If you don't research in advance, you'll find yourself drowning in the tour brochures and offers everywhere you go... From tour kiosks all over the place, taxi or van drivers, hotel lobby areas and resort activity centers一everyone seems to be selling island hopping tours in Phuket. You might think that booking tours in Phuket itself will save you time and money, but our experience shows quite the opposite. Booking online lets you compare different offers, itineraries, prices, and read customer reviews. Furthermore, if you book with a reputable agency (we recommend GetYourGuide which we also used for our tours in Thailand), you have an option to cancel any tour up to 24 hours in advance. It's also easier to get a refund in case of any problems. Try to reschedule a tour or get a refund from a local kiosk