Phuket: Island Day Trips Worth Taking

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Phuket’s own beaches are the headline, but the boat trips out are where the island’s scenery actually peaks. Here are 6 worth booking.

  1. Phi Phi Islands and Maya Bay. Speedboats leave from Rassada Pier, about an hour out. Maya Bay, the bay from The Beach, reopened with permanent rules: boats land at Loh Samah Bay, you wade the last stretch, swimming in the main bay is not permitted, visitor numbers are capped, and entry runs about 400 THB in cash. The bay closes annually from roughly August 1 to September 30, so check the dates before you build a day around it.
  2. Phang Nga Bay and James Bond Island. Limestone karsts, the stilted fishing village of Koh Panyee, and Khao Phing Kan and Ko Tapu, the islands from The Man with the Golden Gun (1974). Guided sea kayaking through the tidal hongs is the way to see the bay’s hidden lagoons up close.
  3. Similan Islands, for diving and snorkeling that Phuket’s own shoreline cannot match. The park closes seasonally , every year from roughly May 15 to October 15, so this only works in the dry season, never in summer.
  4. Racha Islands (Ko Racha), about 45 minutes from Ao Chalong Pier, a shorter and calmer alternative for snorkeling if you would rather not commit to a full Phi Phi day.
  5. Khao Sok National Park, roughly 2.5 hours by road, for actual rainforest and Cheow Lan Lake’s floating raft-houses. This is the real jungle Phuket’s own coastline does not have.
  6. An ethical elephant sanctuary. Phuket Elephant Sanctuary runs an observation and feeding model with no riding; treat any operator advertising rides, bathing shows, or circus tricks as a hard pass, and give tiger-selfie parks and dolphin or monkey shows the same treatment.

Ferries and speedboats for Racha and Coral Island leave from Ao Chalong Pier rather than Rassada, so double-check your pickup point when you book. Bring reef-safe sunscreen and don’t touch the coral on any of the boat days; the reefs around Phi Phi and the Similans are already under pressure from visitor numbers.

Book a Phi Phi and Phang Nga day tour on Viator , or search Similan diving day trips on GetYourGuide .

Read more: things to do , hiking areas , and travel tips .