Day trips from Phuket

The seven, quickly

The best day trips from Phuket are mostly by boat, to the islands, with two big jungle and mainland days by road.

• Phi Phi and Maya Bay
• Phang Nga Bay and James Bond Island
• The Similan Islands, October to May
• Krabi and Railay
• Khao Sok and Cheow Lan Lake
• Khao Lak and its beaches
• A private yacht day around Phuket's islands

Pick one boat day and one road day for a week in Phuket.

See things to do in Phuket for the days on the island, and ask Tanner which pair suits your group.

Phi Phi and Maya Bay

Phi Phi is the classic boat day, about 40 km across the Andaman Sea. The big ferries take about 2 hours to Tonsai and the speedboats about 1 hour. The last big ferry leaves Rassada at 3pm.

Maya Bay is the headline stop. It closes every year from 1 August to 30 September, and it reopened on 1 October 2026 with an hourly visitor cap. You can wade at the shore, but you can't swim. The park fee is ฿400 for a foreign adult and ฿200 for a child, plus a ฿20 island fee in cash at Tonsai.

A Phi Phi day trip from Phuket on your own boat means you leave when you want and reach Maya Bay before the tour boats.

See the Phi Phi island tour, and ask Tanner to get you to Maya Bay first.

Phang Nga Bay and James Bond Island

Phang Nga Bay is the calmer boat day: limestone islands, sea caves and James Bond Island's leaning rock, closer to Phuket than Phi Phi.

In the monsoon it's sheltered, so its boat trips are the least likely to be cancelled. The trip is smoother on a catamaran than on a longtail.

A private boat lets the group reach the caves before the tour crowds.

See Phang Nga Bay.

Insider tip: when the west coast flies red flags, this is the boat day that still runs. Ask Tanner to keep it as your bad-weather plan.

The Similan Islands

The Similan Islands are the best snorkelling day from Phuket, but they're only open from mid-October to mid-May.

The park opens from 15 October 2026 to 15 May 2027, the Government Public Relations Department says (checked November 2026).

It's a long day: a road transfer to Khao Lak, then a speedboat out to the islands.

December to March brings the calmest sea and the busiest boats. Ask Tanner to book the Similans early.

Krabi and Railay by road

Krabi is about 165 km by road, around 3 hours through Phang Nga, and buses leave from Phuket Bus Terminal 2, Thailand Boat Tickets says.

For a day trip, a private car is quicker and lets you stop at Phang Nga on the way.

Railay's beaches and the 1,237 steps of Tiger Cave Temple are the two big Krabi sights.

See our things to do in Krabi and Phuket vs Krabi, and ask Tanner to have the car waiting at the temple.

Khao Sok and Cheow Lan Lake

Khao Sok is the jungle day from Phuket: rainforest, limestone cliffs and the emerald Cheow Lan Lake.

Khao Sok village is about 2.5 to 3 hours from Phuket airport and 3 to 3.5 hours from Patong or Kata. The lake pier is on a separate road, and the raft boats don't run after dark, so reach it by early afternoon.

That makes it a very long day trip, so many groups stay over on the lake instead.

Our car waits all day, so the group sets the pace.

Ask Tanner about a night on the lake.

Khao Lak

Khao Lak is the quiet beach option north of Phuket, with long sandy beaches and the boats out to the Similans.

Pair it with the Similans, or stay over and do both.

For a group, a car there and back is the easy way. Ask Tanner to fold Khao Lak into the Similans day.

The luxury version: your own yacht

The luxury day trips from Phuket all start the same way: your own yacht, with the islands, the stops and the timing yours.

Your own yacht's price depends on the boat, and Tanner quotes it to your plan with the party on top: the crew, the drinks, a DJ and the meals.

December to March is the heart of the dry season around Phuket, with calm water for a long boat day.

See Phuket yachts and yacht parties in Thailand, and ask Tanner which yacht suits the group.

Which month is best?

December to March is Phuket's core dry season, and February is the driest month at about 24 mm of rain. November and April are good edge months.

From May to October the southwest monsoon brings swell, red flags on the west-coast beaches and the odd cancelled boat; September is the wettest month at about 350 mm.

See our best time to visit Thailand, and ask Tanner to keep a spare day for the boat outside the dry season.

The beaches back on Phuket

On the island itself: Kata, Kata Noi and Nai Harn for swimming, Freedom Beach for a hidden cove, and Patong for the party.

Kata Noi is about 700 to 800 metres long, a small, quiet bay just south of Kata.

Freedom Beach is reached by boat or on foot, and a longtail round trip from southern Patong runs about ฿1,200–1,500 in high season (checked October 2026).

See our best beaches in Phuket, and ask Tanner to book the longtail to Freedom Beach.

Between trips

Between trips: the Big Buddha, the Old Town, sunset at Promthep Cape and the beach clubs.

After dark, Bangla Road and Illuzion keep going late into the night.

See things to do in Phuket, and ask Tanner for your own section at Illuzion.

The big boat day, all in

Of all the day trips from Phuket, your own boat is the one the group talks about after.

A full day on a catamaran to Phi Phi: the boat is quoted to your plan, because the price depends on the boat, and the DJ, the open bar and the park fees go on top.

Tanner's pick: first time in Phuket? Phang Nga Bay on your own boat. The water is calmer than the run to Phi Phi, and the caves are yours before the tour boats.

Insider tip: bring the Phi Phi fees in cash. Ask Tanner to have the boat ready at 8:30.

Day trips from Phuket in short

• What it is: the seven day trips from Phuket worth leaving the island for.

• By boat: Phi Phi and Maya Bay, Phang Nga Bay, the Similans from mid-October to mid-May.
• By road: Krabi, about 3 hours; Khao Sok, 2.5 to 3.5 hours.
• The quiet one: Khao Lak, north of Phuket, with the boats out to the Similans.
• Maya Bay: closed every year from 1 August to 30 September.
• Best months: December to March, with February the driest.
• For a group: one boat day and one road day, with your own boat and car.

Checked October 2026.

Plan your day trips

Pick one boat day and one road day: Phi Phi or Phang Nga by boat, Krabi or Khao Sok by road.

Then add the car and the boat.

Plan it with Tanner, and he sends back a boat day and a road day that fit your group.