The Similan Islands are closed to visitors 16 May – 14 October every year, the national park told Khaosod English, and every visitor needs a park e-ticket bought online – foreign visitors register it with their passport number. For most people, Love Andaman's speedboat day is the one to book: the park fee, breakfast, a Thai buffet lunch on Koh Miang and two snorkelling stops are included. Expect a 10–13-hour day from Phuket; staying in Khao Lak shortens it.
Similan Islands speedboat day, park fee included
Love Andaman's day from Phuket or Khao Lak: park fee, breakfast, a Thai buffet lunch on Koh Miang and two snorkelling stops included. Hotel pickup is a booking option.
- Duration: 10–13 h
- Speedboat
- Hotel pickup: Only in the booking options with transfer
- Park fee: Included
When are the Similan Islands open?
Mu Ko Similan National Park closes every year 16 May – 14 October, on the Department of National Parks' order, for nature recovery and monsoon safety, the park's acting head told Khaosod English in 2025. Outside those dates the park is open and the day trips below run; during the closure there are no Similan tours to book.
The park also requires an e-ticket for every visitor, bought online with ID – foreign visitors use their passport number, according to the same report. That's why some tour listings ask for passport details: Love Andaman wants your full name, passport number and date of birth at booking so it can buy your park ticket, and Seven Plus Travel asks for your passport number and date of birth.
Have your passport to hand when you book, and type the details exactly as they appear in it. Oh-Hoo, which doesn't include the fee, asks you to bring a passport copy or photo to check in.
Our pick, Love Andaman's speedboat day, was the lower-priced of the two tours that include the park fee when we checked in October 2026.
Which Similan Islands tour should you book?
All five are long boat days into Mu Ko Similan National Park with snorkelling, and four of them stop at Koh Miang (Island 4); what changes is the boat, the time on each island, and what the base price leaves out.
Book Love Andaman's speedboat day for the park fee included at the lower price of the two that include it, and Siam Adventure World's early-bird day if you want transfers, the fee and a beach picnic in one price. Oh-Hoo's day gives about two hours on Koh Miang with pickup included but the fee extra.
One Asia Corporation's day has the lowest base price and the shortest stated day, 9 hours, but the fee and transfer cost extra. Seven Plus Travel's catamaran is the one non-speedboat option, with a crossing of about 2 hours each way.
| Tour | Boat | Duration | Pickup | Park fee | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Love Andaman speedboat | Speedboat | 10–13 h | Booking option | Included | Check price |
| Early bird, all-inclusive | Speedboat | 10–13 h | Included | Included | Check price |
| Oh-Hoo speedboat, 12 h | Speedboat | 12 h | Included | Extra, on the day · THB 400 | Check price |
| One Asia speedboat, 9 h | Speedboat | 9 h | Booking option | In some options | Check price |
| Catamaran day | Catamaran | Not confirmed yet | Booking option | In some options | Check price |
Best value with the park fee included: Love Andaman's speedboat day
Love Andaman's speedboat day includes the national park fee, breakfast, a Thai buffet lunch on Koh Miang, snacks, fruit, drinks, snorkel gear and insurance. It was the lower-priced of the two tours that include the fee when we checked.
The van takes about 1.5 hours to Thap Lamu Pier in Khao Lak, where breakfast and a briefing take about 40 minutes; the speedboat then takes about 1.5 hours each way. At the islands you get about an hour at Donald Duck Bay for photos and a walk, an hour on Koh Miang for lunch and free time, and two snorkelling stops of about 40 minutes each, at Koh Bangu and Koh Payu.
Hotel pickup is only in the booking options with transfer, with pickup points listed across Phuket, from Patong to Phuket Town, and in Khao Lak. The listing says the trip isn't suitable for children under 3, pregnant guests or anyone with heart or respiratory problems.
Similan speedboat day with park fee included
- Duration
- 10–13 h
- Boat / transport
- Speedboat
- National park fee
- Included in the price
- Hotel pickup
- Only in the booking options with transferPatong, Karon, Kata, Kalim, Kamala, Chalong, Phuket Town, Khok Kloi, Khao Lak
- Included
Details checked on the GetYourGuide listing, Oct 2026.
Everything in one price: the early-bird day with a beach picnic
Siam Adventure World's early-bird day puts hotel transfers from Phuket or Khao Lak, the park fee, a light buffet breakfast, a picnic lunch on the beach at Koh Miang, snacks, drinks and snorkel gear into one price; tips and a towel are the only exclusions on its listing. It costs more than Love Andaman's day, but the transfer is already in it.
It has the longest Donald Duck Bay stop of the listings that time one, about 1.5 hours, plus three snorkelling stops of about 40 minutes each and about two hours on Koh Miang – an hour for the picnic and an hour's break. The van takes about an hour to the pier, and the speedboat about 80 minutes each way.
The guide speaks one of six languages – English, German, French, Italian, Spanish or Thai – and a vegetarian or gluten-free lunch is available on request. The park fee is non-refundable. The listing says the trip isn't suitable for pregnant guests, wheelchair users or anyone with back, heart or respiratory problems.
Similan early-bird speedboat day, all-inclusive
- Duration
- 10–13 h
- Boat / transport
- Speedboat
- National park fee
- Included in the price
- Hotel pickup
- IncludedPhuket, Khao Lak
- Included
- Not included
Details checked on the GetYourGuide listing, Oct 2026.
A long Koh Miang stop, park fee extra: Oh-Hoo's speedboat day
Oh-Hoo's 12-hour speedboat day gives you about two hours on Koh Miang (Island 4) for lunch, a walk and a swim, plus a snorkelling stop, another at Koh Bangu, and Sail Rock and Donald Duck Bay as optional stops of about 15 minutes each. Fins come with the snorkel set.
Hotel pickup is included, but the national park fee isn't – you pay it separately. The listing gives an approximate pickup time of 05:30–07:30, then about 1.5 hours by van to the check-in, a 30-minute briefing and about an hour each way by speedboat. Without the transfer, the meeting point is Ao Po Pier on Phuket.
Book it if beach time on Koh Miang matters more to you than Donald Duck Bay. The listing says it isn't suitable for pregnant guests and advises against it with high blood pressure, heart or bone disease.
Similan speedboat day from Phuket's east coast
- Duration
- 12 h
- Pickup window
- 05:30–07:30
- Boat / transport
- Speedboat
- National park fee
- Paid separately on the day – THB 400 per person
- Hotel pickup
- Included
- Included
- Not included
Details checked on the GetYourGuide listing, Oct 2026.
Lowest base price: One Asia's 9-hour day, fee and transfer extra
One Asia Corporation's speedboat day has the lowest base price of the five and the shortest stated length, 9 hours – but the base price includes neither the national park fee nor hotel transfer. Both are add-ons, even though the listing's web address mentions the park fee, so add them before you compare prices.
The stops are Koh Miang for about 100 minutes with swimming and snorkelling, lunch at a local restaurant (an international buffet with no pork or beef), Koh Payu, Koh Bangu and a stop listed as the Similan Islands, each about an hour. With the transfer option the van takes about 2 hours, and the speedboat back about 1.5 hours.
Check in on time: the listing sets check-in at Fantastic Similan Travel before 08:30, and late arrivals count as no-shows with no refund. Seasickness pills are available on request, and the listing advises against sitting at the nose of the speedboat. It isn't suitable for pregnant guests, babies under 1, people over 70 or anyone with back, heart, respiratory or blood-pressure problems.
Similan speedboat day, lowest base price
- Duration
- 9 h
- Boat / transport
- Speedboat
- National park fee
- Only in the booking options that include it
- Hotel pickup
- Only in the booking options with transferPhuket province
- Included
- Not included
Details checked on the GetYourGuide listing, Oct 2026.
By catamaran: a 2-hour crossing each way
Seven Plus Travel's trip is the only catamaran of the five: about 2 hours each way from Thap Lamu Pier, with about 4 hours at the Similan Islands for sightseeing, a walk, swimming, snorkelling and a meal on board. It's also the only one with beach shoes and a beach towel included; masks and snorkels come with disposable mouthpieces.
The park fee and hotel transfer are included only if you select them, and the listing gives the length only as "1 day". The van alone takes 2–3 hours from hotels, depending on location and traffic, plus a breakfast break of about 40 minutes. Yachts are assigned at random, so the boat in the photos may not be yours.
It was the highest-priced of the five. The listing says it isn't suitable for anyone prone to seasickness, so don't book the catamaran as a cure for it; it also lists pregnant guests, babies under 1, people over 70, and anyone with heart problems, high blood pressure or recent surgery as not suitable.
Similan by catamaran with lunch on board
- Duration
- Not confirmed yet
- Boat / transport
- Catamaran
- National park fee
- Only in the booking options that include it
- Hotel pickup
- Only in the booking options with transferPhuket, Khao Lak
- Included
- Not included
Details checked on the GetYourGuide listing, Oct 2026.
How long is a Similan day trip, and how far are the islands?
Mu Ko Similan National Park lies in the Andaman Sea off Phang Nga province, north-west of Phuket, and a day trip from Phuket took 9 to 13 hours on the GetYourGuide listings we checked in October 2026. Most of that is travel:
- Van to the pier: about 1–2 hours from Phuket hotels; Seven Plus Travel's listing says 2–3 hours, depending on location and traffic.
- Speedboat: about 1–1.5 hours each way.
- Catamaran: about 2 hours each way.
- Pickup: early – Oh-Hoo's listing gives an approximate pickup time of 05:30–07:30.
Staying in Khao Lak shortens the day: Love Andaman and Seven Plus Travel name Thap Lamu Pier in Khao Lak as the departure point, and three of the five offer pickup in Khao Lak. The islands are numbered; Koh Miang is Island 4, and Donald Duck Bay, with its Sail Rock boulder, is on Island 8.
What does a Similan day trip cost, and is the park fee included?
Adult prices on GetYourGuide for these five Similan day trips ran from ~THB 2,500 to ~THB 4,500 when we checked in October 2026, from One Asia's base price to Seven Plus Travel's catamaran. Check the live price for your date.
Compare like with like: the national park fee is included on Love Andaman's and Siam Adventure World's days, paid separately on Oh-Hoo's, and an add-on you select on One Asia's and Seven Plus Travel's. Hotel transfer is included on Siam Adventure World's and Oh-Hoo's days and an option on the other three.
The listings don't agree on the fee amount, so we don't quote one; where a listing states it, it's in that tour's key facts above.
Similan Islands or Phi Phi?
Choose the Similans for a longer day farther out, snorkelling and white-sand islands such as Koh Miang and Donald Duck Bay; choose Phi Phi for a shorter trip closer to Phuket, tours that run all year, and Maya Bay.
The seasons decide it for part of the year: while the Similans are closed (16 May – 14 October), Phi Phi is the only one of the two you can visit, though Maya Bay itself closes 1 August – 30 September. For that day, see our comparison of Phi Phi Island tours from Phuket.
Which Similan Islands tour is right for you?
Book Love Andaman's speedboat day for the park fee included at the lower price, and have your passport details ready when you book.
Book outside the annual closure, add the fee and transfer to any base price before you compare, and keep the rest of the day free – you won't be back until the evening. For shorter trips on other days, see every Phuket tour we've compared.
FAQ
Featured image: KOSIN SUKHUM / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
