Similan Islands from Phuket or Khao Lak: Which Start?

Every Similan day trip carded here leaves from a pier on the mainland coast around Khao Lak, so the real question is how far your hotel is from the pier. From Khao Lak it is a short ride; from Phuket it is 71 to 100 km of road before you board. Siam Adventure World’s Similan Islands Early-Bird Tour From Phuket and Khao Lak! picks up on both sides, from 4:00 AM in Phuket and 5:00 AM in Khao Lak, for the same 7:00 AM boat, from US$121 a person (checked November 2026) with the park fee included.

The calendar above is the early-bird day, with 4,453 reviews (checked November 2026). Pick the Phuket or the Khao Lak pickup when you choose a date.

The short answer

If you are staying in Khao Lak, any Similan day trip is an easy morning: the pier is minutes away and the pickup comes an hour later than in Phuket. If you are staying in Phuket, it still works as a day trip, but plan on a pickup between about 4:00 and 7:30 AM depending on the trip, one to two hours or more in a van each way, and an evening return. If the Similan Islands are the reason for your trip and you are based in Phuket, one night in Khao Lak turns the earliest start into a short transfer.

The drive, in kilometres and minutes

By road, Thap Lamu pier is 7.6 km from the centre of Khao Lak, about 8 minutes. From Phuket airport it is 71 km, about 1 h 10 without traffic; from Phuket Town 96 km, about 1 h 30; from Patong 100 km, about 1 h 35. Those are routed drives with empty roads. The listings allow more, because a van collects several hotels on the way: the early-bird day gives 1 hour 15 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes from Phuket hotels and 10 minutes to an hour from Khao Lak, and its return to Phuket can take longer in traffic. From the pier the boat takes 1 hour 20 minutes to reach the islands, which are about 65 km out in a straight line.

Pickup times on each side

The earliest Phuket pickup belongs to the early-bird day, from 4:00 AM, because its boats leave at 7:00 AM; in Khao Lak the same day starts at 5:00 AM. Oh-Hoo's speedboat trip from Phuket picks up at about 5:30 to 7:30 AM and runs 12 hours, with the park fee paid separately. One Asia Corporation's trip from Phuket has you check in at Fantastic Similan Travel before 08:30 AM, and a late arrival counts as a no-show with no refund. For a later start from Phuket, Odeon Tours DMC Thailand's Lazy Bird day is built for travellers who would rather not get up so early, with about 80 minutes by van from Patong to Thap Lamu pier and the park fees, breakfast and a light dinner at the pier in the price, from US$103 (checked November 2026).

Check dates for the early-bird day

Book for where you sleep

Prices, ratings and review counts from the GetYourGuide listings (checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.

From Khao Lak itself

Staying in Khao Lak puts you next to the boats. Oh-Hoo's trip from Khao Lak is a 30-minute van to the pier and a 10-hour day, with lunch on Island 4 and stops at Islands 7, 9 and 8; the park fee is not included, and its page shows 400 baht an adult and 200 a child, while the park authority charges foreign visitors 500 and 250 (DNP, checked November 2026). The early-bird day and Love Andaman's day trip pick up in Khao Lak as well as Phuket, both with the park fee in the price.

From Krabi or Ao Nang

A few listings start from the Krabi side. One Asia's day trip from Krabi picks up in Krabi town, Ao Nang and Klong Muang if you choose that option, and checks in at Fantastic Similan Travel before 08:30 AM, from US$74 (checked November 2026). The park fee is not included and is paid in cash on site; its page shows 500 baht an adult and 300 a child, and DNP’s child fee is 250. No drive time from Krabi to the pier is printed, so ask for your pickup time when you book.