Similan Islands Yacht Charter: Where and How to Book

A Similan Islands yacht charter from Phuket with Horizon Cruises Phuket is a private two-day trip in the dry season, with the night on board at a mooring buoy; the park fee is paid separately, per person, at the figure we confirm with your quote, unless the yacht's page lists it in the rate. 46 of the 91 catalogue boats publish overnight rates, with berths for 4 to 22 guests, leaving from Chalong Pier, Ao Po Grand Marina and the east-coast marinas. Send dates and headcount on WhatsApp.

How do you get to the Similan Islands from Phuket: yacht, speedboat or liveaboard?

Three formats exist, and they are not interchangeable. A private yacht charter from Phuket is a multi-day trip: the boat leaves its marina, crosses to the archipelago in the Andaman Sea, and the group sleeps aboard. A day tour goes by speedboat from Thap Lamu and the nearby piers in Phang Nga province, near Khao Lak, which the Tourism Authority of Thailand identifies as the common departure points, so a Phuket hotel pickup includes a road transfer before the crossing. A dive liveaboard is a diving programme with cabins and experience requirements set by the dive operator.

Confirm the departure marina and realistic timing for your vessel, and do not apply a speedboat crossing time to a motor yacht or sailing catamaran. For background on the islands themselves, see the Similan Islands destination page; this guide covers the booking decisions that shape your time aboard.

Private tour or group tour: which suits a trip to the Similan Islands?

A group tour sells a seat on a boat that runs a standard itinerary with a tour guide, and it is the usual way day-tour operators show the islands in one day from the mainland. A private speedboat tour sells the whole boat for that day on the same crossing. A Similan Islands private tour from Phuket by yacht is a different product: the boat is your base for two days, the plan is yours within what the park permits, and there is no early road transfer to a mainland pier. Choose the private yacht if the point is time in the water and a night at sea; choose a day tour if you have one day. For a private boat, compare the named vessel, departure pier, sleeping arrangements, inclusions and cancellation terms before choosing; a general private yacht charter listing is not a confirmed offshore itinerary.

When are the Similan Islands open?

The Similan Islands are only open in the dry season. Mu Ko Similan National Park, the Similan Islands National Park, controls permitted visits, park rangers control access even during high season, and a private charter cannot bypass a low-season closure. Check the current opening announcement before committing to travel; the seasonal calendar does not guarantee access on a particular date. If your dates fall outside the season, ask about Phang Nga Bay with James Bond Island or the Phi Phi Islands instead, with a separate weather and route check: a private charter to the Phi Phi Islands is a full day from Chalong Pier.

Which yacht or catamaran takes a group to the Similans?

Day capacity is not overnight capacity: a yacht licensed for twenty-five guests by day sleeps eight. Compare motor yachts and sailing catamarans by sleeping capacity, shade, bathrooms and time underway. Boats Horizon Cruises Phuket offers with published overnight berths, with the starting rate from each yacht's page (a two-day Similan run is quoted separately, with route fuel):

Beluga 88 is the example the gallery on this page shows: four cabins, eight overnight guests, and overnight charters that exclude chef and meals, so food is arranged and priced separately. At the top of the range, Vanora 170 sleeps the largest group in eleven cabins. Whether a particular boat takes the Similan crossing, and at what rate, is confirmed for that boat when you enquire; the photographs illustrate the boats and do not confirm availability or suitability for your route. For families, discuss children's ages, suitable lifejackets, boarding steps and dietary needs. More cabin layouts are on the motor yacht charter page and in the guide to overnight yacht charters from Phuket.

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Who is on board a private charter?

Every charter is skippered: a licensed captain and crew are on every boat, there is no bareboat, and nobody in your group needs a licence. The crew runs the boat, the snorkelling stops and the mooring; at reefs the captain picks up a buoy and never anchors on coral. Included on every boat: the captain and crew, passenger insurance, water and soft drinks, snorkel gear (mask, snorkel and fins) and towels, plus fuel for the agreed route except where a yacht's page lists a fuel fee. There is no separate tour guide on a private yacht, and dive equipment and an instructor are confirmed separately. Support is in English and Russian from the first message to the departure briefing.

What does a Similan Islands private charter from Phuket cost?

There is no single price covering every boat, duration and departure point: the cost depends on the yacht, the number of nights and the departure marina, so a Similan Islands yacht trip needs a complete written quotation in Thai baht. A nearby-island day rate multiplied by two is not a reliable total, and the starting price on each yacht's page is for its shortest format, not for two days. The quote should list vessel hire, crew, route fuel, transfers, meals and drinking water, national park fees (per person, paid on arrival unless the yacht's page lists them in the rate), activities, and any taxes or additional fees; what's included on every boat is the starting point, and the boat-specific quotation decides. Do not carry full-day lunch inclusions into a multi-day booking. The price is per boat, not per guest: the rate covers the group up to the headcount shown on each yacht's page. Deposit and balance depend on the boat: most take a deposit at booking with the balance before departure, some are paid in full at booking, and late cancellation is non-refundable; the exact terms are on each yacht's page and in the booking terms. Starting rates by type are on the yacht charter prices page.

A two-day Similan tour from Phuket: Koh Similan and Koh Miang

Ask for a day-by-day itinerary showing transit legs, permitted stops, activities and a weather allowance, and avoid booking a generic island list as a confirmed route. The shape of the trip is simple. Day one: boarding at the marina, the crossing to the archipelago, snorkel stops in the afternoon, and the night on board at a mooring buoy. Day two: the morning in the islands, with Koh Similan and its Sail Rock viewpoint and beach time on Koh Miang where visits are permitted, then the return crossing to Phuket. Sleeping aboard and staying ashore are different things: TAT states that overnight stays on the islands are not allowed. Donald Duck Bay, Honeymoon Bay and Koh Payu are names you will meet in day-tour itineraries; which bays your boat visits is decided by the park's permissions and the captain on the day, not by a list in a quote.

Snorkel spots, diving and the beaches

Tell the team whether you prefer snorkelling, scuba diving or unhurried time aboard, and ask which snorkel spots suit your group's confidence and the conditions. The underwater world is coral reefs and a wide range of fish; visibility and sea conditions vary, and neither clear water nor a particular sighting is guaranteed. A private yacht does not automatically include dive equipment or an instructor, so confirm both separately and follow the crew's briefing around marine life. Snorkelling needs no certificate; scuba diving does, and a dive liveaboard is the format built around it. Beach visits are where the park permits them, as on Koh Miang.

Similan Islands or Surin Islands?

The Surin Islands are a separate marine park and a destination for long charters only; a two-day trip does not reach them. If you have the days, ask for one plan covering both parks with a weather allowance between them, and expect the quote to price the extra fuel and nights. There is no standard ten-day Similan route for every yacht: a long charter combines the Similans with the Surin Islands rather than spending ten days inside one park, and it needs the same day-by-day plan with transit legs, permitted stops and activities. The Surin Islands destination page covers the islands; for a first trip in the park season, the Similans are the answer.

Booking a Similan Islands private tour from Phuket

• Send dates, adults and children, nights, hotel area, budget and activity preferences.
• Review the team's confirmed vessel, route, access arrangements and full price.
• Read the booking terms, including weather changes, cancellation and payment schedule.
• Receive the meeting point and final departure briefing, and check the marine forecast with the team.

Request your Similan Islands yacht charter proposal on WhatsApp. An enquiry starts the planning; availability is confirmed by a person, not by a calendar, and in the dry season the earlier the dates arrive, the wider the choice of boats.

Frequently asked questions

Can I book a private boat to the Similan Islands?

Yes. Horizon Cruises Phuket arranges it as a private two-day yacht trip from Phuket with the night on board or, if you want a single day, as a private speedboat from the mainland pier near Khao Lak with a road transfer first. Send the dates, the number of adults and children and your hotel area, and the team comes back with a named boat and a full price.

How long does it take to get from Phuket to the Similan Islands?

By private yacht it is a two-day trip: the crossing takes up the first part of day one and the return the second half of day two, and the exact passage time depends on the boat and is written into the itinerary. A speedboat from Thap Lamu crosses faster, but that is a different format with a road transfer from Phuket first; never apply its time to a yacht.

Can I charter overnight in the national park?

An overnight charter to the Similan Islands can be planned, subject to the chosen vessel, current park rules and approved overnight stops; the boat takes a mooring buoy, and our team confirms which arrangements are permitted on your dates. Sleeping aboard is one thing; staying ashore is another, and TAT states that overnight stays on the islands themselves are not allowed.

Is food included on a private charter?

It depends on the boat and is written into the quote. The Beluga, for example, excludes chef and meals on overnight charters, so catering is arranged and priced separately, and a full-day lunch inclusion does not carry over to a multi-day booking. Water and soft drinks are on every boat. Ask for the meal plan line by line before you pay the deposit.

Do I need a dive certification?

Not for snorkelling, which is what most private groups do. Scuba diving needs certified divers and is not automatically part of a yacht charter: dive equipment and an instructor are confirmed separately, and a dive liveaboard is the format built around diving. Tell the team which you want when you enquire, so the right boat and the right extras go into the quote.

Is it worth going to the Similan Islands?

If you have two days in the dry season and the point of the trip is snorkelling or diving with the night at sea, yes. If you have one day, choose a full-day trip from Phuket instead; the Similans do not fit into one day by yacht. Nothing underwater is guaranteed, so go for the islands and the time on board, not for a promised sighting.

Is Similan better than Phi Phi?

They are different trips. Phi Phi Island is a full day from Chalong Pier; the Similans need two days and a date inside the park season. If the park is closed, Phi Phi or Phang Nga Bay is the alternative; if it is open and you have the days, the Similans are the further trip with the night on board. Horizon Cruises Phuket runs both, so the choice is yours.

Is a day trip to the Similans possible from Phuket?

Not by yacht: from Phuket, Horizon plans the Similan route over two days with the night on board. A day trip is a mainland format, a private speedboat or a shared seat from the piers near Khao Lak with a road transfer from Phuket first, with a tour guide and a standard island tour. Say which format you want when you ask for a quote.

What happens if the weather is bad?

The captain decides. Park rangers control access even in high season and can close the islands on the day; the captain checks the marine forecast with you before departure and changes the plan if the crossing is not safe. Build a weather allowance into the itinerary rather than booking the last possible day before a flight.