Surin Islands (Mu Ko Surin): planning a trip that only works half the year

Horizon Cruises Phuket books the Surin Islands only as a long charter of about a week, with the nights spent on board tied to the park's mooring buoys, never at anchor. From Ao Po Grand Marina the run is about 163 km one way, even a speedboat needs three to four hours, and the Similan Islands, 88 km short of Surin, are the natural stop on the way north. Message us on WhatsApp to start planning a northern charter.

Mu Ko Surin is a five-island national park 185 km north-west of Chalong Pier, close to the Myanmar border. It is closed from 15 May to 15 October each year and reopens on 15 October 2026 for the 2026/27 season. The park fee is paid per person on arrival unless the yacht's page lists it in the rate. From Phuket this is not a day trip: it is a multi-day charter, a speedboat from Khura Buri on the mainland, or a dive liveaboard.

Are the Surin Islands open right now?

Not on 27 September 2026. The park closes for the south-west monsoon from 15 May to 15 October and reopens on 15 October 2026; the season then runs to 10 May 2027. Nothing inside the park operates during the closure — no landings, no camping, no dive boats.

That calendar is the single most important fact about the place, and it is why a Surin trip is planned months rather than days ahead. The Similan Islands close on the same rhythm, so a monsoon-season plan that swaps one for the other does not work either.

Which islands are in the park, and where is Richelieu Rock?

Five: Ko Surin Nua, Ko Surin Tai, Ko Ri (Ko Stok), Ko Pachumba and Ko Kai (Ko Torinla). Richelieu Rock is also part of the park — a single limestone pinnacle in open sea about 18 km east of Ko Surin Tai, rising from a sandy bottom at 35 m and breaking the surface only at low tide.

Surin Nua and Surin Tai are the two big islands, separated by a shallow channel. The park headquarters, the bays used for anchoring and the campsites are on Surin Nua; the Moken village is on Surin Tai. Richelieu has no land at all, which is why it is reached by liveaboard or fast boat and why it is a diving site rather than a beach stop. February to April gives the best chance of whale sharks there.

Surin Islands in numbers

Surin Islands in numbers

Names	Surin Islands, Mu Ko Surin / หมู่เกาะสุรินทร์ / острова Сурин
Province	Phang Nga
National park	Mu Ko Surin National Park (five islands plus Richelieu Rock)
Coordinates	9.4167 / 97.8667
Park fee	per person on arrival, children at a reduced rate (DNP schedule)
Season	closed 15 May – 15 October; 2026/27 season 15 October 2026 – 10 May 2027
From Chalong Pier	about 185 km (100 nm) straight line
From Ao Po Grand Marina	about 163 km (88 nm) straight line
Landing	tender onto beaches; the park headquarters is on Ko Surin Nua
Staying over	on a charter — aboard, tied to the park buoys; ashore — park campsites: Ao Chong Khard 15 October – 30 November, Ao Mai Ngam 1 December – 15 May; 70 tents for hire
Booking	the DNP online system was down through the 2026 season — book with the park directly
Richelieu Rock	about 18 km east of Ko Surin Tai; whale sharks most likely February to April

Checked: 27.09.2026 · thainationalparks.com and DNP announcements (season, fee, islands, campsites), Wikipedia and dive operators (Richelieu Rock position), coordinates — Wikidata.

Surin Islands or Surin Beach — which Surin?

Two completely different places 180 km apart. Surin Beach is on Phuket's west coast, 20 minutes from Bang Tao, and appears in our price list as a half-day beach run. The Surin Islands are a national park near the Myanmar border, reachable only on a multi-day trip.

If a booking says "Surin" and the hours are four or seven, it means the beach on Phuket. The islands do not fit in a day from Phuket in any format we sell.

How do you actually get to Mu Ko Surin?

Three ways, and only one of them starts in Phuket. A multi-day charter from Phuket covers 163–185 km each way; a speedboat from Khura Buri pier on the mainland is the standard day-trip route; a dive liveaboard includes Richelieu Rock on its itinerary.

The distance is the whole problem with the first option. Even a speedboat needs about three to four hours one way, and a motor yacht at cruising speed needs most of a day, which is why Surin appears in our price list as a supplement on longer charters rather than as a route on its own:

How do you actually get to Mu Ko Surin?

Boat	Guests	How Surin appears in the price list
Bertram 50 ft, motor yacht from Chalong	13 by day, 6 overnight	Surin supplement +119,000 THB on top of the day rate (Similan +91,000 THB)
Azimut Atlantis 50 ft, motor yacht from Chalong	11	Surin supplement +139,000 THB; this boat runs day charters only, with no overnight
Song of Songs, 139 ft motor yacht from Ao Po	20	Surin Islands listed among the destinations for overnight charters

The Moken village on Ko Surin Tai

There is a Moken community on Ko Surin Tai, and visiting it is part of most park itineraries. The Moken traditionally spend half the year on boats and build houses on the Surin beaches for the rainy season.

Treat it as someone's home rather than an attraction: ask before photographing people, buy something if you want to give support, and do not hand out money or sweets to children. One spelling on this page throughout — Moken (มอแกน) — because the community is also written as "sea gypsies" and "Chao Le" elsewhere, and those are not the name it uses for itself.

Surin or Similan — which northern park?

Similan if you want the shorter run and a park that is easier to reach; Surin if you want to sleep inside the park and to dive Richelieu Rock. Both close for the same five months, and both charge a per-person park fee.

Surin or Similan — which northern park?

	Surin Islands	Similan Islands
From Chalong Pier	about 185 km (100 nm)	about 121 km (65 nm)
From Ao Po Grand Marina	about 163 km (88 nm)	about 110 km (59 nm)
Season	15 October – 15 May (2026/27: to 10 May 2027)	15 October – 15 May
Fee	per person, children at a reduced rate	per person, children at a reduced rate
Staying inside the park	park campsites, 70 tents for hire	not possible — camping ended and there is no park accommodation
Food ashore	limited, at the park headquarters	one restaurant on Ko Miang, 08:00–14:00
Signature site	Richelieu Rock, 18 km east of Ko Surin Tai	the granite boulder scenery and Ko Miang
In our price list	supplement from 111,000 THB	supplement from 85,000 THB

The two parks are 88 km apart, which is why a multi-day charter that reaches Surin usually takes in the Similans on the way.

What our captains know

Surin is a long-charter destination, not a trip. Which boat can go depends on the boat, but in practice the north is booked as a week-long charter — nobody runs it as a two-day dash.

We stop at the Similans on the way. They are on the line north and they break up a leg that is otherwise all open water.

We sleep aboard. The park's tents are an option for people arriving by other means; a charter spends its nights on the boat.

On Surin we tie to the buoys — we never drop the anchor. Anchoring is prohibited in the national parks, Surin and Similan alike, and everywhere else with coral: the anchor breaks the reef. There are buoys at the Racha Yai and Racha Noi dive sites for the same reason.

We have run Richelieu Rock, for diving. It is the reason experienced divers ask for the northern charter in the first place.

Can you stay overnight in the park?

Yes, in park campsites, and the season splits them: Ao Chong Khard is open from 15 October to 30 November, Ao Mai Ngam from 1 December to 15 May. The park has 70 tents for rent.

Booking is the awkward part: the DNP's online system was out for a prolonged period through the 2026 season, so arrangements are made with the park directly by phone. There are no hotels and no private resorts inside the park. A charter sleeps aboard, tied to a park mooring buoy — anchoring is prohibited here, so "spending the night in a bay" means on a buoy, not on the ground tackle.

Frequently asked questions

When do the Surin Islands open in 2026?

On 15 October 2026. The park closes every year from 15 May to 15 October for the south-west monsoon, and the 2026/27 season runs until 10 May 2027.

How much is the Surin Islands entrance fee?

It is paid on arrival, per person, with children at a reduced rate, per the Department of National Parks schedule; the park revises its rates from time to time, so we confirm the current figure with your quote. Camping is charged separately.

Can you visit the Surin Islands in a day from Phuket?

No. It is 163–185 km one way from Phuket's marinas — three to four hours each way even by speedboat. Day trips to Surin start from Khura Buri pier on the mainland, not from Phuket.

Is Richelieu Rock part of the Surin Islands?

Yes. It is a lone limestone pinnacle in the park, about 18 km east of Ko Surin Tai, with no land around it. It is reached by liveaboard or fast boat, and whale sharks are most likely between February and April.

Are the Surin Islands the same as Surin Beach in Phuket?

No — they are 180 km apart. Surin Beach is on Phuket's west coast and appears in half-day charter routes; the Surin Islands are a national park near the Myanmar border.

Can you visit the Moken village?

Yes, the village on Ko Surin Tai is part of most park itineraries. It is a living community, so ask before taking photographs of people and do not give money or sweets to children.

Which boats can take us to the Surin Islands?

Boats that sleep guests on board and list the route. On the price list the Bertram 50ft from Chalong Pier, 13 guests by day and 6 overnight, carries Surin as a supplement to its day rate, which starts from ฿60,000 for eight guests; the Song of Songs, 139 ft, from Ao Po for 20 guests by day and 12 overnight, names the Surin Islands among its overnight destinations. The right boat for your dates is confirmed before booking.

How many days do we need for a Surin Islands charter?

Plan on a week-long charter. Nobody runs Surin as a two-day dash: a motor yacht at cruising speed needs most of a full day for the northern leg alone, the Similans are taken in on the way, and Richelieu Rock is usually the reason divers ask for the trip at all. The exact number of days depends on the yacht and is agreed with you when the charter is planned.

Do we sleep on the boat or in the park's tents?

On the boat. A charter spends its nights aboard, tied to a park mooring buoy, because anchoring on coral is prohibited in the Surin and Similan parks and the captains use the buoys at every reef. The park's campsites, Ao Chong Khard until the end of November and Ao Mai Ngam from 1 December, are for visitors who arrive by other means, and there are no hotels or resorts inside the park.

Is the Surin park open over Christmas and New Year?

Yes. The season runs from the mid-October reopening to 10 May 2027, so the whole high season, Christmas and New Year included, falls inside it. Those weeks fall within the peak period on most yachts' pages, and the exact peak dates differ by boat. Because a Surin trip is planned months rather than days ahead, the earlier you write the better.