Private sunset cruise in Phuket: boats, route and price for the whole boat

A sunset cruise in Phuket, Thailand, with Horizon Cruises Phuket is two hours on a private yacht in the early evening, on any of the around 80 boats in the catalogue, from ฿28,900 for the whole boat with captain and crew, for two to forty guests, from Chalong Pier, Ao Po Grand Marina, Boat Lagoon and Royal Phuket Marina. It is the shortest format Horizon Cruises Phuket offers. Send the date and head count on WhatsApp.

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What is a sunset cruise in Phuket?

Out of the marina, into the nearest bays, the light going, and back after dark: no islands to reach, no lunch, no programme beyond the sunset itself. Departure is about an hour and a half before a Phuket sunset, which falls around 18:15 in December and roughly half an hour later in June. The boat stays close, in the bays within a few kilometres of the departure marina, so most of the two hours pass at slow speed or at anchor, with drinks on deck through the golden hour and the crew handling everything else. The sun goes down over the Andaman Sea to the west, and the crew positions the boat so you are watching the sunset over open water, not behind the island.

Who is it for?

• Couples, including a proposal. Two people on an 80-foot yacht is not too much boat; it is the point.
• Small groups of ten or twelve who want the evening, not the day.
• Guests attaching an evening to a conference or a wedding: a short charter fits after the working day.
• Anyone testing whether a full day on the water is for them. Two hours answers the question.

It is not the format for reaching islands, for snorkelling, since the light is going, or for groups that want a meal aboard: two hours is a drinks charter, not a dinner one, unless dinner is arranged in advance.

Which boats run sunset cruises in Phuket?

Any boat in the catalogue; the two-hour format runs across it, from a speedboat to a luxury yacht. Boats Horizon Cruises Phuket offers for a sunset cruise, with a starting price for each boat; the two-hour rate itself is quoted per boat and date:

Our three yachts, Say Yes and Sofia from Chalong and Beluga 88 from Ao Po, take the largest evening groups. From Chalong the evening goes along the southern coast; from Ao Po, into the calm water of Phang Nga Bay among the limestone islands; Boat Lagoon and Royal Phuket Marina sit on the east coast and share a tidal channel. For a couple, a small motor yacht, a speedboat or a sailing catamaran does the same evening at a lower rate than the big boats, and the same two hours run across the luxury yacht charter in Phuket range, each with full crew.

What is included?

Captain and crew, fuel for the route, passenger insurance, water, soft drinks and ice, towels, and a final price in Thai baht. On most boats the hotel transfer is not part of a sunset charter, so you make your way to the marina yourselves and we send the pin and the time; the yacht's page says whether its rate includes the transfer. Alcohol, canapés or a dinner are arranged in advance and quoted separately; the full list is on the what's included page.

How much does a sunset cruise in Phuket cost?

Price on request, always: a sunset charter is priced per boat and per date rather than from a table, and the figures above are each boat's published starting price, not a sunset rate. It is priced per boat, not per guest: the rate covers the group up to the headcount shown on each yacht's page. Send the date and the number of guests on WhatsApp: within ten minutes, at any hour of the day, you get the boats that are free with a final figure. Most boats take a 50% deposit with the balance before departure; some boats are paid in full at booking; late cancellation is non-refundable; the exact terms are on each card and the terms page. The yacht charter prices in Phuket page shows what a full day costs by boat type.

When is it available, and when is the best time of year?

Every month of the 2026/27 season except the peak weeks around the New Year: then the boats run full days only and the two-hour format is not offered, and the peak dates differ by boat and are shown on each card. Outside those weeks, any date the boat is free. November to April is the settled season: flat water, a clear horizon, the sun going down into the sea. May to October brings cloud and the occasional evening shower, and the most dramatic skies of the year when the cloud breaks; a dull afternoon can turn into the best evening of the trip. If the Thai Marine Department closes the port, the charter moves to a new date or is refunded in full, your choice. Around public holidays the evening slots fill early: holiday dates.

Sunset itinerary from Phuket, hour by hour

For a sunset at half past six, the evening on any of the boats above looks like this; on other dates the whole timetable shifts with the sunset, and the confirmation carries the pin and the boarding time.

Where the sun sets in Phuket, Thailand: Big Buddha, Wat Chalong and the west coast

Phuket's sunsets are on the west and south of the island, facing the Andaman Sea. On land the classic spots are Promthep Cape at the southern tip, Karon viewpoint and the beaches around Patong, crowded every evening for that reason. From Chalong Pier the boat leaves beneath the Big Buddha on the hill above the bay, near Wat Chalong, the temple on the road to the pier, and heads down the southern coast to where the sun drops into open water. From Ao Po the backdrop is the scenery of Phang Nga Bay, its limestone islands going dark one by one. On the water there is no crowd, no car park and no viewpoint railing between you and the setting sun; the sunset views are panoramic, and the photo opportunities continue on the way back with the coast lit up. Coral Island, Racha and the other day destinations belong to a full-day tour; the evening stays close.

What should I bring?

Very little. A light layer for after dark, because the breeze picks up when the sun is gone. A camera; the phone will do. Anything you want to drink beyond what is aboard, arranged in advance. Shoes come off at the gangway on most boats. Swimwear is optional: the water is warm at sunset, but the light is going and most guests stay on deck.

How do I book?

The date, the number of guests, and whether it is an occasion. Write to us on WhatsApp or through the contacts page; the booking is confirmed by a deposit or, on some boats, by payment in full, and any boat can be viewed before you book, free of charge. Support is in English and Russian, and the catalogue by type is on the boat tours page. Alongside soon after dark, you are early enough for dinner afterwards in Phuket Town or Patong.

For a couple, the sunset charter is one of three formats compared in the article on a honeymoon yacht charter in Phuket, alongside a day at sea and a night in a cabin.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a sunset dinner cruise in Phuket?

Not as a shared boat with a buffet: Horizon Cruises Phuket offers private yachts only. A delicious dinner needs a galley and time, so a sunset dinner cruise is possible when dinner is arranged in advance on a boat with a galley, and it is quoted separately with the boat. On two hours without that arrangement it is drinks and canapés, not a meal.

What do you do on a sunset cruise?

Very little, which is the point. Boarding, a slow boat ride into the nearest bay, drinks on deck, the boat turned to face the setting sun, and the run back along a coast lit up after dark. No snorkelling, no beach, no programme to keep; a day on the water is a different product, and the full-day routes are on the boat tours page.

How long does a sunset cruise last?

Two hours of charter time, from boarding to alongside, with the departure set about an hour and a half before sunset. Some boats also publish a longer sunset format of three or four hours on their page; ask when you book and we will say which fits the date.

What time is sunset in Phuket?

In southern Thailand it moves by about half an hour across the year, earliest in December and latest in June, and it is never far from the end of the working day. The exact time for your date sets the boarding time, which comes with the confirmation.

Is sea canoeing or kayaking included?

No. Canoeing into the Koh Hong lagoon is a daytime stop on a full-day Phang Nga Bay charter from Ao Po, where inflatable canoes are hired on the spot at mid tide; the evening format stays in the bays near the marina and is over after dark. Kayaks carried on board depend on the boat and are listed on its page.

Can we go to James Bond Island at sunset?

From Ao Po Grand Marina the evening goes into the calm water at the edge of the bay. James Bond Island, Khao Phing Kan with the Ko Tapu rock, and Hong Island are day destinations, reached on a full-day charter rather than in two hours; the James Bond Island page explains that day.

Is it worth it, and is it safe?

For couples and small groups it is the simplest way to try a boat before a full day, and the best two hours on the water for the money. Safety is the same as on every charter Horizon Cruises Phuket has run since 2013, more than 2,400 of them: licensed captain, crew, passenger insurance, life jackets aboard, and the port authority's call on the weather.