Similan Islands: Liveaboard vs Day Trip – Which to Book?
Quick Answer: A Similan Islands day trip takes 7 to 10 hours, focusing on snorkeling, beach relaxation, and sightseeing with no diving certification required. In contrast, a Similan liveaboard spans 3 to 5 days, catering to certified scuba divers seeking multiple dives at remote northern sites like Koh Bon and Richelieu Rock. Note that overnight stays on the islands themselves are strictly prohibited—all overnight guests sleep aboard dive boats.
What Is a Similan Islands Liveaboard?
A liveaboard is a dive boat you sleep on. Trips typically run two to five nights out of Thap Lamu pier near Khao Lak, with three to four dives a day and ten to twelve dives across a standard four-night trip. You eat, sleep and surface-interval on board, and the boat moves between sites overnight.
The reason serious divers book them is reach. Day boats work the main Similan chain; liveaboards continue north to Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock – the manta and whale shark sites, and the ones consistently rated Thailand’s best diving. No day trip from Phuket or Khao Lak gets to them.
The requirements are real, though. Most operators want an Open Water certification as a minimum, and several of the northern sites have currents that make an Advanced ticket or logged experience the practical entry point. Non-divers can sometimes come along as snorkellers on a partner’s booking, but they are paying dive-boat prices for a snorkel, which rarely makes sense.
While Oh-hoo currently focuses on day trips and does not offer liveaboard bookings directly, feel free to reach out to our team for advice or stay tuned as we expand our ocean experiences in the future.
What a Similan Day Trip Looks Like
A typical Similan day trip runs as a smooth, chronological journey: you board a speed catamaran from the mainland pier, head straight to open-water snorkel spots like Ko Pa Yu or Bangu Island, step ashore at Ko Miang for a Thai buffet lunch, and finish with a hike up to the iconic Sailing Rock viewpoint on Similan Island before taking the high-speed boat transfer back.
Our full day trip walkthrough covers the programme stop by stop, what the snorkelling is like at each one, and what to bring.
Liveaboard vs Day Trip at a Glance
The two trips overlap on the map and almost nowhere else. Set side by side, the differences are less about quality than about what each one is built to do.
| Feature / Aspect | Similan Day Trip | Similan Day Trip |
| Time needed | 7-10 hours, one day | 3-5 days, 2-4 nights |
| Best for | Snorkellers, families, first visits, tight schedules | Certified divers wanting volume and remote sites |
| Diving or snorkelling | Snorkelling from the boat | Scuba, 3-4 dives a day |
| Certification | None needed | Open Water minimum, Advanced preferred for northern sites |
| Where you sleep | Your hotel in Phuket or Khao Lak | On the boat |
| Seasickness | 1-1.5 hours each way, calm season crossings | Multiple days at sea, including overnight moves |
| Budget | Moderate, plus the park fee | Typically several times the cost of a day trip |
| Booking lead time | Days to a week in season | Weeks to months for good boats |
Read down the table and the pattern is clear enough: the liveaboard wins on diving and loses. That is not a criticism of either trip – it is the reason both exist, and the reason the right choice depends almost entirely on whether you dive.
Choose a Liveaboard If…
- You are a certified diver.
- You have three days or more to give it. A liveaboard is not something you slot into a beach holiday.
- The northern sites are the point. Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock are the reason liveaboards exist here, and no day boat reaches them.
- You want dive volume. Ten to twelve dives in four days is a different experience from two dives in one.
- You are comfortable living on a boat – shared cabins, limited space, and no stepping off when you have had enough.
- You can book well ahead. The good boats fill months in advance for the best weeks of the season.
Choose a Day Trip If…
- You snorkel rather than dive, or you dive but have not brought your certification.
- You are travelling with children or with people who will not be getting in the water at all. Ages from two are accepted on the Phuket trip.
- You have one day. The Similans are entirely doable as a single long day from either base.
- You want to stand on the islands. Liveaboards are about what is underwater; day trips include beach time and the Sailing Rock viewpoint, which is the photograph everyone comes back with.
- Budget matters. A day trip is a fraction of a liveaboard and includes lunch, gear and transfers.
For most travellers, this is the honest answer, and the Similan Islands Snorkeling Day Trip From Phuket is the standard version of it – ten hours door to door, hotel pickup across Phuket, all four stops, gear and lunch included, with a maximum of thirty people on the boat.
From Phuket or Khao Lak?
Both trips leave from the same place. Thap Lamu pier sits in Phang Nga, north of Phuket and just south of Khao Lak, which makes the difference entirely about how far you travel to reach it.
From Khao Lak, the pier is closed, so the day is around seven hours, and the pickup is civilised. From Phuket, the boat is identical, but the road adds time at both ends – a ten-hour day and an early alarm. Neither is worse on the water; you are choosing how much of the day is spent in a minibus.
If you are based in Khao Lak, the Similan Islands Tour From Khao Lak is the shorter version of the same trip, and our guide to the area covers what else is worth a day there. If the Similans are not a fixed decision yet, our comparison with the Surin Islands sets the two marine parks side by side.
One practical note either way: the crossing is open water in a speedboat. If you are prone to seasickness, our guide to preventing motion sickness is worth reading before the morning of, not on the boat.
Season, Fees and Park Rules
Mu Ko Similan National Park is closed for roughly five months a year, and the rules around it are stricter than most visitors expect. Everything below is as of 2026, from the Department of National Parks.
- Season (15 Oct – 15 May): The park is open 7 months a year. Book early in your trip to allow buffer days in case rough seas cancel departure.
- No Island Overnighting: Island bungalows and campsites are permanently closed. The only way to sleep overnight in the area is aboard a liveaboard.
- Exclusive Dive Sites: Remote sites like Ko Tachai (beach closed) and Richelieu Rock are accessible primarily via liveaboards, making them key for dedicated divers.
- Park Fees & Daily Limits: A 500 THB entry fee applies to foreign adults (paid separately on arrival). Day trips strictly operate within the 08:00–16:00 visitor window under daily visitor quotas.
FAQ
No. Camping and park accommodation on the islands have both been discontinued, and day boats have to leave by 16:00. The only way to spend a night in the area is aboard a liveaboard moored offshore.
For the diving, yes – Open Water as a minimum, with Advanced or logged experience preferred for the stronger currents at the northern sites. Some boats accept non-diving companions, but they pay dive prices.
Around 60 to 90 minutes each way by speedboat from Thap Lamu pier. The total day is about seven hours from Khao Lak and ten from Phuket, with the difference being road transfer rather than sea time.
Sometimes, as a snorkelling companion on a partner’s booking. It is rarely good value, and the itinerary is built entirely around dive sites rather than beaches or viewpoints.
Is a Similan Day Trip Right for You?
The decision ultimately comes down to your time and diving background. If you are a certified diver with 3 to 5 days to spare, a liveaboard is well worth it for the extra underwater hours.
However, if you don’t dive or are on a tighter itinerary, a day trip delivers incredible value. In just one day, you get the full Similan experience: snorkeling crystal-clear waters, visiting white-sand beaches, and climbing to the iconic Sailing Rock viewpoint all without the commitment or cost of a multi-day liveaboard.
With the park opening again on 15 October, the Similan Islands Snorkeling Day Trip From Phuket is the version most visitors want – four stops, gear and lunch included, hotel pickup handled, and you sleep in your own bed at the end of it.