Similan Islands
Mu Ko Similan National Park; Open Roughly Mid October To Mid May With A Daily Visitor Cap · Thai Mueang, Phang Nga
The Similan Islands are a chain of granite islands in the Andaman Sea, about 60 to 70 kilometres off the coast of Phang Nga province, protected as Mu Ko Similan National Park. The name comes from a Malay word for nine, after the original nine islands, still known by number, and the park now also covers Ko Bon and Ko Tachai further north. Above water they are jungle-topped islands of giant smooth boulders and bays of fine white sand in water of startling clarity; below, they are among the best dive sites in Thailand, with granite swim-throughs, coral gardens, turtles, reef sharks and, at Ko Bon and Ko Tachai, a chance of manta rays. Day visitors come by speedboat from Thap Lamu pier near Khao Lak, about one to one and a half hours each way, while divers stay out for several days on liveaboard boats. The park opens only in the dry season, roughly mid-October to mid-May, with a daily cap on visitors, and overnight stays on the islands have been stopped. Khao Lak, the base, has beaches and memorials to the 2004 tsunami.
Thap Lamu Pier, Lam Kaen, Thai Mueang, Phang Nga, 82210, Thailand
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the park is open only in the dry season, roughly 15 October to 15 May, and completely closed the rest of the year. Day trips leave Thap Lamu from about 8 to 9 am, with hotel pickups from about 7 am, and return by about 4 to 6 pm; the islands close to day visitors in the late afternoon, and overnight stays on land have been stopped in recent seasons, so the last landing is early afternoon. There is no weekly closing day in season. The traps that ruin a day are booking during the monsoon closure, a trip cancelled by rough seas with no spare day, a sold-out daily cap in peak weeks and forgetting cash for the park fee on the morning of the trip. Confirm current times before relying on them.