We love Thailand and like every other tourist, we headed to Phuket for some fun in the sun. We enjoyed the ‘culture’ of Bangla Road, the ‘beauty’ of Patong Beach and the ‘authentic Thai food’ in a Pizza Hut. But that’s not to say we didn’t take many Phuket day trips.
During our stay however, we did want to see some of the more beautiful places the South of Thailand has to offer and enjoyed the best things to do in Phuket. We booked various tours during our stay and here are the best day trips you need to make during your next visit. If you are visiting any of the islands in Thailand, don’t forget to find yourself the best Dive Liveaboard experience that suits your needs and budget.
You can look and book online before heading to Phuket but I would highly recommend waiting until you arrive. Book a place on a tour past 5pm the day before you want to take the tour. By doing this you can get a great deal and haggle to get half price tickets. You can also keep an eye on the weather too!
Phi Phi Islands
Comprised of 6 small islands and around 45 minute from Phuket via speedboat, Phi Phi is a popular choice for tourists to explore, sightsee, snorkel or scuba dive. Some companies even offer just half a day trip if you’re short on time or you can opt for tours that visit neighbouring Khai Island, Bamboo Island or Yao Yai Island.
Most tours including snorkelling with some even offering scuba equipment. There are lots of different caves and beaches on these islands so have a browse and choose a tour that suits your needs. This trip should definitely be part of your Phuket Itinerary.
Half day tours should cost around £40/$50 whilst full day tours start at around £60/$80 but can be bargained down to the £40/$50 price.
Phang Nga Bay
This bay consists of 42 islands, meaning your tour company can easily find a empty beach for you to relax, swim and have lunch on. This was our favourite tour.
If you like a bit of adventure, this is the Phuket Day trip for you. Tours to the Bay often include kayaking, canoeing, snorkelling and jet boating. Trips cost around £40/$50 but by booking in the late afternoon the day before, we got tickets for £30/$37 each.
The most famous island in Phang Nga Bay is the James Bond Island, named after its appearance in The Man with the Golden Gun.
Similan Islands
If you’re looking for some snorkelling or scuba diving, this is the island to visit.
Similan is world renowned for its tropical fish, coral species and rays. Day trips often include three dive stops whilst overnight trips are available for those with scuba diving experience.
Day trips start at £100/$125 with scuba diving included but book these trips in advance during peak season. PADI courses are also available.
Maiton Island
This is a quieter, more idyllic island to visit. Trips often include snorkelling, relaxing on the beach and having a BBQ or buffet style lunch on the beach itself. Prices start at £60/$80.
You can opt for a day trip or even stay the night in one of the handful of resorts on the island.
These are just a few of the beautiful islands that you can take a day trip to from Phuket. We would love to hear your experiences of Thailand in the comments below. Don’t forget to check out Patong Town as well.
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Phi Phi has been on my bucket list for 28 years and I am really hoping to go this year! Thanks for the tip – saving money by waiting to book the tours sounds like a great idea! Pinning and sharing!
I couldn’t choose between these islands, they all sound and look incredible! 🙂
Nice post, Katie. I love Phuket – I worked there back in 2002. Some of the day trips available around Phuket are well worth visiting. My wife is Thai and she has a cousin who lives in Koh Phi Phi, last year (July) we spent some time on Koh Phi Phi. Joy (my wife’s cousin) is married to a Phi Phi longtail taxiboat captain (Bao) and he took us snorkeling around the islands. We had a great time and your post brought back memories. Thanks for sharing!
Great post Katie!
Thanks for linking to my guide to Phi Phi day trips.
Thank you for writing such an awesome guide! 🙂
A must go place. We will be travelling in coming January and I cannot wait after reading this article…
I don’t know much about Phuket, but enjoyed all your tips! I would love to relax at one of the empty beaches on Phang Nga Bay or snorkel at the Sicilian Islands. Maiton Island sounds peaceful and the perfect spot to stay over night at one of the resorts. Now I need to book a trip.
Definitely worth a visit! Book that trip for November – April to avoid the Monsoon season!
The last time I was in Thailand, we went to Phi Phi. We were supposed to just stay there for a night but ended up staying for 4 days. We absolutely loved it! The laidback and holiday vibe of the whole island. Now that I’m older though, I don’t think I’d like to stay there again. But I’m glad that I did visit it when I was younger. :p
aww hope you had a lovely time! Phi Phi really is a beautiful place, I can definitely see why you would want to stay there for longer!
Phuket must seem so boring to you guys after visiting Bora Bora! I was in Phuket for 3 months at one of the Thai boxing camps, it was hard work but worth it for the weight loss results and six pack. If you guys are into weight loss you should try the Thai boxing! I was able to take a tour each Sunday too on the day off. Similan Islands was my fav!
These islands look amazing and it sounds like you had a great time exploring. Your photos are lovely. I would’ve loved to go snorkeling on Phi Phi islands too!
This is an awesome guide! I didn’t’ spend too much time in Phuket because I was eager to get to some of the other islands but I can see now, from your post, that I need to go back so I can take some of these amazing day trips! The Similan islands islands look beautiful!
Yeah there are so many gorgeous islands around! Lots of scuba diving options too!
We decided not to stay in Phuket but chose the smaller, quieter island of Koh Jum instead. The Thai islands are hard to beat and maybe next time I’ll head to some of the ones you mentioned here. Thanks for sharing!
oh will definitely check out Koh Jum next time we are there!
Thailand has been on my bucket list for quite a while:) And Phuket will definitely feature, thanks for sharing 🙂
Ahh I have been dying to hear about what we can do in terms of boat trips from Phuket!! I cannot wait to get out to the island and your pictures have got me super excited to get back to Thailand!!
Hey! Loved the mention of the James Bond island!
Fascinating to know how directors plan their shooting in various gems of the world to get audience hooked on to their movies!
This part of Thailand is on my bucket list. The islands are really beautiful! this is indeed an awesome guide. Thanks for sharing!
This is absolutely inspiring! I’m contemplating Thailand for my New Year’s trip and this is information is definitely selling me on the destination 🙂 #excited!
Hey I love this post, going to Phuket in November 16th-29th with my boyfriend, we want romance but a lot of adventures. I love this post, but I do have a query, we’re looking at booking hotels now but what if we are staying in patong but want to stay on an island during a tour? Is that just more money on top to stay elsewhere as well as returning back to the hotel we’re staying at, don’t know how to go about hotels whether to book for the 2 weeks or book a few days then the rest we just see when we’re out there, any advice?