Similan and Surin Islands
These parks are granite boulders, clear water, and Richelieu Rock liveaboards. Day boats leave Tab Lamu Pier. Sleep in Khao Lak, not Patong.
Mu Ko Similan and Mu Ko Surin are separate national parks in the Andaman, not hotel islands. Both open 15 October to 15 May and close 16 May to 14 October so the reef can rest and so the southwest monsoon does not sink day boats. Foreign adults pay 500 THB at each park, children 250 THB. Divers often pay an extra daily fee. Buy the DNP e-ticket when the desk is live, and still carry cash.
Similan day boats leave Tab Lamu Pier (also written Thap Lamu), south of Khao Lak in Thai Mueang. The run is about 70 km and about 1.5 hours by speedboat. Phuket pickups add a long pre-dawn road. Surin sits farther north. Khuraburi is the usual Surin pier. Richelieu Rock is a Surin pinnacle, not a Similan snorkel stop. If Richelieu is the point, book a liveaboard, not a Donald Duck Bay day boat.
Speedboat day versus liveaboard
A Similan speedboat is a long day: 06:00 hotel call, park landing, snorkel, a beach lunch, back by late afternoon. Boats may land from about 08:00 and must leave by 16:00. Koh Miang and Koh Similan are the usual sand stops.
A liveaboard is the dive product. Three to five nights tie the southern granite (Elephant Head Rock, Christmas Point) to Koh Bon, then Surin and Richelieu Rock. "Similan liveaboard" on a brochure does not always include Richelieu. Read the site list. Sleep in Bang Niang or Nang Thong the night before a Tab Lamu check-in.
| Trip | Who it fits | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Similan speedboat from Tab Lamu | Snorkelers with one spare day | A long sea day. Limited sites. |
| Surin day boat from Khuraburi | Shallow reefs and the Moken village | Farther north. A different pier. |
| Richelieu liveaboard | Certified divers who want the pinnacle | Cost, weather, and a 3-night minimum |
Closed means closed
Anyone selling a July Similan trip is selling a different island or a lie. Early and late season days (late October, early May) still cancel on swell. Keep a spare Khao Lak beach day. Pair this coast with Phuket or Khao Sok, not with Samui.
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Common questions
- Tab Lamu or Khuraburi?
- Tab Lamu for Similan day boats. Khuraburi for most Surin day boats. Khao Lak hotels sit closer to Tab Lamu.
- Can you visit both parks in one day?
- No. They are different piers and different seas. A liveaboard is how divers string them.
- Do you need to sleep in Khao Lak?
- Yes if the boat is why you came. A Phuket hotel adds two hours of dark highway each way.