By Kylian Dev
The 7 best day trips from Khao Lak
Two seasons, two plans: the sea from October to May, the jungle all year.
| Trip | Duration | Typical price | Season | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Similan Islands by speedboat | 9–10 h | 3,000–4,500 THB + 500 THB park fee | 15 Oct–15 May | Snorkelling, first choice |
| Similan dive liveaboard | 3–4 days | On request, varies by boat | 15 Oct–15 May | Certified divers |
| Surin Islands and Moken village | 11–12 h | 3,000–4,000 THB + 500 THB park fee | 15 Oct–15 May | Calm snorkelling, culture |
| Khao Sok and Cheow Lan Lake | 9–10 h | 2,500–4,000 THB + 300 THB park fee | Year-round | Nature, rainy season |
| Phang Nga Bay from Khao Lak | 9–10 h | 2,000–3,000 THB | Year-round | James Bond Island, canoeing |
| Takua Pa and tsunami memorial | Half day | Free to about 1,000 THB (driver) | Year-round | Culture, rest day |
| Waterfalls and rafting | Half day | 1,000–2,000 THB | Jun–Dec, more water | Families, active travellers |
The headline trip
Mid-Oct–mid-MayThe Similans: granite boulders, powder-fine sand and rarely clear water. Two or three snorkelling stops and the view from Sail Rock.
Quieter
Fewer boatsSurin: shallow reefs made for snorkelling, and the village of the Moken sea nomads.
Year-round
The jungleKhao Sok: longtail on Cheow Lan Lake, limestone karsts and old-growth forest, 1 h 15 by road.
No-boat day
CultureTakua Pa old town, then Police Boat 813 and the tsunami museum at Bang Niang.
The Similan Islands from Khao Lak: how does the day work?
Nine granite islands 60 km offshore, in one of the country's most protected national parks.
Pick-up is around 7 am and you board at Thap Lamu pier. The speedboat crossing takes about 1 h 15. A typical tour covers two or three snorkelling stops, lunch and a landing on Koh Similan (Island 8) to climb up to Sail Rock, the islands' famous boulder. Back around 5 pm.
The park caps daily visitor numbers and no longer allows overnight stays on the islands, so a speedboat day trip or a dive liveaboard are the only options. Everything from permits to the best dates is in our Similan Islands guide.
| Speedboat day trip | Dive liveaboard |
|---|---|
| Back in the evening, hotel in Khao Lak | 3 to 4 days on board |
| Snorkelling, try-dives possible | Up to 4 dives a day |
| Nearby, busier sites | Richelieu Rock, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai |
| Ideal for a first visit | Ideal for certified divers |
Surin: why choose the second archipelago?
Further out, quieter, with some of the best-preserved coral on the Andaman Sea.
The Surin Islands lie about 60 km off Khuraburi, 1 h 15 by road north of Khao Lak. The day is longer than for the Similans, but the snorkelling is better for beginners: reefs start a few metres from the sand, in shallow, calm water. Expect a pick-up around 6.30 am and a return in the early evening.
Most tours include a visit to the village of the Moken, a nomadic sea people. Be discreet, ask before taking photos, and buy a piece of craftwork rather than handing out sweets. Surin follows the same calendar as the Similans: open 15 October to 15 May.
Khao Sok from Khao Lak: the year-round trip
The south's oldest forest and a reservoir bristling with karsts, just over an hour's drive away.
From Khao Lak, Khao Sok is a proper day trip, without the six hours of driving it takes from Phuket. The standard tour leaves around 7.30 am for Ratchaprapha pier, then combines a longtail on Cheow Lan Lake, a short hike to a cave and lunch at a floating restaurant. The park fee is 300 THB per adult.
It is the perfect trip from May to October, when the Similans are closed and the jungle looks its best. If you love it, spend a night on a raft house: dawn on the lake, with the gibbons calling, is the best moment. Everything is in Khao Sok.
Phang Nga, Takua Pa and the tsunami: easy days
Trips without a long sea crossing, ideal between two boat days.
Phang Nga Bay also works from Khao Lak, with about 1 h 15 by road to the pier. The programme is the same as from Phuket: canoeing into the caves, James Bond Island and lunch at Koh Panyee. The details are in James Bond Island.
Thirty minutes north, Takua Pa old town lines up Sino-Portuguese shophouses from the tin-mining era. On the way back, stop at Police Boat 813, carried 2 km inland by the 2004 tsunami, and the small museum nearby at Bang Niang. A simple day that gives the place its meaning.
What to skip
Offers to turn down in Khao Lak's agencies.
- Similan trips from Phuket when you sleep in Khao Lak: same boat, three more hours on the road.
- Elephant camps offering rides or bathing: we never recommend them, even those calling themselves 'sanctuaries'.
- 'Similan' tours between mid-May and mid-October: the park is closed.
- Combined Similan and Surin days: too much travel for too little time in the water.
- Monkey shows or photos with wild animals along the Khao Sok road.
How to plan your stay
Khao Lak is best at a slow pace: one trip, one beach day.
- 1Three nights in the dry season: the Similans, a beach day, Khao Sok.
- 2One week: add Surin and a Takua Pa and tsunami day, or a night on Khao Sok lake.
- 3May to October: Khao Sok, Phang Nga and the waterfalls; the open sea is off limits.
- 4With children: Surin rather than the Similans, for its shallow snorkelling.
To choose your beach (Nang Thong, Bang Niang or further north), see where to stay in Khao Lak. Wherever you stay, almost every tour includes hotel pick-up along the whole coast, from Khuk Khak in the north to Nang Thong in the south.
Booking day trips in Khao Lak
Local agencies sell the same boats: what matters is group size and departure time.
Book the Similans a few days ahead in high season, as park quotas limit the places. Online, check that park fees and the transfer from your beach are included, and go for free cancellation: at the start and end of the season, trips can be cancelled because of swell.
Responsible day trips in Khao Lak
Some of the country's most precious reefs, and a forest to protect.
- No elephant riding or bathing: observation only.
- No animal shows and no photos with wild animals.
- No standing on coral, no feeding fish, mineral sunscreen.
- Respect the Moken village: be discreet and ask before any photo.