Short answer
There is no single best boat tour from Phuket; the best one depends on your dates and what you want to see. Phi Phi is from $75 per person and is the beach and snorkelling day. James Bond Island is from $85 and is the scenery and canoe day, with the park fee included. The Similan Islands are from $105 and are the clearest-water day, open only from 15 October to 14 May and about 12 to 13 hours door to door.
The three days side by side
Our Phi Phi speedboat day is from $75 per person: about 8.5 hours, hotel pickup in Phuket between about 7:00 and 8:30 am, the boat from Royal Phuket Marina at about 9:30 and back at about 5:30 to 6 pm. Our James Bond Island day is from $85: about 8.5 hours on the water and around 10 hours door to door, pickup between about 7:00 and 8:00 am, the boat from Laem Nga pier on Koh Siray at about 9:00 and back at the pier at about 5:00 pm.
Our Similan Islands day is from $105 per person and is the long one: 12 to 13 hours door to door, pickup in Phuket between about 5:30 and 7:30 am or in Khao Lak, the boat from Thap Lamu pier in Khao Lak at about 9:00, back at the pier at about 4:30 pm and at Phuket hotels at about 6 to 7 pm. It runs only from 15 October to 14 May. All three are shared speedboat days with up to 35 guests and an English-speaking guide.
Phi Phi: beaches, snorkelling and Maya Bay on foot
Wikipedia describes the Phi Phi Islands as six islands about 46 kilometres south-east of Phuket, inside Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park. The Department of National Parks names Maya Bay among the park's main attractions in its October 2026 statement opening the Andaman season. On our day you walk to Maya Bay on a boardwalk, swim in Pileh Lagoon and at Bamboo Island, stop at Monkey Beach, see Viking Cave from the boat and have lunch on Phi Phi Don.
Swimming in Maya Bay is not allowed, and from 1 August to 30 September the bay is closed, so on those dates it is seen from the boat only. The park fee is not in the dollar price: on our tour it is 400 baht per adult and 200 per child, paid in cash. Read our Maya Bay rules guide for the rules and our price guide for the costs.
James Bond Island and Phang Nga Bay: limestone towers, caves and a canoe
Wikipedia says Ao Phang Nga National Park was established by royal decree on 29 April 1981, covers about 400 square kilometres and protects the largest expanse of native mangrove forest remaining in Thailand. The Department of National Parks names Khao Tapu and Ko Panyi as its highlights. Khao Phing Kan, called James Bond Island since the 1974 film The Man with the Golden Gun, faces a 20-metre limestone islet, Ko Tapu, about 40 metres offshore.
Our day adds a sea canoe at Hong Island, where a professional paddler does the work and you need no experience, lunch at the stilt village of Koh Panyee, and a swim and snorkel at Khai Island. Wikipedia says boats have not been allowed to approach Ko Tapu closely since 1998, so Ko Tapu is seen from a distance. The national park fee is included in the price. Our Phi Phi or James Bond Island guide compares the two in detail.
The Similan Islands: the clearest water and the longest day
Wikipedia describes the Similans as an archipelago of 11 islands about 70 kilometres off the coast of Phang Nga Province, made a national park in 1982. The park closes for the monsoon: Pattaya Mail reported that the 2026 to 2027 season opened on 15 October 2026 after a closure from 16 May to 14 October, and counted 1,409 visitors on the first day. The Department of National Parks set a limit of 3,850 visitors a day when it reopened the park in October 2021.
Our day snorkels at Koh Bangu, lands at Donald Duck Bay with the walk to Sail Rock, snorkels at Koh Payu and walks or swims at Koh Miang. From Thap Lamu pier the first snorkelling stop is about an hour and a quarter away on our tour, while Pattaya Mail puts boat journeys from the pier at about 90 minutes. A passport copy for every guest must reach us by email no later than the day before the tour. Our Similan season guide has the dates and rules.
Park fees and extras compared
On our Similan and James Bond Island days the national park fee is included in the price. On the Phi Phi day it is not: 400 baht per adult and 200 per child, paid in cash on the tour. We give that as what the operator collects, because we could not confirm a current official rate in October 2026. So compare totals, not headline prices, when you set the three days against each other or against another company's offer.
Other extras are few. On the Similan day, transfers from Ao Po, Cape Panwa, Nai Harn, Nai Thon and Rawai cost 200 baht per person extra, paid in cash, while hotel transfer from most other areas of Phuket and Khao Lak is included. Lunch is included on all three days. Towels are not included on any of them, so bring your own with swimwear, sunscreen and a dry bag for your phone.
Season and sea: which days are open when
From 15 October to 14 May all three days run on our tours. From mid-May to mid-October the Similan Islands are closed, which leaves Phi Phi and Phang Nga Bay. In August and September Maya Bay is closed to visitors, and the Phi Phi day sees it from the boat only; our August and September guide explains the rest. The details we hold for the James Bond Island day list no closed season.
The sea matters on all three, because they are speedboat days in the open Andaman Sea. Asia News Network reported that a Thai Meteorological Department forecast of 25 August 2026 expected waves of 2 to 3 metres in the upper Andaman Sea under a strong southwest monsoon, and advised small boats there to stay ashore. If the sea is unsafe, the operator, or the park in the case of the Similans, moves the trip to another date or refunds it.
Who each day suits, and who should skip it
None of the three is for pregnant women, infants under 1 year or guests over 70: that limit appears in the details of all three tours, and our guide to boat tours over 70 covers the options for older travellers. The James Bond Island day takes children from 1 year old, with a canoe that is paddled for them and calm beach stops. The Similan day is a long day on a fast boat in the open sea, with a pickup as early as 5:30 am, so it asks most of small children and of guests who get seasick.
Phi Phi suits swimmers and snorkellers who want the famous beach, though the speedboat ride can be bumpy and guests with back problems should consider a bigger boat. James Bond Island suits people who prefer scenery to swimming. The Similans suit snorkellers who want the clearest water: our operator rates the water and reefs there as the best in the area, but turtles are wild animals and nobody can guarantee them.
If you have one day, and if you have two
With one day, choose by month and by taste. From 15 October to 14 May the Similans are the answer if clear water and snorkelling matter most and you can manage the early start; Phi Phi if you want beaches and Maya Bay on foot; James Bond Island if you want scenery and a canoe. From mid-May to mid-October, the choice is between Phi Phi and James Bond Island, and our comparison guide goes through it.
With two days, the classic pair is Phi Phi and James Bond Island: beaches and snorkelling one day, limestone towers and caves the next. In season, replace one of them with the Similans if clear water is your priority, and read Similan or Phi Phi for that choice. Send us your dates and your hotel on WhatsApp and we will say which of the three fits your days.
Practical checklist
- Pick the month first: the Similans open only from 15 October to 14 May, and Maya Bay is closed from 1 August to 30 September.
- Compare totals, not headline prices: on the Phi Phi day the park fee is paid in cash on top.
- For the Similans, send a passport copy for every guest the day before and allow for a pickup as early as 5:30 am.
- Check that nobody in your group is pregnant, under 1 year old or over 70.
- Take seasickness tablets on any of the three days if you need them.
- Send your dates and hotel on WhatsApp to get the pickup time and the total before you pay.
Questions and answers
Which boat tour from Phuket is the cheapest?
On our tours Phi Phi is the lowest at from $75 per person, then James Bond Island from $85 and the Similans from $105. The Phi Phi park fee is paid in cash on top, while it is included on the other two.
Which boat tour has the clearest water?
Our operator rates the Similan Islands as having the best water and reefs in the area, and it is the farthest and longest day. Nobody can promise turtles or visibility; the sea decides on the day.
Which boat tour is best with children?
James Bond Island takes children from 1 year old, and the canoe is paddled for you. Phi Phi also takes children from 1 year, but the speedboat can be bumpy, and the Similan day is long. Infants under 1 year cannot join any of the three.
Which tours include the national park fee?
The James Bond Island and Similan Islands days include it. On the Phi Phi day it is paid in cash on the tour, 400 baht per adult and 200 per child, as collected by the operator.
Can you visit the Similan Islands in the monsoon?
No. The park closes for the monsoon from mid-May to mid-October, and our Similan tour runs from 15 October to 14 May. In those months choose Phi Phi or Phang Nga Bay.
How early is the pickup for each tour?
Phi Phi between about 7:00 and 8:30 am, James Bond Island between about 7:00 and 8:00 am, and the Similans between about 5:30 and 7:30 am from Phuket. Khao Lak hotels are picked up later for the Similans.