Short answer
Stay in Khao Lak if the Similan Islands are the reason for your trip, and in Phuket if you want choice, nightlife and other boat days. The Similan boats leave from Thap Lamu pier in Khao Lak, and Wikivoyage puts the centre of Khao Lak 76 km north of Phuket airport. On our Similan day, from $105 per person with the park fee included, Phuket hotels are collected between about 5:30 and 7:30 am and the day is 12 to 13 hours door to door. The islands are open from 15 October to 14 May.
Short answer: Khao Lak for the Similans, Phuket for everything else
Base yourself in Khao Lak if the Similan Islands are the reason for the trip, and in Phuket if you want choice, nightlife and other boat days. Wikivoyage describes Khao Lak as a 20 km strip of coastal resorts in Phang Nga Province, about 100 km north of Phuket Town, whose resorts cater mainly to families and people looking for peace, quiet and nature. It puts the centre of the area 76 km north of Phuket International Airport and 106 km north of Phuket City.
Sources measure from different points, so distances vary. Wikipedia says Khao Lak is approximately 60 km north of Phuket, against Wikivoyage's 76 km from the airport. Either way you leave Phuket's island for the mainland coast of Phang Nga. Wikipedia describes the area as known for tranquil beaches and as a departure point for diving trips to the Similan Islands, and our Phuket to Khao Lak guide covers the transfer.
The Similan day from each: pickups and the clock
The boat leaves from Thap Lamu pier in Khao Lak, so the starting point is the same whichever base you choose; only the road to it differs. On our Similan Islands day, from $105 per person, a minibus collects Phuket hotels between about 5:30 and 7:30 am, and Khao Lak hotels are collected later. The speedboat leaves the pier at about 9:00 am after a light breakfast, and the first snorkelling stop is about an hour and a quarter away, depending on the sea.
The day ends at the pier at about 4:30 pm, and hotels in Phuket are reached at about 6 to 7 pm, which makes it 12 to 13 hours door to door from Phuket. From Khao Lak the day is shorter. Transfers from Ao Po, Cape Panwa, Nai Harn, Nai Thon and Rawai cost 200 baht per person extra, paid in cash. Every guest also needs a passport copy emailed no later than the day before, or the park will not let you land. Our Similan day trip from Khao Lak guide explains why Khao Lak is the shorter way in.
Beaches and evenings: a quiet strip against a big island
Khao Lak is quieter by design. Wikivoyage says jet skis are forbidden there and that, compared with Patong, it can seem boring, especially in low season from April to November. It also says Bang Niang is increasingly a centre of Khao Lak's nightlife, with bars, discos and cabarets. Wikipedia adds that Khao Lak was the part of the Thai coast hardest hit by the tsunami of 26 December 2004, and that an early-warning system has since been installed along the coastline.
Phuket offers more of everything. Wikivoyage calls Patong the largest and most popular beach resort, known for nightlife, Karon the second most developed beach and Kamala a quieter one, with most beaches on the west coast, and says swimming, snorkelling, diving, sailing and jet-skiing are popular. Our best beaches in Phuket guide goes through them. If you want a different beach and restaurant each day, Phuket suits better than a single long strip.
Season and rain: the wet months are wetter at Khao Lak
Both are on the Andaman coast, but the Thai Meteorological Department's 1981 to 2010 table shows the Takua Pa station, the nearest in the table to Khao Lak, much wetter than Phuket. Takua Pa averages 3,657.6 mm of rain a year against 2,219.5 mm at the Phuket station. September is 595.5 mm and October 517.8 mm at Takua Pa, against 361.2 and 320.1 mm at Phuket. Wikivoyage says October is Khao Lak's wettest month.
The dry months are alike. Takua Pa's January and February average 39.4 and 41.1 mm, and Phuket's 30.3 and 23.9 mm. Wikivoyage divides Khao Lak's year into a rainy southwest monsoon season from April to October and a dry season from November to March, and notes that rain often falls in short, local showers in the late afternoon. The Similan Islands follow the dry season: the Royal Gazette's 2026 closure list closes Ko Similan and Ko Miang from 16 May to 14 October.
Getting there and getting around
Phuket's airport is the one most visitors use for Khao Lak, and the drive is long. Wikivoyage gives 76 km from the airport to the centre of Khao Lak and says the easiest way to get there is to fly into Phuket or Krabi. It adds that no buses start or end in Khao Lak but many pass along Route 4, and that the bus from Phuket's bus station takes around 2 hours, according to a timetable it dates December 2022.
Getting around Khao Lak is harder than in Phuket's resorts. Wikivoyage says local transport is not a strength, that the area is spread along Route 4 where traffic moves fast, that there is no regular shuttle along its length and that there are no metered taxis based in Khao Lak. If you stay several days, expect to rent a scooter or car or rely on songthaews, which it says charge inflated prices after dark. For a short stay tied to one tour, the hotel pickup solves this.
Cost: park fee, transfers and what is extra
The Similan day is the most expensive of our boat days, from $105 per person, and its price includes the Similan Islands park fee. The Department of National Parks' June 2022 table puts Mu Ko Similan in its top group, where foreign adults pay 500 baht and children 250, so the inclusion is worth about that much per adult at the 2022 rate. The price also includes breakfast, lunch, refreshments, mask, snorkel, fins, a life jacket and accident insurance.
What is extra is the transfer from some Phuket beaches: 200 baht per person from Ao Po, Cape Panwa, Nai Harn, Nai Thon and Rawai, paid in cash. Where you stay therefore changes the cost a little. We found no reliable like-for-like hotel prices for Khao Lak and Phuket, so we do not compare them. Towels are not included, and reef-safe sunscreen is advised; our reef-safe sunscreen guide explains the rules.
Who should stay where
Stay in Khao Lak if you want quiet, plan one or more Similan days and are happy to rent transport or rely on tours. Stay in Phuket if you want nightlife, a choice of beaches and restaurants, easy transfers and several other boat days, such as Phi Phi or Phang Nga Bay. If you want both, spend a night or two in Khao Lak around your Similan day and the rest in Phuket.
Our Similan day is not for everyone. It is a long day on a fast boat in the open sea, and it is not suitable for pregnant women, infants under 1 year or guests over 70. Take seasickness tablets if you need them. The islands are open only from 15 October to 14 May, and if the sea is unsafe the park or the operator cancels and the trip is moved or refunded. Our Similan season guide explains the quota and the rules.
Practical checklist
- Choose Khao Lak if the Similans are the point of your trip, and Phuket if you want nightlife and several boat days.
- Send us a passport copy for every guest by email no later than the day before the Similan tour.
- Plan to travel between 15 October and mid-May, when the Similan Islands are open.
- From Phuket, allow for a pickup between about 5:30 and 7:30 am and a return to your hotel at about 6 to 7 pm.
- Bring a towel, swimwear, reef-safe sunscreen and seasickness tablets if you need them.
Questions and answers
How far is Khao Lak from Phuket?
Wikivoyage puts the centre of Khao Lak 76 km north of Phuket International Airport and 106 km north of Phuket City. Wikipedia says approximately 60 km north of Phuket, measured differently. Allow a long transfer either way.
Is it better to stay in Khao Lak or Phuket for the Similan Islands?
Khao Lak gives the shorter morning, because the boats leave from Thap Lamu pier there. From Phuket our minibus collects hotels between about 5:30 and 7:30 am. Phuket suits you better if you want nightlife and other trips.
Is Khao Lak wetter than Phuket?
On the Thai Meteorological Department's 1981 to 2010 table, the Takua Pa station near Khao Lak averages 3,657.6 mm of rain a year against 2,219.5 mm at Phuket. Both are driest in January and February.
Do I need my passport for the Similan tour?
Yes, a copy. A passport copy for every guest must be emailed no later than the day before the tour. Without it the park will not let you land on the islands.
Are the Similan Islands open all year?
No. The Royal Gazette's 2026 closure list closes Ko Similan and Ko Miang from 16 May to 14 October. Our Similan day runs from 15 October to 14 May, and the sea can still move a trip to another date.
Is Khao Lak quiet?
Mostly. Wikivoyage says its resorts cater mainly to families and people seeking peace and quiet, jet skis are forbidden, and it can seem boring compared with Patong in low season, though Bang Niang has bars and discos.