Short answer
Our Phuket boat days are shared speedboat tours with up to 35 guests: Phi Phi from $75 per person, James Bond Island from $85 and the Similan Islands from $105. A private boat can often be arranged on request at a higher price than the shared tours; we quote it on WhatsApp for your date and group and do not publish private prices. Choose shared for the lowest price and a set plan, and private for children who need breaks, a larger group or a slower pace.
What shared means on our Phuket boat days
All three of our Phuket boat days are shared speedboat tours with up to 35 guests on the boat and an English-speaking guide: Phi Phi from $75 per person, James Bond Island from $85 and the Similan Islands from $105. The route, the departure time and the lunch are set by the tour. Hotel pickup is included, between about 7:00 and 8:30 am for Phi Phi, 7:00 and 8:00 for James Bond Island and 5:30 and 7:30 for the Similans.
Shared does not mean fixed to the minute. Our Phi Phi page says the order of the stops changes with the tide and the crowds, and the James Bond Island page says low tide can change the order or shorten the canoe route. What you share is the boat and the plan: everyone on board gets the same stops, the same lunch and the same return time. Per our FAQ, a private boat is priced higher than this shared plan.
Can you book a private boat? Often yes, at a higher price
Often, yes. Our FAQ says to ask us on WhatsApp: private boats and cars can often be arranged, at a higher price than the shared tours. We do not publish private prices. We quote them for your date and your group on WhatsApp, and we confirm the total before you pay. When you compare a private quote with anything you see elsewhere, compare what is inside it: transfer, lunch, park fees, snorkelling gear, guide and insurance.
Often is not always. Whether a private boat is free on your date and whether it can do your route is something we confirm with the operator, not something we promise in advance. The same goes for age and health limits. The over-70 rule on our shared speedboats is explained in our guide to Phuket boat tours for guests over 70, and a private boat is not automatically exempt. Ask before you plan the day around it.
What stays the same on a private boat: the park rules
A private boat changes who is on your boat, not the rules of the park. When the Department of National Parks announced the Maya Bay reopening in December 2021, it set rounds of up to 375 people an hour between 07:00 and 18:00, booked in advance, and the bay still closes every year from 1 August to 30 September. The Similan park, closed from 16 May to 14 October, limits visitors to 3,850 a day and sold tickets in advance when it reopened in 2021.
Park fees follow the person, not the boat. The Department of National Parks sets them per adult and per child; its 2007 notice for the Phi Phi islands, quoted by Thai PBS in 2017, lists amounts that way. On our shared tours the park fee is included on James Bond Island and the Similans and is paid in cash on Phi Phi, at 400 baht per adult and 200 per child. When you ask for a private price, ask whether park fees are inside it.
Crowds: a private boat does not empty the beach
The hope behind many private bookings is an empty beach, but the islands do not work like that, because other boats still arrive. At James Bond Island, Wikipedia notes that since 1998 tourist boats have been prohibited from approaching Ko Tapu closely, so every boat, private or shared, sees the pinnacle from the same distance. Our tour page says the stop gets busy around midday, and the guide times it around the tide and the crowds.
What a private boat can change is your own timing, within what the operator and the park allow. At Khao Phing Kan the tide runs 2 to 3 metres, according to Wikipedia, and some caves can only be entered at low tide, so the tide decides as much as the boat does. Ask what you can really change: the departure time, the order of the stops and the time at each. Do not expect to have the islands to yourself.
Flexibility and timing: what to ask for
Flexibility is the real reason to go private, so ask for it plainly. On our shared Phi Phi tour the day is set: pickup at about 7:00-8:30 am, departure from Royal Phuket Marina at about 9:30 and a return to the marina at about 5:30-6 pm. A private boat might allow a later start, a slower pace or a shorter day. We cannot say which of these is possible without asking the operator about your date, so we confirm them on WhatsApp.
Weather is not flexible in either case. The UK Foreign Office lists rough seas, particularly in the monsoon season, among the usual causes of boat accidents in Thailand. On our shared tours, if the sea is unsafe, the operator moves the trip to another date or refunds it. Ask what happens to a private booking if the sea is rough on the day. A private boat does not make the sea any calmer.
Safety questions are the same for a private boat
Private or shared, the safety basics are the same. After the Phuket boat accidents of 2018, the Tourism Authority of Thailand's release on the official action plan said that passenger numbers must not exceed the limit each boat can legally carry, that all passengers and crew must wear life jackets at all times on the boat, and that the captain must hold a relevant licence. Pattaya Mail's report on the 2026 Similan opening repeats that life jackets are required for all boat passengers.
The UK Foreign Office names overloading, poor maintenance and rough seas as the usual causes of boat accidents in Thailand. So the questions for a private operator are simple. How many people may the boat carry? Is there a life jacket for every guest? Does the captain hold a licence? Who covers an accident? On our shared tours, accident insurance is included in the price.
Who benefits from a private boat, and who is better off shared
A private boat makes most sense for a group that wants to stay together and set its own pace: a family with children who need breaks, several generations travelling together, or friends celebrating something. It also suits guests who dislike a fixed early pickup. Remember the limits that may still apply. Our shared speedboats do not take infants under 1 year, pregnant women or guests over 70, and we cannot promise that a private boat changes that.
A shared tour is better for couples and solo travellers. You pay a per-person price, the guide and the plan are in place, and lunch, snorkelling gear and insurance are included. If it is your first boat day from Phuket and you want the standard route at the lowest price, shared is the sensible start. Our guide to the best boat tour from Phuket compares the three islands.
How to ask for a private quote
Send us a WhatsApp message with the date, your hotel, how many adults and children (with their ages), which islands you want and anything you would like to change, such as a later start or a slower day. Mention seasickness, mobility and swimming ability as well. We confirm availability, the pickup time and the total on WhatsApp before you pay, and the quote tells you what is included.
While you wait, decide what the price must cover: hotel transfer, lunch, park fees, snorkelling gear, a guide and insurance. Then set it beside the shared tour for the same island, line by line: Phi Phi, James Bond Island or the Similan Islands. If the private price covers more of what matters to your group, it is worth the difference. If not, shared is the better value.
Practical checklist
- Decide what you would change on a shared day: the start time, the pace or the group size.
- Send the date, hotel, number and ages of guests and the islands you want on WhatsApp.
- Ask whether park fees, lunch, transfer and insurance are inside a private quote.
- Ask how many people the boat may carry and whether every guest has a life jacket.
- Ask what happens to a private booking if the sea is unsafe on the day.
- Tell us about any guest over 70, pregnant or under 1 year before you plan around a private boat.
Questions and answers
Do you offer private boat tours in Phuket?
Often, on request. Our FAQ says private boats and cars can often be arranged at a higher price than the shared tours. Ask us on WhatsApp with your date, hotel and group size, and we confirm availability and the total before you pay.
How much is a private boat in Phuket?
We do not publish private prices. They are quoted for your date, group and route on WhatsApp and are higher than the shared tours, which start from $75 per person for Phi Phi, $85 for James Bond Island and $105 for the Similans.
How many people are on a shared speedboat tour?
Up to 35 guests per speedboat, with an English-speaking guide on board, on our Phi Phi, James Bond Island and Similan tours.
Does a private boat get around the Maya Bay or Similan limits?
No. The park limits apply to every boat. Maya Bay admits rounds of up to 375 people an hour and closes from 1 August to 30 September; the Similan park limits visitors to 3,850 a day and is closed from 16 May to 14 October.
Can guests over 70 join a private boat?
We cannot promise it. The over-70 limit applies to our shared speedboats, and for a private boat we have to ask the operator about your exact case. Tell us each guest's age when you ask.
Is a private boat safer than a shared tour?
Not by itself. Safety depends on a licensed captain, a life jacket for everyone, a passenger count within the boat's legal limit and the weather, whether the boat is private or shared. Ask a private operator the same questions you would ask on any tour.