Short answer
Khao Lak is 76 km north of Phuket airport and 106 km north of Phuket City, according to Wikivoyage, so plan on about 2 hours by road. A public bus is the cheapest way, a taxi or minivan the easiest, and we found no official fare for either. For the Similan Islands you do not need to move: on our tour, from $105 per person, a minibus collects Phuket hotels between about 5:30 and 7:30 am and takes you to Thap Lamu pier, and Khao Lak hotels are collected later.
Khao Lak is 76 km from Phuket airport and 106 km from Phuket City
Khao Lak is on the mainland, in Phang Nga Province, so every trip leaves Phuket by the Sarasin Bridge. Wikivoyage's Khao Lak page puts the centre of the area 37 km north of the bridge, 76 km north of Phuket International Airport and 106 km north of Phuket City. Wikipedia says only that Khao Lak is approximately 60 km north of Phuket, a rougher figure, so use the road distances for planning.
Khao Lak is also not one place. Wikipedia describes a series of villages whose beaches together stretch some 25 km, and Wikivoyage calls it a strip about 20 km long. Bang La On, which most visitors mean by Khao Lak, is where a bus conductor will let you off if you only say the name of the area. Give your driver or conductor the name of your hotel or beach, or you may be left kilometres away.
The road north is Highways 402 and 4
From Phuket the route is simple. Thai National Parks, an independent guide that says it was last updated in June 2026, tells drivers to head north along Highway 402, which joins Highway 4, until the blue signpost for the Similan Islands. The same guide gives 105 km and 2 to 2.5 hours from Phuket to Thap Lamu pier, which lies south of Khao Lak. Both figures depend on where in Phuket you start, so ask for a time from your own hotel.
Once you are on Highway 4 you are on the main north-south road. Wikivoyage warns that traffic in the Khao Lak area moves fast and that there is no regular shuttle bus along the strip, so you will need a taxi or a hired vehicle to get around after you arrive. Ask your hotel how it arranges transfers before you book.
The public bus takes about 2 hours, with few departures
Wikivoyage's Khao Lak page lists buses from Phuket towards Takua Pa, Ranong or Surat Thani that stop in Khao Lak on request: about 2 hours and 90 baht. A December 2022 update on the same page says that from Phuket Bus Terminal 1 four buses a day to Takua Pa stop in Khao Lak, at 8:40, 11:40, 14:00 and 17:20, for 130 baht and about 2 hours. It adds that express buses do not stop on request.
These are wiki entries edited by travellers, not an official timetable, and they disagree on fare and times, so treat them as a guide only. The government bus company stops at its own small terminal in Khuk Khak, according to Wikivoyage. The bus is the cheapest option; the cost is carrying your bags the last stretch, and the risk of being dropped far from your hotel. Confirm the time at the terminal on the day.
By taxi or minivan there is no official fare
For a door-to-door ride, Wikivoyage says a taxi from Phuket airport to Khao Lak costs 1,100 to 1,600 baht, and that the later you arrive, the more it costs. The line is undated, and we found no official fare table for this trip, so read it as a rough guide. Thai National Parks adds that hotel staff in Phuket normally help by calling minivan operators who collect guests from the hotel.
Because there is no official tariff, agree the total before the car moves. Ask whether the price covers the whole vehicle and your luggage, and whether the driver will take you to your actual hotel rather than to the Khao Lak junction. If you are travelling straight from the airport, the 76 km figure above is the distance you are paying for.
For the Similans you can leave from Phuket without moving
The Similan boats do not leave from Phuket. On our Similan Islands speedboat tour, from $105 per person, a minibus collects Phuket guests between about 5:30 and 7:30 am, depending on the hotel, for the drive to Thap Lamu pier, and the speedboat leaves at about 9:00. Thai National Parks puts the pier about 20 km and 30 minutes from Khao Lak, and about 105 km and 2 to 2.5 hours from Phuket.
Hotel pickup in Khao Lak is also included, at a later time. On our tour, transfers from Ao Po, Cape Panwa, Nai Harn, Nai Thon and Rawai cost 200 baht per person extra, paid in cash. Thai National Parks says visitors may be on the islands only from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, so the day is built around that window; the first snorkelling stop is about an hour and a quarter from the pier. We are back at the pier at about 4:30 pm and Phuket hotels are reached at about 6 to 7 pm.
Is it worth sleeping in Khao Lak for the Similan day?
A night in Khao Lak turns a pickup of about 5:30 to 7:30 am into a later one, and shortens the drive to about 30 minutes. It also costs a night and a change of hotel. If you are in Phuket for the whole trip, staying put and accepting the early start is simpler. The longer comparison is in our guide to the Similan day trip from Khao Lak and our Khao Lak or Phuket comparison.
The season matters more than the base. Our Similan tour runs only from 15 October to 14 May, and the park opened for the 2026 season on 15 October 2026, according to the Department of National Parks. See when the Similans are open before you move hotels. A passport copy for every guest must reach us by email no later than the day before.
Who should skip this day, and what to ask first
It is a long day on a fast boat in the open sea, about 12 to 13 hours door to door from Phuket. Our tour does not take pregnant women, infants under 1 year or guests over 70, and we suggest seasickness tablets if you need them. If the early start or the open sea sounds like too much, a shorter day in Phang Nga Bay is the alternative.
Before you book, send us your hotel name, the number of guests and a passport copy for each, and we confirm availability, the pickup time and the total. The full price breakdown is in our Similan tour price guide, and the day itself is in the travel guide and schedule.
Practical checklist
- Work out which Khao Lak your hotel is in: the strip is 20 to 25 km long.
- For the bus, confirm the departure at the Phuket terminal on the day, as wiki timetables date quickly.
- For a taxi or minivan, agree the total, the luggage and the exact hotel drop-off before the car moves.
- For a Similan day from Phuket, expect a pickup between about 5:30 and 7:30 am.
- Send a passport copy for every guest by email no later than the day before the tour.
- Check that your date falls between 15 October and 14 May, when our Similan tour runs.
Questions and answers
How far is Khao Lak from Phuket?
Wikivoyage puts the centre of Khao Lak 76 km north of Phuket airport and 106 km north of Phuket City, and 37 km north of the Sarasin Bridge. Wikipedia gives about 60 km north of Phuket.
How long does the bus from Phuket to Khao Lak take?
About 2 hours, according to Wikivoyage's Khao Lak page, which also lists fares of 90 to 130 baht. Those entries are traveller-edited and the last update is from December 2022, so check at the terminal.
Do the Similan boats leave from Phuket?
No. They leave from Thap Lamu pier south of Khao Lak. On our tour a minibus takes Phuket guests there, with pickup between about 5:30 and 7:30 am, and the speedboat leaves at about 9:00.
Do I have to move to Khao Lak for the Similan Islands?
No. Our tour collects from most areas of Phuket and Khao Lak. Khao Lak hotels are collected later, but moving costs a night and a change of hotel.
Does it cost extra to be picked up in Phuket?
Pickup from most Phuket areas is included. Transfers from Ao Po, Cape Panwa, Nai Harn, Nai Thon and Rawai cost 200 baht per person extra, paid in cash.
Why do I need to send my passport?
Regional rules require a passport copy for every passenger, sent by email no later than the day before the tour. Without it the park will not let you land.