Short answer
Pick the Similan Islands if clear water and snorkelling matter most and your dates fall between 15 October and 15 May; pick Phi Phi if you want a shorter day with famous beaches and a trip that runs all year. On our tours the Similan day is from $105 per person with the park fee included and a pickup at about 5:30-7:30 am. The Phi Phi day is from $75 per person plus 400 baht per adult and 200 per child in cash, with a pickup at about 7:00-8:30 am.
The short answer: Similans for water, Phi Phi for a shorter day
Both days are shared speedboat tours with up to 35 guests, an English-speaking guide, snorkelling gear and accident insurance, so the choice is about the place and the length of the day, not the style of trip. The Similans are a granite archipelago whose water and reefs, according to our tour page, are the best in the area. Phi Phi offers limestone cliffs, a walk to Maya Bay, a swim in Pileh Lagoon and lunch on Phi Phi Don.
Phi Phi is listed at about 8.5 hours; the Similan day is about 12-13 hours door to door from Phuket. If you can only use one rule to decide, use the calendar: the Similan park is closed from 16 May to 14 October, so in those months Phi Phi is the only one of the two you can book. From mid-October to mid-May both are possible, and the choice is water against time.
Price and park fee: $105 all in, or $75 plus cash
On our tours the Similan day is from $105 per person and the national park fee is included, so there is nothing to pay at the pier for entry. The Phi Phi day is from $75 per person, but the park fee is not included: 400 baht per adult and 200 baht per child, paid in cash on the tour. That cash is not part of the price you pay us, so the real gap between the two days is smaller than the gap between the headline prices.
A word on the Phi Phi fee. Thai PBS reported in February 2017 that a Department of National Parks notice dated 22 November 2007 set 400 baht for foreign adults and 200 for children in the Phi Phi islands, and the park advisory committee kept those rates that year. We found no 2026 notice, so budget 400 and 200 baht as what the operator collects on our tour.
Pickup, boat time and how long the day is
Phi Phi is the shorter day. A minibus collects you between about 7:00 and 8:30 am, the speedboat leaves Royal Phuket Marina at about 9:30 and the crossing takes about an hour, depending on the sea. You are back at the marina at about 5:30-6 pm and driven to your hotel. The Similan day starts earlier: pickup from Phuket is between about 5:30 and 7:30 am, the boat leaves Thap Lamu pier at about 9:00 and returns by about 4:30 pm, with Phuket hotels reached at about 6-7 pm.
Boat time is where the days differ most. Our Similan page gives about an hour and a quarter from Thap Lamu pier to the first snorkelling stop. Wikipedia gives about 70 minutes by speedboat, and Pattaya Mail's report on the 2026 opening described boat journeys of about 90 minutes. Plan for 75 to 90 minutes each way across open sea, on top of the drive to the pier from Phuket. Khao Lak hotels are picked up later.
Season: the Similans from 15 October to 15 May, Phi Phi all year
Mu Ko Similan National Park opens on 15 October and closes after 15 May. Pattaya Mail reported in October 2026 that the 2026-2027 season runs from 15 October 2026 to 15 May 2027, after the annual five-month closure that keeps visitors out of the monsoon. Our Similan tour runs from 15 October to 14 May. Outside those dates there is no Similan day trip to book, from us or from anyone else, because the park is closed.
Phi Phi has no closed season on our tour, but it has one closed beach. The park closes Maya Bay every year from 1 August to 30 September, and the Department of National Parks gave those dates for 2026 in its September report. The tour still runs, and Maya Bay is seen from the boat. Our guide to Maya Bay rules and closure dates explains the rest, including why nobody swims there.
Crowds: a daily quota at the Similans, hourly rounds at Maya Bay
Neither place is empty, but both are managed. When the Similans reopened in October 2021, the Department of National Parks set the limit at 3,850 visitors a day, including 525 places for scuba divers, with tickets bought in advance. On the opening day of the 2026 season the park counted 1,409 visitors, 1,359 of them on day trips, so early-season days sit well below the cap. Our Similan tour page says regional rules require a passport copy for every guest.
Maya Bay works differently. Since it reopened on 1 January 2022 the park admits rounds of up to 375 people an hour between 07:00 and 18:00, eleven rounds a day, which is up to 4,125 people a day for that one beach. Before the closure in 2018, Wikipedia says, the beach received up to 5,000 tourists and 200 boats a day. On a tour the guide times the stops around the tide and the other boats.
Water and snorkelling: granite reefs or limestone lagoons
The Similans are granite. Wikipedia describes a park of eleven islands about 70 kilometres off the coast of Phang Nga, and Pattaya Mail's 2026 report calls them known for clear blue water, white-sand beaches, coral reefs and granite formations. Our route snorkels from the boat at Koh Bangu, swims at Donald Duck Bay and snorkels at Koh Payu, where sea turtles and clownfish are often seen. Nobody can guarantee turtles; they are wild animals.
Phi Phi is limestone. Wikipedia places the islands 46 kilometres south-east of Phuket, with cliffs, caves and long white beaches. The swimming and snorkelling are at Bamboo Island and Pileh Lagoon, while Maya Bay is a walk on the sand, because swimming there has been banned since the 2022 reopening. Check the kit: the Similan list includes mask, snorkel, fins and life jacket, while the Phi Phi list names mask, snorkel and life jacket.
Who should pick which
Choose the Similans if you like to snorkel, can manage a 12-13 hour day and a pickup before 7:30 am, and your trip falls inside the season. Choose Phi Phi if you want Maya Bay and a lagoon, prefer a later start, are travelling between mid-May and mid-October, or want the lower price. Neither is a rest day. Both are fast boats in open sea, and both tour pages suggest seasickness tablets if you need them.
The limits are the same on both: the speedboat does not take pregnant women, infants under 1 year or guests over 70. Our Phi Phi page adds that guests with back problems should consider a bigger boat. If that applies to you, read our guide to Phuket boat tours for guests over 70. If the choice is really between beaches and scenery, our comparison of Phi Phi and James Bond Island covers the third option.
How to book either day
Send us the date, your hotel and the number of guests on WhatsApp. For the Similan day add a passport copy for every guest, emailed no later than the day before the tour; our tour page says the park will not let a guest without one land. For Phi Phi, keep the park fee in cash. We confirm availability, the pickup time and the total on WhatsApp before you pay.
On the Similan tour, transfers from Ao Po, Cape Panwa, Nai Harn, Nai Thon and Rawai cost 200 baht per person extra, paid in cash. If the sea is unsafe, the park or the operator cancels and the trip is moved or refunded. Our Similan season guide and the Similan travel guide cover the rest of that day in detail.
Practical checklist
- Check your dates against the Similan season, 15 October to 15 May; our tour runs to 14 May.
- Keep 400 baht per adult and 200 per child in cash for the Phi Phi park fee.
- For the Similans, email a passport copy for every guest no later than the day before.
- Plan the early pickup: about 5:30-7:30 am for the Similans, 7:00-8:30 am for Phi Phi.
- Tell us every guest's age: over 70, pregnant or under 1 year cannot join the speedboat.
- Pack a towel, a dry bag, reef-safe sunscreen and seasickness tablets if you need them.
Questions and answers
Is the Similan Islands tour better than Phi Phi?
For clear water and reefs, our Similan page says yes: the day is longer and farther, but the water is the best in the area. Phi Phi is closer and more about famous beaches and a lagoon. Which is better depends on your dates and how long a day you want.
Which is cheaper, Similan or Phi Phi?
Phi Phi is from $75 per person and the Similan day from $105. The Similan price includes the park fee, while Phi Phi adds 400 baht per adult and 200 per child in cash, so the real gap is smaller than the headline $30.
Can I visit the Similan Islands in the monsoon months?
No. The park is closed from 16 May to 14 October, and the 2026-2027 season runs from 15 October 2026 to 15 May 2027, according to Pattaya Mail. In those months a Phi Phi or Phang Nga Bay day is the choice.
Is Maya Bay open on the Phi Phi tour?
Yes, except from 1 August to 30 September. You walk to the beach on a boardwalk and do not swim. During the closure the tour still runs and Maya Bay is seen from the boat.
How early is the pickup for the Similan tour?
Between about 5:30 and 7:30 am from Phuket hotels, depending on where you stay; Khao Lak hotels are picked up later. The speedboat leaves Thap Lamu pier at about 9:00 am, and we confirm your exact time the day before.