Phi Phi vs Similan Islands:
an honest comparison 2026
It is the question we get asked most: “Phi Phi or the Similans — which is better?” The honest answer depends on one thing: are you going for the picture above the water or for what is underneath it. Here are both archipelagos compared on six criteria, with prices and timings from our catalogue, and when the right answer is “both”.
In short: how they differ
Phi Phi is cinematic cliffs, Pileh Lagoon, Maya Bay from The Beach, an hour by speedboat from Phuket, open all year, from 1,700 ฿. The Similans and Surin are national parks 60–90 km to the north, the best snorkelling in the Andaman Sea, two to three hours by road to the pier, November to May only, from 3,500 ฿.
Natural beauty: a draw
Both are on the list of Asia’s most beautiful places, but the beauty is different. Phi Phi is vertical cliffs, turquoise lagoons, the postcard beach of Maya Bay. The Similans are house-sized granite boulders, white sand and water so clear the boat seems to hover. On Phi Phi you photograph the shore; on the Similans, the water.
Snorkelling and diving: the Similans win
Underwater there is no contest. The Similans are among the world’s top dive sites: visibility of 20–30 metres, reefs in excellent shape, turtles and moray eels as a matter of course. Phi Phi is good too, especially at Bida Nok rock and Loh Samah bay, but the reefs near the main beaches have suffered from boat traffic. If the underwater world is the point, the answer is clear.
“The Similans are what the ocean should be. Phi Phi is what it looks like in photographs.”
Logistics: Phi Phi is easier
Phi Phi is 45 minutes by speedboat from a Phuket pier. Hotel pickup at 06:00–07:00, back by 15:30–17:30, daily. The Similans and Surin mean two to three hours by car to Thap Lamu pier in the north, then an hour by speedboat. Pickup at four or five in the morning, back by evening, a 12–14 hour day. It is physically harder, and worth weighing with small children.
Crowds: the Similans are calmer
Phi Phi is one of the most visited places in Thailand. In season, by ten in the morning Maya Bay is full of boats, swimming there is banned and you walk to the beach from the other side. The Similans cap daily visitors, and the closed season from May to October lets the reefs recover. If crowds matter more than logistics, that is an argument.
Price: Phi Phi is half the cost
The speedboat to Phi Phi and Khai Island is 1,700 ฿ with transfer, lunch and gear. The extended route with Bamboo, Khai and Maiton is 2,200 ฿. A luxury catamaran to five islands is 2,800 ฿. Surin in one day is 3,500 ฿, and that already includes the national park fee that always makes the Similans and Surin pricier. If someone quotes a noticeably lower price, ask whether the fee is included.
Season: all year versus half a year
Phi Phi runs all twelve months; in the rainy season boats go out by forecast. The Similans and Surin open from November to May; in summer the parks are officially closed. If you fly in July there is no “or”: it is Phi Phi.
Our Phi Phi routes
Blue Planet speedboat, 1,700 ฿. Pileh Lagoon, Maya Bay, the Viking cave, Monkey Beach, snorkelling and lunch on Phi Phi Don, Khai Island to finish. 07:00–17:30, children aged 3–10 — 1,500 ฿.
See the tour →Phi Phi, Bamboo, Khai and Maiton, 2,200 ฿. The fullest one-day route: four islands, an early 06:00 departure to reach Maya Bay before the crowds. Children aged 4–10 — 1,900 ฿.
See the tour →Five islands by luxury catamaran, 2,800 ฿. Bamboo, Khai, Maiton and Maya Bay from a catamaran deck, less rolling, more room. Children aged 4–11 — 2,300 ฿.
See the tour →Two days with an overnight, 4,500 ฿. A night on Phi Phi Don and Maya Bay in the morning without the day boats. The only way to see the islands empty.
See the tour →Our route north
The Surin Islands in one day, 3,500 ฿. A national park by the Myanmar border, snorkelling of the same class as the Similans, and a Moken sea-nomad village. Park fee, gear and lunch included. The Similans by speedboat with a Russian-speaking guide are 2,800 ฿, by speed catamaran 3,000 ฿, season from 15 October.
See the tour →See the tour →Our verdict
Take Phi Phi if: it is your first visit, you want the recognisable picture, you are short on time, you travel with children under eight, or it is summer.
Take the Similans or Surin if: you love snorkelling or diving, you want quiet, you are here between November and April and ready for a long day on the water.
Ideally, both. Many of our guests do exactly that: Phi Phi on day three, the Similans or Surin on day five, a beach day in between. Send us your dates and we’ll build the schedule.
FAQ
Can I do both in one trip? Yes, most people do. Take them on different days with a break: both routes are long.
When are the Similans open? November to May. The rest of the year the islands are officially closed and no operator goes there.
Can I go if I can’t swim? Yes: life jackets are included and the guide stays close. But Phi Phi is calmer in that case — more beaches, less open water.
What about seasickness? Phi Phi is 45 minutes by speedboat; the Similans an hour, plus the drive to the pier. If you get seasick, Phi Phi has a catamaran option.
Which Phi Phi route is the most popular? The Blue Planet speedboat at 1,700 ฿ — it is also the one most often mentioned in reviews.
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Phi Phi vs Similan Islands:
an honest comparison 2026
It is the question we get asked most: “Phi Phi or the Similans — which is better?” The honest answer depends on one thing: are you going for the picture above the water or for what is underneath it. Here are both archipelagos compared on six criteria, with prices and timings from our catalogue, and when the right answer is “both”.
In short: how they differ
Phi Phi is cinematic cliffs, Pileh Lagoon, Maya Bay from The Beach, an hour by speedboat from Phuket, open all year, from 1,700 ฿. The Similans and Surin are national parks 60–90 km to the north, the best snorkelling in the Andaman Sea, two to three hours by road to the pier, November to May only, from 3,500 ฿.
Natural beauty: a draw
Both are on the list of Asia’s most beautiful places, but the beauty is different. Phi Phi is vertical cliffs, turquoise lagoons, the postcard beach of Maya Bay. The Similans are house-sized granite boulders, white sand and water so clear the boat seems to hover. On Phi Phi you photograph the shore; on the Similans, the water.
Snorkelling and diving: the Similans win
Underwater there is no contest. The Similans are among the world’s top dive sites: visibility of 20–30 metres, reefs in excellent shape, turtles and moray eels as a matter of course. Phi Phi is good too, especially at Bida Nok rock and Loh Samah bay, but the reefs near the main beaches have suffered from boat traffic. If the underwater world is the point, the answer is clear.
“The Similans are what the ocean should be. Phi Phi is what it looks like in photographs.”
Logistics: Phi Phi is easier
Phi Phi is 45 minutes by speedboat from a Phuket pier. Hotel pickup at 06:00–07:00, back by 15:30–17:30, daily. The Similans and Surin mean two to three hours by car to Thap Lamu pier in the north, then an hour by speedboat. Pickup at four or five in the morning, back by evening, a 12–14 hour day. It is physically harder, and worth weighing with small children.
Crowds: the Similans are calmer
Phi Phi is one of the most visited places in Thailand. In season, by ten in the morning Maya Bay is full of boats, swimming there is banned and you walk to the beach from the other side. The Similans cap daily visitors, and the closed season from May to October lets the reefs recover. If crowds matter more than logistics, that is an argument.
Price: Phi Phi is half the cost
The speedboat to Phi Phi and Khai Island is 1,700 ฿ with transfer, lunch and gear. The extended route with Bamboo, Khai and Maiton is 2,200 ฿. A luxury catamaran to five islands is 2,800 ฿. Surin in one day is 3,500 ฿, and that already includes the national park fee that always makes the Similans and Surin pricier. If someone quotes a noticeably lower price, ask whether the fee is included.
Season: all year versus half a year
Phi Phi runs all twelve months; in the rainy season boats go out by forecast. The Similans and Surin open from November to May; in summer the parks are officially closed. If you fly in July there is no “or”: it is Phi Phi.
Our Phi Phi routes
Blue Planet speedboat, 1,700 ฿. Pileh Lagoon, Maya Bay, the Viking cave, Monkey Beach, snorkelling and lunch on Phi Phi Don, Khai Island to finish. 07:00–17:30, children aged 3–10 — 1,500 ฿.
See the tour →Phi Phi, Bamboo, Khai and Maiton, 2,200 ฿. The fullest one-day route: four islands, an early 06:00 departure to reach Maya Bay before the crowds. Children aged 4–10 — 1,900 ฿.
See the tour →Five islands by luxury catamaran, 2,800 ฿. Bamboo, Khai, Maiton and Maya Bay from a catamaran deck, less rolling, more room. Children aged 4–11 — 2,300 ฿.
See the tour →Two days with an overnight, 4,500 ฿. A night on Phi Phi Don and Maya Bay in the morning without the day boats. The only way to see the islands empty.
See the tour →Our route north
The Surin Islands in one day, 3,500 ฿. A national park by the Myanmar border, snorkelling of the same class as the Similans, and a Moken sea-nomad village. Park fee, gear and lunch included. The Similans by speedboat with a Russian-speaking guide are 2,800 ฿, by speed catamaran 3,000 ฿, season from 15 October.
See the tour →See the tour →Our verdict
Take Phi Phi if: it is your first visit, you want the recognisable picture, you are short on time, you travel with children under eight, or it is summer.
Take the Similans or Surin if: you love snorkelling or diving, you want quiet, you are here between November and April and ready for a long day on the water.
Ideally, both. Many of our guests do exactly that: Phi Phi on day three, the Similans or Surin on day five, a beach day in between. Send us your dates and we’ll build the schedule.
FAQ
Can I do both in one trip? Yes, most people do. Take them on different days with a break: both routes are long.
When are the Similans open? November to May. The rest of the year the islands are officially closed and no operator goes there.
Can I go if I can’t swim? Yes: life jackets are included and the guide stays close. But Phi Phi is calmer in that case — more beaches, less open water.
What about seasickness? Phi Phi is 45 minutes by speedboat; the Similans an hour, plus the drive to the pier. If you get seasick, Phi Phi has a catamaran option.
Which Phi Phi route is the most popular? The Blue Planet speedboat at 1,700 ฿ — it is also the one most often mentioned in reviews.
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