Similan Islands Day Trip — Standard

A trip to the Similans takes you to one of the most beautiful places in Thailand, and arguably in the world. The archipelago is nine islands, known as the pearls of the Andaman Sea, and the name is earned: white sand, beaches untouched by development, and water of a clear and genuinely inviting blue.

The underwater world deserves a mention of its own. Endless coral, hundreds of species of reef fish and large sea turtles are what put this marine national park into the world's top ten diving destinations.

What the day involves

The Similans suit both the active and the unhurried. The programme is not only time on the shore but a proper look at what lives here. You can walk the beaches, climb to the viewpoint for a wide view over the archipelago, and snorkel the reefs among shoals of reef fish, turtles, and even shark species that are entirely harmless to people. It is a full day.

Bring a camera — ideally a waterproof one, since half of what is worth photographing is below the surface.

The islands make their own impression; your Russian-speaking guide is there to make the day informative as well as scenic. You spend it aboard a modern, well-equipped boat, and around the middle of the day there is a substantial lunch on one of the islands: traditional Thai dishes, and worth the appetite you will have by then.

In one day we visit 4 of the 9 islands. Getting there is a transfer to the pier (about an hour and a half) and a speedboat crossing (a little over an hour); you are back at the pier around sunset. It is as close to a castaway day as an organised trip gets.