An archipelago of nine islands 100 km north of Phuket, a marine national park considered one of Asia's best dive sites: 30-metre visibility, granite boulders underwater, turtles, rays and reef fish. Snorkelling is superb too, with reef right off the beach.
Crucially, the park is closed mid-May to mid-October — a legal ban for reef recovery, not a suggestion. You can only go November–April. Departure is around 6 a.m. with a two-hour transfer to Thap Lamu pier.
Tips
- •Don't do the Similans on your first day — the 5 a.m. start and 12 hours of travel are draining
- •Bring your own mask; rentals often leak
- •The viewpoint on Island 8 is the archipelago's classic — a 15-minute climb
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