T h a i T h a i: Islands Around Phuket

Unless you want to charter your own boat, you can get to the many amazing islands around Phuket by booking a daytrip via a travel agency. Tours usually include pickup, drop off, lunch, and snorkeling gear. Prices range from 1200-4200+ baht. Diving trips would cost more.

	Join a tour or take a boat to Phi Phi Islands ( ♦ map ), consisting of Koh Phi Phi Don and Koh Phi Phi Le ( where Leonardo DiCaprio's The Beach was filmed at Maya Bay ). As part of the tour, you'll probably stop by Viking Cave and Monkey Beach where there are wild monkeys running about. You're also likely to be taken to Koh Khai Nok ( ♦ map ) , a beautiful small island east of Phuket with white sand and tropical fish visible through the crystal clear water.
	A must-do daytrip via slow boat takes you to Phang Nga Bay ( ♦ map ), a heavenly place dotted with islands that resembles a Chinese watercolor painting located north of Phuket. Cruising by magnificent limestone cliffs, guides will take you by sea canoes into caves and and areas with mangroves. The tour also stops by James Bond Island ( ♦ map ), where a 1974 007 movie was filmed.
	Similan Islands ( ♦ map ) are a group of beautiful islands in the Andaman Sea. It's quite a ways northwest of Phuket via speedboat so the tour package is more expensive. Snorkeling here is absolutely amazing though! Saw a sea turtle here!! Climb up the rocks to get the whole view of the bay. The sand is the finest I've ever felt and the color of the water is just incredible — I came here 2 years in a row. Highly recommended.
	Raya Island ( ♦ map ), 12 km south of Phuket, is a lovely place for a day trip relaxing on the beach.
	The snorkeling tour via speed boat to Surin Islands ( ♦ map ) is more expensive, as it's quite a bit north of Phuket near the Myanmar border. As it's more remote in the Andaman Sea, there are very few tourists there so it's nice and quiet. It's an incredible place to be snorkeling!
	The daytrip to Coral Island ( ♦ map ), just south of Phuket, is nice enough, but nothing worth writing home about. I tried an introduction to diving course and sea walk here, and the sea life here didn't seem as good as other islands.