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[Travel to Thailand] 6 Offshore Islands You Must Visit Around Phuket Island – Part 1

asiamarvels

September 7, 2016

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Whether it is because of the splendour of temples, the profoundness of religious culture, the refreshing view of beaches, or the exoticism of folk customs, Thailand just has this unique charm. The hospitality, warm-hearted Thai-styled smile, and meticulously services would make tourists feel at home. Various interesting Thai snacks and fresh and yet cheap seafood are another reasons why Thailand is so popular, let alone those fashionable-retro-styled clothes. You can enjoy your vacation in your own way in this magic country – Thailand. In this article, I am going talk about its 3 offshore islands you must visit around Phuket Island.

Located in the southern part of Thailand, Phuket Island is the largest island in Thailand. Since there are many natural beach and coconut trees, it is also well-known as “the Pearl in the Andaman sea”. Clear water with blue sky, live performance and reasonable price are main reasons why it has attracted so many tourists from all over the world. There are three beaches that have been developed relatively well – Patong beach, Karon beach, and Kata beach. You can enjoy many water activities such as surfing here. At night, you can enjoy yourself in bars and watch some live performance. Also, the seafood feast and Thai Massage would also give you a different experience. Apart from Phuket Island, there are also around 30 small islands nearby, which has also attracted a lot of tourists every day.

The most beautiful island – Similan Archipelago

Features: great place for snorkeling, sea turtle, high visibility, well-preserved

Similan Archipelago is a paradise for the divers, which is also listed as the world Top 10 diving spots. It has the most beautiful primitive islands, many various sea creatures and marvelous corals. The Thai government has also put together resources to protect the environment. You can enjoy colorful and stunning underwater world.

It is not recommended to take a two-day trip because it is very uncomfortable to sleep on the boat and the accommodation on the Island is of low quality. It would be better to take a one-day trip and have a good rest at hotel afterwards.

Ship companies: Sea star, In see, Wow Andaman, Love andaman

Travel Tips:

1. It is a bit far, so it is important to have a good rest at the previous night.

2. The sailing stone locates in the No. 8 island is one of the featured spots here. Many tourists would climb onto the stone and enjoy the overlook of the colorful sea water; however, the surface of the stone is rough and hot, so it would be better to wear shoes or socks.

3. There are mouses, cockroaches, and mosquitos on the island, so it is not recommended to spend nights here.

4. The island would be opened in October.

Best place for deep diving – Racha Island

Features: luxury, comfortable, white sand, corals, emerald blue, primitive, deep diving, quiet

Racha Island is a tourist area that has just been developed in the recently years. Stunning view, pollution-free water and beach, isolated location and luxury service have attracted many top-class tourists. The color of the sea here has many colors, from milk white to light green to blue.

Ship companies: Bing Diving, Nikorn Marine, Raya Princess Tour, Bungalow Raya. Among those companies, Nikorn Marine is the largest ship company here. Their products are quite standard. However, if you would like to be more comfortable, it is recommended to take Bing Diving. You would take a three-stories ship where you could sign up for deep diving. There are many comfortable sofas in the second and the third story. Chinese-style meals would be served as the lunch with unlimited drinks and desserts. As for deep diving and snorkeling, the captain would usually choose the cleanest place with the smallest waves. If you catch fishes during fishing, then the cook would help to make sashimi on spot.

Travel tips:

1. Don’t feed during snorkeling otherwise big fishes might bite you

2. If you have enough time, it would be great to spend a night here

Transportation: the fare for a round trip between here and Chalong Pier is around 1100 to 1500 B; if you book the local hotel, you would be charged for 1200 to 1700 B.

Hence, it would be cheap to go for a one-day trip. It is recommended to book the trip in advance (the price would be higher if you book at the local agency).

The most popular island – Phi Phi Island

Phi Phi Island is consisting of four small isles. With green sea water, soft and white sand, layers upon layers of trees nearby, and unique long tail Boat, it is like a paradise here.

The north of this island has a beach opened only for independent travelers, where is beautiful and quiet.

Ship companies:  In see, Sea star, Andaman wave, Chao Koh Travel. In see and Sea star focus on the daytime travel. If you would like to spend a night on sea, then you could choose Andaman wave. Do remember to bring seasickness medicine with you.

Travel tips:

1. There are many piers on Phuket Island that have ships for this island. It takes usually 1 to 2 hours.

2. Apart from travel fees, 20 – 200 B would be charged for the preservation purpose for each island.

3. There are 2 piers on this island, so it is important to know where to get off if you book the hotel here

4. It is over-commercialized – it takes 20 B for toilet use, and 150 B to rent a deck chair.

Transportation: there are ferries and speed boats between Krabi, Phuket Island, and Phi Phi Island, which usually takes 1.5 hours with around 700 B. you could also book the one-day trip of Phi Phi Island in advance.

More information about those offshore islands would be introduced in the next article.