Similan Islands Snorkeling Tour By Seastar Andaman From Phuket

We managed to get this trip for 2000 Baht from a tour agent in Patong (end of April 2022). The actual tour itself was only approx 4-5 hours and most of the time was taken in travelling. A minivan came to collect us at 6:30am and proceeded to collect other customers from Patong and then Phuket city so we got to the pier at 8:30am, we then had breakfast and a safety briefing and left at after 9am. The speedboat of ride to the Similan islands was another 1 hour 30 minutes so we got to spend actual time in 4 of the 9 islands for 4.5 hours from 10:30 to 3pm. We left at 3pm, got to the pier for 5pm and then it took the minivan over 2 hours to get us home whilst dropping off customers in different locations around Phuket. We reached our hotel after 7pm. I believe this rough itinerary is the same for all tour companies and most tour companies follow the same route. The staff were lovely, bit awkward with the staff coming around with a tips bucket and pushing it in front of you towards the end of the trip. The breakfast and lunch had good variety but basic for the amount the tours actually cost. You get to do two snorkelling trips 30 mins each and spend about 2 hours in total on two different beaches. The first snorkelling spot we went to had great coral, the second dead coral. Hope this is helpful!

The islands are beautiful and is a must visit, but I would use another tour provider. We felt mislead by the tour provider, we were told it was an hour journey on a speedboat, but it was 2 hours. You cannot see out of the boat, and remain inside at all times, so the journey is spent looking at the floor. At one point the boat driver spotted a whale but as we were not allowed to stand up when driving none of us could see it. They didn’t stop for us to try and see. We were confused when the team handed out anti sickness pills before boarding the boat, but the lack of windows and viewing soon made us realise why passengers often feel unwell. Overall time spent in the water was 1.5 hours and we had an hour on the beach. So from 8am - 5:30pm you have 2.5 hours of free time. The food was also very disappointing, rice and chicken in a plastic lunchbox. Overall the 3 stars are for the islands themselves but I would recommend anyone to go with another provider.

The weather on the day of this trip was overcast and we very nearly cancelled having been concerned we would not get a great experience in the sea without the sunshine. We decided to go anyway as it was too late for a refund and we were so pleased we did. Do not be put off if you do not get to visit on a sunny day, we were pleasantly surprised by the visibility and abundance of tropical fish of all sizes and species during this trip. The staff, especially our guide 'Bo' were very professional, friendly and helpful. Food was plentiful and the entire trip was so well organised and efficiently run it was truly a worthwhile investment for an amazing experience which we shall remember for a long time.