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Limestone cliffs, a mushroom-shaped rock and turquoise water in a lagoon of Phang Nga Bay
Clear shallow water in Chong Khad Bay between the two main Surin islands
Visitors on the white sand of the hidden lagoon at the end of the Emerald Cave on Koh Muk
Visitors at Police Boat 813, carried inland by the 2004 tsunami, at its memorial in Bang Niang

Things to do on the Andaman Coast: Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi

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Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0

Mu Ko Surin National Park, Phang Nga

Snorkel the Surin Islands and visit the Moken village

Check dates and prices

Photo: The Cosmonaut, CC BY-SA 2.5 ca

Koh Muk, Trang

Swim through the dark Emerald Cave on Koh Muk to a hidden lagoon

Check dates and prices

Photo: Nik Cyclist, CC BY 2.0

Bang Niang and Ban Nam Khem, Phang Nga

Visit the 2004 tsunami memorials at Bang Niang and Ban Nam Khem

Photo: Sgroey, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Andaman Coast is Thailand's western seaboard, from the Myanmar border down to Malaysia: limestone towers rising from the sea, marine national parks and the country's busiest beach islands. Phuket, Krabi and the Phi Phi Islands each have their own page.

North of Phuket, Khao Lak is the base for the Similan and Surin islands and for the memorials to the 2004 tsunami. Further south, Koh Lanta and the islands off Trang, such as Koh Muk, are quieter. The whole coast runs on one calendar: calm seas from November to April, and a monsoon from May to October that closes several marine parks.

Places in this region

6 things to do in Andaman Coast

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Clear shallow water in Chong Khad Bay between the two main Surin islands

Snorkel the Surin Islands and visit the Moken village

Mu Ko Surin National Park, Phang Nga

A full day from Khao LakBook ahead

A quieter marine park near the Myanmar border, with some of Thailand's healthiest coral and a village of Moken sea nomads.

Check dates and pricesSurin Islands and Moken village day from Khao Lak
Been there?
Visitors on the white sand of the hidden lagoon at the end of the Emerald Cave on Koh Muk

Swim through the dark Emerald Cave on Koh Muk to a hidden lagoon

Koh Muk, Trang

A full day on a four-island tourBook ahead

An 80-metre tunnel, swum in the dark with a rope and a torch, ends on a hidden beach open to the sky.

Check dates and pricesFour islands and the Emerald Cave by long-tail
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Visitors at Police Boat 813, carried inland by the 2004 tsunami, at its memorial in Bang Niang

Visit the 2004 tsunami memorials at Bang Niang and Ban Nam Khem

Bang Niang and Ban Nam Khem, Phang Nga

Half a day for both sitesFree

A police patrol boat left inland by the 2004 wave, and a fishing village that lost a quarter of its people that day.

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Koh Tapu, the limestone spike known as James Bond Island, in Phang Nga Bay

Paddle into the sea caves of Phang Nga Bay

Phang Nga Bay

A full dayBook ahead

Paddle through sea caves that open only at certain tides into lagoons enclosed inside limestone islands.

Check dates and pricesSea canoe into the hongs from Phuket, into the evening
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Granite boulders and clear water at Mu Ko Similan National Park

Snorkel or dive the Similan Islands in their open season

Khao Lak, Phang Nga

A day trip, or 3 to 4 days on a liveaboardBook ahead

Snorkel coral gardens on a speedboat day trip and climb Sail Rock above Donald Duck Bay, no liveaboard needed.

Tours in Andaman Coast
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Karst towers rising from the water of Cheow Lan Lake in Khao Sok

Spend a night on a raft house on Cheow Lan Lake

Khao Sok, Surat Thani

Two days, one nightBook ahead

Wake on the water to mist on the lake and a long-tail wildlife safari before the day trippers arrive.

Tours in Andaman Coast
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Traveller picks

Hidden gems suggested by travellers. We check each one before it goes up; the words are theirs, not ours.

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Plan your trip

  • Which places for what

    Phuket for the most flights, hotels and nightlife. Krabi for karst scenery, climbing at Railay and boats to the islands. Phi Phi for snorkelling and a car-free island. Khao Lak for the Similan and Surin islands. Koh Lanta and the Trang islands for quieter beaches.

  • Combining them

    In the dry season, ferries link Phuket, Phi Phi, Ao Nang in Krabi and Koh Lanta, so a loop by boat works without flying. Khao Lak is reached by road north of Phuket, and the Trang islands from Koh Lanta or from Trang's piers.

  • Getting around

    Phuket (HKT) and Krabi (KBV) are the main airports, with frequent flights from Bangkok, and Trang also has an airport. On the islands, long-tail boats work as taxis between beaches. On the mainland, songthaews, taxis and day tours do the rest.

  • When to go

    November to April is the dry season, with calm seas. From May to October the south-west monsoon brings rain and rough water, and parks close: the Similan and Surin islands from about mid-May to mid-October, the Emerald Cave from June to September, and Maya Bay in August and September.

Questions travellers ask

Phuket, Krabi or Phi Phi?

Phuket if you want choice, flights and nightlife; Krabi for karst scenery, Railay and quieter evenings in Ao Nang or Krabi Town; Phi Phi for one or two nights on a small car-free island. Many trips combine all three by ferry.

Similan or Surin Islands?

They are two separate national parks about 60 km apart. The Similans are better known and busier, with liveaboard diving. Surin, further north, gets far fewer boats, has some of the healthiest coral in Thai waters and a Moken village on Koh Surin Nuea.

Which places close in the rainy season?

The Similan and Surin islands close from about mid-May to mid-October, Koh Rok and Koh Ha off Koh Lanta from 16 May to 31 October, Koh Muk's Emerald Cave from 1 June to 30 September and Maya Bay from 1 August to 30 September.

Other places to go

Things to do in Thailand

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