![]() With the Similan Islands being closed to overnight visitors, many divers choose to stay on mainland Thailand for a few days before and after their liveaboard. Hopefully, other destinations in the country will follow. Although visitors were required to quarantine after arriving, The Tourism Authority of Thailand has announced that vaccinated foreign visitors will be welcome in Phuket from Jwithout the need to quarantine. And, with travel regulations changing all the time in this era of Covid-19, check with your airline for current guidelines. Some nationalities don’t require one at all, whereas others need to apply for a tourist visa prior to arrival. Khao Lak is around a three hour drive from either Phuket or Krabi airport.Īlways check current visa regulations before traveling to Thailand. ![]() Once in the country, the easiest way to get to Phuket is a 1 hour 25 minute flight with one of the national carriers, such as Thai Smile, Nok Air, or Thai AirAsia. Luckily, Bangkok is the travel hub of Asia for many of the world’s airlines. The only access to the Similan Islands is by boat via mainland Thailand, namely Phuket and Khao Lak. Below the water, these boulders continue to spread down to the depths, becoming home to a diverse abundance of sea life and creating an adventure playground for divers with crevices, caves, canyons, and passageways. Over millions of years, the wind and waves have sculpted these huge rock formations into dramatic shapes to create a stunning topography.Īnd the topography is not just restricted to the surface. One of their most striking features are the huge boulders and rocks scattered around the southern and western shores of many of the islands. These small granite islands are covered in thick tropical jungle and edged with pristine white sand beaches. In 2018, as part of a plan to slow environmental destruction from over-tourism, the Thai government introduced a daily cap of 3,325 visitors allowed into the park and no one is allowed to stay on any of the islands overnight. Island 11, Koh Tachai, was so badly affected that it has been completely closed to tourists since 2016. Over the years, as the Similans became increasingly popular with tourists, the national park became one of the most overcrowded in the whole of Thailand. In fact, the only permanent inhabitants are the park rangers situated on the two main islands of Koh Miang and Koh Similan (islands number four and eight). Although each island has a name, each is also designated a number for easier identification.Īs a protected area, very few people actually live on the Similans. In 1998, the national park was extended to include two additional islands: Koh Bon and Koh Tachai, both of which are visited by the majority of Similan liveaboards. Similan is derived from the Yawi (a Malay language of Southern Thailand) word for nine, representing the nine islands that make up the archipelago. The area was established as a protected marine park in 1982 and covers an area of over 32,000 acres. The Similan Islands is a Thai archipelago located 40 miles (65 km) off the Phang Nga province of Southern Thailand and 60 miles northwest of Phuket. But with dive sites scattered across such a vast area in the Similans, the only way to truly experience the beauty and wonder of this region is on a liveaboard. Your Guide to Liveaboard Diving in the Similansĭay trips are great, especially if you’re short on time.
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