Thailand Beach Vacation: Similan Islands VS Koh Phi Phi Islands

Before we talk about the islands of Similan and Phi Phi, let me give you an overview of Phuket which is a gateway to both islands. About the same size as Singapore, Phuket is Thailand’s second wealthiest province after Bangkok, the capital of the land of smiles! 🙂

I love Phuket more than Bangkok because it has more to offer. Of course, I’m not a shopper to begin with, hence my lack of interest in Bangkok. When it comes to natural attractions, Phuket has a lot to offer, fair pearly white beaches, amazing mind blowing coastlines, gigantic limestone karsts, never mind the beautiful national parks teeming with marine life and rainforest habitat.

 

Phuket’s Bangla street at Patong beach district is popular due to many reasons. . So much buzz and energy from morning to evening, its a fun place to just relax at a nice bar and do some people watching. Or just chill out in some restaurant with live bands. This provides a very good balance for any beach vacation trip. A day out at the beaches or in the sea sea, and night out at the busy night life streets.

 

The Anadaman sea where Phuket is surrounded by, housed many beautiful gorgeous paradise islands in the world. Modern day marketing did Phuket a huge favour, especially the Hollywood movies such as The Beach by Leonardo DiCaprio featuring Koh Phi Phi Islands,  and Khao Phing Kan aka James Bond Islands is one of the main attractions for people visiting Phuket.

There is an upcoming rising star (island) from the Northern part of Phuket that is going to challenge the usual tourist island hotspot destination and that is – The Similan Islands. Just off coast from Phang Nang province lies this natural beauty that is less touristy and therefore more pristine and clean. They are coming up very strongly to snatch the hard earned title from Koh Phi Phi Islands! National Geographic even placed the Similan Islands as”One of the Top Ten Destinations to Visit in the World”. 🙂

Koh Phi Phi Islands VS Similan Islands

I’m pretty sure everyone is keen in checking out Koh Phi Phi islands. The breathtaking beaches, stunning rock formations and tranquil turquoise waters teeming with colourful marine life, popularised when the movie “The Beach” were filmed there. I personally have checked out Koh Phi Phi 3 times, and I just can’t expressed how much affection I have for the Koh Phi Phi islands.

 

So I revisited Phuket recently after 6 years. This time, I was looking out for a new place or check out some off beaten track and that is when I discovered Similan Islands! It is not really that “off beaten” but definitely worth the effort and money to check out this beautiful paradise in the Andaman. Similan Islands National Park covers 140 square kilometres in total, comprising 9 granite islands covered in tropical jungle, washed by a clear blue tropical ocean and blessed with fine beaches, the Similans are currently Thailand’s most popular and beautiful diving destination. For simplicity they are named by their number 1 to 9 starting from the south island.

 

After being to both islands, I decided to write this review to list down the strengths of Koh Phi Phi vs Similan Islands, so that my lovely readers can judge which island wins your heart, and probably a ticket booked for your next visit! 🙂

 

 

Challenge 1: Accessibility

Similan Islands

Getting to Similan Islands is not as straight forward as Koh Phi Phi Islands tour. It is a long day trip and requires a 2 hours drive from Phuket to Thap Lamu Pier. An hour of at the waiting area at the pier where you can get a restroom break and get your gears. Then another 2 hours by speedboat is required to get to the Similan Islands. A day trip from Phuket will start around 5am in the morning and you will be back to Phuket around 8pm. Is a super long day, but is totally worth it! 🙂

 

Similan Islands is not open throughout the whole year. The Islands is closed in the monsoon from May to last day of October yearly. These dates are subject to change. I remembered when I was on the speedboat returning from Similan Islands back to Thap Lamu Pier, the waves get stronger and higher in the late afternoon, my guide was sharing with me that they have to cross the sea before 5pm, or else the waves will make it impossible and dangerous for the speedboat to return. So, is always better to make sure you plan well your visiting schedule to avoid disappointment. 🙂

Please note: The National Park is closed from 1st May 1st until 31st October each year. This means there are NO emergency services, phones do not work and it is ILLEGAL to visit. Do not risk your life by going on tours during these months. There are several nefarious dive and snorkel companies that will offer tours during these months – you are risking your life by joining their tours.

Koh Phi Phi Islands

Getting to Koh Phi Phi Islands from Phuket is easy breezy. Just 46km from Phuket and you basically have two options. Either the 90 minutes ferry or 45 minutes speedboat ride. Hassle free and easy. 🙂

 

Koh Phi Phi Islands is open all year round. You can visit anytime you wish. The thing is, during the monsoon period from May to October, the weather can be totally crap! The beaches are terrible and the waves make it impossible to even snorkel.

Is it definitely worth checking out Koh Phi Phi’s beauty, it is like a large chunk of alluring islands, when approached, it rises from the sea like a fortress. Gigantic sheer cliffs tower, mixed perfectly with the beach-fronted jungle. It is truly an amazing sight as seen in the movie “The Beach”.

 

 

Winner: Koh Phi Phi Islands

Keith’s Verdict: Phuket has amazing nightlife. Such as Patong, Karong or Kata beach. Many shops closed at the wee hours and you are spoilt for choice with the variety of restaurants and eateries. Waking up at 5am seems a bit of effort, hence accessibility wise, Koh Phi phi definitely has an edge over Similan Islands.

 

Challenge 2: Crowd

Similan Islands

How many times you were like OMG I got photobombed, oh god… I need to photoshop all these tourists away! haha Well, I need to disclaim, I actually think tourists are inevitable just like me. Honestly, I’m pretty okay with people as part of background. Foreground? No! haha But, occasionally I do appreciate “silence” from my photos too. haha As for the question on crowd for both islands? Need I say more? See the following photos you will know. haha 🙂

The Similans are uninhabited except for the national park facilities. No hotels, no bars, no noise. There is talk of limiting the number of tourist to the islands, but I don’t reckon it will happen. These days there are lots of speedboats heading out to Similan Islands on day trips for snorkeling and that “remote island paradise” experience. I must say, aside from the beach at Island 8 aka Donald Duck Bay, I have never encountered a problem with crowds. Isn’t it great to have a perfect beach view and you won’t have problem taking nice beautiful background with no “noise”! haha 🙂

 

Koh Phi Phi Islands

Most likely you may be spending more time in a crammed speedboat with more than 40 tourists instead of relaxing at the beach. While the beach is lovely and the water is clear like water at home (depending where your home is), it is spoilt by too many tourists and locals out to get a quick buck. Another disappointing fact, the tour to Koh Phi Phi Islands seems to be very commercialised to me. I was a little annoyed with the fact that the “guide” kept pushing everyone to rent the fins for 100 baht. Honestly, I don’t mind forking out for the fin, but I resented the fact that he wasted a good 10 minutes pitching his grandfather and grandmother stories about the fins before everyone started the tour.

 

Taking a nice photo with no people is impossible. Having lesser people is tough too! haha So that’s how congested Koh Phi Phi Islands is today.

 

Winner: Similan Islands

Keith’s Verdict: Having a beautiful place with no crowd gives you a magical experience and a perfect photo for many people to be jealous for. So, gotta give Similan Islands a vote for this. haha

 

Challenge 3: The Scenery

Similan Islands

For me, the Similan Islands is a special and magical place. A home to some amazing beaches, great snorkeling and the most famous dive spots in Thailand. The scenery will provide stunningly beautiful white sandy beaches with small forested areas. The islands’ tropical rain forest consists of mainly large rubber trees, several species of palm, bamboo and vines. There are also some amazing creatures in the island. 🙂

 

 

 

Koh Phi Phi Islands

The breathtaking beaches, stunning rock formations and turquoise waters teeming with colourful marine life. A vibrant night life (maybe a little too commercialised), rock climbing, world-class diving and just the sheer beauty of Koh Phi Phi is enough to tickle everyone’s dream and fantasy! Such amazing island paradise, need I explain more? Despite the high number of visitors here, the island is still quite stunning, and the surrounding sea and islands are spectacular. I try not to visit the same place twice, but Koh Phi Phi made me visited the island thrice! haha

 

 

 

Winner: Similan Islands

Keith’s Verdict: No doubt both islands are amazing. Similan Islands hands down kick Koh Phi Phi’s off my chart based on scenery. It’s like comparing Africa safari and World Famous Singapore Night Safari Zoo. LOL You get to see what you wish to see in Koh Phi Phi, but the feeling is more natural in Similan Islands. Ridiculous as it may sound, but somehow, the natural beauty in Similan Islands has captivated my heart.

 

Challenge 4: The Marine & Wild Life

Similan Islands

Under the surface you may see amazing marine lives such as Leopard shark, blue spotted stingrays, clown fish, rabbit fish, scorpion fish, emperor fish, giant trevally and angelfish. The underwater world offers a underwater paradise filled with amazing coral gardens, bommie and boulder formations are wonderful to dive.

 

 

 

 

Koh Phi Phi Islands

Sadly, in my opinion, an over-development may be the culprit for ruining Koh Phi Phi Islands. 🙁 There were soooooo many tourist and the water left me no mood to dip my face and hair into the chalky water. LOL Maybe I exaggerated a bit haha, I heard there are many great diving spot and marine life in Koh Phi Phi, just that i didnt went for diving trips there. So, all I saw was a bunch of hungry tiger fishes, wishfully thinking that I will be giving bread or crumbs to them. LOL

 

 

 

Winner: Similan Islands

Keith’s Verdict: The water in Similan Islands was sooooo clear! The visibility of the water is a good 80meters I guessed. Saw so many marine life and bigger fishes than Koh Phi Phi Islands. Hence, my point in this segment goes to Similan Islands as well. 🙂

Challenge 5: The Damage (Price)

Similan Islands

A day trip to Similan Islands from Phuket: 3500 Thai Baht approximately $108 damage.

 

Koh Phi Phi Islands

A day trip to Koh Phi Phi Islands from Phuket: 1500 Thai Baht approximately S46 damage.

 

Winner: Koh Phi Phi Islands

Keit’s Verdict: Straight to the point, cheapest wins! LOL

 

Overall Winner: Similan Islands 3, Koh Phi Phi Islands 2

Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to say Koh Phi Phi is not worth going. It is truly an amazing place and I will not hesitate to visit again. 🙂 Both offers different but definitely great experience of a lifetime! The question is, if you want crystal clear water, white beaches and good snorkeling to see beautiful marine life, based on the above, it makes it quite obvious to me that you would actually loved Similan Islands a bit more. Yea, just a bit more than Koh Phi Phi. haha 🙂

 

The sight of the corals and fishes at the Similan is far way better than the ones I saw around Koh Phi Phi. In my humble opinion, Similan Islands is nicer because there aren’t many people there, and you will find that you can generally see more marine and wildlife than around Koh Phi Phi Islands. If you are thinking about a day trip, the Similan Islands is definitely a very long tiring day, with an early rise and you gotta pay more for it. Though tougher, it is definitely worth it! If my words cannot convince you, I hope my photos would. haha 🙂

 

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru