Phuket Itineraries: Day Charters and Multi-Day Routes

Phuket to Phang Nga Bay – James Bond Island and Koh Hong

Board your yacht at Ao Po Grand Marina by mid-morning. Cruise north into Phang Nga Bay, anchoring first at Koh Hong for a kayak exploration of its hidden lagoon – a mangrove-fringed pool accessible only through a low cave mouth at the right tide. Your guide paddles you through the darkened passage and into a natural amphitheatre open to the sky, towering karst walls on every side. After lunch on the aft deck, continue to James Bond Island (Khao Phing Kan) and take the tender ashore to see the 20-metre karst needle of Khao Ta Pu up close – the exact spot where Scaramanga’s lair was set in The Man with the Golden Gun. Back on board, your crew serves Thai appetisers and sundowner cocktails as the bay’s limestone towers catch the last light.

Koh Panyee and Northern Phang Nga Exploration

Spend the morning exploring the quieter northern reaches of Phang Nga Bay, weaving between karsts that few day-trip boats ever reach. Anchor off Koh Panyee – a Muslim fishing village built entirely on stilts over the water, home to roughly 1,500 residents – and take the tender in for a seafood lunch at a waterfront restaurant where the fish was swimming minutes before it hit the grill. In the afternoon, your crew finds a secluded anchorage among the karsts for snorkelling, paddleboarding and a private barbecue on a tiny beach that does not appear on most maps.

Phang Nga Bay to Krabi and Railay Beach, Return to Phuket

Cruise east across the bay to Railay Beach (roughly 30 nautical miles from Phuket), where sheer karst cliffs rise directly from white sand and turquoise shallows. Take the tender in for a swim and a wander along the Phra Nang Cave Beach, where a limestone cavern filled with offerings sits at the base of a towering cliff. Your chef prepares a farewell gourmet lunch on the aft deck as the yacht begins the return cruise to Phuket, arriving at the marina by late afternoon.

Phuket to Koh Phi Phi Don

Board at Ao Po Grand Marina or Royal Phuket Marina by mid-morning. Set course southeast for the Phi Phi Islands – roughly 22 nautical miles, a comfortable 1.5–2-hour passage on a motor yacht. Arrive at Tonsai Bay on Koh Phi Phi Don by lunchtime, dropping anchor in the semi-circular bay where jungle-clad cliffs rise on both sides. Spend the afternoon snorkelling off Monkey Beach (look for the resident macaques on the shoreline) and exploring the island’s walkways on foot. Evening on the aft deck with Thai seafood and the lights of Tonsai flickering on the hillsides.

Koh Phi Phi Leh – Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and Viking Cave

Rise early and cruise the short distance to Koh Phi Phi Leh. Arrive at Maya Bay at first light – before the day-trip boats – and step onto the 250-metre crescent of white sand made world-famous by Leonardo DiCaprio’s The Beach (2000). The limestone cliffs tower over 100 metres above, and the water is clear enough to see the sandy bottom from the yacht’s flybridge. Continue to Pileh Lagoon – a turquoise pool enclosed by sheer limestone on three sides, with a 500-metre reef alive with tropical fish. Cruise past Viking Cave, where thousands of swiftlets nest in the cavernous interior and local collectors scale bamboo poles to harvest the nests (a centuries-old tradition). Afternoon anchorage in Loh Samah Bay for diving along the wall, where blacktip reef sharks, barracuda and turtles patrol the drop-off.

Bamboo Island and Koh Lanta

Morning snorkel at Bamboo Island (Koh Phai), 40 minutes north of Phi Phi Don. This small, uninhabited island has the finest coral reef in the Phi Phi group – shallow gardens of staghorn and table coral in 25-metre visibility, with clownfish, parrotfish, blue-spotted stingrays and occasional blacktip reef sharks. After a long swim, set course south to Koh Lanta – roughly 20 nautical miles from Phi Phi. Koh Lanta is the quieter, more local sibling: 70 small islands in its orbit, long white-sand beaches on the western shore, and the Old Town’s stilted sea-gypsy houses dating back generations. Anchor off one of the western beaches for a sunset you will likely have entirely to yourself.

Koh Lanta to Racha Islands, Return to Phuket

Depart Koh Lanta and cruise north, pausing at Koh Racha Yai (roughly 6.5 nautical miles south of Phuket) for a final morning dive and snorkel over clear-water reefs. Your chef prepares a farewell lunch on the aft deck – perhaps grilled Andaman prawns, som tum (green papaya salad) and coconut sticky rice – as you soak in the last views. Continue to Phuket, arriving at the marina by late afternoon.

Guests looking for a longer voyage can combine the 3-day Phang Nga Bay route with the 4-day Phi Phi and Koh Lanta route for a comprehensive 7-day charter covering both the northern and southern Andaman without repeating a single stop.