Phuket is the gateway to the Andaman Sea’s island country, and a private boat is the way to see it on your own terms — no fixed seat on a crowded speedboat, no rushed schedule. There are two classic full days: the run south to the Phi Phi Islands for Maya Bay and the emerald lagoons, or the shorter passage east into Phang Nga Bay for James Bond Island and the hidden cave-lagoons. Add a relaxed half day to the close reefs or a sunset cruise, and you have the whole range. This is the plain-English guide to a Phuket day trip by private boat: what you see, which day to pick, which boat and what it costs.
A Phuket day trip, by private boat
A private day charter takes the whole boat, so the day belongs to you — anchor where the water is clearest, linger at the cliff you came for, and have lunch aboard away from the tour fleet. Most charters leave from the northeast marinas (Ao Po Grand Marina and Yacht Haven), which sit closest to Phang Nga Bay, or from the east coast for the southern islands. The two headline full days are Phi Phi and Phang Nga Bay; the half day is a shorter run to the close reefs or a west-coast sunset. The sample below sets out each, stop by stop.
Anchor where the water is clearest, and have lunch aboard away from the tour fleet.
Phi Phi: Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon & Bamboo Island
The Phi Phi Islands are the Andaman’s signature day. Maya Bay — the cliff-ringed cove made famous by The Beach — reopened in 2022 with visitor caps and a no-anchor rule that have let the reef recover; you arrive by tender from the back beach. Around the corner, Pileh Lagoon is a flooded amphitheatre of emerald water enclosed by sheer karst walls, made for swimming, while Viking Cave and Monkey Beach line Phi Phi Leh. North of the main island, the reef off Bamboo Island (Koh Mai Phai) is the snorkelling stop. A private boat times the bays for the gaps between the day-tour waves.
Phang Nga Bay & James Bond Island
Closer to the northeast marinas, Phang Nga Bay is a drowned landscape of limestone towers rising sheer from jade-green water. Koh Tapu — the slender needle of rock beside Khao Phing Kan — became James Bond Island after The Man with the Golden Gun, and remains the bay’s emblem. The real magic, though, is the hongs: collapsed cave-lagoons hidden inside the karsts, their sea-level entrances passable only by canoe or tender at the right tide, opening into silent, sky-roofed rooms. Koh Hong’s sheltered lagoon is the swim stop. It is calmer water than the open run to Phi Phi, and a shorter day.
Beyond the headliners: Racha, Coral & the Khai Islands
Phi Phi and Phang Nga are the classics, but the Andaman around Phuket holds a quieter second tier a private boat reaches easily. South of the island, Racha Yai and Racha Noi offer the clearest water and the best reef snorkelling within an hour of the marinas — a favourite for divers and families alike — while nearby Coral Island (Koh Hae) and Koh Maithon make close, calm half-day runs. East of Phuket, the tiny Khai Islands and the resort-fringed Naka Yai are an easy, sheltered morning of powder sand and turquoise shallows. In the right season, the Similan and Surin Islands to the north — a marine park of granite boulders and manta reefs — reward a longer day or an overnight aboard.
Phi Phi or Phang Nga — which day?
Choose Phi Phi for the iconic beaches and the best snorkelling — it is the longer day, with open-water crossings, and rewards an early start. Choose Phang Nga Bay for the sheltered, surreal scenery and the canoe-into-the-hongs experience — it is the calmer, shorter day, and the better pick for families or a first day afloat. Many guests do one of each across a two-day stay. Either way it is a private charter of the whole vessel, not a per-seat tour.
Phi Phi for the iconic beaches; Phang Nga for the surreal, sheltered karsts.
Private charter or the speedboat tour?
The Andaman islands are reachable on a shared speedboat tour — a fixed loop, a fixed clock, a full boat of strangers and the same beaches at the same busy hour. A private charter is the opposite. You take the whole vessel, so the day bends to you: reach Maya Bay in the gap between the tour waves, linger in a hong while the fleet moves on, anchor for lunch at a bay the speedboats skip, and set your own pace home. It costs more than a per-seat ticket, but priced per boat rather than per head — and split across a family or a group of friends — a private day is often comparable, and incomparably better.
The day bends to you: reach Maya Bay in the gap between the tour waves.
Which boat, and what a Phuket day charter costs
Phuket’s day fleet runs from quick speedboats and sport cruisers to wide catamarans that carry a group in shade and comfort. Pricing is per boat, not per person, so a day suits a family or a group of friends. Smaller day boats start from about US$890; at the premium end the fleet now includes the brand-new 23-metre Princess S72 and the 26-metre Monte Carlo MCY 86 out of Royal Phuket Marina, a 150-guest event catamaran for a celebration on the water, and the 40-metre Westport superyacht Sea Bear from Ao Po Marina. A typical day includes the skipper and crew, fuel, the national-park and pier fees where they apply, snorkelling gear, and water, soft drinks and lunch aboard — your concierge confirms the inclusions for the boat you choose. Browse the Phuket day fleet to see each vessel and its exact rate.
How the day runs — and what to bring
A full day usually leaves the northeast marinas — Ao Po Grand Marina, Yacht Haven or Royal Phuket Marina — between 8 and 9am, and the crossing depends on where you are headed: forty minutes into Phang Nga Bay, a longer open-water run south to Phi Phi. The middle of the day is snorkelling, swimming and the beaches, with the run home in the late afternoon. Pack reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, a light layer and a dry bag; the boat provides masks, snorkels and fins, drinking water, soft drinks and lunch aboard, with a canoe or tender for the hongs. The Andaman is calmest in the dry season and in the morning, so anyone prone to seasickness is best on the earlier run. Children are welcome — the sheltered bays of Phang Nga and the Khai islands suit families — and the crew tailors the stops to swimmers of every level.
When to go, and how to book
The dry northeast-monsoon season, November to April, brings the calmest, clearest water and the best of both Phang Nga Bay and Phi Phi — the prime window. May to October is wetter and windier, with the sheltered eastern bays of Phang Nga the reliable choice. To book, pick a boat from the Phuket day fleet and send an inquiry: our charter desk confirms the date and the price, holds the boat, and arranges the day before anything is paid.
