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The Andaman Sea charter is a six-month destination. Phuket is the only Thai base with the marina infrastructure, customs office, and direct international flights to support a luxury yacht charter, and the season runs roughly November 1 to April 30. Outside that window the southwest monsoon brings 20 to 35 knot winds, 2 to 4m seas, and a closed national park at the Similans. The base case below covers 280 to 340 nautical miles across 10 days, with a 40m motor yacht running $310K base charter plus 28 percent APA plus the Thai 7 percent VAT, as of May 2026. The marine park fees, fuel surcharges, and the customs-and-immigration clearances for a one-way Phuket-to-Langkawi leg are itemized below.
The route works around three constraints. First, the Similan Islands National Park is closed annually from May 16 to October 15 by Thai government decree, and the November 1 charter season opener is the first week the Similans are usable. Second, the trade winds (northeast monsoon) blow 8 to 15 knots from the northeast in peak season, which means the leeward southwest sides of the headline islands have the calm-water anchorages. Third, the marine park entry fees are paid per person per park, and the four parks on this route (Similan, Surin, Phi Phi, Krabi) add $100 to $200 per guest in entry fees over a 10-day charter.
The base case: 10-day round-trip from Phuket
Boarding Saturday afternoon at Yacht Haven Marina or Phuket Boat Lagoon (the two main charter marinas in northeast Phuket). Most charter clients arrive on the overnight flight from Dubai, Singapore, or Hong Kong, transit through the Phuket international airport (HKT), and check into a Phuket hotel for a rest day before boarding. The provisioning and bunkering happens before guest boarding.
Day 1 (Saturday): Phuket to Koh Racha Yai (or Koh Racha Noi) 20nm south. Soft opener. The yacht clears the customs and immigration desk at Yacht Haven and runs south to the Racha Islands on the south side of Phuket. Anchor at the protected west-side anchorage of Racha Yai (Patok Bay or Siam Bay) for the first afternoon snorkel and the trip-start lunch. Sleeps at anchor offshore.
Day 2 (Sunday): Koh Racha to Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh 35nm east. Morning passage to the Phi Phi group, the route's most-photographed stop. Anchor at Loh Lana Bay on the north side of Phi Phi Don or at Loh Dalum Bay on the protected north side. The afternoon visits Maya Bay on Phi Phi Leh (the bay made famous by the 2000 Beach film and now operated under a strict day-visitor permit system, with visitor caps and a 17:00 closing time). Snorkel at Loh Samah on the south of Phi Phi Leh. Sleeps at the Phi Phi Don anchorage.
Day 3 (Monday): Phi Phi to Krabi (Hong Islands or Railay) 30nm east. The route's slow-island day. The yacht crosses to the Krabi mainland coast and the Hong Islands archipelago, the limestone-karst formations that are the visual headline of the Andaman. Anchor at the protected anchorage off Koh Hong with the inland lagoon accessible by tender at high water. Afternoon at Railay Beach or Koh Poda for the second snorkel. The Krabi limestone islands are the route's lunch-and-photo headline. Sleeps at Koh Hong or the south end of Phra Nang.
Day 4 (Tuesday): Krabi back through Phi Phi to Phuket east coast 35nm west. The route's return-leg day. Morning at Bamboo Island (the small reef island north of Phi Phi Don, with the best fringing reef snorkel in the Phi Phi group). Afternoon back across to Phuket's east coast, anchoring at the Coral Island (Koh Hae) or Bon Island anchorages. The Phuket east coast has the marina logistics required for the mid-trip bunker and provisioning top-up. Sleeps at anchor offshore.
Day 5 (Wednesday): Phuket east to Naka Yai and the northbound passage 50nm. The yacht runs the inside Phuket coast and the long passage north toward the Similan Islands. Morning at Naka Yai or Naka Noi anchorages (north Phuket) for the final calm snorkel before the open-water passage. Late afternoon departure for the 60nm northwest run to the Similans. The Phuket-to-Similan passage is overnight at 11 to 12 knots, with arrival at first light. Guests sleep underway. Sleeps at the Similan island 4 (Koh Miang) anchorage.
Day 6 (Thursday): Similan Islands day 1 (south islands) 20nm. The route's marine-life headline day. The Similan archipelago is nine granite-and-sand islands with the best snorkel and dive visibility in Thai waters (25 to 40m). The yacht anchors at Donald Duck Bay on island 8 (Koh Similan), the most-photographed beach on the route. Morning snorkel at Honeymoon Bay on island 4 (Koh Miang). Afternoon dive or snorkel at Princess Bay on island 8. Sunset photo from the Sail Rock viewpoint. The Similan park entry is $25 to $40 per guest, paid through the park ranger station on day of entry. Sleeps at Donald Duck Bay.
Day 7 (Friday): Similan Islands day 2 (north islands and Koh Bon) 15nm north. Morning dive or snorkel at East of Eden (Similan island 7, the route's headline coral garden) and the Christmas Point dive site on island 9. Afternoon at Koh Bon, the small island 10nm north of the Similan group with the manta ray cleaning station (the route's manta-ray site, with sightings November-to-February most reliable). The Koh Tachai island further north is closed by Thai authority for marine protection and is not available. Sleeps at Koh Bon or the Similan 9 anchorage.
Day 8 (Saturday): Koh Bon to Surin Islands 30nm north. Morning passage to the Surin Islands, the second Thai national park on the route and one of the few Moken sea-gypsy villages still active in the Andaman. Anchor at the protected anchorage between Surin Nuea and Surin Tai. The Surin reef is the second-best reef snorkel on the route after the Similans, and the Moken village is the route's cultural-stop option. The Surin park entry is a separate $25 to $40 per guest. Sleeps at the Surin anchorage.
Day 9 (Sunday): Surin Islands back to Similan or to north Phuket 60 to 80nm south. The southbound return leg. The yacht runs back through the Similan archipelago for one final dive day or transits directly to north Phuket for the last anchorages. Most yachts split the day with a morning dive at Richelieu Rock (the famous sea-mount dive site between Surin and the Similans, with the largest whale-shark sightings of the season, late February through April most reliable) and an afternoon arrival at the north Phuket anchorages. Sleeps at the north Phuket Yao Yai or the Naka Yai anchorage.
Day 10 (Monday): Phuket northeast islands back to Yacht Haven 25nm south. Morning at the Phang Nga Bay corner with the limestone karst formations and James Bond Island (Koh Tapu) tender visit. The Phang Nga interior is a separate-permit area for large yachts and not all charter contracts include it. The standard arrangement is a tender day-trip from a Naka Yai anchorage. Afternoon return to Yacht Haven Marina for the disembarkation.
This is the standard 10-day Phuket round-trip. Total distance: approximately 280 to 340 nautical miles. The route covers Phi Phi, Krabi, the Similans, the Surins, and Koh Bon, and includes three to four dive sites, two marine park entries, and one overnight passage. It is calibrated for a 35m to 50m motor yacht with a tender suitable for the Maya Bay shallow entry and a dive operator aboard or arranged through a Phuket-based partner.
What the marketing version gets wrong
The brochure version sells Phi Phi and Maya Bay as the route's headline. They are the photographic headline. They are not the marine-life headline. Phi Phi is the most-trafficked anchorage in the Andaman, with hundreds of day-trip speedboats from Phuket and Krabi arriving between 09:00 and 16:00. Maya Bay reopened in 2022 after a four-year closure but operates under a visitor cap with a 17:00 closing. A Phi Phi-heavy itinerary that does not include the Similans is paying yacht rates for a stop that the day-boats reach in two hours from Phuket.
The second mistake is the omission of the marine park closures. The Thai government closes the Similans annually from May 16 to October 15. The Koh Tachai island is closed indefinitely. The Maya Bay visitor cap is enforced. A charter contract that promises any of these without a contingency clause is mis-selling the calendar. The version above is honest: the Similans are an early-November to mid-April destination, and the closures are non-negotiable.
The third is the under-allocation of weather margin for the open-water passages. The Phuket-to-Similan passage is 60nm and the Similan-to-Surin is another 30nm. These are open-water legs with no usable lay-by, and the northeast-monsoon swell can be uncomfortable in January and February. The route plans the long passages on the calmest forecast days, not on the calendar.
Yachts that work for this route
The Andaman charter fleet is one of the smaller in Asia. As of May 2026, the resident Phuket-based luxury motor-yacht fleet includes fewer than 15 hulls of 35m or larger. M/Y Northern Sun (44m Akhir 145, 12 guests) and the Sunreef Eco catamaran class are the regulars. The catamaran category is the cost-controlled answer for the Andaman: the Sunreef 60 and 80, the Lagoon Seventy 7, and the Bali 5.4 cats charter through Phuket-based operators (Asia Yacht Charter, Boat in the Bay, Yachting Partners International).
The Andaman fleet is supplemented by Mediterranean repositioning hulls. Several 50m to 75m European motor yachts run a Phuket season from late November to early April between European Mediterranean and Caribbean rotations. The repositioning fleet typically books on a single-charter calendar with limited dates, and the December-and-Christmas windows are the busiest.
A yacht we would pass on for this route is any vessel without a current Thai charter license. The Thai government tightened the foreign-flag commercial charter enforcement in 2024 to 2025, and a yacht running guests without a current charter license risks an enforcement event mid-trip. Verify in writing that the yacht holds a current 2026 Thai charter license before signing, and check for any continuing enforcement issues with the broker.
The fully-loaded cost
A 10-day Andaman charter on a 40m motor yacht in peak January or February 2026 runs approximately $310K base charter, plus 28 percent APA ($87K, covering fuel, dockage, provisioning, dive operator, marine park fees), plus 7 percent Thai VAT applied to the charter fee at first port of entry ($22K), plus 10 to 15 percent crew gratuity ($31K to $47K), for an all-in of $450K to $466K. Shoulder dates (November, April) drop the base by 15 to 25 percent.
The Thai VAT is the route's most-misunderstood cost. Thai-flag charter yachts charge 7 percent VAT on the charter fee. Foreign-flag yachts operating under a Thai charter license also charge 7 percent VAT. The contract clause needs to be explicit. The customs clearance fees at entry and exit are smaller (under $1K total) but are routinely overlooked in published rate comparisons.
The marine park fees are the second-largest itemized add. The Similan, Surin, and Phi Phi-Krabi parks each charge $25 to $50 per guest per entry. Over a 10-day charter with eight guests, the four-park sequence is $800 to $1.6K in park entry fees. These are paid in cash THB to the park rangers at entry, and the operator routinely fronts the payment through APA.
Passed on: variations we do not recommend
We do not recommend the 7-day Andaman charter that includes the Similans. The 60nm Phuket-to-Similan passage cannot be properly covered in a 7-day window without compressing either the Phi Phi side or the Similan side to a half-day. Either commit to 7 days of Phi Phi and Krabi (no Similans) or commit to 10 days for the full route. The 7-day-with-Similans is the worst-value version.
We do not recommend any Andaman charter outside the November-to-April window. The southwest monsoon makes the Similans inaccessible and the Phi Phi anchorages uncomfortable. May-to-October Phuket bookings are repositioning weeks for the resident fleet, not charter weeks.
We do not recommend the bareboat catamaran without a Thai-licensed local captain. The Thai charter regulations require commercial yachts to operate with a Thai-licensed captain or to clear customs for each port of entry on a foreign-flag private cruise. The all-bareboat charter format is functional but limited to under-30m hulls and requires logistical preparation that few charter clients are set up for.
Booking lead time
The peak Christmas-New-Year and Chinese-New-Year (late January 2026, February 2026) windows are gone on the headline hulls 8 to 12 months ahead. Mid-November, mid-March, and April 2026 have shoulder availability 3 to 5 months out. The catamaran category books 2 to 4 months ahead. The single-trip repositioning hulls (European 60m+) have fixed dates and limited availability, and brokers will quote those on a charter-specific basis.
FAQ
Why is the Thai charter season only six months? The southwest monsoon (May to October) brings sustained 20 to 35 knot winds and 2 to 4m seas. The Similan Islands National Park is closed May 16 to October 15 by Thai authority. The Phi Phi anchorages are exposed to the prevailing swell. The November-to-April northeast monsoon is the calm window.
What does a 10-day Thai yacht charter cost in 2026? A 30m to 45m motor yacht runs $180K to $360K base shoulder to peak, plus APA, plus 7 percent Thai VAT, plus gratuity. A catamaran charter runs $90K to $190K base.
Do I need the Similans? If you have 9 or 10 days, yes. The Similan dive sites are the route's marine-life headline. A 7-day Thai charter without the Similans is fine, but with the Similans it is the wrong trade.
Is Maya Bay still worth it? Yes, but as a day-visit, not a sleeping anchorage. The bay reopened in 2022 under a strict day-visitor permit cap with a 17:00 closing time. The yacht does not anchor inside Maya Bay overnight. The standard arrangement is a tender visit from a Phi Phi Don anchorage.
Can I do Phuket to Langkawi as a one-way? Yes, several charters run as a one-way Phuket-to-Langkawi or Langkawi-to-Phuket. The cross-border customs clearance adds half a day at each end and a one-way repositioning surcharge of $8K to $20K. The Langkawi end gives access to the duty-free port and a different boarding airport.