A trip to Phuket is never complete without paying a visit to the pristine islands that this destination has to offer. This Asian island nation is blessed with innumerable marvels of mother nature. Fascinating limestone formations that pop up out of nowhere in the middle of azure waters, lush green rainforest, and the glittering beaches combine to from the panoramic views of islands in Phuket.
With an extensive number of tiny islands sitting at every step in Phuket, finding the unexplored yet beautiful ones might be a challenge. To solve that puzzle for you, we have a list of all the unseen islands that are far away from commercialization, yet the best ones to visit!
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Table of Contents
Ko He
Ko He or Coral Island is a very popular group of small islands just south of Phuket. It has shallow coral reefs and is an excellent snorkelling site and sees a lot of day tourists. Coral Island is 2.5 kilometres long granite island and is jungle-covered. It has three beautiful and serene beaches.
Distance from Patong Beach
Ko Re or Coral Island is located at a distance of approximately 19 kilometres from Patong Beach. The island is 6.5 kilometres from Rawai Beach. The road journey would take around half an hour to reach Phuket Old Town from the Patong Beach via Route 4029 or Route 4020.
How to reach
It takes approximately 1.5 hours to reach Rawai or Chalong Pier from the Patong Beach. And from Rawai, it takes another 15 minutes approximately to reach Coral Island by boat. There are plenty of day tours organised for visiting this island. You can reach Rawai Beach or Chalong Pier and rent a longtail or speedboat for the rest of the 9-kilometre ride to the Coral Island. In group bookings for boat transportation, you can get cheaper deals than booking a private tour but private tour might prove to be a more rewarding experience to explore the island on your own. In case you want to travel by speedboat, you can book a snorkelling trip from Chalong to get to the island that transports you in 15 minutes. For snorkelling expeditions, you shall be provided with snorkelling mask and fins in the package price. Buffet lunch is generally included in the day package tour. Usually, from Rawai, you land at Long Beach. From there if you want to check out Banana Beach, a trail from the eastern end of the Long Beach leads through a jungle and after a hike of around 15 minutes through uneven surfaces, you shall reach the fascinating Banana Beach. This trail is not suitable for the elderly or those carrying small children.
You can also opt for a day tour that includes Coral island with Racha Yai Island. Book a Cruise in a deluxe catamaran in a luxury boat that offers live DJ entertainment and delicious finger food buffet and charges in a range of 3000 to 3800 baht. The same would cost a whopping over 43000 baht in case you are interested in booking private sunset chartered cruise with snorkelling experience.
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Ko Lon
Ko Lon is a tranquil island get-a-way a little distance away from the shores of Phuket. The island has lovely inland hills and flat beaches that are lined with coconut palms. Ko Lon is about 1.5 kilometres from both the Chalong Pier or Panwa Bali. The size of the island is no more than 3 kilometres long and about 800 metres wide.
Distance from Patong Beach
Yanui Beach is located at a distance of around 20 kilometres from Patong Beach. It takes approximately 40 minutes to reach Yanui Beach, Phuket, from the Patong Beach via Route 4030.
How to reach
The main way to reach Yanui Beach is by longtail boats and if you have a booking at one of the resorts, they will typically arrange for you to be picked up. A return trip on a longtail ferry should cost 500 baht and takes about 10 minutes.
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Ko NakhaNoi
Ko NakhaNoi is located 6 kilometres off the coast of Po Bay, which is approximately 25 kilometres north of Phuket City. The island is secluded and pristine offering unspoilt natural beauty. Ko NakhaNoi is the home to the Naga Pearl Farm, which is the only South Sea Pearl Farm that remains open to the public all year round.
Distance from Patong Beach
The Ko NakhaNoi, Phuket, is located at a distance of approximately 37 kilometres from Patong Beach. It takes more than an hour to reach Ko NakhaNoi, Phuket, from the Patong Beach via Route 4027 or 4030. There is also transfer time involved as you have to reach Phuket Bang Rong Pier and then to the island of KoNakhaNoi from there.
How to Reach
You can reach Phuket Bang Rong Pier from Patong Beach by bus, taxi or Songtaews. The distance is approximately 32 kilometres and it takes 730-900 baht by taxi. There are connecting buses or Blue Songtaews departing from Patong and arriving at Ko NakhaNoi via Phuket Town, running on an hourly basis, and operating every day. You can travel to Phuket town that takes 50 minutes by bus and charges 30 baht. From there you can take another bus to Bang Rong Pier that takes 1 hour and charges 40 baht. The journey takes approximately more than 3 hours by bus and then by ferry. The fastest way to get to Phuket Bang Rong Pier from Patong is to take a taxi that takes around half an hour. The rest of the journey from Bang Rong Pier to Ko NakhaNoi is by speedboat and takes 30 minutes by ferry that runs every hour and charges 300 baht. If you have a rented vehicle at your disposal, it offers hassle-free and convenient conveyance from Patong to Bang Rong Pier.
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Ko Racha Noi
Ko Racha Noi is a twin-island of Ko Racha Yai. It is also known as Ko Raya Noi and is located off the south-eastern coast of Phuket. The waters at Ko Raya Noi are emerald green and it is famous for fishing. Swimming is not recommended here. Ko Raya Noi is a result of coral reef-building up with more rocks compared to beaches.
Distance from Patong Beach
The Ko Racha Noi, Phuket, is located at a distance of approximately 34 kilometres from Patong Beach. It takes around 1 – 1.5 hours to reach Rawai Beach or Chalong Pier from the Patong Beach via Route 4028 or 4030. It takes a bit longer via Route 4024. Travelling by bus takes longer time to reach Rawai than a taxi.
How to Reach
You can reach Rawai or Chalong Pier from Patong Beach by bus by spending 90 to 170 baht via Route 4028, 4030 or 4024. There are direct buses departing from Patong and arriving at Rawai running on an hourly basis and operating every day. The journey takes approximately 1 hour to 1.5 hours. The fastest way to get to Rawai or Chalong Pier from Patong is to take a taxi that will cost 490 – 600 baht and takes around half an hour. You can also take a half-day tour for visiting Ko Racha Noi and the twin-island Ko Racha Yai. If you have a rented vehicle at your disposal, it offers hassle-free and convenient conveyance from Patong to Rawai. The rest of the way to Ko Racha Noi, which is 12 kilometres from the mainland will need another 45 minutes or lesser to cover by Phuket ferry, longtail boats or speedboats.
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Koh Khai Nok
Koh Khai Nok is a small beautiful island tucked away in Phang Nga Bay. This island is 30 minutes away from the east coast of Phuket. The emerald green waters are filled with friendly and colourful tropical fishes meant for swimming and clicking photos. It is a small island no bigger than a large football pitch consisting of the rocky headland and powdery white sandy beach.
Distance from Patong Beach
The Koh Khai Nok, Phuket, is located at a distance of approximately 23.5 kilometres from Patong Beach. It takes around 20 minutes to half an hour to reach Koh Khai Nok from Phuket.
How to Reach
You can reach the pier from Patong Beach by bus, taxi or Songteause. There are connecting buses or Blue Songtaews departing from Patong and arriving at the pier. From there you need to avail a water taxi or longtail boats to reach the Koh Khai Nok. You take half an hour to reach the island from the mainland. Taxis connect the pier running on a regular basis, and operating every day. If you have a rented vehicle at your disposal, it offers hassle-free and convenient conveyance from Patong to the pier. Book a day trip (full-day or half-day) from Patong to Khai islands and cover all the islands – Khai Nok, Khai Nai and Khai Nui. There are no additional pick-up and drop charges from Patong to Khai islands.
I hope that the information provided was really helpful for anyone who is planning a visit to Thailand. For more information on places to visit, things to do, the best time to visit or any other information on Thailand please visit:- https://www.thailand-tourism.net
