Discover Accommodation Options in the Similan Islands, Thailand

You can't stay overnight on the Similan Islands any more. Full stop. Mu Ko Similan National Park used to rent out bungalows and tents on Koh Miang (Island No. 4), then ended overnight stays to protect the islands. Tour operators date the end of those packages to around 2018, and Thai National Parks confirms there's no park accommodation or camping today. So your real choices: a hotel in Khao Lak, about 20 km from the pier, or a night at sea on a liveaboard.

Plenty of websites still advertise "Similan island hotels" and island bungalows. Here's what used to exist, what's left, and where to sleep instead.

Types of Accommodation in the Similan Islands

Bungalows in the Similan Islands

The Similan Islands bungalows belonged to the national park and sat on Koh Miang (Island No. 4). Thailand Liveaboards described about twenty wooden ones: basic fan rooms, and nicer air-conditioned ones, with meals from the park canteen. Older guides put the simple bungalows at roughly ฿1,000 a night, the air-conditioned ones around ฿2,000.

You can see the appeal. Once the day boats left at 16:00, guests had the beach more or less to themselves, at dusk and again at dawn. That's exactly what ended. According to Khao Lak Travel Center, the overnight package hasn't been available since 2018, when the park shut the accommodation for maintenance and to let the area return to its natural state. Khao Lak Land Discovery put it bluntly in 2023: staying overnight on the Similan Islands is no longer possible.

Spot an island bungalow for sale today? Honestly, assume it's out of date, or just misleading.

Camping Sites in the Similan Islands

The Similan Islands camping site was the budget choice. The park kept around twenty two-person tents on Koh Miang, with mats, pillows and mosquito nets; older guides also mention camping on Koh Similan and Koh Tachai. Packages bundled the tent with speedboat transfers and canteen meals, November to April only. Pitching your own tent? Not allowed.

Facilities were basic. Shared bathrooms, the park canteen, a small shop, two phone masts. These days Thai National Parks says camping "is not possible anymore", to keep visitor numbers down. And Koh Tachai, which had its own beach campground, has been closed to visitors entirely since 2016.

Tips for a successful camping trip, then? Camp somewhere else. The Surin Islands have offered multi-day options in some seasons; ask an operator what's running this season.

Accommodation Locations and Amenities

Where to Stay: Key Locations

Mu Ko Similan itself has nowhere to sleep. So the key locations are on the mainland, and at sea:

• Koh Similan (Island No. 8) and Koh Miang / Koh Meang (Island No. 4): the two main islands, each with a visitor centre. Koh Miang also has the park's only restaurant (08:00–14:00). Both are day-visit only.
• Khao Lak: the nearest town, a 20–30 minute drive from Thap Lamu Pier. Its main areas, from south to north, are Khao Lak centre and Nang Thong, Bang Niang, Khuk Khak and Bang Sak. Dive and tour operators pick up from all of them.
• Thap Lamu: the pier village south of Khao Lak. There's little tourist infrastructure, so most people stay in Khao Lak and get picked up.
• Natai and Khok Kloy: quieter beaches further south, nearer Phuket. Some operators charge for transfers from there, ฿500 return with Amity Diving Club.
• Phuket: 2–2.5 hours from the pier. Fine for one Similan day, tiring for several.

Why does proximity matter? Pickups. From Khao Lak you leave at 06:00–07:30, from Phuket at 05:30, and over several trips that gap really adds up.

Amenities Offered by Accommodations

The island bungalows and camping sites are gone, so compare the two options that exist:

• Khao Lak hotels and resorts: beachfront rooms, pools, restaurants and tour desks that book Similan trips and arrange the pickup from your lobby. Agoda reviewers single out Kalima Resort and Villas Khao Lak, Eden Beach Khaolak Resort and Spa, Khaolak Emerald Beach Resort and Spa and The Briza Beach Resort for views and breakfasts.
• Liveaboards: shared or en-suite cabins with air-conditioning, all meals, a sundeck and saloon, and on some boats nitrox and Wi-Fi.

For comparison, the old island bungalows had fans or basic air-con, no bars, no roads, canteen food. Charming. Not luxurious, though.

Pricing and Booking Your Stay

Cost of Staying in the Similan Islands

What the options that exist cost, roughly, in 2026–27:

What drives the cost: season (Christmas to Chinese New Year is the peak), distance from the beach, and for liveaboards, cabin type and trip length. Budgeting tip: a Khao Lak base plus day trips is the cheapest way to see the Similans more than once. A liveaboard costs more upfront, but your bed, food and up to four dives a day are in.

How to Book Your Accommodation

Steps that work:

1. Pick your Similan dates first, inside the 15 October 2026 – 15 May 2027 season.
2. Book a Khao Lak hotel near your operator's pickup zone, through a booking platform or direct.
3. Book the tour or liveaboard and give the operator your hotel name for the pickup.
4. For a liveaboard, book weeks or months ahead. Cabins over Christmas and in February sell out first.

One thing that matters in a national park: the Department of National Parks no longer sells overnight stays in Mu Ko Similan. Any "island bungalow" offer is old information, or not what it claims. Khao Lak's very seasonal too, and some dive centres shut entirely from May to October.

Comparing and Choosing the Best Option

Comparing Accommodation Options

Our recommendations: snorkellers and families, stay in Khao Lak and do one or two day trips. Divers after the north (Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock), book a liveaboard. Already in Phuket? It works fine for a single Similan day.

Liveaboard Tours: An Alternative Experience

A liveaboard tour is the one way left to spend a night in Similan National Park. You sleep on a dive boat anchored off the islands, wake before the day boats turn up, and dive three or four times a day. Trips run anywhere from 2 days and 1 night to about 7 nights.

And the benefits? The ones the island bungalows used to offer: quiet mornings, sunsets at sea, no daily commute, plus Koh Bon and Richelieu Rock. One caveat for snorkellers, though. Most liveaboards are built for divers. Khao Lak Land Discovery notes snorkelling is prohibited at some dive sites, like Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock, so snorkellers sit on board while the divers are down. Details in our Similan liveaboard guide; day trip or liveaboard compares the two.

Environmental Considerations

Environmental Impact of Accommodations

Tourism hit the Similan Islands ecosystem hard. Before 2018, up to 7,000 people a day were landing on islands with no roads and limited water and waste systems. Ending overnight stays, capping numbers, closing Koh Tachai: all part of the park's response. And honestly, it's why the reefs and beaches still look this good.

Sustainable practices to look for: liveaboards that use mooring buoys and manage their waste, hotels and operators that cut single-use plastic. You can shrink your own footprint too:

• Bring a refillable bottle and reef-safe sunscreen. Both are park rules.
• Take all your rubbish back to the mainland.
• Don't take shells, sand or coral.
• Choose operators that brief guests on coral-safe snorkelling.

FAQ

Sources checked October 2026: Thai National Parks: Mu Ko Similan, Khao Lak Land Discovery: Similan snorkelling tour, Khao Lak Travel Center: Seastar Similan prices, Thailand Liveaboards: island accommodation (archived info), Agoda: hotels near Similan National Park, Khao Lak Explorer: Similan liveaboards. Prices change; confirm with the operator before you pay.