12 Guests
Ao Mae Yai
Ao Chak
Ao Mai Ngam
Ao Tao
Ao Luek
Dive Richelieu Rock
Snorkel Ao Mae Yai’s Coral Gardens
Visit the Moken Village
Watch Nesting Turtles at Ao Tao
Hike the Ao Mai Ngam Nature Trail
Ko Surin Nuea
Ko Surin Tai
Ao Bon Yai
Ko Khai
Ko Chi
01
The park is open from 15 October to 15 May, closed the rest of the year for the southwest monsoon, and conditions are calmest and clearest from December through April. Diving at Richelieu Rock peaks for whale shark sightings between February and April, making the final weeks of the season the most rewarding for divers willing to accept slightly busier anchorages. Outside the open season, a charter itinerary needs to look elsewhere on the Andaman coast entirely.
02
Most charters stage from Kuraburi pier on the mainland, roughly two to three hours away by boat, or from Khao Lak a little further south. Phuket International Airport, code HKT, is the nearest major airport, around 180 kilometres south of the islands by road and sea combined. There is no scheduled ferry service once the park is open, so private charter or a liveaboard booking is the only realistic way in for most visitors.
03
Ao Mae Yai, the largest bay on Ko Surin Nuea, offers the calmest and most sheltered overnight anchorage along with the easiest snorkelling straight from the boat. Ao Chak suits a quieter stop with its own pristine coral, while Ao Mai Ngam sits closest to the ranger station and its short forest trail. Ao Tao, a protected turtle nesting bay on Ko Surin Tai, is best visited briefly rather than anchored in overnight, to protect the turtles.
04
Two to three days allow time for snorkelling at Ao Mae Yai, a dive at Richelieu Rock, and a respectful visit to the Moken village at Ao Bon Yai. Because the crossing from the mainland already takes two to three hours each way, most charters treat the Surin Islands as a longer stop rather than a quick call, often pairing them with the Similan Islands further south for a combined Andaman itinerary of a week or more.
05
Yes, Ao Bon Yai on Ko Surin Tai welcomes visitors during set daytime hours, and many Moken families sell handwoven baskets, carved wood pieces and other crafts directly from their homes. Photographing people without asking first is discouraged, and guests are asked to keep voices low and stay on the marked paths through the village. The Moken rebuilt here as a single community after the 2004 tsunami destroyed their earlier scattered settlements, and tourism provides income.
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