Phuket yacht charter — the 2026 Andaman Sea guide
Phuket is the operational base of Southeast Asia's crewed-charter fleet and the only meaningful embarkation point on the Andaman coast. Ao Po Grand Marina and Phuket Boat Lagoon handle the entire commercial charter calendar; the limestone karst islands of Phang Nga Bay sit 90 minutes north; the Phi Phi cluster runs south-east; and the Similan and Surin national parks — the long-haul reward for a serious charter — lie 12 hours offshore to the north-west. This is not a destination you book by accident. The hulls in the region are excellent, the fees are moderate by Med standards, and the cruising rewards a 10–14 day window more than a one-week brief.
This guide is for charterers planning a 2026 Andaman booking. It covers the monsoon windows, the national-park permit choreography, the embarkation marinas, and the difference between a one-week Phang Nga loop and the full Similans expedition that justifies the long-haul flights.
Why the Andaman — and why now
Three structural reasons the region has moved up the brief order:
- The karst geology of Phang Nga Bay is geographically singular. Limestone hongs (collapsed cave-roof lagoons accessible only by kayak at the right tide) and emerald-water anchorages between vertical karst stacks are not replicable in the Med, the Caribbean or the Maldives.
- The Similan Islands are the best dive product in mainland Southeast Asia. Granite boulder topography, big-pelagic reliability (manta and whale-shark seasonality from late February through April), and a strict national-park permit regime that keeps numbers low.
- The fleet has matured. The Andaman charter inventory now includes credible 35–55 m motor yachts and a strong cluster of 22–28 m sailing catamarans, with experienced regional crew who know the tides, the parks, and the immigration paperwork.
The monsoon window — read this before anything
The Andaman has a hard seasonal split:
- High season: 1 November to 30 April. NE monsoon. Calm seas, steady weather, full national-park access. This is the only window in which a credible Phuket charter operates.
- Low season: 1 May to 31 October. SW monsoon. The Similan and Surin parks are closed by Royal Decree; sea state on the west coast of Phuket is unworkable; many crewed yachts reposition to the Mergui Archipelago (Myanmar) or to the Indonesian fleet.
Inside the high season:
- November and December — settled weather, slightly cooler nights, holiday-period rates over Christmas and New Year (the absolute peak of the calendar).
- January and February — the most reliable cruising window; manta and whale-shark reliability building in the Similans through late February.
- March and early April — the best dive month (March), warming into the spring shoulder. Songkran (Thai New Year, mid-April) closes the window socially.
Book a charter outside these windows and the captain will spend the week explaining why you cannot reach the Similans.
The embarkation marinas
Three relevant facilities:
- Ao Po Grand Marina (NE Phuket) — the deep-water charter base for yachts above 30 m. Direct access to Phang Nga Bay; the captain's bar where the regional charter network actually lives.
- Phuket Boat Lagoon (East Phuket, near the airport) — the larger marina, principally for resident yachts and sailing yachts to 30 m. Convenient airport access (25 minutes).
- Yacht Haven Marina (NE Phuket, near Ao Po) — the cruising sailing-yacht base; some charter operators stage here.
For a 40 m+ motor yacht embarking ten guests, the working base is Ao Po Grand. The airport transfer is 45 minutes; the broker who handles the pre-arrival lunch at Sri Panwa or Trisara as a buffer between the long-haul flight and the boarding moment is the broker the client books again.
A 7-night Phang Nga and Phi Phi itinerary
Day 1 — Embark Ao Po Grand Marina. Sail one hour to Koh Naka Yai for the first night; settled, gentle introduction, dinner on board.
Day 2 — Phang Nga Bay full day. Hong by Starlight (the after-dark kayak through the bioluminescent hongs); anchor between Koh Hong and Koh Phanak; second night at Koh Roi (the famous hong through the narrow entrance).
Day 3 — Krabi side: anchor off Koh Hong (Krabi version) for the morning swim, sail to Railay Beach for the limestone-cliff lunch. Overnight at Koh Yao Yai.
Day 4 — Cross to Phi Phi. Anchor in Maya Bay (limited daily permits — pre-book), or Loh Samah Bay if Maya is closed. Snorkel at Bida Nok. Overnight Phi Phi Don, Tonsai Bay.
Day 5 — Phi Phi morning, sail back across to Koh Racha Yai or Koh Racha Noi (the dive day — the most reliable Phuket-area dive sites). Overnight Koh Racha.
Day 6 — Coral Island and the southern Phuket coast; lunch at one of the Patong/Kata-area beach clubs (Catch Beach Club, Café del Mar); overnight at anchor off Naiharn.
Day 7 — Return north along Phuket's east coast, lunch on board, disembark Ao Po Grand or Boat Lagoon.
This pattern gives the visual highlights of the Andaman coastal cruising without committing to the Similan expedition. For first-time Andaman charterers it is the right brief.
The 14-night Similan expedition — the real reward
For experienced charterers, the meaningful product is the 12–14 day itinerary that pushes north-west out of Phuket to the Similan and Surin national parks. The standard pattern:
Days 1–3 — Phang Nga Bay warm-up, as above.
Day 4 — Open-water passage NW to the Similans (8–12 hours). Anchor Koh Miang.
Days 5–7 — Similan archipelago. Dive sites at Elephant Head Rock, Christmas Point, North Point. National-park permit fees are paid daily through the captain.
Day 8 — Northward push to the Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock (the single most reliable manta and whale-shark dive site in Thailand, in season).
Day 9 — Surin Islands. Moken (sea gypsy) village visit at Koh Surin Tai; the cultural counterpoint to the diving.
Day 10 — Return passage southward; overnight Koh Phra Thong on the mainland coast.
Days 11–13 — Phi Phi, Krabi cluster, Phang Nga reprise.
Day 14 — Disembark Ao Po.
This is the brief that justifies the long-haul flights. The Similan permit regime caps daily visitor numbers and requires advance broker coordination; the captain who has the park-office relationships books the right anchorages.
Yacht selection
The Andaman fleet splits into three working categories:
- 22–28 m crewed sailing catamarans (Sunreef, Lagoon, Bali). Eight to ten guests, four to six cabins. Shallow draft for Phang Nga hong access. Weekly rates €30,000–€60,000.
- 30–45 m motor yachts. Eight to twelve guests, the family-and-friends charter. The Phuket-resident fleet of Asian-built motor yachts and a small number of European hulls. Weekly rates €80,000–€180,000.
- 45–60 m motor yachts. Twelve guests, the long-haul destination charter. Limited inventory; book by September for the following high season. Weekly rates €220,000–€420,000.
Cabin layout matters more than length. The Andaman brief is heavy on families and on diving groups; six-cabin layouts in the 30–40 m motor-yacht bracket are the most demanded inventory and the first to commit each season.
Financial framing — 2026 numbers
Thailand charges 7% VAT on the local charter portion of the fee. The Similan and Surin parks charge daily visitor fees of THB 500 per guest plus yacht fees of THB 4,000 per day per yacht (rough sterling equivalents in late 2025: €15 and €110). Maya Bay (Phi Phi) is a separate permit and a separate daily fee, with caps.
Realistic 2026 Phuket-area weekly spend for a 35 m motor yacht, ten guests, high season:
- Base charter fee: €110,000–€150,000
- APA at 30–35%: €35,000–€50,000 (fuel, provisioning, harbour fees, dive guide, fixer)
- National-park permit fees (Phang Nga, Phi Phi, Similan/Surin if visited): €1,200–€3,500 for the week
- Tip pool at 10–15% of base fee, cash in USD or THB at the end of the week
- Add €30,000–€50,000 for the long-haul flight bracket per guest (out of scope of the charter fee but worth pricing into the trip total)
Phuket's marina fees are low by Med standards — Ao Po Grand high-season nightly berth for a 40 m motor yacht runs €200–€350.
What this destination is — and isn't
Phuket-based charter is a 10–14 day commitment for the right brief. Treat the one-week Phang Nga and Phi Phi loop as the entry product and the 12–14 day Similan expedition as the reward. The destination does not work as a 5-night quick hit out of a long-haul flight; the in-and-out logistics burn two days at each end and you arrive at the best dive site of the week on the day you are supposed to disembark.
The reward — the hongs at Koh Roi, the manta at Richelieu Rock, a sundowner anchored off Koh Hong with no other yacht in sight — does not exist elsewhere in the global charter inventory. We broker around 12 Andaman charters a year; the ones that work are booked with intent, planned 9–12 months ahead, and brief the captain on what matters in a way no comparison site can.
Booking window for 2026
The 2026–27 high season (1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027) opens for serious booking in spring 2026. The Christmas–New Year window and the late-February to mid-March (manta season) window commit first. Sailing catamarans retain spring availability through summer; 40 m+ motor-yacht inventory is tight by September.
Send the brief, the dates, the guest count, and tell us whether you want the one-week Phang Nga loop or the full Similan expedition. We will tell you within 24 hours which two or three hulls are the right shape for the brief and whether you should embark from Ao Po or Boat Lagoon for your arrival window.
