This week we were incredibly blessed to be able to visit the Similan Islands.
It is only recently that Thailand has opened up and relieved some of the restrictions put in place due to Covid and our trip was one of the first to have gone to the islands for a while. Our guide - Icecream was her Thai nickname was a little nervous due to the presence of Farangs (foreigners) on the trip and had to translate in Thai and English for our party as well as in Thai for the other Thai family that we shared the boat with.
It was a typical start to a day trip with an early pick up from the hotel and transfer via minibus. However, when we arrived to the Pier it was much quieter than i have experienced on similar pre-COVID trips of a similar nature. This made it quite pleasant and we were able to pick up snorkels and fins easily without too many people around.
We had picked this day to do the trip carefully as the weather forecast suggested the weather would be the most favorable in the week and did we make the right decision. As we left the shelter of the harbour on the speedboat, the sea was fairly flat and the boat ride was no more than a little bumpy. There was blue skies and the mainland was visible for a long while.
As we approached the islands, I started to get very excited. This is a trip that I have wanted to do for a long time and to be finally approaching started to get my pulse going. The excitement of finally seeing this famed location mixed with the fear of disappointment.
As we pulled in the the bay of the first stop on our trip, Similan island 4, my expectations were realized and exceeded. At this stop we were to snorkel only and it was such a treat in the crystal clear waters. The coral here was not so interesting but the sea life was varied and thriving. We saw many fish including groupers and parrot fish as well as an octopus and a giant moray eel.
The time seemed to pass really quickly and I was somewhat disappointed when we had to get back on the boat to move to the next island. It was a quick journey as the islands are very close to one another and on this next Island, we had lunch. The facilities were basic but nice and well looked after. There were many showers, toilet cubicals and dining places which makes me believe that pre-covid there number of visitors must be many. It was certainly set up to cater for a lot of people. This made me feel very lucky to be able to visit at a time where we were sharing the location with so few others. When we arrived, we were the first boat there and we have a lot of space to ourselves. As we ate lunch, 2 other boats arrived with only a few visitors on each and we later found out that those 3 boats were the only ones there that day. We were served a basic but tasty lunch and then were able to enjoy the island. It is fair to say that it was spectacular and really did take my breath away.
We spent about 45 minutes swimming and playing on the beach and taking many many photographs.
One of the most unexpected things about our time on the beach was how powerful the waves were and how much energy you could feel in the current when swimming. It was a very different feeling to my experience of the waters of the gulf of Thailand.
It was soon time to move on to our next island stop and this time we were snorkeling from the boat again. The visibility was not as clear at the second location but it was deeper and there were many many fish. We saw a HUGE parrot fish and also a large titan trigger fish. I had to stop the children from wanting to swim close to it.
Again, the snorkeling seemed to be over all too soon and we were again ushered back onto the boat to move on.
Our finial stop was on the most iconic and recognizable of the Similan Island and when you arrive you see why. It had a huge beautiful white sand bay with precariously balanced bouldered cliffs overlooking it. There are no jetty’s or piers on the Similan Islands so you have to exit the boat into the shallow waters. The wave currents were so strong that the boat could not settle and we had to jump off the back into waist deep water. The kids thought it was great and happily swam into shore.
On arriving, our tour guide took us on a hike up to a famous view point called Sail rock. It was a short but steep assent with some maneuvering through tight spaces under rocks. The views were absolutely breath taking from the top.
I’m not sure the kids really understand how lucky they are to have visited such a place but hopefully one day they will.
As I look back on the photos I reflect on this as one of the few positives of the COVID pandemic and think of what a different experience we may of had if it was full of tourists at the height of a normal season.
After descending back to the beach we had a little time to swim again and enjoy the beach.
I didn’t feel ready to leave and wanted to stay and take it all in some more but we had to get back before stormy weather came and in time for our transfer home.
We left absolutely awestruck. I is without question one of the most spectacular locations I have ever visited.
I smiled the whole speed boat journey back to the mainland and enjoyed talking with my oldest son about the fish we had seen and planning future snorkeling and diving trips.