Best Things to Do in Surin Islands, Thailand

How to plan a trip to the Surin Islands Archipelago, Thailand?

I am sure you are coming across these archipelago for the first time.

There are 9 islands; only 5 of them are inhabited. Only two are really large and worth for tourism purpose.

They are:

Ko Surin Nuea
Ko Surin Tai

Please note both ‘ko’, and ‘koh’ mean an island in Thai language. These islands are always less crowded. This suits tropical island lovers.

Location of Surin Islands

The Surin Islands are on the west coast of Thailand. The Andaman Sea surrounds the islands.

Khuraburi is the nearest town.

Bangkok is far off, at over 900 km northeast of Surin Islands.

Pattaya City is also not a gateway because it is over 800 km to the town of Kuraburi, in southern Thailand.

How to reach Ko Surin Nuea?

The gateway to the islands is the town of Khuraburi (Khura Buri). Phang Nga city must be your first destination from wherever you are in Thailand, such as Bangkok, Pattaya, or Phucket.

Phang Nga to Khuraburi is 110 km north.

From Khura Buri to Surin Islands is 66 km northwest. Below is the route map.

Only for 8 months (April to November) in a year, you can plan a trip. Ferries take a big 90 minutes to cover the 66 km distance in the Andaman Sea.

Unique Fact:

Surin Nuea, and Surin Tai islands are separated by a channel that is only 200 meters! Swim across if you can.

Else, wait for the low tide during which, the channel becomes dry. Simply walk across the wet sand from Surin Tai to Surin Nuea or vice versa.

How about that for a terrific experience?

Best Things to Do in Surin Islands

Richelieu Rock

Tell me honestly, can such a diverse marine life, keep a scuba diver from visiting these Thailand islands?

This is the biggest attraction here. To reach the Richelieu Rock diving site, you have to go in a boat for 45 km from Ko Surin Tai.

The rock sits at a convenient height of 110 feet from the sea floor. From the summit, divers take immense pleasure to dive into the Andaman Sea.

The boat in which they came from Surin Tai also acts as a launching pad for the scuba divers.

One can spot some rare marine creatures that include:

Orangutang crab
Sea Horse
Frogfish
Harlequin Shrimp
Lionfish
Pineapplefish
Napolean Wrasse

It has an alias that goes by, “Humphead Wrasse”.

This looks huge, similar to manatee.

There are hundreds of species more including whales, and manta rays that will keep the divers in the sea until the oxygen tank is almost empty.

Encounter with Mokens

Mokens are the natives of these tropical islands, off the west coast of Thailand. They are also known as, “Sea Gypsies”.

The meeting will be interesting. Their knowledge of the marine creatures in the Andaman Sea is incredible.

Mu Ko Surin National Park

It is rather a marine national park because it covers a large area of sea mainly.

Of course, rainforests are also part of this NP.

While dolphins are occasionally reported, one can seriously indulge in bird watching. Some 90 different species of birds were identified and recorded by the national park authorities.

A few species of pigeons with striking appearance will catch your attention by their color combination.

Several species of reptiles under the category of ‘monitors’ are easily spotted.

Water Monitor

pigtail macaque are found in large numbers, especially on the uninhabited islands. They are omnivorous; so they really do not have to depend on human habitats for food.

Snorkeling

There is no dearth of snorkelling spots here. The range of underwater creatures swims close enough to the surface of the sea for the snorkelers to have a field day.

The presence of number of snorkelling tour organizers is a proof that snokeling is the foremost attraction on these islands in Thailand.