Thailand · two-base Andaman trip

Phuket, Koh Lanta and Hin Daeng

Dive the Racha Islands from Phuket, then take the seasonal ferry to Koh Lanta for Phi Phi, Koh Haa and an advanced Hin Daeng and Hin Muang day. Fly into Phuket and home from Krabi. The route only works cleanly in the dry season.

Recommended
11 days · 10 nights · 7 dive days
Bases
Phuket and Koh Lanta
Experience
Advanced with recent current experience
Airports
Phuket (HKT) in · Krabi (KBV) out
Best overlap
February–March; November–April viable
Principal risk
Seasonal ferry, park closure and exposed seas
Clear tropical water and limestone islands off Phuket

Confirm the Rassada–Saladan ferry before paying for both bases

Ao Nang Travel currently lists a direct Phuket Town–Koh Lanta sailing from Rassada Harbour to Saladan Pier at 08:30, arriving 12:45. It operates in the dry season and is listed as closed from 11 May to 14 November 2026. Check in 30 minutes early and confirm the sailing again before booking non-refundable rooms. The listed luggage limit is 20 kg, with a charge for excess bags. Weather can lengthen or cancel the crossing. Keep the entire transfer day free of diving.

February and March give the route its strongest overlap

Plan this route from November to April. February and March sit inside the calmer Andaman season, the passenger ferry’s operating window and the usual access period for Koh Haa, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. April can work but is hotter and closer to the seasonal transition. The Lanta park islands are typically closed from May through October, and the cited ferry does not run through the southwest monsoon.

Mantas and whale sharks are possible at Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, with operators often favouring late winter and early spring. They remain unpredictable. Plankton can improve feeding conditions while reducing visibility. A rough-sea cancellation is more likely than a guaranteed large-animal encounter, so the plan includes other reef days rather than depending on one offshore trip.

The Hin Daeng day sets the experience level

Racha Yai and sheltered Lanta sites can suit Open Water divers. Hin Daeng and Hin Muang are exposed, deep pinnacles with changing current and no shallow shelter. Book them only after the operator reviews your certification, recent dives, buoyancy, gas use and current experience. Advanced Open Water is a sensible minimum for this published route. Skip that day for Koh Haa or another local trip if the guide or conditions do not support it.

Expect long boat days, negative entries on some trips and separated surface pickups in current. Carry a surface marker and know how to deploy it. The King Cruiser wreck is optional and should not be penetrated. Operators choose sites according to sea state and group ability; named sites in this plan are targets, not promises.

Choose the length

Eight, eleven or fourteen days

Your itinerary

The 11-day plan

7 dive days · 1 land day

11 days · 10 nights · 17–21 planned dives · 7 dive days · 1 transfer day · arrival and departure included. Recommended for a first two-base trip.

1

Phuket · Kata or Chalong base

Days 1–4 · 4 nights · 3 dive days

Day 1

Arrival and transfer

Phuket airport to the south coast

A

Land at Phuket International (HKT). Take an airport taxi or prebooked car to Kata or Chalong, about 60–90 minutes by road depending on traffic (A). No diving today.

Phuket and Racha guide
Day 2

Three dives

Racha Yai

B

Start with a Chalong day boat and use the first dive as a weighting and buoyancy check. The operator chooses sheltered sites for the group.

Phuket and Racha guide
Day 3

Three dives

Racha Noi and Racha Yai

B

Take the longer Racha Noi and Yai day if conditions fit. Do not treat South Tip as a scheduled stop; it requires suitable current experience.

Phuket and Racha guide
Day 4

Three dives

Phuket outer sites

B

Use a third day for Racha, Shark Point or another site on the operator’s current schedule. Wreck penetration is excluded. Prepare dry luggage for tomorrow’s ferry.

Phuket and Racha guide
2

Koh Lanta · Long Beach base

Days 5–11 · 6 nights · 4 dive days

Day 5

Transfer day · no diving

Phuket to Koh Lanta

CDE

Go by road to Rassada Harbour (C), check in early and take the seasonal ferry to Saladan Pier, currently 4¼ hours (D). Continue 10–20 minutes by local vehicle to Long Beach (E). Allow most of the day.

Phi Phi and Koh Lanta guide
Day 6

Two or three dives

Phi Phi and the Bida islands

FG

Join a Lanta boat toward Phi Phi if the schedule and park access allow (F and G). Expect a long day and several boats at popular sites.

Phi Phi and Koh Lanta guide
Day 7

Two or three dives

Koh Haa

Use a second Lanta day for Koh Haa or another sheltered option. Caverns and swim-throughs remain optional and must fit certification and conditions.

Phi Phi and Koh Lanta guide
Day 8

Two or three dives

Hin Daeng and Hin Muang

HI

Take the long offshore trip if approved (H and I). Strong or downward current is possible. Mantas and whale sharks may be absent. Use the operator’s local alternative if cancelled.

Hin Daeng and Hin Muang guide
Day 9

Two or three dives

Koh Lanta local sites

Keep another dive day for a missed site or a calmer trip. Finish all diving by 16:00 and do not move the final flight buffer to recover a cancellation.

Phi Phi and Koh Lanta guide
Day 10

Land day · no diving

Koh Lanta

Keep the whole day out of the water. Choose the beach or one Old Town outing. Confirm tomorrow’s car and car-ferry timing. Maintain at least 24 hours before takeoff.

Phi Phi and Koh Lanta guide
Day 11

Departure and transfer

Koh Lanta to Krabi airport

J

Take a prebooked vehicle to Krabi International (KBV), crossing by bridge and car ferry (J). Allow 2½–3½ hours plus airline check-in time and extra margin for queues.

Cost guide · 11 days

What to budget for

Accommodation
Price 10 nights: 4 in Phuket and 6 on Koh Lanta. At THB 1,500–3,500 per room per night, allow THB 7,500–17,500 per person sharing. This is a planning assumption.
Diving
Three Phuket days at THB 3,900: THB 11,700. Three local Lanta days at THB 3,500 plus one Hin Daeng/Hin Muang day at THB 5,900: THB 16,400. Combined reference: THB 28,100 before extras.
Transfers
The published seasonal ferry is THB 1,100 per adult. Add HKT arrival transport, both pier transfers and the Lanta–KBV road-and-car-ferry transfer. Confirm excess dive-bag charges.
Fees and equipment
Tanks and weights are included in the cited Phuket operator rate; full equipment is extra. Lanta park fees, equipment and insurance inclusions differ by operator. Ask for a written total.
Flights
Price HKT inbound and KBV outbound for the actual dates. Flights are excluded from every subtotal.
Land days and total
One full final land day, plus the no-dive ferry day. Accommodation allowance plus cited diving totals THB 35,600–45,600 per person sharing, before flights, transfers, meals and fees.

International flights, equipment rental and optional private transfers are not included.

Add time without breaking the route

More Koh Lanta

Add two days on Lanta for another local dive day and one land day. This improves recovery from a single offshore cancellation without changing airports.

Phi Phi and Koh Lanta guide

Krabi on land

Add two nights after diving and transfer to the mainland before the final day. This removes the car-ferry queue from flight morning. Reprice the hotel and local transfer.

Phi Phi and Koh Lanta guide

Keep a full dry day before the flight

Every version finishes diving by 16:00 two calendar days before departure, then protects a complete no-dive day. DAN recommends at least 18 hours after repetitive no-decompression diving. This itinerary uses at least 24 hours. Follow any longer computer or operator restriction. Do not fly with possible decompression symptoms.

Information for planning purposes only. Conditions vary. Always dive with qualified local operators and within your certification level.

Sources & last checked

Checked September 2026

Research is source-backed, but conditions and fees should still be confirmed locally.

View 12 sources and checking notes

Note on the data: Ferry details and advertised dive prices were checked on 10 September 2026. Schedules, park openings, pickup zones and fees require reconfirmation. Accommodation and road-transfer figures are explicit planning allowances. Map hotel positions and dive-boat tracks are approximate; roads follow the main practical corridors. Wildlife is not guaranteed.