Planning a holiday to Phuket, Thailand, is exhilarating and you want to plan your trip to get the most out of your Phuket experience. You want to explore as many of the 32 small islands as possible! But unless you came to Thailand with a private yacht, you will have to join one of the many daily tours. You may be wondering – should you book tours of Phuket in advance, or only once you arrive there?
Most tourists that have visited Phuket recommend booking island hopping, snorkeling, jungle trekking and other tours once you reach Phuket main island, not in advance via a travel agency, at the airport or via a hotel in Bangkok or Chiang Mai. To avoid overpaying for a tour, do not book in advance!
No matter how worried that all the Phuket Island tours will be fully booked, do not book online in advance! There is a plethora of tour agencies, kiosks and agents who will provide you with an endless range of tour options and packages to welcome you on the island. However, there are one or two instances where it may be a better idea to book in advance.
Booking in advance vs booking when you arrive
There are some advantages to booking your tours of Phuket in advance online. This option may appeal to you if you are a very organized person who likes to know that everything is planned and paid for up front.
It is also convenient is you are onlyin Phuket a day or two, and you do not want to waste time booking tours. It is also better to book tours in advance when you are travelling with a large group of people, as you do not want to run the risk of splitting the group up because a tour can only accommodate half of you.
However, you will pay more for this convenience. Online booking sites place a 10-20% markup on their tour prices.
73% of people who have visited Phuket recommend only booking tours once you have arrived on the island. If you want to make your holiday money stretch as far as possible, it is best to hold off on booking in advance.
When you get to Phuket, you will see that there are innumerable tour agencies, kiosks, vendors, tour touts and taxi drivers who will offer you a range of different tours of the islands, jungles, and cultural sites. There is a lot of competition amongst the tour companies in Phuket, therefore you will get lowest, most competitive prices for tours on the island.
There is the added advantage of getting first-hand advice from other tourists or locals on which tours are the best or which should be avoided.
Advantages of joining a tour group
Spending a day with a group of strangers may not seem like your idea of a good time, but there are many advantages to joining a larger tour group. It probably will not be what you expect!
- The biggest advantage of going on a tour is that you get to island hop and explore the beaches of many different islands.
- Tour operators provide life jackets and snorkeling gear on loan, so you do not have to bring your own.
- Reputable tour companies also have insurance, in case of an accident. There are many naughty monkeys on the islands.
- Lunch and non-alcoholic beverages are included in the tour price. You can buy beers on most tours.
- Tour operators provide transport and will usually fetch you from your hotel and drop you back off after the tour. This is very convenient, as there is no need to arrange this yourself.
- Tour guides are extremely knowledgeable and are English-speaking, so you will get loads of background information about the places you visit and the sights you see.
- Depending on the time of year and the size of the group you are travelling with, you might get the whole tour to yourselves. There is nothing more magical that having a whole boat or island to you and your friends!
- If you are travelling alone, you can meet interesting, like-minded new friends on tours.
Not all tours are equal
If you have looked at Phuket tour booking websites, you have probably noticed that some tours cost more than others, even if they are visiting the same place. As with anything in life, you get what you pay for when it comes to Phuket tours.
Keep this rule in mind: the faster and smaller the boat, the greater the cost. Bigger boats that can accommodate more people will cost less.
For island hopping, I recommend speed boat tours, because the boats have a more powerful engine and are smaller thus nimbler. You will be able to get to more remote areas of islands, where larger boats cannot get to, due to shallow waters. This way, you will have a quieter experience of the islands. Each boat can take 15 passengers, including the crew. However, speed boat tours do cost more.
Larger ferry boat tours cost less, because they can accommodate more people passengers (up to 50), therefore the overall price per person is less. These tours will not take you to the most secluded spots on the islands, as the water is too shallow for the larger boats, but you will still have an amazing experience.
Where to book Phuket tours once you have arrived
Once you have arrived at the international airport on the main island of Phuket, keep resisting the urge to book tours. The tour companies that have a kiosk at the airport pay a premium rent, and so their tour prices are higher.
Even once you arrive at your hotel, walk past the tour agency kiosk at the front desk and resist the urge to book your tours there! They put a 20-30% mark up on their tour prices for their admittedly convenient service.
Patong Beach is the best place in Phuket to book the cheapest tours. It is one of the most popular tourist beaches in Phuket. There are many tour touts, agents and vendors in this area who are competing to offer the same tours for the best price. You can even chat to some of the local people and other tourists to hear about which tours are the best.
Bangla Road, which runs parallel to Patong Beach, is the next best place to book your tour tickets. There are many tour agencies along the street offering great prices. Do not be shy to go to a few different agencies and do some market research before booking a tour.
Always use your common sense, and do not book a tour with a random tour tout that approaches you out of nowhere with a hand full of tour pamphlets. There are locals who work as middlemen, making money by bringing tourists to tour agents. It is better to buy directly from a tour company.
Questions to ask the tour operator when booking
It is a great idea to shop around to get the best prices for the tours that you want to go on. Speak to tourists at your hotel, people you meet on the beach or just ask the many tour guides and agents. Always remember to ask:
- What type of boat? Faster, more agile speedboat or larger ferry boat?
- Is lunch and drinks included in the tour price? This may be the reason one tout is significantly cheaper than another.
- Are admission fees to islands included in the tour cost? This may be another reason a tour is much cheaper than other going to the same places. You will have to take extra Baht along!
- Does the tour company have insurance in case of an accident? You do not want to think of these things while on holiday, but it is better to ask.
Conclusion
You should only book tours of Phuket once you have arrived there. Go to the tour agencies or vendors in Bangla Road or Patong Beach to get the best prices for tours. Avoid booking tours at the airport or hotel, because these tour agencies charge a lot more for tours.
There are many advantages to joining a tour group and it is the best way to ensure you experience as much of gorgeous Phuket and the Andaman Sea as possible. It is truly worth it to pay a little bit more to go on a tour in a speedboat. The remote beaches and secluded reefs you will see are worth every penny!
