Surin Islands are located in the Andaman Sea near the border with Myanmar and are part of Mu Ko Surin National Park. The islands are especially known for snorkeling and diving, with clear water, beautiful coral reefs, and lots of fish, but they’re also a fantastic place to visit if you want to experience a different side of Thailand without beach clubs, shopping streets, and large resorts, and I had really been looking forward to our overnight stay.
We were picked up from our hotel, The Little Shore in Khao Lak, at 6:45 in the morning. From there, we drove about an hour and a half north to Kura Buri Pier. At the pier, we were served coffee, juice, and sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves while waiting to try on fins. You keep the same fins throughout the stay, so it was pretty important to find a pair that actually fit.
The trip out to Surin Islands was by speedboat and took a little over an hour. Our first stop was Moken Village, home to the Moken people, a nomadic group who traditionally lived from fishing and sailing between the islands in the Andaman Sea. They’re known for their close connection to the ocean and their extensive knowledge of the nature around the islands. Today, many families live more permanently in the village on the Surin Islands, which has also become a regular stop for boat tours in the area, with small souvenir stalls selling handmade jewelry.
Afterward, we continued to Chong Khat Bay which is the large bay on the main island, Surin Nuea, where the national park Visitor Center is located. We had a really good buffet lunch with different curries and rice, and afterward we had about an hour on the beach before it was time for the day’s snorkeling trip.
We snorkeled from the speedboat together with the other day trip guests and stopped at three different locations. The water was clear and there were lots of fish, but there were also a lot of people, and at times it felt a bit crowded with guides swimming around pulling groups of tourists behind them.
When we finished snorkeling, a longtail boat came out to meet the speedboat, and those of us staying overnight were transferred to our camps. Steve and I were the only ones staying in tents, so we were taken to Mai Ngam Beach, located inside the most beautiful little bay.
Our guide Alex told us that they usually have more than 200 guests staying overnight in tents, but because it was near the end of the season, there were only around 150 guests staying there when we were visiting.
We were shown to our tent, which was located right by the beach. The tents were placed really close together, so I was happy we had the side facing the water free from neighbors. The tent was equipped with sleeping pads and sleeping bags and was otherwise just a very basic tent. The campground was divided into different zones, and each zone had bathrooms and shower facilities. There was never a line and the toilets were Western style with proper flushing toilets. Everything was cleaned constantly so even though the setting was rather primitive, it was completely fine.
At 6pm dinner was served in the large dining hall which was under a roofed structure. We quickly realized that our tour included a really fantastic dinner with several dishes featuring fish, seafood, soup, curries, papaya salad, and rice.
While we were eating, it suddenly started raining, and not just a light tropical shower but a complete downpour. We were pretty sure we had closed the tent properly, and it was raining so heavily that neither of us wanted to walk back to check. When the rain finally eased up and we returned to the tent, we discovered that only the mosquito net had been closed, so quite a bit of rain had gotten inside. We dried everything as best we could and got ready for bed. It was hot, there were ants, and we were sleeping on thin sleeping pads, so when we woke up the next morning, we both agreed that we could probably do without another night in our wet tent. The weather forecast also said it would start raining again later that afternoon and continue throughout the night, so we asked Alex if it would be possible to leave a day early. Thankfully it was, so we arranged to take the boat back to Kura Buri after snorkeling the following afternoon.
Before breakfast, we walked down to the mangrove forest by the beach. We had been told that small reef sharks swim between the mangrove trees during high tide to hunt for small fish. It wasn’t really high tide yet the first time we went, so we only saw a few, but later in the morning there were a lot more.
Before heading out for snorkeling, we had fried rice for breakfast and then left by longtail boat. The second day was definitely the better snorkeling day because this time it was only guests staying at the camp on the boat, and we visited much better snorkeling spots. We snorkeled at two different locations, and the coral reefs were more beautiful and the fish were larger than the day before.
Back at camp, another really good lunch was waiting for us with fried chicken, shrimp, soup, and watermelon for dessert. Above the area where everyone returned their plates and silverware sat a crow that had apparently decided Steve deserved to be scolded. Every single time he walked past, it started screaming at him, it was quite a show.
After lunch, we were taken back to Chong Khat Bay and spent a couple of hours at the beach before boarding the speedboat back to Kura Buri after two wonderful days and one very wet night in a tent.
Book your overnight stay at Surin islands
We went with a tour operator, which made the trip very smooth and easy, and we didn’t have to worry about transportation, food, and snorkeling excursions, but it also came with a markup compared to what we would have paid if we had arranged everything ourselves. For first time visitors I would say that going through a tour operator is the best way to do it, but if I went again in the future, I would probably try my luck and book directly with the national park for a longer, more customized stay.
The tents and bungalows on the islands are operated by the park, and it’s possible to book accommodation directly through the Department of National Parks. Most people staying overnight choose the tents at Mai Ngam Beach because the location right by the water is really special, even if the setup is very basic. If you book independently, you’ll need to arrange transportation to Kura Buri Pier and the boat transfer to the islands yourself, but it also gives you a lot more flexibility. You would also need to arrange food and snorkeling trips yourself.
Book your overnight stay at Surin Islands with with a tour operator
Visit the official website for the park here
