Khao Lak Diving
Khao Lak is a small town one hour’s drive north of Phuket airport which has become very popular with scuba divers due to its proximity to the Similan Islands. Khao Lak is the nearest point on the Thai mainland to the Similans, making the crossing time to the island much shorter, and as such there are numerous liveaboards based here.
Khao Lak has blossomed into a non-diving tourist destination in its own right thanks to its quiet beaches, and there is a good collection of hotels for all budgets and various restaurants in the town, although there is not much in the way of nightlife. Khao Lak was badly damaged in the 2004 tsunami, but the town has now fully rebuilt itself – you wouldn’t even know that such a tragic event had happened there.
Khao Lak Hotels
There’s a wide choice of accommodation of hotels and guesthouses in Phuket
Things To Do In Khao Lak
For more info on what to do in Khao Lak when you’re not diving, we recommend Lonely Planet Thailand.
When To Go Diving In Khao Lak
The diving season is November to April in Khao Lak for access to the Similan Islands – May to October is the monsoon season and too rough for safe diving.
How To Get To Khao Lak
Khao Lak is a one hour drive from Phuket Airport.
You can get the overnight bus from Bangkok to Phuket, which stops in Khao Lak en route.
You can also get the train from Bangok to Surat Thani, and then get a bus from Surat to Khao Lak.