If you book a day trip to Coral Island or Racha in Phuket, you will almost certainly start at Chalong Pier. It is the busiest pier on the island: a concrete jetty of roughly 800 metres on Chalong Bay in the south of Phuket, about 10 km from Phuket Town, used every day by speedboats, catamarans and dive boats heading for the islands to the south.
It is a working pier, not a sight in itself, and the mornings are hectic. This guide explains which boats leave from Chalong, how it compares with Rassada and Rawai, how to get there, what happens on the day, and where to eat once you are back on land.
At a Glance
- Where: Chalong Bay, south-east Phuket, about 3 km east of Chalong Circle and 10 km from Phuket Town
- Boats to: Coral Island (about 15 min), Racha Islands (about 30 min), Koh Lon, Koh Bon, Maiton, some Phi Phi day tours
- Getting there: Most tours include hotel pick-up; about 15 minutes by car from Rawai Beach, 30 or more from Patong
- Best time: November to April, when the Andaman Sea is calmest (as of October 2026)
- Arrive: 30 minutes before your boat; the jetty takes about 10 minutes to walk
- Good for: Island day trips, diving, yacht arrivals and a seafood lunch afterwards
In This Guide
- What Chalong Pier Is
- Where the Boats Go
- Chalong vs Rassada and Rawai
- Getting to Chalong Pier
- On the Day: How It Works
- Best Time for Boat Trips
- Food and Coffee by the Pier
- What to Combine It With
- Where to Stay Near Chalong Pier
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sources
What Chalong Pier Is
Chalong Pier is Phuket’s main departure point for day trips to the southern islands. Phuket 101 calls it the busiest pier on the island and the base for dive boats, private yachts and many day-tour speedboats (Phuket 101). In Thai it is Tha Ruea Chalong (ท่าเรือฉลอง).
The pier is a long concrete jetty running out into Chalong Bay, with a floating steel pier head where the bigger boats tie up. The Southeast Asia Pilot puts it at about 800 metres; other sources give a little less (Southeast Asia Pilot). Chalong Bay is sheltered by Koh Lon and is a busy yacht anchorage, and the immigration office at the pier is where arriving yachts check in to Thailand.
The water around the pier is a busy anchorage, not a swimming beach, so do your swimming at the islands or at the beaches on the west coast.
Where the Boats Go
Boats from Chalong Pier serve the islands south of Phuket, all within about an hour by speedboat. These are the trips you are most likely to take from here (crossing times from Phuket 101, as of August 2026):
| Island | Speedboat time | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Coral Island (Koh Hae) | About 15 min | Easy beach day, water sports |
| Racha Yai | About 30 min | Clear water, snorkelling |
| Koh Lon, Koh Bon, Maiton | 15 min to 1 hour | Quieter half days |
| Phi Phi (some tours) | Longer; varies | Day tours only |
Most of the big Phi Phi ferries do not use Chalong. They leave from Rassada Pier near Phuket Town, although some Phi Phi day-tour speedboats do start at Chalong. Our guide to island hopping in Phuket compares the islands themselves, including which ones charge national park fees.
Divers use Chalong too: many of Phuket’s dive boats are moored in the bay and leave from the pier. The Racha resort on Racha Yai also has a check-in office near the pier for its own daily speedboat transfer at 1:00 pm.
Chalong vs Rassada and Rawai
Chalong Pier is for organised trips to the southern islands; Rassada is for scheduled ferries to Phi Phi, Krabi and Koh Lanta; Rawai is for private longtail boats. In most cases you do not choose the pier yourself: the tour operator does, and pick-up takes you to the right one (Phuket 101).
| Pier | Main boats | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Chalong | Tour speedboats, catamarans, dive boats | Coral, Racha, diving |
| Rassada | Ferries and speedboats | Phi Phi, Krabi, Lanta |
| Rawai | Longtails, price agreed on the spot | Small groups, nearby islands |
If you are a small group and want to set your own pace, a longtail from Rawai Beach, about 8 km away by road, can be better value for Coral Island or Koh Bon. Our Rawai Beach guide explains how to agree a price with the boatmen.
Getting to Chalong Pier
Chalong Pier is about 3 km east of Chalong Circle, the busy five-way junction in the south of Phuket. Most island tours include a minibus pick-up from your hotel or villa, so the simplest plan is to let the operator collect you.
- From Rawai Beach: about 8 km, around 15 minutes by car.
- From Kata Beach: about 7 km, 15 to 20 minutes.
- From Phuket Old Town: about 11 km, roughly 20 minutes.
- From Patong: about 17 km over the hills, 30 minutes or more.
- From Bang Tao (34 km) or the airport (42 km): allow about an hour.
Distances are by road; drive times are approximate and depend on traffic, and Phuket 101 notes the jams at Chalong Circle. Ride-hailing apps such as Grab and Bolt work in Phuket. If you drive yourself, there is a large car park, but Phuket 101 notes that parking a car can be very difficult when the tour buses arrive (Phuket 101). A scooter is easier to park.
On the Day: How It Works
Arrive at the pier about 30 minutes before your boat. Day-tour boats leave in the morning, and the pier is busiest then, with minibuses dropping off groups, and again in the late afternoon when they come back.
Several tour companies have offices along the road approaching the pier, which is why “Chalong Pier meeting point” is such a common search. Your booking confirmation should name the company and the meeting point; screenshot it in case the signal is weak. Walking the roughly 800-metre jetty takes around 10 minutes at a normal pace.
- Bring cash for drinks, snorkel hire and any national park fee not included in your tour.
- Wear sandals you can get wet: boarding a speedboat can mean a step down from the pontoon.
- Take seasickness tablets before you leave if you are prone to it; speedboats bounce.
- Pack a dry bag for your phone and wallet.
Best Time for Boat Trips
The best time for boat trips from Chalong is November to April, when Phuket gets about 24–177 mm of rain a month and the sea is usually calm. These are the Thai Meteorological Department’s long-term averages for Phuket, as of October 2026.
From May to October, the southwest monsoon brings 213–361 mm of rain a month and rougher seas. The Tourism Authority of Thailand says tour boats still run in this season but trips can be cancelled or delayed at the last minute, and the captain decides (TAT), so leave a spare day in your plans. Our guide to the best time to visit Phuket has the month-by-month numbers.
Food and Coffee by the Pier
The best-known place to eat by the pier is Kan Eang @Pier, a seafood restaurant beside the jetty that Phuket 101 calls a long-time favourite with locals and tourists (Phuket 101). It is a natural stop for a seafood meal after a day at sea.
For coffee, Lhong Bay Cafe is a pink rooftop café on the third floor of the SHIN Arch39 building, about a minute from the pier, open 11:00 am to 8:00 pm (as of September 2026) with a view of the longtails across the bay. Ashore there are more restaurants, bars and marine service shops (Southeast Asia Pilot).
What to Combine It With
The pier sits in the middle of the south of Phuket, so a boat day combines easily with the island’s best-known temple, a hilltop viewpoint and a sunset cape.
- Wat Chalong: Phuket’s most important temple, about 4.5 km or 10 minutes by car. See our Wat Chalong guide for dress code and opening times.
- Big Buddha: the 45-metre marble statue on Nakkerd Hill, with views over Chalong Bay and the pier.
- Promthep Cape: Phuket’s classic sunset viewpoint at the southern tip, about 10 km or 20 minutes by car.
- Chalong Bay Rum: a small rum distillery in Chalong with tastings and cocktail classes.
Where to Stay Near Chalong Pier
Staying in the south of Phuket turns the pier into a 15-minute ride instead of an early alarm and an hour in a minibus. Rawai, Nai Harn and Chalong are quieter than the west-coast resort towns, with seafood markets, good swimming beaches nearby and easy access to every island boat.
This is where we at Silqhaus come into the picture. Silqhaus, a Phuket and Pattaya holiday-rental company, has Sava Villa in Rawai, a private villa with a 10-metre pool, plus Niva Villa and Treva Villa near Phuket Town. Every home is run by our own local team, you can message them directly from day one, and booking direct is at least 10% cheaper than the same home on Airbnb, Booking.com or Vrbo.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chalong Pier in Phuket?
Chalong Pier is on Chalong Bay in the south-east of Phuket, about 3 km east of Chalong Circle and roughly 10 km from Phuket Town. It is about 15 minutes by car from Rawai Beach and 30 minutes or more from Patong.
Where is the Chalong Pier meeting point?
Each tour company has its own desk or meeting point on the road leading to the pier. Your booking confirmation names it; if you have hotel pick-up, the driver takes you straight there.
Which islands can you visit from Chalong Pier?
Boats from Chalong Pier go mainly to Coral Island (about 15 minutes by speedboat), the Racha Islands (about 30 minutes), Koh Lon, Koh Bon and Maiton. Some Phi Phi day tours also leave from Chalong.
Do ferries to Phi Phi leave from Chalong Pier?
Scheduled ferries to Phi Phi leave from Rassada Pier near Phuket Town, not Chalong. Some Phi Phi day-tour speedboats start at Chalong, so check your booking.
How early should I get to Chalong Pier?
Arrive about 30 minutes before departure. Mornings are busy with tour minibuses, and walking the roughly 800-metre jetty to the boats takes around 10 minutes.
The pier at Chalong is not somewhere you visit for its own sake, but for most island days in Phuket it is where the day begins and ends. Book a tour with pick-up, arrive early, bring cash and a dry bag, and finish with seafood by the water.
Sources
- Phuket 101: Phuket piers and ferries (updated August 2026)
- Phuket 101: Chalong travel guide (updated September 2026)
- Southeast Asia Pilot: Ao Chalong (pier, anchorage, immigration)
- Climate data (Thai Meteorological Department)
- Marine tourism during the southwest monsoon season (Tourism Authority of Thailand)
- Cover photo: Photo: JULIANISME, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
