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Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Chalong Bay
Spend a day for boat trips and Wat Chalong; add a night if you plan to dive or stay near the pier.
Chalong Bay is Phuket's main boat anchorage on the east coast, 11 km south of Phuket town. It offers easy access to island day trips, the Big Buddha viewpoint and Wat Chalong temple. One full day covers the highlights; a night is useful for diving or early boat departures.
- Country
- Thailand
- Best months
- Nov–Apr
- Avoid
- May–Oct (wet season)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- THB
- Money
- Currency is the Thai baht (THB, ฿). Cards work in malls, hotels and many restaurants; street food, markets, boats and small taxis are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ฿800–1,200 excl. bed · Mid ฿1,200–2,000 excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Ambulance 1669 · Tourist police 1155
- Plugs
- Types A, B, C, O · 220 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US pins and round European pins; type O is the Thai three-pin standard. UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Leave ฿20–100 or the coins; skip it if a 10% service charge is on the bill.; Taxi / Grab: Round up to the next ฿10 or ฿20.; Massage: ฿50–100 per hour to the therapist, in hand.; Guide / driver day: ฿300–500 for the guide, ฿200–300 for the driver.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ฿20–50.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Street refill machines charge about ฿1 a litre; bottled water everywhere.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in malls and hotels; squat toilets with a water bucket in rural stops. The hose ('bum gun') replaces paper; paper goes in the bin in older buildings. Some public toilets cost ฿3–5.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Pad thai (street stall) | ฿40–80 |
| Seafood dish at waterfront restaurant | ฿120–250 |
| Motorbike rental (per day) | ฿200–250 |
| Speedboat day trip to Coral Island | ฿800–1,200 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- HKT · Phuket International Airport
- Taxi or shuttle 30 min to Chalong
Typical fares
- Phuket Airport → Chalong (taxi)
- ≈฿600–800, 30 min
- Motorbike rental per day
- ≈฿200
- Speedboat to Coral Island (round trip)
- ≈฿900
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Rent a motorbike for >1 day (≈200 THB/day). Taxis are scarce; ask for a fixed price to the pier.
See and do
Known for
- Big Buddha
- Wat Chalong
- Boat trips to Coral Island, Ko Racha and Phi Phi
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Coral Island (Ko Hae) | Speedboat from Chalong Pier, 30 min | ≈1 h total |
| Ko Racha | Speedboat from Chalong Pier, 45 min | ≈1.5 h total |
| Phi Phi Islands | Speedboat from Chalong Pier, 1 h 15 min | ≈2 h total |
Sleep
- Chalong Bay area
- Guesthouses and resorts 200–800 THB; walk to pier
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| How much is this? | เท่าไหร่thâo‑rai |
| Where is the pier? | ท่าเรืออยู่ที่ไหนthâ‑ruea yù‑tè‑nai |
| Can I have the bill, please? | เช็คบิลด้วยครับ/ค่ะchék‑bìn duây khráp/kâ |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A wai (palms together, slight bow) to return a greeting; a smile and nod for shop staff; avoid: Waiing children or service staff first — it confuses; hugging strangers
- Head and feet: Keep feet on the floor, sit with legs folded to the side in temples; avoid: Touching heads (even children's), pointing feet, stepping over people or food
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees, shoes off, sit lower than monks; avoid: Women touching monks or handing them things directly; climbing Buddha images
- Monarchy: Stand for the royal anthem in cinemas and at 08:00 and 18:00 in public places; avoid: Any joke or comment about the royal family; stepping on a banknote
- Keeping calm: Stay polite and smiling when things go wrong ('jai yen' — cool heart); avoid: Raising your voice; public anger loses the argument
- Names: Khun plus first name ('Khun Somchai'); nicknames are normal; avoid: Using the family name alone
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or sweets; step over the threshold, not on it; avoid: Sitting with feet towards the family shrine
- Beckoning and pointing: Palm down, fingers waved towards you; point with the whole hand or chin; avoid: Pointing at people with a finger or with your foot
Scams and watch-outs
- Boats are not for swimming; stay on deck.
- Peak boat‑charter times fill quickly; book early (check operators).
- Roads can be busy during tourist season; drive defensively.
Generally safe; watch for boat traffic and keep valuables secured on motorbikes.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Chalong Bay yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Big Buddha
- Wat Chalong
- Boat trips to Coral Island, Ko Racha and Phi Phi
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – Phuket: www.tourismthailand.org/Destination/Phuket
- Wikivoyage: Chalong Bay, revision 4890862 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4890862
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/chalong-bay). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.