Airport and piers · Chalong Bay, in the south of the island
Chalong Pier
Phuket's busiest pier for boat trips, on Chalong Bay: speedboats to Racha and Coral Island, dive boats, and some Phi Phi trips.
Access
By road
Time to allow
Only to catch a boat
Why go
If you are going to Racha, to Coral Island or diving, your boat probably leaves from here. It is a working pier, not a place to visit, and Chalong Bay is not a swimming beach.
What you will find
Speedboats (fast motorboats) reach Coral Island in about 15 minutes and Racha Yai in about 30 to 40; bigger boats and dive boats take 60 to 90 minutes to Racha. There is no public ferry to Racha: you go on a tour, a dive boat or a private boat.
The pier is also the base for many dive boats and day trips, with a large car park and agency offices. Some Phi Phi trips leave from here too, but the public ferries to Phi Phi leave from Rassada.
Getting there
By road, on Chalong Bay in the south of the island. Many tours include a pick-up from your hotel; otherwise come by taxi or Grab, and check the pier name on your ticket.
Before you go
According to one guide, the first stretch out of Chalong, off Cape Panwa, is usually the roughest. From September to October, when the sea is at its roughest, Racha is not for you if you get seasick.
In the monsoon, from May to October, speedboats are the first boats cancelled on rough days: check the day before.
Where this place leads
Common questions
Which pier for Racha and Coral Island?
Most speedboats leave from Chalong; longtails, wooden boats with a long-shafted engine, also leave from Rawai, at a price agreed with the boatman.
Do ferries to Phi Phi leave from Chalong?
The public ferries leave from Rassada. Some Phi Phi day trips leave from Chalong, so check the pier on your booking.