Khai Island Phuket

If your kind of ideal vacation involves lounging in a chair by the sea, sticking your nose inside a book and soaking up some much needed sun, then an island vacation is just what you need! Located inside the beautiful city of Phuket, Khai island is a place where adventure meets tranquility. It is a 15 minute speedboat ride away from the east coast of Phuket. From water sports to coral reefs, Khai island has it all. Here is a quick rundown of reasons why you should definitely consider this island for your next vacation. 

Why Visit Khai island

The east coast of the island city of Thailand houses three beautiful islands - Khai Nai, Khai Nok and Khai Nui. These three islands are collectively called the Khai island. The picturesque locations and an endless range of activities that these islands offer make them stand out as a unique travel destination in Phuket. The biggest among these islands is the Khai Nai island. This island is considered best for activities such as swimming and snorkeling. If you are an adventure lover and want an island vacation that gets your blood gushing, you should definitely consider visiting Khai Nai. Khai Nui is the smallest among these three and offers the brilliant views of coral reefs. With clear waters and endless tourist attractions, Khai island offers you everything at once. 

Highlights of Khai island

• Clear and pristine white sand beaches where you can lounge and let your hair down
• Water sports such as snorkeling and scuba diving for the sports enthusiast in you
• Colorful and radiant tropical fish swimming so close to the shore
• Sunbathing along the calm shores of the island

Things to do at Khai island

• Swimming

Swimming attracts a lot of tourists to Khai island. Since the waters are clear and shallow, they are safe for both adults and kids to swim. This also makes Khai island a family-friendly tourism destination. You can also see brilliantly coloured tropical fish swimming very close to the shore. You can find sarongs in little shops in Khai Nok. You can also choose to try out the exciting water sports like jet ski, banana boat and so on.

• Snorkeling

Thailand beaches offer scuba and snorkeling activities for both adults and children. You can choose to island hop from Phuket to the tiny islands in and around the Andaman bay. At Khai islands, you can both relax on the white sand and snorkel in the warm waters of the ocean. It is advisable to carry your own snorkeling gear as there aren’t many shops in the Khai island that sell gear to tourists.

• A beach day

Khai island has as much to offer to the adventure enthusiasts as it does to the families. With clear water and colorful tropical fish swimming around, Khai island is easily the most eye-catching tourist destination for a family trip to Thailand. The island has several small eateries where you can munch to your heart’s content. Though it is usually a bit crowded, it certainly checks all the right boxes when it comes to a beach holiday. Although, it is very important that you carry sunscreen with you especially if you are traveling with kids as the heat is unpredictable. 

• Shopping

A trip to the beach city is incomplete without a souvenir from the sea, isn’t it? You can find jewelry made out of seashells, t-shirts that reflect the true character of the Khai island and other items made with love by the locals of the island in a little shop in Khai Nok. The other two islands do not have many commercial places that you can buy gifts from, but they do offer scenic locations perfect for your instagram! 

Things to know before visiting Khai island

• There are no shops that will rent or sell snorkeling equipment to tourists in Khai Nai or Khai Nui islands
• There are no shops selling swimming wear or equipments for water sports in the Khai islands
• The islands are uninhabited, and so feeding the fish is not allowed
• A vacation at the Khai island means a lot of exposure to the sun, so it is advisable to carry sunscreen along with you
• The best of time of the day to visit the island would be the early hours as it gets sunnier by the hour
• Speedboat rides are not advisable for infants, pregnant women and those with serious medical conditions such as heart diseases and chronic body pain

How to reach Khai island

From Phuket or Krabi, you can take a ferry ride to reach the island. The ride takes about 90 minutes from Krabi and 120 minutes from Phuket.

Activities near Khai island

• Phuket elephant sanctuary

The elephant sanctuary located in Phuket is truly one of a kind, in that they intend and succeed at being the last home for injured and sick elephants. The sanctuary is endorsed by national geographic and world animal protection and is one in which the animals have the freedom to roam, bathe and socialize. The sanctuary also has a 600 meter long and 6 meter tall canopy walkway, allowing complete freedom to the elephants. The visitors can watch the animals both from above and from a distance. The sanctuary even allows hiking. If you are traveling with family or if you are a wildlife enthusiast, the Phuket elephant sanctuary is definitely worth checking out!

• Aquaria 

The Phuket aquarium, lovingly called the Aquaria, is the best in Phuket and the biggest in Thailand. The aquarium has so many educational and fun activities that allow the visitor to learn more about life underwater. It is also the only place in Phuket with a sea turtle sanctuary. Forcefully caging or breeding the sea turtle is strictly prohibited in this place. The aquarium hosts almost 30 water tanks breeding fish of so many different species including the ‘nemo’ clownfish. 

• Phi Phi islands

A speedboat ride from Phuket to Phi Phi islands includes a ride down breathtaking views of gorges, rivers, pristine white sand beaches and coral reefs. You can choose to get picked up and dropped back at the hotel you are staying in and experience the best of Phuket on your trip, snorkeling, swimming and sunbathing. The sunrise views from the mountains of the Phi Phi islands are everything to live for! Do check out the packages offered to explore these beautiful beaches. 

Khai island can give you that dream beach vacation where you take a much needed break from your routine life. Choose Pickyourtrail and get your fully personalized itinerary to the island starting from flight trips, hotel accommodations to a personal chauffeur to help you out with your every need. Thailand is just one plan away!