The best Phi Phi island tour from Phuket leaves at 6am and here is whyLegacyMost Phi Phi island tours from Phuket leave around 8am. They arrive at Maya Bay between 9 and 10am, the same window as the day-trip fleet from Krabi, Koh Lanta, and Phi Phi Don. The beach is crowded before most people have finished their breakfast. That is not a bad tour company. That is just how the schedule works when everyone runs the same departure time. Simba Sea Trips leaves Boat Lagoon Marina at 6am. The sunrise happens at sea The roughly one-hour-ten-minute speedboat crossing from Boat Lagoon Marina to the Phi Phi islands is not dead time. It is the best part of the morning. The Andaman sunrise breaks over open water during the transit south-east, with colour across the sky while the islands are still quiet. Guests are watching it from the boat, not from a beach car park.

The tour arrives at Maya Bay around 7.15am. That is about an hour ahead of the main day-tripper fleet. The beach is empty. The water is clear. The group is a maximum of 18 adults, at a time when other operators on the same route regularly carry 30 to 60 passengers per boat. By 8.30am, when the first day-tripper boats are pulling in, Simba’s group is already leaving for the next stop. What the day actually looks like The Phi Phi Sunrise Tour runs for eight hours across seven stops, with meaningful time at each rather than a drift-by. After Maya Bay: the emerald-water Pileh Lagoon, two snorkel reefs chosen on the day for conditions, a drift past the Viking Cave and Monkey Beach, and a final beach stop at either Bamboo Island or Koh Rang Yai depending on sea state. Lunch is back at Soho Pool Club at Boat Lagoon Marina — a proper sit-down buffet, not a boxed meal on the boat.

Everything is included in the price: hotel transfers from anywhere on the Phuket tourist coast, a light breakfast on arrival, the buffet lunch, soft drinks, coffee, fruit, snacks, snorkelling gear, life jackets, and national park fees. There is nothing to pay on the day beyond optional alcohol at the pool club after. Maya Bay closes each August and September for ecosystem restoration, as part of the national park’s annual conservation period. The closure has been a regular part of the Phi Phi calendar since the bay’s rehabilitation programme began, and during those months, Simba substitutes Bamboo Island, adjusting the itinerary without changing the structure of the day. Why the group size matters The Join-In tours cap at a maximum of 18 adults. That is not marketing language for a medium-sized group. On the water, it means a boat where the captain can slow down if someone spots a turtle, where there is no scramble for snorkel gear, and where the guide knows your name. Most shared tours in Phuket run on vessels built for 30, 40, or significantly more passengers. The economics make sense for the operator. The experience is different for the guest. Who runs the operation?

Phuket boat tours at this scale depend on the standard set at the top. Simba Sea Trips was founded in 2005 and is owner-operated by Paul Chappell, a 23-year professional airline captain who brought the same safety culture to marine operations that applies in commercial aviation. The marine safety standards the crews run on today were built by Chappell. Thai-licensed captains crew every boat. The company holds TAT Licence 34/02111. Nearly 6,000 verified reviews across TripAdvisor, Google, and GetYourGuide reflect two decades of that standard being applied consistently. More than 4,300 of those are on TripAdvisor alone, at a 4.9-star average. Simba has also won the Viator Experience Award in both 2024 and 2025. When is the best season? The Andaman coast runs best between November and April. The window for calm seas and reliable visibility at sites like Pileh Lagoon and the snorkel reefs around Phi Phi is firmly inside that dry season, which is also when demand for Phi Phi island tours from Phuket is highest. Booking ahead is worth doing during this period. The 18-adult cap fills faster than most guests expect.

The Phi Phi Sunset and Shark Tour is a second option running from November to April only, for those who prefer an afternoon departure and a different atmosphere on the water. Book or enquire Tours run year-round. Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before departure. Contact: sales@simbaseatrips.com | +66 81 787 7702 Sponsored The story The best Phi Phi island tour from Phuket leaves at 6am and here is why as seen on Thaiger News.

Speaking at parliament on July 17, 2569, at 11:40 a.m., Wasawat Phuangpornphisai, a list-based MP and leader of Thai Ruam Phalang Party serving as a special budget committee member, criticized irregularities in the Defense Ministry's equipment and armament procurement budget for fiscal 2570. He objected to spending on air-conditioned office improvements such as guest gifts, electrical charging equipment, and solar panels on office buildings when such upgrades are not urgent. He urged redirecting those funds to border soldiers instead.

Wasawat noted that even allocated border budgets are insufficient. Frontline troop strength has dropped dramatically—in some areas from 20 soldiers to just 4—and infrastructure like roads remain incomplete. While the military requested some 600 million baht from the central budget for 2568–2569 to develop border roads, water, and electricity, the Suranari Task Force received only around 100 million baht despite being the main force on the frontline.

"I work in Ubon Ratchathani province and have witnessed these problems firsthand," Wasawat said. "Instead of spending on phone chargers and foreign guest gifts, wouldn't it be better to help these frontline soldiers earning only 240 baht in allowances? We even have phantom soldiers—names on the roster but not actually on duty." He also raised concerns about the navy's 2,686 million baht submarine purchase from China as part of a total 13,000 million baht submarine acquisition, while China simultaneously supplies 40 T-59D tanks to Cambodia.

Wasawat called this an opportune moment for the Prime Minister and Deputy PM Phumtham to pressure Chinese President Xi Jinping to suspend tank deliveries to Cambodia during the PM's current China visit. He urged creative diplomacy rather than passive acceptance, noting that Cambodia lacks naval capabilities comparable to ground forces. He recommended the committee suspend the submarine budget pending review, and criticized the Defense Ministry for cutting all units' budgets while paradoxically increasing AI funding—a move he called misaligned with border security needs. Wasawat emphasized he speaks from firsthand observation, not for attention, citing instances where Thai soldiers still repair bunkers with rubber sheets while Cambodian troops probe the border.

At 11:22 a.m. on July 17, 2026, the Prasat Police Radio Center received notification of a school bus carrying students on an educational trip from a school in Khuekhant district, Sisaket province, that had overturned on Highway 214 near Wat Talwok in Kangaen subdistrict, Prasat district, Surin province. Investigation revealed that 51 students and 6 teachers aboard the bus sustained minor injuries, with no severe injuries or deaths reported. Police officers, rescue units, and related personnel provided immediate assistance and transported all injured passengers to hospitals. Traffic has returned to normal operations, and authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the accident.

The Phra Phirun Center, in cooperation with customs authorities, has seized over 8 tons of illegal livestock products and 600 crates of smuggled avocados in Khlong Luang district, Pathum Thani, as part of efforts to dismantle illegal agricultural smuggling operations. Deputy Commander Saran Sansoonthorn of the Phra Phirun Agricultural and Food Security Command Center revealed that officers from the Department of Agriculture and Customs conducted a raid after tracking the avocado shipment from northern Thailand. Officials impounded 600 crates of avocados and filed charges under the Plant Quarantine Act for importing restricted goods without proper authorization and procedures, as well as under the Customs Act for smuggling goods into the kingdom without customs clearance.

In a related operation, Phra Phirun task force officers expanded their investigation into the illegal sale of livestock products through online channels. They identified a large cold storage facility in Khlong Luang that was operating without proper authorization or livestock product trading licenses. Upon inspection, officers discovered animal carcass parts, including tongues and other pieces, being stored and transported without required permits. The facility operator was apprehended, and over 8 tons of illegal products were confiscated. The case has been forwarded to prosecutors for further legal proceedings.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, through the Phra Phirun Center, has pledged to intensify enforcement actions against agricultural smuggling to protect consumers and support Thai farmers.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is leading Thailand's largest business delegation to China in history to expand investment, coinciding with the opening of the Board of Investment's (BOI) fourth overseas office in Chengdu on July 17, 2025. BOI Secretary-General Narutt Therdsteerasukdi announced that the Prime Minister will preside over the office opening, which will serve as a key hub for promoting investment in western China—a region increasingly important to China's economy and home to numerous high-potential companies in advanced technology and clean energy.

The delegation includes a "Prime Minister-Thai Private Sector Luncheon" bringing together over 153 business leaders from 48 companies, with 110 executives dining directly with the Prime Minister. This represents one of the largest Thai business delegations ever sent to China. Senior business figures including Suphachai Chearavanont, Senior Vice President of CP Group, and Saravuth Yuenyuttiya, CEO of Thai Red Bull (TCP), will share their China business expertise with attendees.

The BOI is facilitating two-way investment by not only attracting Chinese capital to Thailand but also helping Thai investors expand into China and find business partners. Over 40 Thai companies have pre-registered to participate in business matching sessions with interested Chinese counterparts. The participating businesses span strategic sectors including manufacturing, finance, retail, pharmaceuticals, and energy, represented by major Thai conglomerates such as CP Group, Thai Red Bull, PTT, SCG, Charoen Pokphand, and BDMS.

Following the Chengdu activities, the Prime Minister will continue to Beijing on July 20 for discussions with Chinese leadership on broader bilateral cooperation and mutual support.

On July 17, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., the parents and grandmother of a newborn arrived at the Paveena Hongsukul Foundation for Children and Women in Pathum Thani province to file a complaint with Ms. Paveena Hongsukul. The mother, Ms. A (pseudonym), age 26, a construction worker from Phayao province, had registered for prenatal care at a private hospital in Bangkok's Prasat Charoen district using the Gold Card healthcare scheme. On July 4, 2026, when she arrived for her scheduled natural delivery, she had no labor pain and her cervix had not dilated; the ultrasound showed a healthy female fetus. She was rescheduled for July 7, then July 9 for a planned cesarean section.

On July 9 at 11:00 a.m., the mother entered the delivery room. The doctor attempted an epidural block but could not find a vein because of her larger body frame (105 kg), so he switched to inhalation anesthesia. During the cesarean procedure, she suddenly regained consciousness. The doctor halted the surgery and administered additional anesthesia. She did not regain awareness until 3:00 p.m. Her husband inquired about the baby and was told the newborn had an abnormally rapid heartbeat and was in the pediatric ICU.

At 6:00 p.m., the baby showed no response and needed to be transferred to a second hospital in Bangkok. Although the transfer was supposed to occur at midnight on July 10, it did not happen until 3:00 a.m., with the second hospital's doctor questioning the delay. On July 11 at midnight, the second hospital informed the mother that the baby had died from oxygen deprivation and severe lung infection. The death certificate, however, listed "pulmonary hypertension" as the cause of death. The mother and family suspect the interrupted anesthesia during surgery, the repeated anesthesia administration, and the delayed transfer may have contributed to their daughter's death. When they asked the first hospital staff for an explanation, they were told the child had aspirated amniotic fluid.