Thailand
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
536km²
Area
135km
Coastline
measured on a simplified outline
507m
Highest point
Khao Mai Thao Sip Song
321,802
People
30°C
Warmest sea
May
2km
To the mainland
When to go to Phuket
Best for the beach from January to February.
The sea is warmest in May (30 °C) and coolest in January (28 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in Thailand
Phuket is an island in Thailand. It covers 536 km², with 135 km of coastline. Its highest point, Khao Mai Thao Sip Song, rises to 507 m. About 321,802 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 2 km away.
Getting there
- Phuket International Airport (HKT)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at HKT airport (Phuket)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesPhuket - Ko Yao Noi, Phuket - Ko Phi Phi Don, Phuket - Ko Yao Yai, Ao Nang - Phuket
- 2 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From January to Februarybest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Phuket.
- 59beachesNai Thon Beach, Karon Beach, Yae Beach and 56 more
- 143viewpointsKaron View Point, Kaokard Viewpoint Tower, Windmill Viewpoint and 140 more
- 5ferry terminalsRassada Pier, Bang Rong Pier, Ao Po Pier and 2 more
- 2marinasRoyal Phuket Marina
- 4named peaksKhao To Sae, Kata Rocks, khao Rang and 1 more
- 23waterfallsTon Sai Waterfall, Bang Pae Waterfall, Kathu Waterfall and 20 more
- 1castles and forts
- 2ruins and archaeological sites
- 53dive centresSea Bees, Santana Diving & Canoeing, Aqua Divers and 50 more
- 4surf spotsSurfing, Surf House Patong, Tony Surf shop and 1 more
- 14campsitesBungalow for rent 6500, Villas, Papa Camping and 11 more
- 1,449hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 2,913restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Phuket in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Phuket, each with its own numbers.
13beaches and covesCoastya
34mountainsPeakyas
3waterfallsCascadyas
Highest point
529m
Khao Mai Thao Sip Song
according to Peakyas
Beach with the warmest sea
30.3°C
Ao Po
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
13 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Pansea Beach29.9°C
- Hat Nai Yang29.9°C
- Hat Mai Khao29.9°C
- Kamala Beach29.9°C
- Siray Beach30.2°C
- Kata Noi Beach29.9°C
- Karon Noi Beach29.9°C
- Patong Beach29.9°C
5 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
34 mountains
on Peakyas, the mountain atlas
- Khao Mai Thao Sip Song529m
- Khao Rang150m
- Khao To Sae
- Khuan Sire
- Khao Na Kha
- Khao Che Tra
- Khao Kho
- Khao Rang Nai
26 more on PeakyasOpen Peakyas ↗
3 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Nam Tok Kathu
- Nam Tok Bang Pae
- Ton Ao Yon Waterfall
Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 61 m above the sea. 90 % of it is below 200 m.
- 70 %0–50 m
- 21 %50–200 m
- 10 %200–500 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
20 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Phuket79,308 people
- Ban Ko Sire71,284 people
- Ban Talat Yai52,192 people
- Wichit38,701 people
- Kathu34,835 people
- Ban Ratsada33,534 people
- Ban Talat Nua23,381 people
- Ban Kamala22,296 people
- Ban Chalong18,072 people
- Patong14,797 people
- Rawai13,623 people
- Ban Ko Kaeo10,136 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Night low (°C) | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 26 |
| Sea (°C) | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| Rain (mm) | 80 | 27 | 112 | 145 | 265 | 281 | 264 | 310 | 352 | 336 | 219 | 137 |
| Wet days | 10 | 6 | 14 | 21 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 18 |
| Sun h/day | 7.3 | 8.4 | 8.2 | 7.7 | 5.6 | 5.4 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 5.8 | 6.1 |
| Wind (km/h) | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 13 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ±0.0 | −0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.9 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +1.1 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +0.2 | −0.1 | +0.2 |
| 2021 | ±0.0 | −0.3 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.8 | +0.2 | +0.5 | −0.1 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.3 |
| 2022 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.7 | +0.4 | −0.1 | −0.1 | +0.1 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +0.2 | −0.1 |
| 2023 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | −0.3 | +0.1 | +0.7 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.9 | +1.1 | +0.3 |
| 2024 | +0.4 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +1.2 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +0.6 |
| 2025 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | +0.2 | +0.5 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.2 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
MalaysiaAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q1777775) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | Natural Earth · public domain |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Peakyas, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.
beaches
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lakes
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Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit 
islands
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rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit