On December 31, compare the listed island trips by departure time and expected hotel return. Keep a buffer before evening plans, since pier transfers and sea conditions can affect the schedule.
The Similan speedboat tour is the headline of the New Year season. The islands are open only from November to May, the trip leaves your hotel at 06:30 and returns at 17:40, with lunch and dinner included. Which islands you reach is set on the day by weather and swell, so guests with weak backs should allow for boat bounce. The large-ferry Phi Phi tour departs Rassada Pier at 08:30.
For the evening before the countdown there is the Phang Nga sunset dinner: check-in at 14:00, back at the hotel at 19:30, with James Bond Island, cave canoeing, a krathong float and a seafood dinner included. For the city, the Old Town night market tour (leaving 16:30, ending 22:00) works, and both Thursday, December 31 and Friday, January 1 are Chillva Market days.
For a morning with children, the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary fits. The six-hour program leaves at 06:30 and returns at 12:30, and a 90-minute feeding-and-showering program keeps December 31 daytime light. A passport copy is needed and pregnant guests cannot take part.
On departure day, the last-day guided tour fills the final day without luggage worries. It leaves at 12:30, passes Promthep Cape at sunset, Wat Chalong and a massage, and reaches the airport at 21:00 at a per-van fare that is the same for two to eight guests. Ask for timing changes to match your flight.
Most tours here are join tours, and hotels in outlying areas may carry a surcharge or be unreachable for pickup. Boat operation and refund rules depend on the weather, so confirm on the current listing before booking.
Phuket Tour
