The third and final day trip we took was a guided tour to the Surin Islands on the penultimate day of our holiday. These islands to the west of the country are well-known for being one of the world's best snorkelling spots, which is what motivated us to travel there. We snorkelled in Arraial do Cabo back in 2022 and absolutely loved the experience, so were really excited to try it in a different part of the world.
Again, we booked a guided tour with GetYourGuide, and were picked up along with a couple of others in the early hours of the morning in a minibus. To be honest, we thought that this was going to be the group that we would be with for the whole tour, but when we arrived at the pier, we were dropped off at this big area with tonnes of people. We were given a blue wristband and were told to wait until they called our group. It was a bit chaotic, but at least there was WiFi, toilets and showers, and even a breakfast spread laid out. We'd already eaten breakfast at our hotel in Khao Lak (I got into the routine of having a breakfast of steamed rice, eggs, tomatoes and chili sauce every morning, which I miss a little bit now!) but we definitely weren't going to say no to chocolate brownies and iced coffee!
We were there for around an hour before we were given an introductory talk about the day's itinerary and what to do while snorkelling (the guide doing the talk actually told us that clown fish sting like jellyfish, which I later found out is not true!). Then it was time to take a travel sickness pill (which were given out for free) and get on the speedboat.
The Surin Islands are actually pretty far from the Thai mainland, so it took about 80-90 minutes to get there, even travelling as fast as we were.
At last, we arrived, and immediately jumped into the sea for our first snorkelling session.
Claudio had brought his waterproof phone case, so he could take some photos and videos underwater. He found it quite difficult to get good footage, as the fish move around so fast, but it's fair to say that the underwater world of these islands was absolutely incredible - there were fishes of all colours and some amazing corals. We didn't get to see a "Nemo fish" (clown fish), but we were lucky enough to see a couple of "Dory fish" (blue tang)!
For the next part of the tour, we got off the speedboat and into a long-tail boat to visit the Moken village on the south island. This is a community of people from an ethnic minority group who live in huts on the beach and sell items such as jewellery to make money.
The sight of the village as you approach it in the boat is really beautiful.
After about an hour at the Moken village, which we mostly spent relaxing on the beach, we went over to the north island for lunch. This was definitely the least enjoyable lunch from the three tours we did - the only veggie option was a very bland, watery stir fry, and the buffet table was a bit of a rugby scrum because there were several other tour groups there at the same time. That said, I can't really complain, as the breakfast at the pier had been really good. Plus, while eating at an outside picnic table, we had a view of a monkey playing in a tree!
A short distance from the picnic area, there's an absolutely beautiful beach, where we swam during our free time after lunch. This beach is the very definition of a secluded, tropical paradise, and actually reminded me a bit of the clips I'd seen of The Beach. However, unlike the real beach from the movie, you're allowed to swim here and it's not packed full of tourists!
We had two more snorkelling stops in the afternoon, seeing some more wonderful marine life. Each stop was around 45 minutes, and it was actually kind of tiring by the third stop. Overall, it was over two hours of snorkelling, which is a long time to wear an uncomfortable mask with your teeth clamped around the mouthpiece! By the end, I was taking a lot of breaks to just float in the water and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
We were welcomed back at the pier later with even more snacks, including coconut ice cream, which was especially appreciated! As with the James Bond tour, it was a super long and full day, but a really great way to see Thailand's underwater wildlife. Though overall, our trip to Ayutthaya was my clear favourite out of the tours we took, this excursion definitely added something special to our honeymoon.
And so, with that, my posts about Thailand have come to end! It was an absolutely unbelievable couple of weeks and gave us so many memories we'll treasure forever. One thing I really loved, and which kind of surprised me, was just how different all the places we visited were; from the vibrant metropolis of Bangkok, to the ancient temples of Ayutthaya, the lush rainforests of Khao Sok National Park, and the paradise beaches of Khao Lak and the Surin Islands. Strangely, although our trip went fast, in a way, we also felt like we spent a lot of time there and really experienced a good amount of the country. Obviously, we would have loved to stay longer, but we also felt very satisfied with how we'd spent the trip, as we'd done everything we wanted and more. All in all, we couldn't have asked for a more perfect honeymoon!
Of course, coming back to the "real world" has been a contrast to say the least. For various reasons, we've had our fair share of stress over the last couple of months, but we've also gone through a very happy change in our life. Last month, we moved out of my parent's house in the Wiltshire countryside and moved into our own little flat in Reading! I've also swapped working in Bristol for working in London, which has long been a dream of mine.
Moving home also means there are plenty of new travel adventures to be had, and we've already got started on that! Stay tuned, because I'll be posting plenty about London and beyond over the coming weeks.
See you back here soon!
