Start Dates

Always a sunday arrival.

Where does this begin?

The One Week Version starts on Phi Phi, so you will need to make your own way there from Phuket or Bangkok. We advise arriving one day earlier so you can be at the meeting point and spend some extra time in Phi Phi,  In your predeparture pack we provide all the details you need on the meeting point and how to get to Phi Phi.

The 2 and 4 week versions starts in Phuket where you will be picked up from the airport.

This programme starts in Phuket on the Sunday. On arrival day you will be collected from the Airport and traken to your accommodation by an Xtreme Gap Representative. You introducton breifing begins on the Monday.

Phuket is easily accessible as an international airport with many connecting flights from the major hubs in Asia and also many direct flights to Phuket.

The tour ends in Koh Tao (or you can transfer easily up to Bangkok) so you may want to fly out of Thailand from Bangkok rather than Phuket.

We recommend checking Air Asia for good deals - you can often fly very cheaply from London Stanstead to Kuala Lumpur and then catch a connecting flight to Phuket.

Combine the trips and do more!

Want to do more? You can! Three main trips we run in Thailand all link together, each as its own unique highlights, and both run through Koh Tao one of Thailand most beautiful and exciting islands.

Your options:

• Start in Bangkok with the Thailand Experience and end in Phuket
• Start in Phuket with The Beach experience and end in Bangkok on the Thailand Experience.
• You will always have the Koh Tao adventure in the 2nd and 3rd weeks to co-inside with the full moon party on Koh Phanang.

Monsoon Seasons in Phuket

Phuket has a moist, tropical climate, influenced chiefly by monsoon winds that vary in direction according to the season. From March to September, as the sun's rays strike directly above the equator, the land mass of Asia is heated more than is the Indian Ocean. This draws moist hot air from the ocean over Phuket and southern Thailand, bringing the rains of the southwest monsoon. By mid-April the winds are mainly from the southwest and are heavy with moisture.

During the month of May, it will rain an average of 25 days making it one of the wettest months of the year. When the tilt of the earth brings the direct sun rays south of the equator, the heating of the Indian Ocean draws the cooler dry air of the northeast monsoon from the highlands of Asia across the countries of South and Southeast Asia. By October the direction of the wind will have shifted to the northeast and Phuket will experience another intense but briefer wet period as the northeast monsoon sweeps down the east coast of Thailand and moves back into the Indian Ocean.

By mid November the weather on Phuket will be somewhat cooler and dryer, until March when the weather becomes perceptively warmer and more humid preceding the onset of the next monsoon. Visiting Phuket during the monsoon season is not unpleasant because most days are rain-free except for showers in the afternoon. Phuket averages 2540 mm (or about 100 inches) of rain each year.

Should you Avoid Monsoon season?

This is the question everyone asks! So to give you a clearer picture, here are a few facts.

Phuket has a tropical climate that is warm the whole year round averaging temperatures of around 29C (88F). There are two distinct seasons with a few minor variations in-between.

Many people visit in the high season (November to March) because of pleasant temperatures, blue skies and low rainfall. As a result the island is quite busy and everything is a little more expensive.

During April till mid-May, it begins to heat up to around 34C (96F) and there are often heavy thunder-showers in the late afternoons. The Thai New Year (Songkran Festival) occurs on April 13th and everyone sprinkles (or throws) cool water on each other. Welcome relief!
This quickly gives way to cooler temperatures and rain showers from late May until November (the monsoon season).
Visiting Phuket in the monsoon season has lots of advantages. Temperatures average a comfortable 29/30C (88-90F) and light warm winds make sightseeing tours very pleasant. During the monsoon season, it doesn't rain every day! The usual weather pattern is for short dramatic showers, with plenty of sunshine in between, providing an opportunity to chat with the locals while you're waiting for the rain to pass. June, July and August are particularly pleasant.