The archipelago itself is the main day-trip destination. Island-hopping tours from Pantai Cenang loop to Pulau Dayang Bunting — where the freshwater Lake of the Pregnant Maiden sits inside a ring of limestone — and stop at small beaches en route. Pulau Payar Marine Park, an hour south by speedboat, has the best snorkelling in the region.
From mid-December to mid-April, Koh Lipe in southern Thailand is a direct speedboat ride away, and the immigration formalities are handled on arrival. This is one of the easiest Thailand-Malaysia border crossings in either direction.