Bavaria

MV Bavaria is a 28 metre steel-hulled liveaboard cruising the best sites of Thailand and Myanmar. A maximum of 24 divers are accommodated in a range of cabins across 3 decks.

There are a number of places for guests to socialise in or find a quiet spot. There is an air conditioned saloon where you can enjoy the entertainment system: TV, music and DVD player. The most popular chill-out spot is the large open-air dining area and lounge on the upper deck. This is where buffet-style meals are served against the backdrop of the ever-changing views of the Andaman Sea. Here you will also find the bar for some apres-dive beers or a sunset cocktail. There is also a large partially shaded sundeck with sun loungers and mats where you can stretch out and work on your tan.

Air-conditioned cabins are situated on 3 decks with 10 of the 12 cabins having ensuite bathrooms.

On the main deck there is a large kit-up area where you can put on your gear before stepping down to the generous dive platform. You either step onto the dive tender, or where appropriate, giant stride directly off the platform. There is even space on the platform for some sets of gear for those with physical limitations. Nitrox and 15 litre tanks are available for those who wish to prolong their bottom times, and there are 2 toilets and 2 showers beside the dive deck for your post-diving comfort.

Loading...

Notes: All trips are confirmed departures!
Minimum age of guests is 6 years old.

Dive experience: 3-night trips to Richelieu Rock require certified divers to have 10 logged dives prior to boarding. All other Thailand trips are open to all certified divers, with no minimum experience requirement. Myanmar trips are not suitable for beginner divers and snorkellers, but for those with some experience of currents and depths. If your last dive was more than 1 year ago there may be a short refresher course required.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinking water, hot drinks, bottled soft drinks, Khao Lak hotel transfers, dives (as detailed in the trips above), experienced English-speaking divemaster(s) (max. 6 divers per DM), tanks, weights and weightbelts, towel, all taxes.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Similan and Surin park fees at approximately US$ 6 per day, with an entry fee of US$ 15 per park, Myanmar (Burma) entry fees (US$ 230 for 7 nights (in crisp USD dollar notes)), scuba equipment (full set incl. dive computer: US$ 23 per day), dive insurance. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash only).

Optional extras: Phuket transfers to/from the boat (US$ 44 per person (each way), canned soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers (US$ 6 per tank), torch (US$ 6 per day), 15 litre tank (US$ 7 per day). Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival. Note: prices of items purchased onboard are subject to change.

How to get there: MV Bavaria's Thailand liveaboard cruises depart from Khao Lak. 3 night cruises to Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock, Surin depart at 9 am, all other Thailand cruises depart at 8:30 pm. Guests check in at the Loma Diving Centre in Khao Lak (before 4 pm), either on the day before departure (4D/3N Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock, Surin) or the day of departure (all other cruises). This is to pay for equipment, national park fees and extras such as nitrox. A minibus will transfer you from the dive centre to the port of Tab Lamu before the boat departs.
The last dive of the trip will be at around 11:00 hrs. The boat returns to the pier at 3:30 pm (except 3 night Similan Islands trips return at 6 pm). Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving. For more details, including airlines, see our Thailand travel information section.

Non-diver rate: 25% off the published price.

Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - solo travellers may choose to pay the regular price and share a cabin, or pay a supplement of 30% of the published price for a private Comfort double bed cabin or 60% for a private Comfort twin bed cabin.

Dive clubs and group discounts: Half charter (12 paying guests) offers are available. Please check with us.

Whole boat charter rate (per night): Full charter (max. 24 guests) offers are available. Please check with us.

Similan Islands (4 Days / 3 Nights - 10 Dives)

Trip highlights: turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Similan islands

Day 1
You will check in at the Loma Diving Centre in Khao Lak before and be transferred to the boat. MV Bavaria departs in the evening from Tab Lamu pier in Khao Lak. The tour leader will welcome you, assign a cabin to you and explain the boat features in detail and the plans for the coming days. A welcome dinner will be served while the liveaboard starts its journey towards the Similans. After a good night's sleep in your comfortable cabin, you will awaken in the Similans ready to start diving.

Days 2-3
The Similan Islands are by far the most spectacular dive destination in Thailand, consisting of 9 granite islands covered in tropical jungle and surrounded by sparkling clear blue waters. The underwater scenery features beautiful hard and soft coral gardens, as well as huge granite boulders and rock formations that form swim-throughs and canyons. Drift diving is common here as the currents run over rich reefs teeming with marine life. Up to 4 dives a day (2 on the final day) will leave you with a better knowledge of the marvels that lie in this marine park. Dive sites you are likely to visit may include islands 4, 7, 8, 9 and Elephant Head Rock.
You will very soon get used to the daily routine that includes a pre-breakfast before the 1st dive, a hearty breakfast when you surface, then lunch after the 2nd morning dive. Every day you will find different snacks after the 3rd dive to provide energy for the 4th (night) dive that is scheduled before dinner. Main meals are an exciting mixture of international and local Thai cuisine that are served buffet style in the open-air dining area. Green Thai coconut curry, Phad Thai, spaghetti bolognese, fresh fish and salads, are some of the options that will satisfy your appetite during the safari.

Day 4
On your final day of diving you will do 2 more dives around island 9, the northernmost island of the Similan islands. After that, guests will transfer to a day trip boat for the transfer back to the port of Tab Lamu, Khao Lak. Normally you will arrive between 18:00 and 18:30 hrs.

---

Surin Islands, Koh Tachai, Koh Bon & Richelieu Rock (4 Days / 3 Nights - 13 Dives)

Trip highlights: whale sharks, manta rays, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock and Surin Island

Day 0 (day before the cruise)
Guests check in at the Loma Diving Centre in Khao Lak at any time prior to 18:00 hrs to deal with pre-trip formalities.

Day 1
Guests departs in the morning from Tab Lamu pier in Khao Lak after being transferred from the Loma Diving Centre in Khao Lak (at 07:15 hrs). You will board a daytrip boat for the journey to the Similans where you will boat MV Bavaria. After a short briefing you will do a check dive at Island 9. Later you will enjoy 2 further dives at Koh Bon which is famous for frequent encounters with manta rays as they come to its ridge to be cleaned by wrasses.

Days 2-3
Up to 4 dives a day (2 on the final day) will leave you with a better knowledge of the marvels that lie in the Andaman Sea. Dives sites you are likely to visit will include Similan Island 9, Koh Tachai, Koh Bon, Surin and Richelieu Rock. The current at Koh Tachai may challenge you a little but also deliver huge schools of predators like trevally, barracuda, tuna and reef sharks in search of prey like glassfish that you will see swimming everywhere together in big silvery shadows. Richelieu Rock is probably the highlight of the trip, with the dive guides impressing everyone by finding seahorses, ghost pipefish, nudibranchs and much more. There is not only macro, but you won´t need a guide to point out a whale shark or eagle rays passing by: just keep your eyes open! The water is so clear that they will be hardly missed. Surin promises creatures such as turtles, sharks, parrotfish, Napoleon wrasse and myriad small reef creatures. You will have so much fun.
You will very soon get used to the daily routine that includes a pre-breakfast before the 1st dive, a hearty breakfast when you surface, then lunch after the 2nd morning dive. Every day you will find different snacks after the 3rd dive to provide energy for the 4th (night) dive that is scheduled before dinner. Main meals are an exciting mixture of international and local Thai cuisine that are served buffet style in the open-air dining area. Green Thai coconut curry, Phad Thai, spaghetti bolognese, fresh fish, and salads, are some of the options that will satisfy your appetite during the safari.

Day 4
On your final day of diving you will do 2 more dives around Koh Bon and Koh Tachai. After that, MV Bavaria will cruise back to port in Tab Lamu, Khao Lak. Normally you will arrive between 14:30 and 15:30 hrs.

---

Similan, Surin Islands & Richelieu Rock (7 Days / 6 Nights - 22 Dives)

Trip highlights: whale sharks, manta rays, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock and Surin Island

Day 1
MV Bavaria departs in the evening from Tab Lamu pier in Khao Lak. You must check in at the Loma Diving Centre in Khao Lak before the minibus transfer to the boat. A welcome dinner will be served while the liveaboard starts its journey towards the Similans. After a good night's sleep in your comfortable cabin, you will awaken in the Similans for your first day of diving.

Days 2-6
Up to 4 dives a day (2 on the final day) will leave you with a better knowledge of the marvels that lie in the Andaman Sea. Dives sites you are likely to visit will include Similan Island 4, 7, 8 and 9, Elephant Head Rock, Koh Tachai, Koh Bon, Surin and Richelieu Rock. The Similan Islands are by far the most spectacular dive destination in Thailand, consisting of 9 granite islands covered in tropical jungle and surrounded by sparkling clear blue waters. The underwater scenery features beautiful hard and soft coral gardens, as well as huge granite boulders and rock formations that form swim-throughs and canyons. Drift diving is common here as the currents run over rich reefs teeming with marine life.
The current at Koh Tachai may challenge you a little but also deliver huge schools of predators like trevally, barracuda, tuna and reef sharks in search of prey like glassfish that you will see swimming everywhere together in big silvery shadows. Richelieu Rock is probably the highlight of the trip, with the dive guides impressing everyone by finding seahorses, ghost pipefish, nudibranchs and much more. There is not only macro, but you won´t need a guide to point out a whale shark or eagle rays passing by: just keep your eyes open! The water is so clear that they will be hardly missed. Surin promises creatures such as turtles, sharks, parrotfish, Napoleon wrasse and myriad small reef creatures. You will have so much fun.
You will very soon get used to the daily routine that includes a pre-breakfast before the 1st dive, a hearty breakfast when you surface, then lunch after the 2nd morning dive. Every day you will find different snacks after the 3rd dive to provide energy for the 4th (night) dive that is scheduled before dinner. Main meals are an exciting mixture of international and local Thai cuisine that are served buffet style in the open-air dining area. Green Thai coconut curry, Phad Thai, spaghetti bolognese, fresh fish, and salads, are some of the options that will satisfy your appetite during the safari.

Day 7
On your final day of diving you will do 2 more dives around Koh Bon and Koh Tachai. After that, MV Bavaria will cruise back to port in Tab Lamu, Khao Lak. Normally you will arrive between 14:30 and 15:30 hrs.

---

Similan, Richelieu Rock & Hin Daeng (11 Days / 10 Nights - 36 Dives)

Trip highlights: whale sharks, manta rays, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Koh Ha, Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, Koh Phi Phi Islands, Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock and Surin Island

Day 1
MV Bavaria departs in the evening from Tab Lamu pier in Chalong, Phuket. You must board the boat by 19:30 hrs. A welcome dinner will be served while the liveaboard starts its journey south. After a good night's sleep in your comfortable cabin, you will awaken at Koh Ha for your first day of diving.

Days 2-10
Hin Daeng and Hin Muang are submerged boulder pinnacles covered with healthy soft corals in various shades of red and purple. A lot of fish action takes place here, especially when there is a current, including manta rays and even whale sharks. Koh Ha is famous for its cavern systems. With its mini-walls and shallow coral gardens predominating, there are a host of dive sites to choose from around the Koh Phi Phi. Wildlife is varied with blacktip reef sharks common, tigertail seahorses, ornate ghost pipefish, cornetfish, octopus, scorpionfish, bluefin trevally, barracuda and more.
The Similan Islands are by far the most spectacular dive destination in Thailand, consisting of granite islands covered in tropical jungle and surrounded by sparkling clear blue waters. The underwater scenery features beautiful hard and soft coral gardens, as well as huge granite boulders and rock formations that form swim-throughs and canyons. Drift diving is common here as the currents run over rich reefs teeming with marine life.
The current at Koh Tachai may challenge you a little but also deliver huge schools of predators like trevally, barracuda, tuna and reef sharks in search of prey like glassfish that you will see swimming everywhere together in big silvery shadows. Richelieu Rock is probably the highlight of the trip, with the dive guides impressing everyone by finding seahorses, ghost pipefish, nudibranchs and much more. There is not only macro, but you won´t need a guide to point out a whale shark or eagle rays passing by: just keep your eyes open! The water is so clear that they will be hardly missed. Surin promises creatures such as turtles, sharks, parrotfish, Napoleon wrasse and myriad small reef creatures. You will have so much fun.
You will very soon get used to the daily routine that includes a pre-breakfast before the 1st dive, a hearty breakfast when you surface, then lunch after the 2nd morning dive. Every day you will find different snacks after the 3rd dive to provide energy for the 4th (night) dive that is scheduled before dinner. Main meals are an exciting mixture of international and local Thai cuisine that are served buffet style in the open-air dining area. Green Thai coconut curry, Phad Thai, spaghetti Bolognese, fresh fish, and salads, are some of the options that will satisfy your appetite during the safari.

Day 11
On your final day of diving you will do 2 more dives before the boat will cruise back to port in Tab Lamu, Khao Lak. Normally you will arrive between 14:30 and 15:30 hrs.
Note: sometimes this trip runs in reverse so check exact port details above.

---

Phi Phi islands, Hin Daeng & Hin Muang (5 Days / 4 Nights - 14 Dives)

Trip highlights: whale sharks, manta rays, turtles

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Koh Ha, Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, Koh Phi Phi Islands

Day 1
MV Bavaria departs in the evening from Tab Lamu pier in Chalong, Phuket. You must board the boat by 19:30 hrs. A welcome dinner will be served while the liveaboard starts its journey south. After a good night's sleep in your comfortable cabin, you will awaken at Koh Ha for your first day of diving.

Days 2-4
Up to 4 dives a day (2 on the final day) will leave you with a better knowledge of the marvels that lie in the southern Andaman Sea. Hin Daeng and Hin Muang are submerged boulder pinnacles covered with healthy soft corals in various shades of red and purple. A lot of fish action takes place here, especially when there is a current, including manta rays and even whale sharks. Koh Ha is famous for its cavern systems. With its mini-walls and shallow coral gardens predominating, there are a host of dive sites to choose from around the Koh Phi Phi National Park. Wildlife is varied with blacktip reef sharks common, tigertail seahorses, ornate ghost pipefish, cornetfish, octopus, scorpionfish, bluefin trevally, barracuda and more.
You will very soon get used to the daily routine that includes a pre-breakfast before the 1st dive, a hearty breakfast when you surface, then lunch after the 2nd morning dive. Every day you will find different snacks after the 3rd dive to provide energy for the 4th (night) dive that is scheduled before dinner. Main meals are an exciting mixture of international and local Thai cuisine that are served buffet style in the open-air dining area. Green Thai coconut curry, Phad Thai, spaghetti Bolognese, fresh fish, and salads, are some of the options that will satisfy your appetite during the safari.

Day 5
On your final day of diving you will do 2 more dives around Koh Phi Phi. After that, MV Bavaria will cruise back to Chalong. Normally you will arrive between 14:30 and 15:30 hrs.

---

[Information is best estimate in ideal circumstances and subject to changes beyond our control. The itinerary is a guide only and may be adapted to best suit the weather, tides, currents, availability and other prevailing events. Price is for the cruise, not for an exact number of dives].

There are 12 cabins in total. The lower deck has 2 Comfort double bed cabins. The main deck has 6 Comfort twin bed cabins. Also on the main deck are 2 Deluxe double bed cabins, and on the upper deck are 2 Standard twin bed cabins. All cabins have ensuite bathrooms except the upper deck cabins which share a bathroom.

All the cabins have: No. of bathrooms / showers - 14 / 14 - cold water

Customer reviews:

"Last week we stayed on a liveaboard for the first time and absolutely enjoyed it! Bavaria was very well organised and have a strong safety first policy. We were diving in small groups (2-4 persons) so our dive master was able to keep a close look on each of us. Besides he had an excellent eye and spotted turtles, sharks, rays and seahorses for us. The food was delicious and special requests (e.g. vegetarian) were no problem. We definitely recommend the Bavaria liveaboard" - R Bosch, Germany, 7 November 2023 ...

"Boat was well maintained, staff was organized and informative, and safe diving procedures are enforced. Food was excellent.
Dive the World provided good options for our trip. They also were easy to work with when we had to reschedule the trip due to COVID issues." - Brad Dyer, United States, 19 February 2023 ...

"Operated by German owner and German staff. Everything perfect and cleverly organised. Boat of course is not luxury but all in order, clear and well. Very delicious food and good boat staff" - Alexey Stakanov, Cyprus, 22 April 2022 ...