Booking choice: The Maya-Bay-first speedboat from Phi Phi Don, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Book this Compare the options below
Before 2018, Maya Bay took about 5,000 visitors a day on average and up to 7,000 or 8,000 at peak, with a drone count of almost 100 boats in the bay at once. The coral could not cope. Reef cover fell from most of the reef intact to less than a tenth.
The national park closed the bay in June 2018, first for four months and then indefinitely. It reopened on 1 January 2022 with a simple principle: fewer people, for less time, with no boats and no swimming in the bay. Those rules are still in force, alongside an annual closure from 1 August to 30 September.
The quick answer
You cannot swim in Maya Bay. Wading at the waterline, about knee-deep, is tolerated; swimming is not. Boats tie up at the Loh Samah pier on the back of the island and you walk across. Visits run in rounds of up to an hour between 07:00 and 18:00, with at most 375 people per round, per the park's published rules for the season. A national park fee per person applies; several listings include it. To avoid the crowds, land at 7 am or late in the afternoon.
Can you swim in Maya Bay?
No. Swimming is banned in the Maya Bay area. You may wade at the edge, about knee-deep, and rangers enforce it.
The ban dates from the 2022 reopening. Buoys keep boats out of the water in front of the beach, and the shallow bay is left to the reef and its fish. Wading at the waterline is tolerated, so expect to get your feet wet and nothing more.
If swimming matters to you, choose a tour with long water stops elsewhere. Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave and Bamboo Island are on most itineraries; compare them in the best Maya Bay tour.
Why is there no swimming at Maya Bay?
To protect the reef and the young sharks that use the shallows. The bay is a nursery, and people in the water stir sand onto coral.
Blacktip reef sharks returned to the bay about three months after the 2018 closure. A survey cited at the reopening counted 161 of them. They are small and shy and use the warm shallows close to the sand, which is the stretch swimmers would use.
The avoid the crowds speedboat lists baby sharks as a frequent sight in the Maya shallows. Stand still at the waterline and look down; they often swim past within a few metres.
Why was Maya Bay closed?
Mass tourism after the film The Beach wore the reef down. The park closed the bay in June 2018 and reopened it on 1 January 2022.
The closure was announced in June 2018 as four months, then made indefinite on 1 October 2018. Scientists replanted more than 30,000 coral fragments, and about half survived. The story of how the film made the bay famous is in The Beach and Maya Bay.
Today there are two kinds of closure to know. The bay has a fixed annual break from 1 August to 30 September. And the park can close it at short notice for weather. Dates for this year are in is Maya Bay closed.
Maya Bay first, before midday, with an hour on the sand and baby sharks in the shallows.
Book thisHow do you get onto the beach now?
Boats dock at a pier in Loh Samah Bay, on the back of the island. From there a short boardwalk takes you through the forest to Maya Bay.
Loh Samah is the second, smaller bay inside the ring of cliffs on Phi Phi Le. The pier there takes the boats, and you walk across to the beach. The crew tells you the time your round ends; be back at the pier on time, because the next group is waiting.
Wear sandals or water shoes. The pier can be wet, and the step down from a bobbing boat is easier with a free hand. Crews help with the landing, so follow their timing rather than jumping early.
A private longtail from Phi Phi Don that lands you at Maya Bay at 7 am, as the first round opens.
Book thisDo you have to pay to get on Maya Bay?
Yes, a national park fee per person covers Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Le. Many tours include it; keep the ticket for inspection.
The fee is set by the national park, not by the boat. Per the listings, it is included on the avoid the crowds speedboat, the sunrise trip, the premium day, the sunset trip, the James Bond combo and the private longtail. The Phuket buffet-lunch day includes it only if you pick that option. The Krabi early-bird trip lists it as included but collects it in cash on the day.
The tour price is shown at checkout and changes with the season; what changes it is length, lunch and group size.
Is Maya Bay overcrowded?
Less than before 2018, but midday is still busy. Each round is capped at 375 people, so the trick is to land when fewer boats arrive.
The park allows up to 11 rounds a day, up to 4,125 visitors, per its published rules for the season. Between October 2023 and July 2024 about 1.68 million people visited. The cap keeps the beach from the old crush, but a full round still feels busy.
Two hours stand out. At 7 am the first round opens, and the private longtail morning trip is timed for it. Sunrise departures from Phuket arrive early as well. Late in the day, Maya-last and sunset trips catch the beach as the day boats head home.
Sunrise at sea, then breakfast on Maya Bay in a small group before the day boats arrive.
Book thisWhat is banned at Maya Bay?
Swimming, taking anything from the beach or reef, harmful sunscreen, feeding fish, litter and drones without a permit. Anchoring on coral is banned too.
- Swimming in the Maya Bay area.
- Collecting coral, shells or animals.
- Sunscreen with chemicals harmful to coral; bring a reef-safe one.
- Foam food containers and littering.
- Feeding fish.
- Flying a drone without permission.
- Anchoring on coral.
These rules come from the park, and rangers enforce them. For the boat side of the day, see Maya Bay from Phi Phi Don.
What should I expect from the hour?
A short walk, a wide curve of sand, wading at the edge and time for photos. Bring water and shade, because the beach gets hot.
An hour goes fast. Spend the first minutes at the waterline looking for sharks, then walk the length of the beach for the view back to the cliffs. Drink water, keep your hat on and keep reef-safe sunscreen topped up.
For the full day around the hour, compare the timings on the homepage. The sunrise trip lists 45 minutes with breakfast, and most other trips list about an hour.
Frequently asked questions
Can you swim at Maya Bay in 2026?
No. Swimming is banned in the Maya Bay area; wading at the waterline is tolerated.
How long can you stay on Maya Bay?
Rounds last up to an hour, per the park's published rules for the season.
Is the park fee included in tours?
On most listings on this site, yes. The Phuket buffet-lunch day makes it an option, and the Krabi trip collects it in cash on the day.
Can boats enter Maya Bay?
No. Buoys keep boats out of the bay; they dock at Loh Samah and you walk across.
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Choose your Maya Bay tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Booked on GetYourGuide.
Avoid the Crowds: Maya Bay, Sharks & Snorkel
Maya Bay as the first stop before midday, often with baby blacktips in the shallows, from Phi Phi Don
Private Longtail to Maya Bay & Pileh Lagoon
- A private wooden longtail boat with a local captain, for 3, 4, 6 or 7 hours
- About an hour on Maya Bay; the morning option lands at 7 am, when the bay opens
- Pileh Lagoon, Monkey Bay, Loh Samah and Viking Cave; Bamboo Island on the 7-hour trip
Phi Phi Sunrise Small-Group Speedboat from Phuket
Sunrise at the Khai Islands, then breakfast on Maya Bay before the day boats, with Pileh and snorkelling after
