Phi Phi Islands and Maya Bay
Maya Bay is known as the Phi Phi Leh cove you walk into from Loh Samah; swimming in the bay is banned. Best as a day boat with a swim at Pileh Lagoon or Bamboo Island, park fee 400 THB.
Maya Bay sits on Koh Phi Phi Leh inside Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park. Foreign adults pay 400 THB. You do not land on the Maya Beach sand from the movie side. Boats use the Loh Samah Bay floating pier on the back of the island, then a boardwalk over the ridge into Maya Bay. Swimming in Maya Bay is banned. Rangers enforce it. The annual reef-recovery closure typically runs August to September; confirm the dates the year you travel because the park posts them annually.
Pileh Lagoon is the emerald swim stop on the same island. Bamboo Island (Koh Mai Phai) is the sandbar snorkel many Phuket and Krabi boats add. Day boats leave Rassada Pier in Phuket or Nopparat Thara and Ao Nang in Krabi. November to April is the Andaman window. Overnight on Tonsai if you want dawn on Phi Phi Don. Do not expect a quiet Maya Bay at 11:00. The boardwalk still beats a cancelled swim rumour from 2018. The rule is no swim, not no visit.
What is open and what is banned
Maya Bay is a timed visit on a boardwalk. Pileh is the swim. Viking Cave is a longtail photo pass, not a climb. Phi Phi Don (Tonsai, Long Beach) is the hotel island. Phi Phi Leh is the park island. A speedboat from Phuket is a long sea day. A Krabi boat is shorter. Sleeping on Phi Phi Don lets you take a dawn longtail before the big boats, still through Loh Samah.
| Place | Rule | 2026 cash |
|---|---|---|
| Maya Bay | Boardwalk from Loh Samah; no swimming | 400 THB park fee, often extra to the tour |
| Pileh Lagoon | Swim and float | Usually on the same ticketed day |
| Bamboo Island | Snorkel and sand | Common add-on from Phuket or Krabi |
| Aug to Sep | Reef-recovery closure window | Check DNP the month you book |
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Common questions
- Can you swim in Maya Bay in 2026?
- No. The conservation rule still bans swimming in Maya Bay. Use Pileh Lagoon or Bamboo Island.
- Is the bay closed in August?
- The park has used August to September as a reef-recovery closure. Confirm the posted dates the year you travel. Boats still run to other Phi Phi stops when Maya is shut.
- Phuket or Krabi for the boat?
- Krabi is the shorter sea. Phuket is fine if you already sleep there. Do not add Phang Nga the same day.