National Park Fees on Boat Trips from Phuket: Which Parks Charge and How to Check

If your boat day from Phuket heads to the Phi Phi Islands, Phang Nga Bay or the Similan Islands, expect a national park fee for every person on board. These areas lie inside marine national parks run by Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), and the fee is charged per person. The amount depends on the park, on whether you are a Thai or foreign visitor, and on whether you are an adult or a child.

This guide explains which parks commonly come up on routes from Phuket, how the fees are structured, how the e-ticket system works, and how to check the rate that applies on your date. It does not list fee amounts. No current rate table from an official DNP page could be loaded when this guide was checked, and fees change, so the safest number is the one you confirm for your own trip.

Which parks are on common routes from Phuket

Three marine national parks come up again and again on boat trips from Phuket:

• Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park covers the Phi Phi Islands, including Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Le (home of Maya Bay) and Bamboo Island. It is also the DNP's biggest earner: in fiscal 2025 it collected about 649 million baht in fees, the most of any park in Thailand, according to Nation Thailand's report on DNP figures.
• Ao Phang Nga National Park is the park for Phang Nga Bay, which TAT Newsroom lists among the marine national parks now using e-tickets. Ask your operator which of the bay's stops fall inside the park on your route.
• Mu Ko Similan National Park is an archipelago off Phang Nga province, about 70 km offshore according to Nation Thailand. It closes every year for the monsoon: the government's Public Relations Department reported the DNP's 2025 closure ran from 16 May to 14 October, and TAT Newsroom reports that the islands reopened on 15 October 2026.

What about the nearer islands, such as Racha Yai or Coral Island? No official source stating whether they fall inside a national park was available when this guide was checked, so this guide does not say either way. If your route only visits nearer islands, ask the operator directly whether any park or island admission fee applies.

How the fees are structured

The basic structure is the same across parks, even though the amounts differ:

• Thai and foreign visitors pay different rates. Foreign visitors pay more. The government's thailand.go.th guide to booking park visits lists separate fees for Thai nationals and foreigners.
• Adults and children pay different rates, with age bands that decide who counts as a child. The same guide also lists a small accident insurance charge on top of the entry fee.
• Each park has its own rate. A route that crosses more than one park can mean more than one fee.

The Phi Phi special service fee. Phi Phi has its own arrangement. In 2022 the DNP issued an order setting "special service" entry fees for foreign visitors to Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Le and Bamboo Island, according to The Phuket News. The paper reported that the order took effect on 19 September 2022 and that fees for Thai nationals were unchanged. If Phi Phi is on your route, ask exactly which fees apply to each guest and whether the special service fee is in the quote.

Boats can be charged too. Historically, park fees have covered boats as well as people. TAT Newsroom's 2019 notice on the Similan Islands, for example, covered fees for both. Ask the operator whether any boat-related charge is passed on to you.

The e-ticket system

The way you pay has changed in recent seasons. According to TAT Newsroom, six marine national parks, including Similan, Surin, Phi Phi, Phang Nga Bay and Ko Lanta, have used electronic tickets since October 2025. TAT advises buying tickets in advance and having your passport ready.

The Phuket News named the six parks in the 2025 pilot as Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi, Ao Phang Nga, Than Bok Khorani, Mu Ko Similan, Mu Ko Surin and Mu Ko Lanta. All three of the parks in the list above are on it.

A few practical points from official and news reports:

• Where the system is fully installed, paper tickets and cash are being phased out. Nation Thailand reported that visitors buy tickets online or at entrance kiosks. Land-based parks that already have checkpoints, cameras and gates could keep their existing systems during the first phase.
• Timing can matter. For the Similan Islands, the Public Relations Department reported in 2025 that e-tickets could be bought in advance or on the day of travel before 8:00 a.m.
• The Similan Islands went e-ticket only. Nation Thailand reported in March 2025 that visitors must buy an e-ticket in advance, and that the park was the first in Thailand where entry is by e-ticket only.
• The system has changed before. An earlier e-ticket pilot at six parks, including Phang Nga, Similan and Phi Phi, was suspended in December 2023, according to Thai PBS World. Don't assume that last year's process still applies.

On a private charter, ask whether the operator buys the park tickets for your group, by when, and what details or documents each guest needs to provide or bring on the day.

How to check the current fee yourself

Since rates and systems change, here is how to get a reliable number for your date:

1. Find out which parks your route enters. Ask the operator to name each park, not just the islands. "Phi Phi and Bamboo" tells you less than "Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, including the special service fee."
2. Check with the DNP. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation is the authority that sets the fees. Look for the park's official channels or the DNP's own announcements. The 2022 Phi Phi order, for example, was posted on the DNP's official Facebook page, according to The Phuket News. Treat travel blogs and old forum posts as hints, not answers.
3. Read the date on whatever you find. A fee table from a previous season may be out of date. The rate that counts is the one in force on your travel date.
4. Ask the operator for the fee per person, in writing. List adults and children separately, and Thai and foreign guests separately, so the total matches your group.
5. Confirm whether the fee is in the price. Blue Andaman, the charter service behind this site, says in its charter FAQ that national park entrance fees are usually charged separately. Its Phi Phi Islands planning page says the quote confirms which admission fees apply and whether they are included or paid separately.

What a park fee does and does not buy

Paying the fee gets you into the park. It does not guarantee a particular stop. Maya Bay on Phi Phi Le, for example, welcomed visitors back on 1 October 2026, according to TAT Newsroom, and access to it is managed. Blue Andaman's Phi Phi page notes that a route past Maya Bay is not a promise to swim or land there. The Phang Nga Bay route guide makes the same kind of point: tide and conditions affect which caves and hongs can be visited, and you should confirm the specific activities and any admission fees before booking.

Seasonal closures matter here as well. A Similan day is only possible while the park is open, so check the opening dates for your season before you plan around it.

For the bigger picture of what a private boat day costs, including starting rates, extras and a worksheet for comparing quotes, see our guide to what a private yacht charter in Phuket costs. If a quote is vague about fees, that can also tell you something about the company. Our guide on how to choose a charter company in Phuket covers what else to check.

Questions to ask before you book

• Which national parks does this route enter, by name?
• Does the route include Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Le or Bamboo Island, and is the special service fee included?
• What is the park fee per person for adults and for children, and for Thai and foreign guests?
• Are park fees included in the quote, or paid separately? If separately, to whom, and in cash or by card?
• Who buys the e-tickets, and by when?
• What details do you need from each guest in advance, and should we bring passports on the day?
• Is any boat-entry or other park-related charge passed on to us?
• Are the parks on this route open on our date, and which stops are permitted?
• Do nearer islands on the route, such as Racha Yai or Coral Island, carry any admission fee?