Best tour I have ever been on. Picked up on time in EV Taxi. Receptions breakfast snacks ready. Boat left right on time. Phi Phi Islands were spectacular. Swimming was spectacular. Snorkeling was good. Saw baby sharks. Good close up to Monkeys off bow of boat. Great snacks & fruit served on the way. Excellent buffet lunch ready on our return. Taxi was there & waiting to take up back to are hotel. Tour guide went out of her way to give us a good time & spend one on one time with guests. Over all 10 out of 10.
From฿ THBper person · all-inclusive
Maya Bay is open for the 2026 season. The bay sits on Koh Phi Phi Leh, southeast of Phuket, and reopened on 1 October 2025 after the annual August–September conservation pause — the current window runs through to approximately late July 2026 before the next closure. The best way to see it is by speedboat with an early-morning arrival, before the day-tripper fleet from Phuket and Krabi lands. Foreign visitor park fees are 400 THB per adult / 200 THB per child, and on every Simba Sea Trips departure those fees are included in the tour price.
Why arrival timing decides the experience
Maya Bay’s reputation was built on a single iconic shoreline, but the bay’s character changes by the hour. In the early window — first arrivals on the boardwalk before the ferry-based groups have left their hotels — the cove is quiet, the water is glassy, and there is room to walk the length of the beach without queuing. By mid-morning, the bay is busy. By midday it is busy in the way photographs from a decade ago suggested. A direct speedboat departure from Boat Lagoon Marina is what makes the early window reachable.
The Phi Phi Sunrise Tour visits Maya Bay early
Simba Sea Trips’ main route into Maya Bay is the Phi Phi Sunrise Tour — a small-group join-in (maximum 18 adults) departing Soho Pool Club at Boat Lagoon Marina early morning, with the sunrise experienced en route during the transit to Phi Phi. From ฿5,310 THB, all-inclusive (transfers, national park fees, breakfast, buffet lunch back at Soho Club, snorkel equipment, soft drinks). The seven-stop itinerary pairs Maya Bay with Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave, Monkey Beach, two snorkel stops, and either Bamboo Island or Koh Rang Yai depending on conditions. During the August–September Maya Bay closure window each year, Bamboo Island substitutes for Maya Bay on the same route. For a fully private alternative, the Luxury Phi Phi Sunrise Private Charter covers the same itinerary on a chartered basis.
Rules, fees, and what to bring
Three access rules apply to every visitor: no swimming in the bay itself (rangers may allow knee-deep wading in a small designated zone when conditions permit); no entry by boat into the bay — all vessels moor at Loh Samah Bay on the sheltered side, with a shaded five-minute boardwalk connecting to the beach; and drone flights require advance written permission from the park. Bring reef-safe sunscreen (standard formulations are not permitted near the reef), a hat and water (there is no shade on the beach itself), and leave valuables on the boat. Park entry fees of 400/200 THB are included on every Simba Sea Trips Phi Phi departure — confirm separately with other operators.
Operator authority — running this route since 2005
Simba Sea Trips has been running the Phi Phi route from Phuket since 2005 — more than twenty years of operating through every change the national park has made to access rules, capacity limits, and seasonal closures. The company holds TAT Licence 34/02111 issued by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Run by an airline pilot of 23+ years with aviation-grade safety standards applied at the operations management level, with Thai-licensed captains and certified crews on every boat. More than 5,814 verified reviews across TripAdvisor, Google, and GetYourGuide back the operating record.
Take you there
Join-In Tour
Join-In Tour
Join-In Tour
Bookable Simba tours that visit Maya Bay
Join-In TourPhi Phi Sunrise Tour — Maya Bay Before the Crowds
The classic Phi Phi day done properly. Catch sunrise at sea during the ~1hr 10min speedboat transit from Boat Lagoon Marina, then step onto Maya Bay around 7:15am — about an hour ahead of every other operator. Seven stops over eight hours, max 18 adults, buffet lunch back at Soho Pool Club. Year-round, all-inclusive from ฿5,310 THB, free cancellation 24h+. Maya Bay closes for ecosystem rejuvenation each August-September; we substitute Bamboo Island.
Max 18 adults · From ฿5,310 · Free cancellation 24h+ · All-inclusive
Join-In TourLuxury Phi Phi Sunrise Private Charter
Phi Phi by speedboat — our 8-hour private charter from Boat Lagoon Marina to Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, and the Phi Phi snorkel sites.
Departs Soho Pool Club at Boat Lagoon Marina, around 1hr 10min by speedboat to Phi Phi. The route hits Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave & Monkey Beach, with two snorkel stops and Bamboo Island or Koh Rang Yai for the afternoon. Lunch back at Soho on return. (Aug-Sep: Bamboo Island substitutes Maya Bay during the national park closure.)
Up to 18 adults on a single private charter — your own boat, your own pace. All-inclusive: skipper, fuel, light breakfast, lunch, drinks, snorkelling gear, national park fees. Free cancellation 24h.
Operating from Boat Lagoon Marina since 2005.
Join-In TourPhi Phi Sunset Shark Tour — 8 hours (November–April only)
Afternoon Phi Phi run with a shark-spotting stop on the way home. Same itinerary as Sunrise but sunset-side. Dry season only — we don't run this in May–October because Andaman afternoon thunderstorms make sunset returns unsafe.
Max 18 adults · From ฿4,810 · Free cancellation 24h+ · All-inclusive
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Email sales@simbaseatrips.comWhat Guests Say About This Tour
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