The Surin Islands are a marine national park off the far north of Thailand's Andaman coast, open only from 15 October to 15 May, with shallow reefs for snorkeling, simple park accommodation and the only Moken village most visitors will ever see. Foreign adults pay a 500-baht park fee (October 2026), and you can go on a long day trip or stay overnight.
Mu Ko Surin National Park belongs to Khura Buri district in Phang Nga province, close to the sea border with Myanmar. It is smaller and more remote than the Similans to the south, and it attracts a different crowd: snorkelers rather than divers on most days, families who want to sleep in a tent by the beach, and people curious about the Moken, a sea-going community whose village stands inside the park.
This page covers the park on its own: when to go, how to choose between a day trip and a night or two, the rules on the reef, the fee, and how to visit the village without turning it into a spectacle. The overview of the quieter Andaman islands shows how Surin fits with the rest of the coast.
Mu Ko Surin National Park in brief (October 2026)
- Location
- Khura Buri district, Phang Nga province, northern Andaman Sea
- Main islands
- Ko Surin Nuea, Ko Surin Tai, Ko Khai (Ko Torinla), Ko Klang (Ko Pachumba), Ko Ri (Ko Stork)
- Season
- 15 October to 15 May every year; 2026–27 season opened Thursday 15 October 2026
- Park fee
- Foreign adult 500 baht, child 250 baht; Thai adult 100 baht (Category 4)
- Protected since
- 9 July 1981, Thailand's 30th national park; Richelieu Rock added in 2007
- Area
- About 141 km², mostly sea (DNP)
- Overnight
- Park bungalows and tents; booking through the Department of National Parks
When the park is open, and the best months
The Department of National Parks (DNP) opens Mu Ko Surin from 15 October to 15 May each year and closes it for the southwest monsoon in between. The DNP confirmed that the 2026–27 season began on Thursday 15 October 2026. Under the standing rule the last day is 15 May, which in 2027 is a Saturday; the department had not published a 2027 notice by October 2026, so check before booking a trip in May.
Being open does not guarantee calm water. In its season-opening statement the DNP said that some attractions and camping areas may open or close depending on the weather and the situation, and that it will limit visitor numbers to what the islands can carry. It did not publish a daily figure. Early in the season and in the last weeks before closing, the sea is more likely to be rough and boats more likely to be cancelled.
For a first visit, aim for December to April, when the Andaman Sea is usually settled. Our guide to the best time for the Thai islands explains why the Andaman coast is dry in those months while the Gulf is not.
Day trip or overnight: choosing how to visit
Most visitors come on a speedboat day trip. Tour boats leave from the coast around Khura Buri, the nearest mainland town, and many operators collect guests from hotels in Khao Lak, which is the usual base for the northern Andaman parks. From Khao Lak that means an early road transfer north before the boat ride, so expect a long day. We could not find a dated official timetable for the boats from Khura Buri, so ask your operator for the departure and return times and what happens if the sea is too rough.
Staying overnight changes the experience. Once the day boats leave, the bays are quiet, and you can snorkel early in the morning before the next boats arrive. The DNP has described two places to sleep: bungalows at Ao Chong Khad and tents at Ao Mai Ngam. That information dates from 2021, and we could not confirm the 2026–27 prices or whether every bungalow is offered this season, so treat it as a guide and confirm when you book.
- Book through the DNP, using the department's online booking system or by contacting the park's visitor center, which the DNP names as the contact for travel and accommodation questions.
- Plan the boat separately. A park booking is only a bed or a tent. You still need a seat on a boat out and back, usually with a tour operator that sells transfers.
- Keep a spare day. If the sea closes the crossing, you may have to stay longer or leave earlier than planned.
A tent at Ao Mai Ngam is not the same as a beach hotel. Camping areas are among the things the DNP says can close at short notice because of weather. Confirm your booking a few days before you travel, and have a plan for a night on the mainland.
The park fee, e-tickets and who checks them
Mu Ko Surin is one of only two Category 4 parks in the DNP's fee system, together with the Similans. A foreign adult pays 500 baht and a child 250 baht, while Thai adults pay 100 baht (October 2026). The fee covers one entry to the park, and on a day trip it is usually included in the tour price; ask whether it is, so you are not charged twice.
The DNP uses an electronic ticket system at the Andaman marine parks, and foreigners register with their passport number. Tour operators normally buy the tickets for their passengers, so give them your passport details exactly as printed. Why foreigners pay more than Thais at national parks is explained in our article on dual pricing in Thailand.
Snorkeling the reefs without damaging them
The reefs around Surin lie close to the surface in sheltered bays, which makes them good for snorkelers who are not strong swimmers. The same shallowness makes them easy to damage. A fin kick or a hand on the coral breaks growth that takes years to replace, and standing on a reef at low tide is the most common mistake.
- Wear a life jacket or a buoyancy vest if you are not confident in open water, so you can float without touching anything.
- Do not stand on, touch or collect coral, shells or animals.
- Follow the boat crew's and rangers' instructions on where you may swim.
- Take all rubbish back to the mainland.
Sunscreen is part of the reef rules here too: four chemical filters are banned in all marine national parks, and our page on the sunscreen ban in Thai marine parks lists them and how to read the label.
The park's reefs have had hard years. In June 2025 a cargo ship, the MV Ayar Linn, ran aground inside the park, and the DNP reported about 75 meters of reef damaged. Further out, Richelieu Rock, a pinnacle that was added to the park in 2007 and is known to divers, was surveyed by the DNP in April 2025 and found in good condition. We could not find a current list of reef sites closed by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources for 2026–27, so ask your operator whether any snorkeling site is off limits this season.
If you plan to dive rather than snorkel, Richelieu Rock is usually reached on liveaboard trips that also visit the Similans; our Similan Islands guide covers liveaboards, the separate e-ticket rules and the daily cap in that park. New divers often qualify first; see learning to dive on Koh Tao.
The Moken village at Ao Bon
The Moken are a sea-going people of the Andaman coast who traditionally lived much of the year on boats. The DNP calls them an original community of the area and uses the name Moken, or more generally chao le (sea people). Avoid the older label "sea gypsies", which many find disrespectful.
Their village stands at Ao Bon on Ko Surin Tai, near the park headquarters. The DNP presents it as a place to learn about the Moken way of life, with stilt houses built using traditional knowledge and handicrafts such as woven basketry. When it opened the 2026–27 season, the department described visits as conservation tourism that should bring income to the community while keeping the Moken's cultural identity intact.
That framing matters. The NGO Cultural Survival has documented how visitors posing residents for photos turns a home into an exhibit. The village is where people live and raise children, not a show for day boats.
Stay in the visitor area at Ao Bon. When the park reopened in 2021, the DNP limited visits to a designated zone, kept groups short (no more than 30 minutes) and did not allow visitors into the residential part of the village. No newer rules had been published by October 2026, so follow the rangers' and Moken guides' instructions on the day.
How to visit with respect
- Buy crafts instead of handing out money or sweets. Pandanus mats, model boats and other handicrafts are sold to visitors, and buying them puts money where the DNP wants it to go. Gifts of sweets or cash to children encourage begging and are bad for their teeth.
- Hire a Moken guide for the village walk or trail if one is offered; the guide decides where it is appropriate to go.
- Ask before you photograph anyone, and accept a no. We found no written park rule on photography, but it is the minimum courtesy in someone's home, especially with children.
- Skip tours that sell the visit as a "sea gypsy village" show. The way an operator advertises the village tells you how it will treat it.
Getting to Khura Buri and the coast
Khura Buri lies north of Khao Lak, on the way to Ranong, and the nearest large airport is Phuket. Our page on getting from Bangkok to Khao Lak compares the flight, overnight bus and train-and-bus options.
If you are driving yourself up the coast, our sister site covers the Andaman coast as a road trip. Travelers coming from the north can combine Surin with Koh Phayam off Ranong, the next island stop up the coast.
The crossing is on open sea. If you are prone to seasickness, read our advice on motion sickness on boats before you go, and our page on what speedboat rides are really like explains what to check on the boat itself.
Is Surin worth it compared with the Similans?
Go to Surin if you want shallow, easy snorkeling, a night or two in a tent or bungalow on a quiet bay, and the chance to learn something about the Moken. Choose the Similans if granite scenery and diving are the priority, or if you have only one day and want the shorter, better-known trip from Thap Lamu.
Check that your travel insurance covers boat trips and, if you dive, the depths you plan.
Frequently asked questions
When are the Surin Islands open?
From 15 October to 15 May every year. The Department of National Parks confirmed that the 2026–27 season opened on Thursday 15 October 2026. The park is closed during the southwest monsoon, and some areas can close at short notice in bad weather even within the season.
How much is the Surin Islands park fee?
Foreign adults pay 500 baht and children 250 baht (October 2026); Thai adults pay 100 baht. Surin is a Category 4 park, the most expensive group. Day trips usually include the fee, but ask your operator to be sure.
Can you stay overnight on the Surin Islands?
Yes. The DNP has offered bungalows at Ao Chong Khad and tents at Ao Mai Ngam, booked through the department. Details date from 2021 and the DNP says camping areas can change with the weather, so confirm availability and prices for the current season before you travel.
Can you visit the Moken village on Surin?
Yes, at Ao Bon on Ko Surin Tai, near the park headquarters. Stay in the visitor area, do not walk into the residential part of the village, ask before taking photos and buy handicrafts rather than giving money or sweets to children.
Is Surin better for snorkeling or diving?
Surin is best known for snorkeling in shallow, sheltered bays. Divers usually visit Richelieu Rock, inside the park, on a liveaboard that also covers the Similan Islands. On a day trip, snorkeling is what you will mostly do.
Sources
- Department of National Parks – Mu Ko Surin opens the tourist season and the Moken village, 18 October 2026 (Thai) (checked October 2026)
- Department of National Parks – Andaman marine parks reopen for the 2026–27 season, 15 October 2026 (Thai) (checked October 2026)
- Department of National Parks – Mu Ko Surin reopens, accommodation and Moken village rules, December 2021 (Thai) (checked October 2026)
- Department of National Parks – Mu Ko Surin boundary and Richelieu Rock hearing, July 2026 (Thai) (checked October 2026)
- Department of National Parks – Reef damage from the MV Ayar Linn grounding, June 2025 (Thai) (checked October 2026)
- Kapook Travel – National park entry fees by category, citing the DNP (Thai) (checked October 2026)
- Cultural Survival – Stranded: the Moken and tourism (checked October 2026)