Koh Rok and Koh Ha Seasonal Closure for Koh Lanta Trips
The published closure dates, the park fees, and what the closure changes for your stay on Koh Lanta.
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Koh Rok and Koh Ha close to visitors every year from mid-May to November (dates set each year by the park). This is a standard, recurring national park conservation closure. Both islands sit within Mu Ko Lanta National Park's marine area, and the closure lets reef and marine ecosystems recover from tourism pressure during the rainy season, when rough seas make visiting less practical anyway. It's not a one-off or unpredictable closure; it happens on this same annual window.
The dates you read online rarely match, because three different things are being described. The park itself publishes a closure from 16 May to mid-October for most of its small islands. The same source lists Koh Rok and Koh Ha as closed from 1 June to 30 September. And the boats that actually take you there stop in mid-May and restart in November.
For planning, the boat calendar is the one that counts. Even when the islands are officially open in late May or early October, most speedboat operators have already paused or not yet restarted their Koh Rok and Koh Ha departures, because the sea on the Andaman side is often too rough for a long crossing and demand is low.
The Department of National Parks sets the closure each year, so dates can shift slightly. If your trip falls close to mid-May, October or early November, confirm with a tour operator before paying, and ask whether your booking can be moved or refunded if the boats are cancelled for weather or the park announces a change.
Park fees and opening hours
When the islands are open, the entrance fee is not usually included in the price of a Koh Rok or Koh Ha trip. Foreign visitors pay it in cash on the day, collected by the guide or by rangers, so keep some baht in your bag. The rates below come from the national park fee regulation and the park's published information.
- Koh Rok and Koh Ha: 400 THB per foreign adult, 200 THB per child, cash only.
- Mu Ko Lanta National Park on the island (Laem Tanod headquarters): 200 THB per foreign adult, 100 THB per child.
- Opening hours of the park headquarters: 08:30 to 16:30 every day (some sources give later times, so treat the evening as variable).
Why the islands close every year
Koh Rok and Koh Ha sit in the marine part of Mu Ko Lanta National Park, far out in the Andaman Sea. During high season, thousands of snorkellers and divers visit their reefs, and the annual closure gives corals, fish and beaches a few months without boats, anchors and fins. Rangers also use the quiet months for maintenance.
The timing matches the south-west monsoon. From May onwards, wind and swell build on this coast, and a crossing of an hour or more by speedboat becomes uncomfortable and sometimes unsafe. So the closure is not a random rule: the park protects the reef in the months when visiting would be hard anyway.
When to come if Koh Rok or Koh Ha is a priority
If snorkelling at Koh Rok or diving at Koh Ha is one of the main reasons for your trip, travel between November and mid-May. December to March usually brings the calmest sea and the best visibility, and the boats run on most days. Late April and early May still work, with fewer passengers, but conditions become less predictable.
Book your Koh Rok or Koh Ha day early in your stay rather than on your last full day. Boats can be cancelled at short notice when the wind picks up, even in high season, and a buffer of a few days lets the operator move you to the next departure instead of losing the trip altogether.
If you can only travel between June and October, accept that these two islands are off the table and plan the rest of your stay around what the island offers in the green season. Koh Lanta stays open all year, hotels drop their rates, and many visitors find the quieter beaches a fair trade.
What to do instead during the closure
The mangroves on the east coast are the easiest replacement. Half-day kayak or longtail tours through the Thung Yee Peng channels run in sheltered water, usually combined with a stop in Lanta Old Town and its wooden stilt houses. They are much less sensitive to the swell than any open-sea trip.
On land, the park headquarters at Laem Tanod, the island's viewpoints, cooking classes and an ATV ride through the rubber plantations all fill a rainy-season day. Klong Nin, Kantiang Bay and Long Beach stay beautiful, but swim only where the sea is calm, as waves and currents on the west coast can be strong in these months.
If you still want reefs, look at the shallower snorkelling spots that agencies keep running close to the coast when the sea allows it. Visibility is lower than at Koh Rok in high season, but a calm morning can still give you a good session, and the boats are rarely full.
How agencies adapt their excursions
Tour desks do not simply close in the green season. They replace the long runs to Koh Rok and Koh Ha with shorter routes closer to shore, such as the 4-island trip towards Koh Ngai, Koh Mook and the Emerald Cave, or mangrove and island days further south towards Talabeng. Whether these run on a given day still depends on the weather.
Expect fewer departures, minimum group sizes and last-minute changes. A trip sold in the morning can be cancelled the evening before, and some itineraries swap a stop without warning. Ask what happens if the sea is rough, and prefer operators that offer a full refund or a new date rather than credit only.
Be careful with anyone selling a Koh Rok trip between June and September. The islands are officially closed in that window, so a boat that claims to go there is either visiting another spot or ignoring park rules. Read the itinerary closely and check the islands actually named before you pay.
Frequently asked questions
On dates the park sets each year: the published window runs from 16 May to mid-October for most of the small islands and from 1 June to 30 September for Koh Rok, and boats stop in mid-May and restart in November, so confirm with your operator before booking. It is a recurring conservation closure, not a one-time or unpredictable event.
National park entrance fee & hoursYes: tour operators offer alternative snorkeling and day-trip destinations during the closure period. Koh Rok and Koh Ha are considered some of the best reef sites in the area, but they aren't the only option near the island.
For snorkelling, many travellers say yes. If Koh Rok or Koh Ha is a priority, travel between November and mid-May, when the boats run.
Koh Rok vs Koh Ha snorkelling toursLast verified 27 September 2026
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