# Maya Bay from Phuket at Sunrise or After 4 pm: When Is It Less Crowded? **Short answer:** Both hours work, because both trips are timed around the day boats: our Phi Phi sunrise trip is in Maya Bay from 07:00 to 08:00, before they arrive, and the catamaran from Phuket gets there between 16:00 and 17:00, after they have gone. Choose sunrise if you can face a pickup at four and want to be back by 15:30; choose the afternoon if you would rather start at 06:30 and finish with a sunset at sea, back at 19:00. ## Tours and prices in Thai baht - [Phi Phi at sunrise: Maya Bay before the crowds](https://phukeo.com/en/tours/phi-phi-sunrise) · [md](https://phukeo.com/en/tours/phi-phi-sunrise.md) — One day, 04:00–15:30 · Adult 2,300 THB · Child 4–9 2,000 THB - [Phi Phi and Racha Yai by catamaran, with a sunset stop at Maiton](https://phukeo.com/en/tours/phi-phi-racha-maiton-sunset) · [md](https://phukeo.com/en/tours/phi-phi-racha-maiton-sunset.md) — One day, 06:30–19:00 · Adult 2,700 THB · Child 4–9 2,500 THB - [Phi Phi, Maya Bay and Khai island by speedboat](https://phukeo.com/en/tours/phi-phi-maya-khai) · [md](https://phukeo.com/en/tours/phi-phi-maya-khai.md) — One day · Adult 2,000 THB · Child 4–9 1,800 THB Prices come straight from our booking system. Children under four join free on most trips — each tour page says so. ## Why these two hours The day boats are the crowd, and our cards place them between the two hours on this page. Our own speedboat days sit in that window: 11:35 on the Bamboo and fishing trip, 15:15 on the Khai island trip. The two trips here are built to miss it. Our cards describe them from opposite ends. Sunrise: you walk into Maya Bay around seven, before the day boats, with the beach close to empty. Catamaran: you arrive late, when the day boats have gone and you are the last ones to leave. We don't put a head count on either, because nobody can promise one. ## Sunrise: how the morning goes Pickup between 04:00 and 04:30. At 05:25 you're at the pier with breakfast boxes, at 05:50 the boat leaves, and at 06:15 the sun comes up while you're in open water. Maya Bay from 07:00 to 08:00, with time on the beach and for photographs. Then the rest of the archipelago: Bida Nai and Bida Nok from the boat, a swim in Pileh Lagoon at 08:30, the Viking Cave, a snorkelling stop, Monkey Beach, then Phi Phi Don from ten until half past twelve (the viewpoint climb is optional). Bamboo island from 12:50 to 14:20, and the pier at 15:30. Bring a warm layer; it's cold at sea before the sun is up. ## After 4 pm: the catamaran's afternoon Don't expect a lie-in. Pickup is between 06:30 and 07:30, with a hot breakfast in a lounge at the pier before boarding at 08:30. Racha Yai from nine to eleven, while its beach is empty, then lunch and free time on Phi Phi Don from twelve to two. The afternoon goes round Phi Phi Leh: Monkey Beach from the deck at 14:15, the Viking Cave at 14:30, a swim in Pileh Lagoon from three. Maya Bay from 16:00 to 17:00, at the quiet end of the day. The sunset happens later, on the water beside Maiton island from 17:45, and you're back on Phuket at 19:00. ## So which hour is quieter? Both are the quiet hours, from opposite sides: sunrise gets you in first, the catamaran gets you out last. Our eleven-islands card says the same about the late slot: by four in the afternoon the day boats have left, so Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon are quiet. It reaches the bay at 16:30, after Phang Nga Bay and Hong island, so it's a very long day. One thing people get wrong: the sunset isn't at Maya Bay. On the catamaran you leave the bay at five and watch the sun go down at Maiton. On the sunrise trip, the sunrise happens on the crossing, before you reach the bay. If a quiet beach matters more than Maya Bay itself, [Racha Yai or Phi Phi](https://phukeo.com/en/excursions/racha-yai-or-phi-phi) shows when Racha Yai is empty too. ## Children, backs and swimming Children aged 4 to 9 pay the child price on both trips; under-fours travel free on the catamaran. With small children the hard part of the sunrise trip is the start, not the day itself, and the card doesn't recommend it during pregnancy or with back problems, because the speedboat ride is bumpy. The catamaran's 19:00 return is long for a toddler. On the sunrise trip you get time on the beach at Maya Bay. The catamaran card doesn't say whether you swim there, so ask first if that matters. Park fees are included on the sunrise trip; on the catamaran the fee isn't on either list, so ask in the chat whether it's collected on your date. For the easiest snorkel of a Phi Phi day, [Khai island or Racha Yai](https://phukeo.com/en/excursions/khai-or-racha-yai-for-snorkelling) looks at the Khai stop. ## Which one to book If an almost empty beach is the whole point and you can sleep at nine the night before, sunrise. If you'd rather have long stops, Racha Yai and a sunset at sea, the catamaran. The longer comparison of the catamaran is on [is the Phi Phi and Racha Yai catamaran worth it](https://phukeo.com/en/excursions/phi-phi-racha-catamaran-worth-it). Every trip of ours that never goes out on the open sea is listed on [land tours from Phuket](https://phukeo.com/en/excursions/land-tours). Booking the catamaran is set out on [how to book the Phi Phi and Racha Yai catamaran](https://phukeo.com/en/faq/how-to-book-phi-phi-racha-catamaran). - Emptiest beach, home by mid-afternoon — Phi Phi at sunrise - No four o'clock alarm, sunset at sea — the Phi Phi and Racha Yai catamaran - Bamboo island in the same day — Phi Phi at sunrise - Racha Yai snorkelling in the same day — the catamaran - Lowest price, Maya Bay mid-afternoon — Phi Phi, Maya Bay and Khai island ## Before you book Check the current status of Maya Bay for your date; [is Maya Bay open](https://phukeo.com/en/faq/is-maya-bay-open) explains what happens on closure days. Every tour in our catalogue runs with an English-speaking guide. Sleeping on Phi Phi Don instead? [Does the Phi Phi overnight tour visit Maya Bay in the morning](https://phukeo.com/en/faq/phi-phi-overnight-maya-bay-morning) has the Maya Bay times on our three overnight trips. Send us the tour, the date, your hotel and everyone's ages, and we confirm the pickup time; payment is agreed in the chat after the booking is confirmed. The cheaper midday option is weighed on [is the Phi Phi, Maya Bay and Khai speedboat worth it](https://phukeo.com/en/excursions/phi-phi-maya-khai-speedboat-worth-it), and the general choice on [sunrise or sunset tour](https://phukeo.com/en/excursions/sunrise-or-sunset-tour). ## Worth knowing Pack a warm layer for the sunrise boat, which crosses open water before the sun is up. For the catamaran, bring a change of clothes; you are on the water until 19:00. ## FAQ ### Is Maya Bay less crowded at sunrise or after 4 pm? Both are quiet hours. The sunrise trip is in the bay from 07:00 to 08:00, before the day boats; the catamaran arrives between 16:00 and 17:00, after they have gone. ### What time does the sunrise trip reach Maya Bay? Around seven. Pickup is between 04:00 and 04:30, the boat leaves at 05:50 and you spend 07:00 to 08:00 in the bay. ### What time does the catamaran reach Maya Bay? Between 16:00 and 17:00, after Racha Yai, Phi Phi Don and Pileh Lagoon. It is back on Phuket at 19:00. ### Can I watch the sunset at Maya Bay? No. The catamaran leaves Maya Bay at 17:00 and the sunset stop is on the water beside Maiton island, from 17:45 to 19:00. ### Which is better with children? It depends on the child. Sunrise means a pickup at four but home by 15:30; the catamaran starts at 06:30 and returns at 19:00. Children aged 4 to 9 pay the child price on both. ### Are national park fees included? On the sunrise trip, yes. On the catamaran the fee is not listed as included or extra, so ask in the chat whether it is collected on your date. ## Compare with - [Maya Bay Tours from Phuket: When to Go and What to Expect](https://phukeo.com/en/excursions/maya-bay-tours) · [md](https://phukeo.com/en/excursions/maya-bay-tours.md) - [Is Maya Bay Open? Seasonal Closure and Phi Phi Tours from Phuket](https://phukeo.com/en/faq/is-maya-bay-open) · [md](https://phukeo.com/en/faq/is-maya-bay-open.md) - [Sunrise or Sunset Tour from Phuket: Which to Choose](https://phukeo.com/en/excursions/sunrise-or-sunset-tour) · [md](https://phukeo.com/en/excursions/sunrise-or-sunset-tour.md) - [Is the Phi Phi Sunrise Tour from Phuket Worth It?](https://phukeo.com/en/excursions/phi-phi-sunrise-tour-worth-it) · [md](https://phukeo.com/en/excursions/phi-phi-sunrise-tour-worth-it.md) - [All tours](https://phukeo.com/en/tours) ## How to book [Ask about dates on WhatsApp](https://wa.me/66619490349?text=Hello!%20I%20found%20you%20on%20phukeo.com%20and%20I'd%20like%20to%20book%20%22Maya%20Bay%3A%20sunrise%20or%20after%204%20pm%22.%20My%20dates%3A%20) --- Canonical: https://phukeo.com/en/faq/maya-bay-sunrise-or-afternoon