Short answer
On 19 September 2026, for International Coastal Cleanup Day, Ao Phang Nga National Park and more than 40 volunteers collected monsoon rubbish around the ranger station on Koh Lawa Yai: plastic, fishing-net scraps and other material that does not break down. The park says monsoon currents and waves carry rubbish from outside onto its islands and beaches, and it plans more cleanups through the monsoon season. It asks boat operators and visitors not to dump rubbish at sea and to cut single-use plastic.
What the park did on 19 September
Ao Phang Nga National Park held a cleanup on 19 September 2026, International Coastal Cleanup Day, around its ranger station on Koh Lawa Yai. The department says more than 40 people took part: park staff, a Phang Nga Bay sea-canoe company and volunteers from the Monsoon Garbage Thailand page.
They collected and sorted plastic, scraps of fishing net and other material that does not break down. The park says every item was recorded to work out where the rubbish comes from, and the rubbish was stored under sanitary rules.
Why rubbish piles up in the monsoon
The park chief said that every monsoon season currents and waves carry marine rubbish from outside the area onto its islands and beaches. That is the park's own explanation for why the shore needs clearing at this time of year.
The park plans to keep watching for rubbish and to keep collecting it through the monsoon season. It says it will work with local communities and tour operators so that nobody throws rubbish into the sea, and to reduce single-use plastic.
What it means for visitors
Koh Lawa Yai is one of the sites on the department's 2026 closure list for Ao Phang Nga National Park. Koh Lawa Yai, Ao Khian and Koh Boi Yai were closed from 1 August to 30 September, according to the Royal Gazette notice of 9 January 2026, which also lists a campsite as closed. The closure period has now ended.
Expect some drift rubbish on beaches in the monsoon months, and take everything you carry back to the boat. The park's requests are the same for every visitor: no dumping, and as little single-use plastic as possible.
What it means for our Phang Nga Bay day
Our James Bond Island and Phang Nga Bay canoe tour starts from $85 per person. The entry for Ao Phang Nga National Park in the closure list names only Koh Lawa Yai, Ao Khian and Koh Boi Yai; the places on our route are not in it. The national park fee is included in the price.
Hotel pickup in Phuket is between about 7:00 and 8:00 am, the speedboat leaves Laem Nga pier at about 9:00 and the boat is back at about 5:00 pm. Bring a dry bag for your phone in the canoe, and a bag for your own rubbish. If the sea is unsafe, the operator moves the trip to another date or refunds it.
Practical checklist
- Take all your rubbish back to the boat; do not leave anything on a beach.
- Use a refillable bottle instead of single-use plastic where you can.
- Bring a dry bag for your phone, a towel and swimwear.
- Check the park's notices before you travel; closure dates change by site.
Questions and answers
Why is there rubbish on Phang Nga Bay beaches in the monsoon?
The park chief says monsoon currents and waves carry marine rubbish from outside the area onto its islands and beaches every season.
Who cleaned Koh Lawa Yai on 19 September 2026?
More than 40 people: park staff, a sea-canoe company and volunteers from the Monsoon Garbage Thailand page, for International Coastal Cleanup Day.
Was Koh Lawa Yai closed to tourists?
Yes. The Royal Gazette closure list for 2026 closes Koh Lawa Yai, Ao Khian and Koh Boi Yai in Ao Phang Nga National Park from 1 August to 30 September. That period has ended.
Is the national park fee included on our Phang Nga Bay tour?
Yes. On our James Bond Island and Phang Nga Bay tour the national park fee is included in the price from $85 per person.