Short answer
Foreign adults pay 100, 200, 300 or 500 baht to enter a Thai national park, depending on which of four groups the park belongs to, and children pay half. The Department of National Parks published this schedule in June 2022, and we found no newer one. The Similan and Surin islands cost the most at 500 baht; Erawan, Doi Inthanon and Ao Phang Nga are 300. Most parks take cash at the gate, while six busy parks began selling e-tickets in 2023.
Foreign adults pay 100 to 500 baht, depending on the park group
On 2 June 2022 the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) set out a fee regulation that had been published in the Royal Gazette on 9 December 2021 and took effect on 7 June 2022. It splits national parks into four groups. Foreign adults pay 100 baht in group 1 (67 parks), 200 in group 2 (55 parks), 300 in group 3 (9 parks) and 500 baht in group 4, which has two parks. A foreign child pays half: 50, 100, 150 and 250 baht.
The Thai rate in the same schedule is 20, 40, 60 and 100 baht for an adult, so a foreign adult pays exactly five times as much in every group. The list covers 133 parks. The Tourism Authority of Thailand counted 156 national parks in January 2026, so a newer park may not appear on the 2022 list. We found no later DNP fee schedule in October 2026.
Which popular parks are in which group
The 2022 list puts only two parks in the top group: Mu Ko Similan and Mu Ko Surin, both in Phang Nga, at 500 and 250 baht. Group 3, at 300 and 150 baht, has nine parks including Erawan, Doi Inthanon, Ao Phang Nga, Than Bok Khorani and Kaeng Krachan. Wikipedia lists Ko Hong among the islands of Than Bok Khorani in Krabi, and Ao Phang Nga is the park around Phang Nga Bay and James Bond Island.
Group 2, at 200 and 100 baht, is the largest of the popular ones: Khao Yai, Khao Sok, Ang Thong, Mu Ko Lanta, Sirinat in Phuket and Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi are all listed there. Group 1, at 100 and 50 baht, includes Khao Lak-Lam Ru and Than Sadet-Ko Pha-ngan, according to a 2022 list republished by TrueID. Vehicles are charged separately: the DNP lists 30 baht for a car and 20 for a motorbike.
Children, seniors and who goes in free
TrueID's June 2022 summary of the regulation sets the age bands: children under 3 enter free, a child is aged 3 to 14, and an adult is 14 or older. Monks and clergy resident in Thailand, and people with disabilities, also enter free. Thai seniors aged 60 and over go in free, but foreign seniors pay the adult rate of their park group. The table gives both the child and the adult band as reaching 14, so ask at the gate about a child of exactly 14.
Rates have changed before, and the numbers you read online may be from another year. In March 2019 the Tourism Authority of Thailand gave the Similan fee as 500 baht for adults and 300 baht for children. The 2022 DNP schedule puts the Similan child fee at 250. When a number matters to you, look at the year attached to it.
Cash at the gate or an e-ticket
For most parks, you pay at the gate or the pier in cash. The DNP announced on 21 December 2022 that it would open sales of e-tickets through the QueQ app on 1 January 2023, for visits from 7 January, as a pilot at six busy parks: Khao Yai, Erawan, Doi Inthanon, Ao Phang Nga, Similan and Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi. Buyers can pay by debit or credit card, bank bill payment or PromptPay, and show a QR code in the app.
In July 2023 the Tourism Authority of Thailand reported that Khao Yai now required foreign visitors to buy a ticket through QueQ before arrival, at 200 baht for adults and 100 for children, with an extra cash payment at two of its entrances. We could not confirm in October 2026 which parks still use e-tickets, so check the park's own page, and carry cash anyway for island parks.
Phi Phi has its own number: 400 and 200 baht
The 2022 list places Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi in group 2, at 200 and 100 baht. But the Phi Phi islands have been charged at a higher rate for years. Thai PBS reported on 28 February 2017 that the national parks advisory committee decided to keep foreign visitors at 400 baht for adults and 200 for children, under a DNP announcement dated 22 November 2007, after local operators asked for a cut.
On our Phi Phi tour the operator collects 400 baht per adult and 200 per child in cash on the day, and we give this as what the operator collects, not as an official rate, because we found no current notice that explains the gap with the 2022 schedule. Our Krabi 4 Islands tour collects 200 and 100, which matches the group 2 rate.
What the park fee means on our tours
On our Similan Islands speedboat day trip, from $105 per person, the national park fee is included in the price. The DNP announced that the Similan season opened on 15 October 2026, and our tour runs until the park closes on 14 May. On our James Bond Island and Phang Nga Bay tour the park fee is included too.
On other days you pay the park in cash: 400 and 200 baht on our Phi Phi tour; 200 and 100 on the Krabi 4 Islands tour and 300 and 150 on the Hong Islands tour; 300 and 150 at Doi Inthanon unless your quote says otherwise; and 300 per adult at Erawan, as of June 2026. Children pay a lower rate. These are the amounts our operators collect.
Cash on boat days: how much to carry
A cash fee on an island day needs cash before you leave the hotel. Wikivoyage's Thailand page warns that very remote areas, including smaller islands, have no banks or ATMs, so enter them with cash. A family of four on the Phi Phi tour would carry 1,200 baht for two adults and two children at the rates the operator collects, which is the sort of calculation worth doing the night before.
To get the cash cheaply, see our guide to ATM fees and cash in Thailand. If you want the Similan Islands without paying at the pier, our Similan season guide gives the dates, and our price guide shows what the $105 covers. Park fees are a government charge, not ours, so we confirm the total on WhatsApp before you pay.
Practical checklist
- Look up your park's group in the DNP schedule before you budget: foreign adults pay 100, 200, 300 or 500 baht.
- Count children separately: under 3 free, ages 3 to 14 at half price.
- Carry cash for island parks, where cards and ATMs are scarce.
- Ask which fee applies if a source quotes another year; the 2022 schedule is the latest we found.
- For the Similan Islands, remember that the park fee is included in our tour price.
Questions and answers
How much is a Thai national park entrance fee for a foreigner?
Under the Department of National Parks' schedule in force since 7 June 2022, a foreign adult pays 100, 200, 300 or 500 baht depending on the park group, and a child pays half.
Is Phi Phi 400 baht or 200 baht for foreigners?
The 2022 DNP list puts the park in the 200-baht group, but Thai PBS reported in 2017 that 400 baht was kept for Phi Phi. On our tour the operator collects 400 and 200 in cash; we found no current notice that settles it.
How much is the Similan Islands park fee?
The DNP's 2022 schedule lists 500 baht for a foreign adult and 250 for a child. On our Similan tour the park fee is included in the price.
Do children under 3 pay national park fees?
No. TrueID's 2022 summary of the DNP regulation says children under 3 enter free, children from 3 to 14 pay the child rate and adults are counted from 14.
Can you buy national park tickets online in Thailand?
Six busy parks began selling e-tickets through the QueQ app in 2023, including Similan, Phi Phi, Erawan, Doi Inthanon, Ao Phang Nga and Khao Yai. Check that the park still uses it before you rely on it.