Sea Turtles in Phuket: Mai Khao and Sirinat Nesting Season, Releases and Responsible Visits

The nesting season

Sources agree that nesting runs from about November to February, with hatchlings released from about January into April. Leatherback and olive ridley turtles have historically come ashore at Mai Khao, and green turtles are also mentioned. A hotel guide lists Mai Khao, Layan and Nai Yang as the main sites, and one Phuket News report described the first confirmed leatherback nest of a season on 14 February, found by staff of a Mai Khao resort who spotted tracks on the sand and told the park.

Sightings are not guaranteed. A Thai holiday guide says confirmed nesting has become rare, which it links to beachfront lighting and development, and another guide says sightings have been rarer since 2013. Treat any claim of regular, easy turtle spotting with caution.

Where it happens

Sirinat National Park protects roughly 90 square kilometres of the north-west coast, including Nai Yang, Nai Thon and Mai Khao beaches and the mangroves and reef behind them. The park checkpoint is listed as open from 08:30 to 16:30, and one guide gives entry fees of 200 baht for foreign adults and 100 baht for children, so confirm the current fee at the gate. Mai Khao is a short drive from the airport.

The Sirinat Marine Turtle Conservation Center inside the park monitors nests and holds an annual hatchling release, reported for April. The Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation, which has worked on turtle protection since 2002 according to a tourism magazine, is the contact for conservation events. Some resorts in Mai Khao run their own protection and release programmes with the park, and one luxury-travel article says releases are timed for good sea conditions, most reliably around Songkran in April.

Visiting responsibly

Join only officially organised watching or release programmes and follow staff instructions without exception, advises a hotel group's turtle guide. As general conservation practice, keep away from marked nest areas, stay well back from any turtle, do not touch or ride a turtle or hatchling, avoid lights and flash on the beach at night, and take your rubbish with you.

Be sceptical of anyone who sells a private release, a turtle photo or a baby turtle you can hold. The ethical animal tourism guide gives the same checks for elephants and other wildlife, and the volunteering guide lists the sea turtle projects residents can support.

Combining it with a trip north

• Beach time: Mai Khao and Nai Yang are among the island's quietest long beaches in the dry season, which runs from about November to April.
• Camping and glamping in Sirinat, see the camping guide.
• Short stays near the airport, see the Mai Khao and Nai Yang hotels guide.
• National park fees and walks, see the waterfalls and national parks guide.
• Beach and sea safety: currents can be strong, see the beach safety guide, and check the drones and photography rules before flying anything near a nesting beach.