Guide to the Ultimate Phi Phi Islands Day Tour
The Phi Phi Islands are no secret. They’re one of Thailand’s most iconic destinations—and for good reason. Dramatic limestone cliffs emerging out of turquoise waters, hidden calm lagoons, powdery white beaches, and vibrant marine life just beneath the surface. It’s the kind of place that lives up to the hype… and then some.
But with Thailand being one of the most visited countries in the world, it’s no surprise that Phi Phi can get very crowded. Which is exactly why we chose to do an early riser tour. And let me tell you, it was the best decision we could’ve made. Watching the islands come to life in the early morning light, before the boatloads of tourists arrive, was nothing short of magical.
That said, even if you can’t swing an early tour, I truly believe this is still one of the most breathtaking day trips we’ve ever done. Even after 18 months of cumulative travel in the last 4 years, I still do.
In this post, I’ll take you along with us as we explore the beaches embraced by majestic limestone karsts of Koh Phi Phi, swim and snorkel in crystal-clear lagoons alongside blacktip reef sharks and sea turtles, and kick back on some of the softest, whitest sandbars in Thailand.
How to Get to Phi Phi Islands
The Phi Phi Islands are located in the Krabi district of Thailand, geographically situated in the Andaman Sea, between mainland Krabi and Phuket. There is no airport on the main island of Phi Phi Don (where most people would stay), the islands are conveniently located between two of southern Thailand’s biggest hubs, i.e. Phuket and Krabi.
You’ve got quite a few options for departure points to arrive on Phi Phi Don, but only one way to get there. And that’s by sea via ferry or speedboat.
From Phuket, most ferries depart from Rassada Pier in Phuket Town. You can also book speedboats from places like Chalong Pier or directly from some resort beaches if you’re staying in more remote areas.
From Krabi, boats usually leave from Klong Jilad Pier, with some speedboats also departing from Ao Nang or even Railay Beach if you’re already exploring that side of the coast. Which you definitely should! We absolutely loved our overnighter on Railay Beach and exploring Hong Island on a day trip from Ao Nang.
If you’re coming from further afield like Koh Lanta or even Koh Yao Yai, there are also direct boat connections to Phi Phi, especially during the high season. Plenty of places to depart from, or to continue your journey after Phi Phi Islands! We went from Phuket to Phi Phi and then over to Ao Nang, which made for a streamlined Southern Thailand itinerary.
The ferry ride typically takes about 1.5 to 2 hours depending on where you’re coming from and whether you’re hopping on a regular ferry or a faster speedboat. You can easily book your ferry tickets online on 12GoAsia as well and select the company and scheduled time based on reviews and photos. We found it on par with pricing when booking tickets in person across Thailand, but the convenience of doing it in a few clicks saved us the hassle of going around talking to different agencies and paying credit card fees.
I’ve never been one to enjoy transfers by sea, but the ferry we took from Phuket to Phi Phi Islands was comfortable, had a massive sundeck to enjoy the views, and doubled as an at-sea sightseeing tour! Like we actually got a tour guide on the intercom as we slowed down to enjoy the limestone islands in full view on a beautiful day. The ferry ride might’ve been a tad longer than if we had gone direct, but man was this a great prelude to our time exploring the islands!
Touring Phi Phi Islands Without Staying on Phi Phi Don
It’s no secret that most people don’t love staying on Phi Phi Don, especially during big parties and festivals. It’s a haven for visitors wanting to party hard on the beaches and bar hop while witnessing insane acrobatic fire shows. It’s also a small island where you can only get around by foot and not everyone is up for that.
The good news is, that you don’t have to stay in Phi Phi Islands to tour Phi Phi Islands. A lot of day trips in fact go out from either Phuket, Krabi and even Koh Lanta, so you can don’t have to leave either areas in order to see all the main hot spots that we saw and loved.
With that said, we were among those who didn’t mind staying on Phi Phi Don at all. We stayed in a quieter part of the island, still in short walking distance of the main pier, best restaurants, beaches, convenience stores and all. And you’ll definitely want to be nearest a 7-Eleven at all times when in Thailand!
Staying on Phi Phi Don also allows you to be on the early riser tour, avoiding the crowds coming in later in the morning, most of whom are coming from Phuket and Krabi. So there’s that to consider when figuring out whether you would like to make your way to stay on the small island of Phi Phi Don or hang back in the bigger hubs.
Phi Phi Islands Tour Breakdown
Of course, since we were staying on the Phi Phi Islands, we weren’t going to pass up on going for the early bird tour. If you’re not new to our blog and channel, you might know that we love a sunrise mission and will easily do anything to avoid the crowds.
So we had an early start, making our way to the meetup point, which was near the docks, at 6:00am. The sky was pointing out that it was going to be a beautiful day, as we were greeted with some pink hues in the sky and a rainbow among the clouds while we waited by the longtail boats!
Once we got checked in and organized into different groups, we made our way to the pier and, to my surprise, hopped on a really new and comfortable speedboat. This was going to be our home for the day as we sailed and stopped at five amazing spots on three different islands of Phi Phi.
Maya Beach
By 6:30am, we were off sailing to our first stop of the day, and arguably the most iconic spot in all of Phi Phi Islands. We headed south for Koh Phi Phi Leh, where most of our day’s journey would take place. It’s also home to the most iconic locations of the Phi Phi Islands, the top one being the idyllic Maya Bay is located.
If you’re a 90’s baby like me, you might recognize the location from the Leo DiCaprio 2000 movie “The Beach”. And when you see it for yourself, you will not be surprised in the slightest that this was picked out for a filming location for a movie based on a beach.
It was a short boat ride and as we approached Maya Bay, we first got to admire it from the water as the morning light started to illuminate the water. A quick photo stop and then we we made our way to dock on the island.
We were the first group to reach Phi Phi Leh at 7:00am and had an allocated hour to spend at the beach, which was a sufficient amount of time. Every tour gets one hour on Maya Beach, which I thought was the perfect amount of time to walk there, dip your feet in the water, lay down in the sand and snap as many photos of you could.
The government recently reconstructed an entire floating pier and walkway to reach Maya Beach. The boat drops you off on the east side of Koh Phi Phi Leh opposite to Maya Beach, and you walk on the boardwalk through the open forest trail before hitting the stunning movie-worthy shores.
Maya Beach was as picture perfect as we had already imagined! Pristine and powdery white sand that mold around your toes, turquoise waters that still emit a vibrant colour before the sun hits it, and this long stretch of a calm shoreline framed within towering limestone cliffs.
It’s beautiful for the eyes and the senses, but there are restrictions when visiting this beach. In an effort for conservation and protecting the habitat of juvenile blacktip reef sharks, it is strictly prohibited to swim at Maya Beach. You can go in the water about calf height, but no more, and the guards are super strict about it! Sharks are such an important part of marine ecosystems, and I’m actually glad that Thailand is making efforts to repair the damage that over-tourism and lack of regulations put on the coral reefs of these islands.
As much as it might suck to hold back your eagerness to jump in the crystal turquoise water, being able to admire shy baby blacktips come feet away from where you are is an experience you cannot have anywhere else in Thailand. We saw about ten different sharks, small and large, come near the shoreline while we waded up to our ankles in the water.
Phi Leh Lagoon
After that perfect start to the morning, we went around the southern tip to enter Phi Leh Lagoon. You might not have been able to jump in the water at Maya, but here, it’s a free for all!
The waters are deep here so don’t worry if you want to back flip or go head first into the water right from the boat! The lagoon shines an emerald blue and it is so inviting to swim in! There’s not much coral along the shallow edges of the lagoon for a good snorkel, but here it’s all about floating in complete blue bliss.
Even though we weren’t allowed to pop the drone up from Maya Beach, we could from here, and capturing the heart shape of Phi Leh Lagoon from the air was such a treat.
Viking Cave
This one’s not a stop but a pass-by for a quick photo if you so choose. Viking Cave is named for having ancient paintings of what appear to be viking ships, but it’s most known as a harvesting place of swift birds nests.
These birds nests are considered delicacies, especially in traditional Chinese cuisine in which you’ll find bird’s nest soup. It’s believed to have incredible health benefits, and come with an equally incredible price tag.
We didn’t get to dock and have a closer look at the cave and birds nests. We had also passed by Viking Cave on our ferry ride over to Phi Phi Islands, so this didn’t tickle our interest much. After Phi Leh Lagoon, we were honestly just itching to get back in the water and this history stop was taking time away from that.
Loh Samah Bay Snorkelling
Finally, some snorkelling! We went back south along the eastern coast of Koh Phi Phi Leh where arguably one of the best snorkelling sites in located. Loh Samah Bay lies just on the backside of Maya Bay and this little cove feels like a secret world when you arrive early, before the other boats start pulling in.
We jumped into the the water with a hand fisted around our life jackets—which we could swim without wearing but still had to have with us as a precaution—and were instantly surrounded by schools of small fish darting around at the surface. Those sergeant majors love to hang around boats thinking people have got food that they would scatter over the water.
The coral here isn’t the brightest you’ll find in Thailand —that might be Koh Lipe—, and the visibility wasn’t the best the time we came, especially as it did get overcast during our time at Loh Samah Bay.
But what took our breath away was the sheer number of juvenile sharks cruising the reef we saw! A few near grown and some baby ones! Don’t worry, blacktip reef sharks are harmless and shy, mostly skittish so it’s definitely hard to get too close to them anyway.
We even spotted a curious sea turtle munching on food found in the hard corals who later came up to the surface for air.
It’s a beginner-friendly snorkel site at a depth of 2-3m, and no matter how strong a swimmer you are, you’ll be instructed to keep a lifejacket attached to you. So whether you’re new to snorkelling or a seasoned swimmer, Loh Samah Bay is a spot you don’t want to miss.
Bamboo Island
After a good snorkel session, especially after swimming distances to catch up to the sharks, we worked up an appetite and it was luckily now time for lunch. Bamboo Island was our next spot, which was one of the northernmost islands of Phi Phi. So we left Koh Phi Phi Leh and made our way on the speedboat.
Little did we know that Bamboo Island was a white sand beach haven. We stepped off the boat and were absolutely blinded by how white the sand was, especially now that the sun was fully out again and reflecting against these soft bright grains.
Once we stepped off the boat and our captain and guide anchored, they brought our prepared lunches over to the picnic table area near the boats. In all honesty, lunch was very lacklustre and probably the most underwhelming of any tour lunch we’ve had.
It was composed of a takeout box that had fried rice and a few pieces of sautéed chicken. That’s it, that was our lunch. No meat variety, veggies, fruits, dessert… And with an early wakeup for this tour, we definitely were famished.
But what this stop on our Phi Phi Islands itinerary lacked in dining experience, it certainly made up in views and beach.
After we scarfed down our light lunch, we walked the short way across the sand to the opposite side of the northeastern tip of the island. I probably don’t even have to describe it to you but the stretch of white sand seemed to be never ending and so did the turquoise waters. We’ve visited our fair share of beaches in Thailand, but Bamboo Beach might just be the most pristine and postcard worthy beach we’ve stepped foot on during a day tour, like ever.
The shallow waters by the shore were incredibly calm, protected from the wave break by the coral reef that lied further out from shore. The beach was long and wide, and wrapped around lush trees and coastal borders to a more secret cove that you could access.
Shallow tide pools formed behind banks of sand that extended parallel to the beach shoreline. You could wade out far into the natural swimming pool and float on the surface under the bright sun while barely feeling the waves take you back.
We rested on Bamboo Island for a good hour, trying not to stay out in the sun for too long without replenishing a layer of sunscreen. In the heat of the beginning of April, it was hard not to break into a thick sweat walking back to the boat.
The Village Snorkelling
Luckily, it was time for our final snorkel at a a coral garden that our guide called the Village. It was a shallower reef than at Loh Samah Bay and we made the most of our last swim of the day.
We found the coral to be more vibrant here, but maybe because the sun was now fully out, the colours of the coral and sea life came out too! The highlight of our snorkel at the Village was most definitely getting our first proper closeup capture of a clownfish emerging out of anemone, with the help of our guide!
It was the first time I was able to learn how to stay still while being mostly buoyant at a shallow depth, and waiting for the little buggers to pop out. They really are adorable and it’s just lovely seeing Nemo in the wild.
We also spotted one of our other favourite fish, red-breasted wrasse. These little guys were the most curious things, hanging around our group making curious faces at the bottom of the sea floor when we did our first ocean dive as part of our open-water course in Koh Tao. Spotting them in Phi Phi was like seeing an old friend, though these ones were definitely more skittish!
Monkey Beach
For our very last stop, we circled back to where we started our day’s venture on Phi Phi Don, to check out Monkey Beach, a small slice of white sand shore that a troop of long-tail macaques call home.
If you enjoy watching these little trouble makers, you’ll have some good laughs while you make your last stop of the tour. Being as small as it is, you have no choice but to get pretty close to these wild monkeys, but try to keep a safe distance. And keep a tight grip on your belongings—your phone, camera—or they might be snatched right of your hands before you even have time to blink!
They’re sneaky, and have a stash of wrappers, empty bottles and other food garbage in their layer. It’s not a pretty sight and is part of the reality of daily hoards of unaware tourists coming to this tiny beach that is monkey territory. Try not to be one of those visitors. Keep your pockets empty of food while visiting Monkey Beach and your hands to yourself to avoid a trip to the ER, and you’ll have a great end to your island hopping day tour in Phi Phi!
How to Book Your Own Phi Phi Islands Day Tour
You won’t have trouble finding tour agencies around town, no matter where you are departing from for your Phi Phi Islands day tour. But a few things to note are: they’re never the same price across the board (mostly due to different operators and commissions); they take cash for payment or credit card at a 3% fee; you don’t get to hear from previous clients how they enjoyed their experience with the specific operator.
This is why we love using GetYourGuide to book our tours in Thailand and across the world. There are no credit card fees and you pay in your own currency; the “no questions asked” 24h free cancellation policy allows you to make last minute changes if needed; and you get to read and see what past trip-goers are saying about the tour experience.
For ease, convenience and peace of mind, check out the tour options they’ve got on your GetYourGuide while also chatting with the tour agencies in person. You can’t go wrong with having more choices up your sleeve!
Inclusions & Exclusions of the Tour
If you’re going for the tour that starts directly from Phi Phi Don, you’ll need to make your way to the meetup point just like we did! Don’t worry, it’s a small island with no vehicles, so everything is in walking distance. The meetup point is typically next to the Tonsai Pier, a very central location that you’ll have to have passed when you’ve arrived on the island.
If you’re taking the tour from outside of Phi Phi Islands, you should have complimentary pick-up and drop-off, depending on your accommodation location. When booking your tour on GetYourGuide, you can confirm whether your accommodation is within the free pickup area before finalizing the booking, just to make sure!
The 400THB national park fee should be included in your tour payment, if you select the option to have it so. For some of the tour options, you might be able to choose to pay it in cash in person. This is great if you’ve got a lot of cash to spare!
Snorkel gear, which consists of a mask and snorkel but no fins, should always be included on the Phi Phi Islands tour. Sometimes they don’t fit or function well, so if you’ve got your own set, definitely don’t leave it in the hotel room! Last thing you want is to be spending precious time fidgeting with a malfunctioning snorkel and mask, and missing out on sharks and turtles swimming right by you.
Lastly, if you’re doing the full-day tour instead of a half-day, water on board and your lunch will be included. I mentioned how small and not substantial the meal was for us, so if you watched our video up top and think that’s way too small for a whole day out, definitely pack some snacks with you too!
What to Pack for Your Phi Phi Islands Tour
Make sure to bring your own towels with you as the tour operators don’t provide them. If your accommodation provides supplementary beach towels for use on tours, more power to you! But we always make sure to pack our light and thin, quick-drying microfibre towels wherever we go.
A waterproof phone case and a dry pack are optional but are our recommendation for you to bring to keep your valuables safe from water damage! There are plenty of vendors you can find in town on Phi Phi Don, or in the main hubs of Ao Nang, Phuket and Koh Lanta.
Here’s our list of what to pack for your Phi Phi Islands tour:
- Snorkel gear (optional, if you prefer to use your own) – mask, snorkel & fins
- Large dry bag
- Waterproof phone case
- Beach towel
- Waterproof action camera + case + floating handle
- Reef-safe sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Rash guard
- Insect repellent
Should You Take the Early Morning Phi Phi Islands Tour?
All right, I’ve got a two-sided answer for you, and I’ll tell you why.
Yes, you should definitely aim to take the early riser tour of Phi Phi Islands to avoid the crowds. But there are certain times of the month where sailing off at 6:30am is not ideal at all. At the time we went, it was perfect. We got to May Bay while the tide was perfect and it had been an hour since sunrise, so the sun was starting to illuminate the sand, mountains and water just right.
However, we did the tour when the tide was just right during the first week of May. There are some days where 7am is actually aligned with low tide, and you do not want to be at Maya Beach during low tide. It does not look picturesque, as the water pulling out reveals a grey and mud-like sand, and the turquoise waters are so far out so the beach loses all its appeal.
Not only Maya Beach, but Phi Leh Lagoon ultimately becomes inaccessible during low tide since the reef that protects the lagoon is quite shallow. Boats won’t be able to sail across and you’ll miss swimming in this pristine lagoon completely.
So if you are debating on whether to take the early morning tour and being the first group of the day on Koh Phi Phi Leh, have a look at a tide chart to see when low tide is. Avoid going to the island during low tide, and you’ll be able to experience these major highlights of the tour in more optimal conditions!
If your trip to see Phi Phi Islands doesn’t line up well, consider taking a tour with a regular start time, or simply start from Krabi, Phuket or the like. You might not be able to avoid the crowds, but at least you’ll witness two of our favourite spots in Thailand in all their glory!
Thanks for Reading!
That wraps up our favourite day tour in all of Thailand! Exploring these idyllic beaches protected by the unique karst rock formations, paired with being immersed in a marine world filled with our favourite sea animals, was something we didn’t expect in this highly visited archipelago. We hope you’ll have the same opportunity to fall in love with Phi Phi Islands like we did!
If you’re keen on exploring more of Southern Thailand, be sure to check our full itinerary and guides to visiting small gems like Koh Lipe. Before you even step foot in Thailand, be sure to equip yourself with our 10 must-know tips before visiting Thailand.
