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The Islands & South

Koh Phi Phi

Turquoise bays and the famous Maya Bay. A car-free island of dazzling water and limestone, buzzing by night. Small, scenic, and best as a short, sweet stop.

Stay1 to 2 nightsSeasonNov to Apr
Getting thereFerry from Phuket or Krabi (1.5 to 2 hours)
Best forSnorkeling, Viewpoint, Party
Longtail boat on a Koh Phi Phi beach
Longtail boat on a Koh Phi Phi beach Pexels
Belle
Thai American who travels to Thailand every other year
Where Koh Phi Phi shines
Maya Bay’s emerald water ringed by cliffs, Koh Phi PhiPhoto: Pexels
Must-see
The famous bay

At a glance

Maya Bay

The beach from the film, now tightly managed: a ฿400 park fee, an hour ashore, wading only to knee depth, and closed August 1 to September 30. Take the earliest boat.

Phi Phi viewpoint over the twin baysPhoto: Dan Voican (Pexels)
Do it
Climb for the view

Phi Phi viewpoint

A short, sweaty hike to the classic twin-bay panorama.

Limestone cliffs and clear water off Koh Phi PhiPhoto: Unsplash
Get wet
Under the surface

Snorkel and dive

Clear water, coral, and reef sharks just offshore.

Worth your time

What Is Worth Your Time on Phi Phi

Phi Phi Don is the island you stay on. Phi Phi Leh, uninhabited and twenty minutes south, is the one on the postcards. Almost everything below is reached by longtail.

1

The Phi Phi Viewpoint

Small fee

About 20 minutes of steep steps above Tonsai to the view of the twin bays and the sandbar between them, which is the image of Phi Phi. Three tiers, the top one worth the last push.

Allow 1.5 hr · Sunrise or sunset
2

Maya Bay, Phi Phi Leh

400 baht park fee

The bay from the film, reopened under strict rules: an hour ashore, no swimming, wading to knee depth only, entry via the boardwalk at the back. Closed August 1 to September 30.

Allow 1 hr ashore · First boat
3

Pileh Lagoon

Park fee

A channel of turquoise water walled in by cliffs on the east side of Phi Phi Leh, and the swim Maya Bay no longer offers. Go at the start of the day tour, before the fleet arrives.

Allow 45 min · Early
4

Viking Cave

From the boat

A limestone cave on Phi Phi Leh with centuries-old paintings of ships on the walls, historically harvested for swiftlet nests. You view it from the water, not on foot.

Allow 15 min · On the tour
5

Bamboo Island

Park fee

A low sand island north of Phi Phi Don with the clearest shallow water in the group and easy snorkeling straight off the beach. Often the last stop of the day, and worth staying awake for.

Allow 1.5 hr · Nov to Apr
6

Monkey Beach

Boat trip

A strip of sand on Phi Phi Don’s southwest shore with a resident macaque troop. Keep food and bags out of sight, do not feed them, and read the monkey guide before you go.

Allow 30 min · Not at feeding time
7

Loh Dalum Bay

Free

The northern half of the isthmus your hotel probably sits on, with sand that goes out for hundreds of yards at low tide. Calm swimming in the morning, the party beach after dark.

Allow half a day · High tide to swim
Doing it properly

A private longtail for the morning costs more than a group speedboat and is the single best decision you can make here: you leave at 6am, you get Maya Bay and Pileh close to empty, and you are back before the day-trip fleet from Phuket arrives.

Wide shot: Phi Phi Don viewpoint over the twin bays and isthmus
The famous bay

Maya Bay is the postcard, but the viewpoint above the isthmus is the shot people actually remember.

Longtail boats lined up on Maya Bay’s sand below the cliffs
Maya Bay at opening time
Image to come
Reef in the shallows
Where to stay

Best Areas to Base Yourself

Central

Tonsai village

Walkable to boats, bars, and restaurants.

Quiet

Laem Tong / Long Beach

Resorts away from the late-night noise.

Pair it with

A short hop between Phuket and Krabi. See how it all connects on the map and overview.

Keep planning

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About this guide

Written by Belle, a Thai American who travels to Thailand every other year and has family in Bangkok. Everything here comes from my own visits unless the text says otherwise. Prices and journey times are typical cases rather than quotes, so recheck anything time-sensitive before you pay. Brand mentions are never paid placements, and the guide is reader-supported: some links may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

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Photo credits

Photographs on this page that are not mine are used under the licenses below and hosted on this site rather than hotlinked. Uncredited photographs are my own.