Koh Phi Phi island in Thailand is a beautiful place with limestone hills, turquoise lakes, and the world-famous beach at Maya Bay.
There are two big islands, Phi Phi Leh and Phi Phi Don, and both have beautiful scenery. Leh island is totally empty, but Don island has hotels, restaurants, and other places to stay.
You can easily take a boat from Phuket, Krabi, Khao Lak, or Koh Lanta to the Phi Phi island for a day trip. This gives you enough time to see Maya Bay and the other big attractions, or you can stay a few days on Phi Phi Don and do even more exploring.
This Phi Phi travel guide will tell you how to get there from Phuket or Krabi (or anywhere else), what to see and do, the best tour options to use, where to stay on PP island, and anything else you need to know before you go!
Where exactly is Phi Phi Island?
The Phi Phi island are in Thailand’s Andaman Sea, about 25 miles southeast of Phuket and about the same distance from Krabi. They are called “Pee-Pee” islands.
There are a total of six islands. Phi Phi Leh and Phi Phi Don are the two largest islands, and they are all part of Thailand’s Krabi region.
Phi Phi Don is the only island where people live. It has hotels, shops, and anything else you might need for a short stay.
How to Get to Phi Phi
The only way to get to the Phi Phi islands is by boat from Phuket or Krabi. You can take a ship or a speedboat to get there.
Since Koh Phi Phi doesn’t have an airport, the closest international airports are in Phuket (HKT) or Krabi (KBV). There are cheap flights from Bangkok to both of these places. Skyscanner is a place where you can look for flights to Thailand.
There are a lot of boats that go to Phi Phi every day from either Phuket or Krabi. Most of them pick up and drop off at hotels. You can also do the trip in a single day from Koh Lanta or even from Khao Lak, Thailand.
The slow ferry from Phuket to Phi Phi Don takes about 2 hours, while the fast ferry (speedboat) only takes half as long. If you leave from Krabi instead of Phuket, it takes about 30 minutes less time to get to Phi Phi by boat.
Keep in mind that these are just rides to Phi Phi Don, the main island. If you want to see Phi Phi Leh and the other islands after you get there, you’ll need to book a longtail boat ride. This can be set up on the spot at Phi Phi Don’s Ton Sai Beach, and it’s usually not too hard.
The other choice is to book a speedboat day trip to Phi Phi with a tour company in Phuket or Krabi. Tours can be shared or private, and most of the major sights are seen in one full day. This can be a good choice if you’re in a hurry or just want to avoid the trouble.
Fees for Tourists to Visit Phi Phi Island
When you get to the Phi Phi islands, you have to pay two tourist fees.
At Phi Phi Don island, each person must pay 20 baht in cash when they first arrive at the dock. They get this from everyone, and the money helps pay for trash pickup every day. This fee is only paid once, not every day.
When you get off the boat at either Maya Bay or Bamboo Island (Koh Phai), you have to pay 200 baht (about $6 USD) per person to enter a national park. Every time you go to either of these two places, you have to pay this fee.
Some tours of Phi Phi may already include these fees in the price, but usually you pay them separately in cash when you get off the boat.
How to Get Around the Phi Phi Islands in Terms of Transportation
In the Phi Phi islands, you can’t take cars or motorbikes, but you don’t need to. If you stay on Phi Phi Don island, the town is small enough that you can walk everywhere. You can also rent bicycles.
In Phi Phi Don, you can rent a longtail boat to get to close islands like Phi Phi Leh and Bamboo Island. You can book this online, or you can hire it when you get to Phi Phi Don and go to the Tonsai harbor.
Longtails are smaller boats, but they can hold up to eight people, so you can share one with friends or other tourists to save money.
At Ko Phi Phi Don, swimming is another thing you can do. This is cheaper than renting a boat, and you can use kayaks to get to some of Phi Phi Don’s secret beaches, like Monkey Beach and Nui Bay.
Best Things To Do In Phi Phi Island Thailand
• Maya Bay
The white sand beach at Maya Bay is one of the most well-known and beautiful places in Thailand. It was the main reason why people came to the Koh Phi Phi islands to visit. In fact, it is now one of the most famous beaches in the world.
All around the beach are tall rocks made of limestone. The water is clean and turquoise, and there are small sharks swimming in it. The sand is as white as snow. It looks just right in every way. Yes, this is heaven.
Maya Bay is beautiful, so it’s no surprise that it has a lot of tourists. However, if you go at the right time, you can still enjoy the beach without too many people.
Maya Bay is on Phi Phi Leh island. To get there, you have to dock your boat at Loh Samay Bay, which is on the back side of the island, and then take a short, easy walk through the woods. The walk takes about 5 minutes and is easy.
In the past, boats could go into Maya Bay and stop right on the beach, but they don’t do that anymore. The Thai government has been working on conservation for the last few years, so the only way to get to the beach now is to walk from the back of the island.
I think this change was a good idea because it keeps boats out of the bay. However, I miss the perfect postcard shots of Thai longtail boats sitting on the beach at Maya Bay.
• Pileh Lagoon
One of the best things to see on the Thai island of Phi Phi is this strange turquoise lagoon ringed by huge rock walls.
The only way to get to the lake is by boat. Most tours of Koh Phi Phi stop here, and the smaller boats can float into the lagoon and go all the way around it, so you can see the amazing limestone karsts up close.
It’s even more beautiful than it looks in pictures, and we may have liked this place even more than Maya Bay.
When you get to the back of Pileh Lagoon, the boat drivers generally turn off their engines and let you enjoy the lagoon for a while.
This is a popular place to swim and snorkel on Koh Phi Phi Leh because the water is clear and the depth isn’t too deep. You might even see some nice fish here, even though there isn’t any coral.
If you get to Pileh early in the morning, you might have the whole place to yourself. In the late morning and early afternoon, it’s busier, but the light is better for photos because the lake isn’t in the shadows.
If you go to Phi Phi island, you have to stop by this place.
• Phi Phi Viewpoint
The Phi Phi viewpoint is a short hike on the island of Phi Phi Don. From there, you can see Phi Phi Leh in the distance, as well as the town and most of the island.
At Phi Phi viewpoint #2, you can see the whole island and town. There is a nice wooden deck and some flat rocks where you can take pictures. Most likely, this was our best place.
Viewpoint 3 has even better views because it’s at the top of the hill and feels like a tree house with picnic tables and a swing.
It’s very peaceful, and I think it would be a great place to watch the sun go down.From the town center of Phi Phi Don island, it takes about 20 minutes to walk uphill (mostly on stairs) to viewpoint #2. From there, it takes another 10-15 minutes to walk to viewpoint #3.
There is a small fee to get into viewpoints #1 and #2. If you go to viewpoint #3, there is another small fee. Each person paid 50 baht, which is about $1.50. All of the points of view are very important!
• Bamboo Island (Koh Phai)
This is a small, flat island northeast of Phi Phi Don. There aren’t as many people here, and most of the island is a nice sandy beach.
Lots of Phi Phi island tours stop here, but it never feels too busy, and if you walk around the side of the island for a while, you might have it all to yourself.
Like Maya Bay, Bamboo Island is part of the Koh Phi Phi national park. If you want to land on the island and walk around the beach, you have to pay the park fee.
You can get out of the sun for a while when you’re not in the water by going to the center of the island, where there are some trees, including the bamboo shoots that give the island its name.
Overall, Bamboo Island is a great place to swim and get some sun without the crowds of Maya Bay.
What To Carry
Here are some ideas for what to bring on your trip to Thailand’s Koh Phi Phi Island.
Most of the things on this list can probably be found on Phi Phi Don, but you can’t be sure of the quality of things you buy on the street. For example, I wouldn’t put my expensive camera gear in a cheap knockoff bag from a street seller.
It’s best to buy goods that have been checked out online!
A waterproof bag is essential for keeping your gadgets safe on the boats around PP island. I brought a 30 liter bag and was able to fit my drone, computer, camera, phone, and a bunch of other things in it. Even when I took the bag swimming a few times, nothing got wet.
Waterproof Phone Pouch: These are the same as the ones above, but they only hold your phone. Great if you only need something small to protect your phone and don’t have any other gadgets.
Snorkeling gear is good for discovering the clear waters around Koh Phi Phi island. Snorkels and masks can also be borrowed or bought from the boat companies, but it’s better to bring your own gear if you plan to stay on the island or go on more than one tour.
Water shoes can come in handy if you need to walk on rocks to get out of the water while diving.
Sunscreen: Speedboats and longtail boats usually have some shade, but you can still get sunburned if you swim or walk on the beach, so bring a hat and sunscreen for boat trips.
Snacks and drinks: When viewing the islands by boat, you’ll want to bring some snacks and drinks with you. You can get these things in Phuket or Krabi, or you can buy cheap snacks and drinks near the port in Ko Phi Phi Don.
Best Time To Visit Phi Phi
When is the best time to go to Thailand’s Phi Phi islands? It depends on what you want to do there.
The weather in the Andaman Sea of Thailand, which includes Phi Phi, is best from November to April, when it is drier and sunnier and the water is calmer, making boat tours easier. But this is also the busiest time for tourists, so it’s more busy and Phi Phi Don hotels are more likely to be full.
From May to October, the weather is not as nice. There are more days with rain, and rains happen often in the evenings. But there are fewer tourists in these months, and you can still have a great trip if you’re willing to be patient with your schedule.
If you go to Phi Phi during the rainy season, it’s best to have a few extra days in case the boats aren’t running for a day or two because of bad weather.
