Imagine walking across warm white sand and stepping into the cool bright blue waters of the ocean. Palm trees are swaying behind you and stunning rock formations are your view from the beach. This is what a trip to the Phi Phi islands will provide! Only a short boat ride from Phuket will land you in stunning water with incredible views. Here is everything you need to know about scheduling a day trip to Phi Phi islands from Phuket.
Where are they located?
The Phi Phi islands consist of six islands with the biggest being Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh. The islands are primarily uninhabited, rather they are known for the boat tours that come to visit everyday instead. Depending on the type of boat you take, Phuket to Phi Phi can range anywhere from 1-2 hours. If starting at Krabi the time will be between 1-3 hours dependent on boat type. The other common starting point is Koh Lanta and that ride is going to be between 30 minutes and 1 hour.
How to Visit Phi Phi Islands
There are two ways that most people visit the islands. The first is to take a ferry and rent a room on Koh Phi Phi Don. This is the main island that is inhabited. Scheduling between 3-7 days to spend time in this area is completely feasible. Any budget can find a place to stay with options of hostels and nicer resort experiences. We personally did not stay on the island so have little information regarding specific of which part of the island to recommend.
The second option, what we did, is to take a day trip from one of the other mainlands. Our day trip boarded in Phuket. When you have less time for exploring the area, a day trip is a great way to get a feel for the islands while saving time for other areas of Thailand. The downside is that you are going to all of the places that the other trips are going at roughly the same time. Expect higher numbers of crowds if you choose this option. Choosing to take a private trip will likely be more costly but could mitigate the crowd issue if it is within your budget.
Day Trip Details
Most day trips will include some amenities. We found especially in Thailand it was common to get breakfast or coffee as well as lunch and snacks throughout the day. Fresh fruit is generally readily available throughout most of the trip. These are all included in the price. On board they will offer beer for an extra cost.
Check to ensure your trip includes a hotel pick up and drop off. Starting the day at the dock is often organized chaos. All of the tours are gearing up to leave so it is important to make sure you are checking in with your ticket and listening closely for your group to be called. Expect to receive a sticker or bracelet noting which group you are supposed to be with. It helps to find others in the same group while you are waiting. Once aboard, choose your seat and find a good place for your personal items. If possible keep them off the ground due to the water that often ends up on board. Keep an eye on hats or anything else that is prone to catching some air and landing in the ocean. Once it’s overboard, it is now the ocean’s hat.
***Hot Tip: If you end up on one of the large speed boats, try to be first on the boat and sit at the very front. Yes it is by the bathroom but it also means not having a seat in front of you. This allows for more leg room and space to put your items.***
Maya Beach
The whole reason most people take this tour is to visit Maya Beach. It is well known for being in a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio. A few years ago it got partially closed down due to the wear and tear visitors had caused. Now it is re-open with limitations. There are lifeguards and they only allow you to walk up to your shins/knees into the water. Some people have said they’ve seen tiny baby sharks swim closer to the shoreline if you hold really really still. Everyone gets excited upon arrival and stops right at the beginning of the beach. Avoid the crowd and head further up the beach to snag a couple photos with no one else around.
***Hot Tip: if you choose to take a private boat trip, do not make this be the first stop early in the day. The sun has to come over the hill before you will get the bright blue color on the water. If you arrive before the sun is high enough, the shade will ruin the color of water.***
Bamboo Island
They gave us time to hangout on a beach called Monkey Beach. It was a large space that had room for walking around, lounging, or swimming. The cool part was that the island area is completely uninhabited besides the park ranger. There’s tons of logs that you can walk on and around. Expect super shallow water as well. Walking very far out is possible and with the water being so clear it’s fun to look for massive shells further out! If you need a bathroom or a quick drink, there’s a small shop or two available with some seating.
Monkey Island
While on the boat, one of the stops is at monkey island. This stop does not allow for getting off of the boat. There is an island with rock formations along the outside. This is where tons of monkeys and birds like to hangout. They eat the mussels off of the rocks. It’s a fun stop that doesn’t take too long. Our boat encouraged us to go to the top deck area to take photos.
Long Tail Boat with Snorkeling
An option that includes an up-charge is going for a short ride on a long tail boat. The option was to stay by the boat and snorkel or take the long tail boat to a small beach area to snorkel. We chose to pay the extra 300 Baht for the long tail boat. Our goal of this was to be able to take photos so if you know there will be other opportunities for those photos then this may not be worth it to you. It was a bit chaotic because of how many boats there were. So if you are first off the boat, there’s plenty of time to snorkel and get photos. If you are last, you will likely be rushed and have less than 5 minutes. The boat will be shared with other passengers who have opted to pay the extra.
Lunch
Some tours will offer a buffet lunch on the boat. Others will drop you by another island with a restaurant. The buffet was set up in a resort restaurant area. They had different types of chicken, cooked veggies, rice, and fruit. Generally it is possible to inform them if you have an dietary restrictions. Sometimes they will have multiple options already or at times they can make a separate meal for those with restrictions.
There was a bit of a beach area at the restaurant. With plenty of time to swim in the water and lounge in the sun it was a good break. Since it is in a resort area, there were quite a few people as well as other tour groups who stopped at the same location.
General Recommendations
Over all, this is an awesome day trip. Here is a list of things we recommend you bring on your trip:
- Sunscreen, Hat, Sunglasses
- Microfiber Towel
- Waterproof Phone Case
- Go-Pro or Insta360
- Sandals
- Sunshirt or rash guard
Want to take a guided tour like described? Click Below!
We hope you found this info helpful! Drop us a comment with any questions or information about your trip!
