Good day, travel enthusiast! Today, I have an exciting adventure to share with you as I take you on a journey to one of the most breathtaking locations in Thailand – the Phi Phi Islands. From crystal-clear waters to stunning limestone cliffs, this archipelago is nothing short of paradise on earth. I recently had the opportunity to explore this slice of heaven, and I must say, it was an experience of a lifetime. So grab your bags, put on your sunscreen, and let’s set sail to the tropical wonderland of Phi Phi Islands!
First things first, how do you even get to Phi Phi Islands? Well, obviously, you first have to arrive in Thailand (Harvard, send me a scholarship). Joking aside, Phi Phi Islands are a popular and amazing destination to visit while you are already in Thailand, and there is no direct flight to get there.
Geographically, Phi Phi is an island group in the Andaman Sea, located between the bigger areas of Phuket and Krabi. Phi Phi is part of Krabi in terms of administration, but everybody refers to these islands as a standalone area because of their unique views and position. You can get to Phi Phi Islands almost in the exact same time leaving from either Phuket or Krabi. A good itinerary you could try is to visit Phuket, go to Phi Phi islands, and then to Krabi. Or vice versa, of course.
For me specifically, plans were a bit different, and I started from Phuket and returned to Phuket as well. There are multiple ways to get to Phi Phi Islands, but the main ones would be signing up for a day trip or going there on your own, either by a speed boat or by ferry, and potentially staying in Phi Phi for one or more nights. Depending on how much time you have in Thailand, I would recommend going for the option to stay on the island for a few days. There are many nice places to see, and staying on the island gives you the advantage to go see those places earlier in the day before lots of tourists come on day trips from Phuket and Krabi. The big highlights, like Maya Bay, will get really busy, so doing everything in the morning is much better.
From Phuket, I used 12go to buy a ferry ticket from Rassada Pier (Phuket) to Ton Sai Pier Koh Phi Phi. Ferries are cheaper than speed boats, but they take longer (2h vs 1h), however you have a roof, you can safely use your laptop or read, so it depends on your needs. I booked the ferry at 8:30 in the morning, for which I paid 500 THB (~14€) and it took 2 hours to get there. This gave me enough time to still explore the island for the rest of the day. For the return ticket to Phuket, I bought the ticket directly on the island and paid less (~320-350THB if I remember correctly). Negotiating is part of a trip to Thailand, and almost everything is much cheaper when purchased directly from the local offices on the island.
Where to stay in Phi Phi Islands
Also, keep in mind that when you’ll arrive in Phi Phi, you will have to enter a 200THB (~5€) fee once you exit the ferry and head towards the pier.
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What to see in Phi Phi Islands
You will find many articles about the must-see places of Phi Phi. Let me take you through my plan, my experience, and what I enjoyed on the island. I spent three days and two nights on the island, and I will break things down according to how I did it, which might work completely differently for you.
Day 1
With food secured, we explored a few local bars for a few drinks and watched the game (the World Cup was happening at the time of my visit). Late in the evening, we ended up in Slinky Bar, which turned out to be the best place on the island for music, party, and a lot of young people.
Day 2
What’s so special? The first stop of this tour is Maya Bay, by far the most popular place on Phi Phi Islands (also because of the “The Beach” movie starring Leonardo di Caprio). Maya Bay was closed for some time to preserve the area, and it was recently reopened to visitors. During my visit in December 2022, you were not allowed to swim there, eat on the beach, or do anything other than admire the amazing place (and trust me, it really is amazing). Was it worth waking up at 5:30 to join the tour at 6:00? Absolutely. Once you visit Maya Bay with almost nobody around (I was literally one of the first five people to step on the beach that day), you will understand the big difference of seeing this place without a crowd.
Apart from Maya Bay, there are a few other key points where almost every tour will stop. A few of them do not bring anything special to the table compared to the amazing landscape you will see in general while visiting the island, but I would highly recommend having these included as they are totally worth it:
- Pi Leh Bay (Pi Leh Lagoon) – the best place to swim. Clear water surrounded by breathtaking rocks. Make sure your tour stops here; you don’t want to miss it. It’s also very popular for people to rent private tours here with traditional Thai boats and get some really cool shots. It’s a must-see place after Maya Bay!
- Shark Point – a popular place on Phi Phi Island where you can see and swim with baby sharks. I didn’t feel super safe hearing “swimming with sharks,” but it seems like baby sharks are all fine, and everybody does that in Phi Phi. During my visit, the local guides suggested a different place where they saw more turtles and baby sharks in the past days compared to Shark Point, and we covered that during our tour. Indeed, we had a great snorkeling experience, seeing both big turtles, baby sharks, and many types of fishes. Make sure you highlight that you want to cover this experience, and for sure, the guide will take you to the right place.
- Monkey Bay – a great place to see monkeys on the beach, take pictures of them, and watch them go crazy playing with things and going for food. Our boat stopped, and the guide started giving them different fruits for them to come closer. They were very friendly and funny to see them entering the water. It’s not something you see every day.
The specific tour I took had one more hour-long stop on a small island where we had lunch and a great power nap, especially after waking up at 6:00am.
It was 2:00pm when the tour ended back on Phi Phi Don and it already felt like we had lived two days in one after seeing all those cool places, swimming, taking pictures, and so on. Immediately after coming back, we wanted to visit one more place (which is also the perfect replacement if you can’t visit Monkey Bay): Monkey Beach. Monkey Beach is basically the same thing as Monkey Bay – a beach where you can see lots of monkeys, but much more easily accessible. You can rent a kayak from Loh Dalum beach on Phi Phi Don and in less than 30 minutes be on Monkey Beach. I can’t remember the exact price, but it was for sure less than €5 per hour.
So, Monkey Beach checked as well, kayak trip checked as well. Moving forward, I must mention that you should be very careful on Monkey Beach with your belongings. We parked our kayak and had a walk on the beach. A few monkeys invaded the kayak and started looking for stuff. You don’t want to get anything stolen by monkeys, haha! Be careful!
It was quite an exhausting day, honestly, and already 5:00pm, but every single minute was worth it. We spent the rest of the day buying some souvenirs, enjoying an ice cream, and having dinner.
Day 3
Regardless of what your itinerary for Thailand looks like, especially if you’re around Phuket or Krabi, Phi Phi is a must-see. If you have some time to spend one night on the island, that’s even better (especially for seeing the Maya Bay in a non-touristy way). Good luck on your next adventures and happy planning!
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