Home › Krabi › Phi Phi Islands
Phi Phi Islands, Krabi - Things to Do at Phi Phi Islands

Things to Do at Phi Phi Islands

Complete Guide to Phi Phi Islands in Krabi

About Phi Phi Islands

Phi Phi Islands sit in the Andaman Sea between Phuket and Krabi, a cluster of six limestone giants rising from water so clear you can count the fish from the boat deck. The two main players are Koh Phi Phi Don, the inhabited one with the boat-shaped silhouette and the only place you can sleep, and Koh Phi Phi Leh, the uninhabited postcard star where Maya Bay made its name in The Beach back in 2000. The smaller four, Bida Nok, Bida Nai, Koh Yung, and Koh Phai, are day-trip diving and snorkeling stops, ringed with reefs and almost always seen from the rail of a longtail. Arrival sets the tone. The ferry rounds a headland and Tonsai Bay opens up, longtails bobbing on water that shifts from jade to turquoise depending on the cloud cover, the smell of diesel and salt mixing with grilled chicken from the beachfront stalls. Cliffs the colour of weathered bone rise straight out of the sea, streaked black with rain stains and topped with stubborn green vegetation. There are no cars on Phi Phi Don, just narrow concrete paths threading between guesthouses, dive shops, and bars, the soundtrack a constant mix of reggae, Thai pop, and the slap of flip-flops on wet pavement. The islands have two faces, and they do not pretend otherwise. By day it's snorkel masks and longtail engines, families queuing for ice cream, divers comparing GoPro footage over Chang beers. By night the central village turns into one of the most unapologetic party strips in Thailand, fire shows on the sand and bucket cocktails on every corner. You'll find people who love it and people who flee it within 24 hours, both reactions are reasonable. Worth noting: Maya Bay reopened in 2022 after a four-year closure to let the reef recover, and visitor numbers are now capped, which has changed the day-trip rhythm considerably.

What to See & Do

Maya Bay (Koh Phi Phi Leh)

The crescent of white sand wedged between 100-metre limestone walls that made the islands famous. Since the 2022 reopening, swimming is restricted and visitor numbers are capped, so the bay feels like a bay again rather than a floating car park. Boats now dock at Loh Samah on the back side and you walk through a short boardwalk to reach the beach, a small detail that gives you that first-glimpse moment as the cliffs part. Go early; the morning light hits the eastern wall and turns the water an almost luminous green.

Phi Phi Viewpoint

A steep concrete-and-stone staircase climbs out of Tonsai village to three terraced viewpoints, the highest one looking down on the twin bays of Tonsai and Loh Dalum that give the island its boat-shaped profile. It's a sweaty 20-30 minute climb in tropical humidity, you'll hear other walkers panting before you see them. But the payoff is the most photographed view in southern Thailand. Sunrise is quieter. Sunset is social, with a small bar at the top selling cold drinks and Wi-Fi codes.

Bamboo Island (Koh Phai)

A tiny coral-fringed island about 30 minutes north by longtail, ringed by a continuous beach of powder-fine sand that squeaks underfoot. The reef starts in waist-deep water, which makes it the snorkel stop of choice for nervous swimmers and small kids. There's no village, no roads, just a national park ranger station, a few thatched shelters, and a 200-baht park fee. Pack out what you bring in, there are no rubbish bins.

Pileh Lagoon (Ao Pileh)

A narrow inlet on Phi Phi Leh's eastern side, walled in on three sides by sheer karst cliffs that turn the water a green so saturated it looks tinted. Most boats stop here for a swim. The lagoon is too sheltered for waves but cold enough to make you gasp on the first jump. Look up, the cliff swallows nest in the overhangs, their wings flickering against the limestone like flecks of paper in the wind.

Monkey Beach

A short longtail ride from Tonsai, this small cove is named for its resident troop of long-tailed macaques who have learned that humans carry snacks. They are confident, occasionally aggressive, and will take what they want, the warnings about not feeding them are not theatre. Worth a stop for 20 minutes to watch them pick through the sand at low tide. Not worth a long stay.

Practical Information

Opening Hours

Phi Phi Don is a 24-hour island in the sense that the village never fully sleeps, though the Maya Bay national park area (Phi Phi Leh) operates roughly 7am to 5pm with strict cut-offs. Dive shops typically open from 8am, ferry counters from 7am, and most beachfront restaurants run from breakfast through to last orders around 11pm. The bar strip in Tonsai gets going around 9pm and runs past 2am most nights.

Tickets & Pricing

The Hat Noppharat Thara - Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park fee is the main mandatory cost, budget-friendly but worth knowing about, charged on arrival at Phi Phi Leh and Bamboo Island and not included in most tour prices. Day tours from Phuket or Krabi sit in the mid-range bracket. Private longtail charters from Phi Phi Don for half-day island hopping are a splurge but split well across four to six people. Snorkel gear rental from shop racks in Tonsai is cheap. Renting from your boat operator typically costs more.

Best Time to Visit

November through April is the dry season and the obvious window, calm seas, reliable ferry schedules, the sea visibility divers come for. The trade-off is crowds and peak pricing, mid-December through January when accommodation books out weeks ahead. May through October brings monsoon weather, which sounds worse than it usually is, many days you'll get an hour of dramatic rain and then sunshine. But rough seas can cancel ferries and Maya Bay sometimes closes entirely in the worst weeks of September. The shoulder months of late October and early May tend to offer the best balance of weather, price, and breathing room.

Suggested Duration

Two nights is the bare minimum. Three or four gives you space. Split a snorkel day, a dive day, and a lazy beach day without clock-watching. Day-trippers from Phuket or Krabi see Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon and little else. That works as a teaser. It skips the hush of dawn and the pulse after dark that only long-stayers carry home.

Getting There

No airport exists on Phi Phi. Every traveler arrives by boat. Standard ferries leave Phuket's Rassada Pier, about 2 hours, mid-range cost. Krabi's Klong Jilad Pier offers the same price, around 90 minutes. High season runs several departures daily. Monsoon months thin the schedule. Speedboats from both ports halve the time but cost more and bounce hard in chop. From Ao Nang, smaller speedboats cut the ride to 45 minutes direct. Once you dock at Tonsai Pier on Phi Phi Don, you walk. No taxis. No roads. Porters with wheelbarrows offer to haul bags for a small fee. Worth every baht on a scorching afternoon. Longtail boats onward to Long Beach (Hat Yao) or the northern resorts are booked at the pier or through your hotel.

Things to Do Nearby

Long Beach (Hat Yao)
Thirty minutes along the rocky coast or a quick longtail from Tonsai lies this calmer sand. Cleaner water. Quieter vibe. Perfect counterweight to Phi Phi Don's nightly thump. Sleep off the night before here.
Koh Lanta
One hour south by ferry sits a longer, flatter island. The pace drops. Motorbikes rule the roads. Beaches run for kilometres. Natural next move when Phi Phi feels tight and you want the same Andaman coast at half the volume.
Railay Beach
Railay sits on the Krabi mainland yet only boats reach it. Same limestone drama as Phi Phi Leh. Thailand's rock-climbing capital. Easy add-on during the ferry ride back to Krabi. Many travelers snorkel Phi Phi, then climb Railay.
Hong Islands
Northeast of Phi Phi, a quieter cluster waits. Day tours leave Krabi daily. Sheltered lagoons rival Pileh yet draw far fewer boats. Pair it with Phi Phi if you have a week and crave karst scenery minus the swarm.
Bida Nok and Bida Nai
Two limestone pinnacles rise just south of Phi Phi Leh. They rank among the best dive sites around. Leopard sharks rest on sandy bottoms. Barracuda swirl in the blue. Most Phi Phi dive shops run daily trips. Logical bonus if you are already on the island with tanks to burn.

Tips & Advice

Book ferries against the flow when possible. Afternoon departures off the island stay emptier than the morning increase. Late-morning arrivals from Phuket land after day-trippers bolt for Maya Bay. Check-in stays calm.
Pack reef-safe sunscreen or grab it in Tonsai before boarding. Rangers at Maya Bay sometimes inspect. Standard chemical brands helped keep the reef closed for four years of recovery.
Light sleeper? Skip the Tonsai guesthouse cluster between Loh Dalum and the bar strip. Bass from beach clubs pounds until 2 a.m. Walls are paper-thin. Long Beach, northern resorts, or any spot on the Loh Dalum side of the village keeps the volume down.
Cash rules here more than on the mainland. ATMs sit in Tonsai but run dry on busy weekends and slap high foreign-card fees. Withdraw what you need in Phuket or Krabi before boarding.
The viewpoint hike is steep. Steps are uneven. Proper shoes crush flip-flops. Bring a head torch. Sunrise turns from a stumble into a smooth climb.
Say 'pee pee', not 'fy fy'. Thai 'ph' is an aspirated p, not a f. Locals understand both. But the right sound marks you as more than a rookie.

Tours & Activities at Phi Phi Islands

Didn't see anything interesting yet?

Browse Viator's full catalog of tours, day trips, food experiences, and private guides in Phi Phi Islands.

See All Phi Phi Islands Tours on Viator