Things to do · Phi Phi
Two islands: Phi Phi Leh and Maya Bay on a day from Krabi, or Phi Phi Don for a night, the village and the viewpoint.
Phi Phi lies out in the Andaman Sea, south of Krabi, a long speedboat ride or about two hours by ferry from Krabi Town and Ao Nang. Most travellers know it by one picture, Maya Bay, and see it on a day tour that spends most of its hours on the water. Some take the ferry instead and stay on Phi Phi Don, the island with the village.
This page is the overview: the two islands and what is on each, why Maya Bay works the way it does now, how long to give Phi Phi, the tours we list, the season, the fees and the rules. The crossing, the beaches and where to sleep each have their own page, linked as you go.
If you have one day and want Maya Bay, take a day tour from Krabi and accept a long day on a speedboat. If what you want is the island itself, its village, its viewpoint and a beach in the evening, take the ferry and spend at least one night on Phi Phi Don. Either way, avoid August and September if Maya Bay is the reason you are going: it is closed then, every year.
The bay from the film, on foot and without a swim
On Phi Phi Leh: a timed walk onto the sand, closed every August and September.
A swim among the cliffs
The usual swimming stop of a Phi Phi day, from the boat.
Phi Phi from above
A stepped climb from the village, for when you sleep on the island.
A beach to swim from, near the village
Round the headland from Ton Sai, by longtail or a rough coastal path.
Phi Phi is two islands, and most confusion about a trip comes from mixing them up. Koh Phi Phi Don, the larger one, is inhabited: it has the ferry pier at Ton Sai, the village, the hotels and the beaches you can stay on. It is almost two islands itself, two limestone halves joined by a narrow strip of flat land, and the village sits on that strip, between the bays of Ton Sai and Loh Dalum. There are no roads and no cars; you walk, or take a longtail.
Koh Phi Phi Leh, to the south, has no village and nowhere to sleep. It is the island of Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and the Viking Cave, and it is what most day tours are built around. Bamboo Island (Koh Mai Phai) lies off the north of Phi Phi Don and is a stop on some tours.
All of them belong to the Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, which charges its own fee and sets its own closures. One island listed on some older itineraries, Mosquito Island (Koh Yung), is closed by the park with no reopening date: if a tour still names it, ask what it means.
Phi Phi Don: the island with the pier and the village
Bamboo Island, north of Phi Phi Don
Nobody lives on Phi Phi Leh: you see it from a boat or on a short landing. Depending on the tour, a Phi Phi day takes in some or all of the three places below, in an order set by the operator and the sea: check which ones yours names.
Pileh Lagoon: how the stop works
Viking Cave: the nests, the paintings, the rules
The bay that most Phi Phi tours are sold on. Boats stay out of the bay itself: they moor at the Loh Samah pontoon, on the far side of Phi Phi Leh, and a boardwalk leads you across to the sand. Swimming is not allowed, and visits run in slots of about an hour. Not for you if a swim in the bay is what you pictured: you stand in the shallows, as far as the rangers allow.
An inlet almost closed by limestone walls, which the boats enter through a narrow gap. There is no beach: you see it from the deck, and swim from the boat if your tour stops for it and the crew allows it. On most Phi Phi days this is where you get into the water; in the middle of the day, when the tour boats arrive at once, it is at its most crowded.
A sea cave where swiftlet nests are harvested for bird's nest soup. It is guarded and closed to visitors, so the visit is the boat slowing down at its mouth. The name comes from wall paintings once taken for Viking longships; there were never any Vikings here. Worth a look as you pass, but no reason on its own to pick one tour over another.
Maya Bay became famous through the film The Beach, and the crowds that followed nearly wore it out. By the time the national park shut it, in June 2018, the bay was receiving about 5,000 visitors a day, with around 200 boats anchoring in the bay. The closure was meant to last a few months; it was extended indefinitely once the damage turned out to be worse than expected, and the bay reopened only at the start of 2022, under new rules.
Those rules are what you meet today. Boats land at the Loh Samah pontoon instead of the beach. Each slot, of roughly an hour, admits about 375 people. Swimming is banned. Guides tie the ban to the reef being rebuilt and to the blacktip reef sharks, which came back to breed in the bay during the closure; young ones are sometimes seen in the shallows. How far you may wade is unclear, ankle deep by some accounts, knee deep by others: the rangers on the day decide.
On top of that, the park shuts Maya Bay, Loh Samah and Loh Ko every year from 1 August to 30 September, and opens them again on 1 October. Its stated reasons are the bay's recovery and the risk at the pontoon when the monsoon wind and swell build. In those weeks Phi Phi tours still run; they just do not land.
What disappoints is mostly the gap between the picture and the visit: a beach shared with the rest of your slot, a fixed time on the sand, no swim. If you go knowing that, the bay itself, ringed by cliffs, is still worth the walk. We have found no official opening hours, so we print none; your tour's route decides when you get there.
Maya Bay: closures, rules and access
Day tours spend little or no time on Phi Phi Don. What it has, it shows to people who sleep there: the village in the evening, the viewpoint at dawn, and beaches that are quiet once the day boats have gone. Our article on Phi Phi's beaches goes through them one by one, from the quiet bays of the north, Laem Tong and Loh Bagao, both reached by boat only, to Monkey Beach and its macaques. Here are the four within reach of the village.
Phi Phi beaches: which one to swim at, sleep on or skip
Phi Phi Viewpoint: the climb from Ton Sai
The Phi Phi viewpoint among Krabi's other climbs
Where the ferries land and everything on the island starts: hotels, restaurants, and the longtails to the other beaches. Ton Sai Bay is a working waterfront, lined with boats, not a place to swim. The tsunami of 26 December 2004 killed more than 1,000 people on the island and hit Loh Dalum, across the strip, hardest; a memorial stands on the beach there.
A stepped trail climbs from the village to three numbered viewpoints. The usual goal is the second, which looks down on Ton Sai and Loh Dalum together; travel guides allow about 30 to 45 minutes for the climb. You pay on the trail in cash, and since sources quote different amounts, take small notes. The platform is small and crowded at sunset; the early morning is calmer and cooler. None of the day tours we list climbs it.
A sheltered, very shallow bay: at low tide the sea pulls back so far that a swim starts with a long walk over wet sand. After dark it is where Phi Phi goes out, with beach bars and fire shows, and guides report the music carrying until 1 or 2am. Not for you if you want to sleep early within earshot.
The nearest good swim to the village, by the guides' account, with a reef just offshore that you can snorkel from the beach when the sea is calm. A longtail from Ton Sai takes you there; so does a rough path over rocks and through the forest, to walk only by day, in proper shoes and with company.
Almost every Phi Phi day includes a snorkelling stop, often unnamed in the listing; where the boat stops can depend on the sea that day. The coral has had hard years. Warm water bleached the reefs along this coast in 2024, and the park closed several sites in May 2024; in April 2025 it reopened ten of them, including the water off the Viking Cave and in front of Pileh. Expect healthy patches next to pale or dead ones.
Phi Phi is the main area for day dives from Krabi: boats come out from Ao Nang, and others leave from Phi Phi Don. Operators put Bida Nok and Bida Nai, two islets just south of Phi Phi Leh, at the top of their list. The water is clearest from about November to April.
Two rules apply in the water. Since April 2025, anyone snorkelling near a reef must wear a life jacket, unless they hold a freediving certificate, and nobody may touch or feed marine life. And since August 2021, the marine national parks have banned sunscreens made with oxybenzone, octinoxate, 4-MBC or butylparaben: check the label before you pack.
Snorkelling around Krabi, and the coral after 2024
Diving at Phi Phi: Bida Nok, Bida Nai and the season
A day tour from Krabi. The way most people see Phi Phi, and the only practical way to see Phi Phi Leh if you are not staying on the islands. The tours we list from Krabi and Ao Nang run from 7 to 10 hours, most of it on the water: the crossing, then some or all of Maya Bay, Pileh and the Viking Cave, a snorkelling stop, and on some tours Bamboo Island or four more islands. Not for you if you get seasick: the crossing is in open water.
One night on Phi Phi Don. Enough for the viewpoint, an evening in the village and a swim at Long Beach. Staying does not take you to Phi Phi Leh on its own, since it is another island, but tours that start on Phi Phi do: a private longtail for three to seven hours, or a boat tour built around reaching Maya Bay with the first group. With one night, sleep near the pier: the remote bays eat the time you came for.
Two or three nights. Time for Phi Phi Leh by boat from the island, a morning at Long Beach, and a bay in the north if you want quiet. In the low season it also gives you a margin if the sea cancels a crossing.
To stay, you cross by ferry to Ton Sai from one of two piers: Klong Jilad, near Krabi Town, or Nopparat Thara, west of Ao Nang Beach. Count about two hours on the ferry, about one on the faster boats. Phi Phi also has boats to and from Phuket. Departures vary by operator and season, so confirm yours directly, and never plan the return crossing for the morning of a flight.
Phi Phi from Krabi: a day trip or a night on the island
The Phi Phi ferries from Krabi Town and Ao Nang
Where to stay on Phi Phi Don, bay by bay
Seven tours, two of them starting on Phi Phi itself. They differ in where you start, how long the day lasts and how it ends. Stops change with the sea and the operator: read the list on yours, and check that Maya Bay is on it.
| Tour | Starts from | Length | Evening | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phi Phi by speedboat, with lunch | Krabi | About 7.5 hours | None listed | No under-3s or over-71s |
| Phi Phi by speedboat or catamaran | Ao Nang | About 7 to 7.5 hours | None listed | Maya Bay not named |
| Phi Phi with an early start, and four islands | Krabi | About 9 hours | None listed | No children 2 and under |
| Phi Phi at sunset, with plankton | Krabi | About 9.5 hours | Sunset and dinner at Koh Poda | Back late with children |
| Phi Phi and four islands at sunset, by catamaran | Krabi | 9 to 10 hours | Sold as a sunset tour | Stops not named |
| Private longtail around Phi Phi | Phi Phi | 3 to 7 hours | Hours as booked | No guide or lunch |
| Maya Bay with the first group | Phi Phi | 4.5 to 8.5 hours | Depends on the option booked | Pointless in Aug–Sep |
Phi Phi at sunset, with plankton
Phi Phi and four islands at sunset, by catamaran
A private longtail around Phi Phi, from Phi Phi
Maya Bay with the first group, from Phi Phi
November to April. The calmer months on this coast, and the easier crossing. Dive operators report the clearest water in these months.
May to October. The southwest monsoon brings swell and rain; in 2026 the rainy season officially began on 15 May. Day tours still go out and the Ao Nang ferries run all year, on a thinner timetable, but the sea can cancel any boat, and crossing open water by speedboat in a swell is a rough ride. Leave a spare day if Phi Phi matters to you.
1 August to 30 September. Maya Bay, Loh Samah and Loh Ko are closed. Tours still go to Phi Phi Leh, without the landing; a tour sold on reaching Maya first has no point in these weeks.
All year. Box jellyfish are found in the park's waters, closer to shore in the monsoon. If someone is stung, pour vinegar on the sting for at least 30 seconds, never fresh water, and call 1669. Stay out of the sea when a red flag is up.
Every island closure around Krabi
Krabi in the rainy season: what closes and what runs
Most tour prices leave out the park fee, which you then pay in cash on the day, to the rangers or when you set off. Read what your booking page includes, and keep the ticket with you until you are back.
The rules on the islands are few and plain. No swimming at Maya Bay, and no further into the water than the rangers allow. No landing at the Viking Cave. A life jacket when you snorkel near the reefs, hands off the coral and the fish, and a sunscreen without the banned filters. Do not feed the monkeys, whatever other people do.
| National park fee: Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Leh, Bamboo Island | 400 baht per foreign adult, 200 baht per foreign child, as of October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Ton Sai pier, Phi Phi Don | A separate 20 baht cleaning fee on arrival, as of October 2026 |
| The viewpoints above the village | A small fee in cash on the trail; sources disagree on the amount |
Park fees for every island day around Krabi
Phi Phi is the best-known name around Krabi, and that is part of the problem. The day tours are long and full; Maya Bay is shared and timed; the village is loud at night. Skip the day trip if you get seasick, travel with very young children, or have only three days in Krabi: the four islands by longtail give you beaches and water for far less time on a boat. Skip the overnight stay if you want quiet and have only one night, or if luggage on foot and boats in the monsoon would spoil it. And skip August and September if Maya Bay is the reason you came.
Krabi
Phi Phi
5 tours
Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and the Viking Cave by speedboat or catamaran, by day or at sunset, from Krabi.
5 tours
Days built around time in the water, from Krabi, Phi Phi and Koh Lanta, and when the reefs are worth it.
Things to do · the islands
Four islands for a first day close to Ao Nang, Hong for the lagoon, Phi Phi for Maya Bay, Phang Nga Bay for James Bond Island: four different days at sea, and the boat matters as much as the island.
Things to do · the beaches
Krabi has beaches you drive to and beaches you reach by boat, beaches for a swim and one, at Railay, that turns to mud at low tide: the tide and the season decide more than the sand.
Things to do · Ao Nang
Where most Krabi trips are based and most days out begin: the beach and its tide, what is within walking distance, which boat leaves from where, and what to do when the sea keeps the boats in.
Things to do · Railay
Railay is reached only by boat. Which boat, where it lands you, what to see once you are there, and whether to sleep on the peninsula or come for the day.
Things to do · inland
Away from the coast, Krabi is forest, limestone and fresh water: a temple at the top of a long staircase, a green pool you can swim in, hot springs, waterfalls and mangrove caves. What each one asks of you, and whether to go on a tour or by yourself.
Things to do · Koh Lanta
Koh Lanta is two to three hours from Krabi Town by road and car ferry, all year. What separates it from Ao Nang, how to get there in each season, and what to see once you are there.
Things to do · Night markets
Krabi's evening markets do not all open on the same nights. Which one runs when, where to find it, and which times we could confirm and which we could not.
Where to stay
Ao Nang for convenience, Railay for the cliffs, Krabi Town for a Thai town, Klong Muang for quiet: the base you pick decides how your days start.
Travel info · Krabi
The season and the sea decide more of a Krabi trip than anything else. When to come, which boats run, what the national parks close and charge, then the airport, the visa, money, health and the rules.
Yes. The Phi Phi islands belong to Krabi province and to the Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park. Ferries cross from Klong Jilad, near Krabi Town, and from Nopparat Thara, at Ao Nang; there are also boats from Phuket.
Phi Phi Don is the inhabited island, with Ton Sai pier, the village, the hotels and the viewpoint. Phi Phi Leh, uninhabited, is the island of Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and the Viking Cave.
No. Since the bay reopened in 2022, swimming has been banned; you can wade at the edge, as far as the rangers let you. The bay also closes every year from 1 August to 30 September.
For Phi Phi Leh, usually yes: a day tour from Krabi is how most people see Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon or the Viking Cave, though not every tour names all three. For Phi Phi Don, the village, the viewpoint and Long Beach, stay at least one night.
Yes, but you need another boat: Maya Bay is on Phi Phi Leh. Tours that start on Phi Phi, such as a private longtail or a tour built around reaching Maya with the first group, take you there.
As of October 2026, foreign visitors pay 400 baht per adult and 200 baht per child for Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Leh and Bamboo Island, usually in cash on the day. Ton Sai pier charges a separate 20 baht cleaning fee when you land.
From about November to April, when the sea is calmer and the water clearer. Tours run from May to October too, but boats can be cancelled in rough seas, and Maya Bay is closed from 1 August to 30 September.