Phi Phi Islands and Maya Bay Day Trip from Krabi

Visiting Phi Phi Islands on a tour from Krabi is the best and easiest way to explore this stunning area in Thailand if you’re short on time. In one day, you’ll see all the main highlights of Phi Phi, including the famous Maya Bay.

In this article, we’ll give you all the information you need before booking the Phi Phi Islands day trip with our personal travel tips and experiences.

About Phi Phi Islands tour from Krabi

Phi Phi Islands are a group of six islands in Krabi Province, about 1-hour speedboat ride away from Ao Nang and Railay Beach in Krabi. These are some of Thailand’s most beautiful islands.

The best and easiest way to explore Phi Phi Islands in one day is on a day trip from Krabi, which covers the main spots of the islands, like Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Monkey Beach, Bamboo Island, and more.

Fun fact: Phi Phi is pronounced as Pee Pee, not Fee Fee.

Phi Phi Islands Day Trip Itinerary

Day tours to Phi Phi Islands from Krabi mostly have similar itineraries with differences in when they visit which spot.

However, some tours combine a visit to Krabi’s local four islands as well.

Here’s what a typical day looks like:

• Pick up from hotel in Krabi, Ao Nang, or Railay
• Bamboo Island
• Viking Cave
• Pi Leh Lagoon
• Maya Bay
• Monkey Beach
• Lunch at Phi Phi Don

1. Maya Bay

A visit to Maya Bay is a highlight of the Phi Phi Islands tour from Krabi. Maya Bay is one of the most popular beaches in Thailand, and rightfully so, as it’s one of the most beautiful sceneries we’ve ever seen due to its fascinating beach in a closed bay.

You should also know that swimming in Maya Bay is no longer allowed. Don’t let photos of people in swimming suits fool you. You can only walk in water up to the knee depth. If you go in the water any further than that, rangers will whistle and warn you. If you continue doing it, you can be fined.

The ban on swimming in Maya Bay is in place to protect the blacktip shark population that’s breeding there.

Maya Bay is a part of the Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, and the entrance fee is 400 baht or 12 USD for adults and 200 baht or 6 USD for children. 

Good to know: Some tours to Phi Phi Islands include the Maya Bay fee in the price, but just in case, make sure to check this with your tour operator!

2. Pi Leh Lagoon

Pileh Lagoon, located close to Maya Bay, is another highlight of Phi Phi Islands tours. It’s a beautiful inlet with crystal clear turquoise water, surrounded by stunning karst hills.

Depending on the tour, you might spend 15-40 minutes here and might also visit another bay for swimming.

We enjoyed our 15-minute swimming stop here and used the opportunity to jump in from our boat and have a fantastic time.

Note: While Pi Leh Lagoon and the color of the water is beautiful, it was pretty crowded with boats, so we had to stay close to our boat and swim in a bit smaller area than we’d loved to. Still, it was very much enjoyable.

3. Viking Cave

A short stop in front of the Viking Cave, a privately owned cave used for collecting swiftlet bird nests, is a part of almost every Phi Phi Island tour from Krabi.

When you leave Pileh Lagoon, the Viking Cave is on the way to the next stop. However, you’re not entering the cave. You only look at the entrance and hear a bit more about it.

The swiftlet bird nests cost a lot of money and are used in bird’s nest soup in many SEA countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, and China. Moreover, bird’s nests have been consumed by royalty for centuries as the most luxurious, priceless, and nutritious food.

4. Monkey Beach

Monkey Beach in Phi Phi Islands is a famous beach where, as the name implies, you can see monkeys.

The monkeys often come to the beach, and you can see them swimming in the water if you’re lucky.

We only had a short stop here and didn’t go out to the beach; we just observed a few monkeys from the boat. And we didn’t mind a brief visit here.

Note: We were encouraged not to feed the monkeys, so if you’re reading this, please remember this if you visit. 🙂

5. Snorkeling

Phi Phi Islands are great for snorkeling, although it depends on the spot you visit, which depends on the itinerary of the tour and the weather conditions that day.

During our visit, visibility wasn’t the best, and it wasn’t the best snorkeling spot we’d been to in Thailand, but we still enjoyed it.

Note: The visibility depends on the weather, as it will be much lower with strong waves and cloudy skies.

6. Lunch

After seeing the main highlights of Phi Phi islands, you head out for lunch.

We had a Thai buffet lunch at the restaurant of Phi Phi Holiday Resort on Phi Phi Don Island. But it might be another resort restaurant on your visit.

And the lunch included vegetarian and vegan options as well. So just advise the tour operator of your food preferences in advance. 

We quickly ate lunch to enjoy swimming at Laemtong beach. While it’s not the most beautiful beach in Phi Phi, as it can be crowded with boats, the water was nice and clear, and we enjoyed swimming there.

7. Bamboo Island

The first or last stop of your Phi Phi Islands day tour from Krabi will likely be Bamboo Island (Ko Mai Phai), a tiny, beautiful island with a dreamy sandy beach.

It’s also a great snorkeling spot as it’s surrounded by a nice coral reef.

8. 4 Islands – Poda, Chicken, Koh Tup, Koh Mor

Depending on the option you choose, some Phi Phi Islands day trips from Krabi also include visiting the famous group of islands near Krabi called the Four Islands. These are Koh Poda, Chicken Island (Koh Kai), Koh Tup, and Koh Mor.

While we visited these islands separately on this sunset tour, combining all of them in one day is a great way to optimize your Krabi itinerary to the fullest.

What to expect

The tour to Phi Phi Islands from Krabi can indeed be a bit hectic, as it’s the most popular trip in Thailand, there are always crowds, and you’re on a tight schedule.

But it allows you to see the main spots and enjoy snorkeling and swimming at beautiful places like the small islands with beautiful sandy beaches.

Maya Bay is the busiest spot of the tour as it’s crowded with people from Phuket and Krabi and boats from Phi Phi Don.

We highly recommend booking the early bird tour from Krabi to avoid the crowds at least a tiny bit.

The most chaotic part of the Phi Phi Islands tour is the boat docking at Maya Bay, as they’re not permitted to dock inside the bay but rather on the other side, where there is a floating dock.

After exiting the pier, you walk for about 5 minutes to the Maya Bay beach.

The boats are not permitted to stay docked at the floating pier, so after you’re done with the beach, you must stay with your group and board the boat simultaneously. When you’re done, the boat must move away to make space for the other arriving or departing boats.

We were lucky to avoid the biggest crowd at Maya Bay, as when we left, we saw a much more enormous influx of visitors coming there. Our tour arrived at Maya Bay at around 9:30 am.

Is the Phi Phi day tour from Krabi worth it?

The day trip to Phi Phi Islands and the famous Maya Bay is one of the must-do things while in Krabi.

And the day tour from Krabi to Phi Phi Islands is especially worth your money if your budget or schedule doesn’t permit a stay at Phi Phi Don Island.

During our first visit to Thailand, we didn’t have enough time to spend more days on the Phi Phi Islands, so we decided to go on a day trip. And in our opinion, it was absolutely worth it since we really wanted to see Maya Bay and Pi Leh Lagoon.

So, if this is the case for you, don’t think about it, but book that trip! 😁

What to pack for the Phi Phi Islands day tour?

These are the main things you need to pack for the Phi Phi Islands day tour: 

• Reef safe sunscreen
• Quick-dry Towel
• Bathing suit
• Dry clothes (use code SHIPPEDAWAY for 10% at Unbound Merino)
• Sunglasses
• Waterproof bag 
• Waterproof phone pouch
• Action camera (GoPro with a waterproof case or Osmo Action)

We have a waterproof backpack that was very useful for our island hopping trips in Thailand and kayaking or beach days. We can fit our camera and drone inside and feel safe.

Boats, especially speedboats, get wet, if not from water splashing inside, then from constantly going in and out of the water, especially on snorkeling trips.

Most people were using waterproof phone pouches with their phones instead of action cameras, which works perfectly fine.

Conservation and sustainability

While the coral reefs around the Krabi islands aren’t the healthiest in Thailand, they are slowly improving.

We love that there’s lots of effort and measures taken to protect and expand the corals, like replanting and limiting access to some areas.

So, on this tour, it’s encouraged to only apply reef-safe sunscreen at least 20 minutes before getting into the water so it doesn’t wash off your body.

The key ingredients you want to avoid in sunscreen are Oxybenzone and Octinoxate, which are known to be the most destructive to reefs.

Important to know: If you put sunscreen right before entering the water, it can wash off completely, so you won’t be protected, and you can further damage ocean life.

You also shouldn’t throw any food into the sea. They encourage NOT to feed the fish, which is very important for corals.

Video of Phi Phi Islands Day Trip

Watch the video of our Phi Phi Islands day trip on YouTube. And support us by hitting that subscribe button! ❤️

Final thoughts

We didn’t have high expectations for the Phi Phi Islands day tour, but we thoroughly enjoyed our day around the fascinating scenery.

A few months later, we returned to Phi Phi Islands on our second visit to Thailand, and this time, we stayed overnight. However, we still think that a one-day tour from Krabi gives a pretty good overview of the beauty of Phi Phi Islands.

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