Koh Phi Phi is about twelve square kilometres and you can walk through the village in ten minutes, yet every tour shop has more boat trips on its board than you could fit into two days. You do not need to do them all. The island is small enough to take it easy and do what you actually want to see.
A few things clearly belong on the list: one early morning out on the water, one climb up those steps, one evening on the beach. Others are on every flyer and make a good half day if you have one. The difference here almost always comes down to timing, because the same bay is a completely different place at seven in the morning than at eleven.
So where do your two or three days on Koh Phi Phi go, and what do you save for next time?
The practical side, how to get there, where to sleep and how many days to give it, is all on our Koh Phi Phi page.
The first boat of the day to Maya Bay
Maya Bay is on Phi Phi Leh, the uninhabited island next door, and became world famous through the film The Beach. What makes it special is not so much the sand and the water but the limestone walls that rise straight out of the sea on three sides and close the bay off from the rest of the world.
You book the trip in Tonsai, as a half or a full day, by longtail or speedboat. Along the way are Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave and Monkey Beach, and most trips also stop a few times to snorkel. Ask beforehand whether drinks, snorkel gear and the national park fees are included, because it saves hassle afterwards.
Two things to know before you book. Maya Bay is a protected area, so swimming in the bay is no longer allowed: you come here for the beach and the scenery. And in August and September the bay closes completely so the coral can recover.
Our verdict: absolutely, but only on the earliest boat
The steps up to Phi Phi Viewpoint
From the top of the viewpoint you see in one glance why this island looks the way it does: Tonsai Bay on one side, Loh Dalum Bay on the other, and in between a thin strip of sand with the whole village crammed onto it. It is the best known view in southern Thailand, and for once that is deserved.
The path starts right behind Tonsai Village and it takes a little under half an hour to climb. It is a real staircase, it goes up steeply and there is hardly anything on the way that gives shade. Bring more water than you think you need, because at the top it is expensive.
Go at sunrise. It is cool, the light sits low over the two bays and you often have the view to yourself. At sunset it is at least as beautiful, but then you share the platform with two hundred other people.
Our verdict: just under half an hour of climbing without shade, and at sunrise it is a very different staircase
Snorkelling at Bamboo Island
The water around Phi Phi is clear enough to see the bottom from the boat, and Bamboo Island has the best snorkelling in the whole area. Shallow, white sand, coral just below the surface and tropical fish that could not care less about you.
Bamboo Island is often part of a separate boat trip, and there are snorkelling trips that loop around seven islands and finish at sunset. If you mostly want to be in the water, choose one of those snorkelling trips over a standard sightseeing cruise, where the stops along the way are usually short.
Do not stand on the coral and do not touch it, not even for a second. It recovers very slowly here, and that is exactly why Maya Bay is shut for two months every year.
Our verdict: the best fifteen minutes of your whole day on the water
Diving at Koh Bida Nok
Underwater, Phi Phi is at least as good as above it. Koh Bida Nok is the classic in this area: a rock sticking out of the sea with steep walls below, coral and a real chance of leopard sharks. There are several dive sites a short boat ride away, so you are there in no time.
Tonsai has several dive schools. If you are certified, just book a few fun dives. If you do not have a certificate, you can join an introductory dive with an instructor, and this is a great place to go under for the first time.
Our verdict: worth your third day if you are planning to dive
An afternoon on Long Beach
Long Beach is everything Tonsai is not: quiet. A long strip of sand looking out over the rocks across the water, far enough from the village that you can no longer hear the bars, and with enough shade to last a few hours.
It is about twenty minutes on foot at low tide, or take a longtail from Tonsai for around €8. You can swim, and apart from that there is nothing to do, which is exactly the point.
Plan it after an early morning. Once you have done the first boat to Maya Bay or the climb to the viewpoint, this is the best place on the island to do absolutely nothing else.
Our verdict: quiet, easy going and maybe the best afternoon of your stay
Fire shows and beach bars on Loh Dalum Beach
In the evening the whole island moves to Loh Dalum Beach. Bars put their speakers in the sand, guys with burning ropes walk between the tables and every terrace is full of backpackers from ten different countries. A beer costs about €2 here, so the night is never what breaks your budget.
You do not need to arrange anything: you walk onto the beach and the rest takes care of itself. If the music is not your thing, you are back in Tonsai Village in five minutes, where it is a lot calmer.
Keep your shoes on in the sand, because there is broken glass in it. Do not jump through or over the burning ropes, however convincing the party is, and do not go into the sea after drinking. Those are the two things that really go wrong here.
Our verdict: do one night, then sleep in the next morning
Fresh fish off the grill at the fish market
Food on Phi Phi costs more than on the mainland, simply because everything has to come in by boat. The exception is the fish market in the village, where the grills fire up in the evening with the day’s catch. You point at what you want and pay by weight.
That is also the cheapest way to eat well here. If you want something else, the kitchens in the village turn out the Thai classics: pad thai, massaman curry and sticky rice with mango for dessert.
Our verdict: every evening, and definitely your last
Got time to spare on Koh Phi Phi?
Monkey Beach as a stop along the way
Almost every boat trip stops here, and as a short stop it is fun to see the monkeys up close. Do not feed them, not even for a photo: they are used to visitors handing out food and will go straight for your bag. Keep your things close and it makes a good fifteen minutes.
A second boat trip that goes somewhere else
The board at the tour shop is full, and most trips visit the same bays. Pick one good one, ideally a half day early in the morning. If you want a second, go to Bamboo Island: that really is a different day from the classic loop.
Beyond Tonsai
Tonsai is practical and fun, and it is tempting never to leave it. But you are on an island without cars, where within half an hour’s walk you are standing on an empty beach. Walk on to Long Beach, climb to the viewpoint or take a longtail to a bay with nobody in it.
Catching the early morning
The nightlife is part of it and one evening on the beach is a must. On top of that, Phi Phi is at its most beautiful between six and nine in the morning, exactly when the day boats have not arrived yet. So set your alarm at least once and you get the island to yourself for a while.
Our top five on Koh Phi Phi
Only got a few days? These are the five we would do no matter what:
- The first boat of the day to Maya Bay, past Pileh Lagoon and Viking Cave
- The steps up to Phi Phi Viewpoint, at sunrise
- Snorkelling at Bamboo Island, the best water in the area
- An evening of fire shows and beach bars on Loh Dalum Beach
- Fresh fish off the grill at the fish market in Tonsai
Still got time after that? Diving at Koh Bida Nok is the best way to fill your third day, with a chance of leopard sharks. Would you rather do nothing at all? Take a longtail to Long Beach and do not get picked up again until sunset.
So what do you really have to do on Koh Phi Phi?
Honestly: nothing on this list is compulsory, and the island is small enough that you will stumble across most of it anyway. These highlights are here to help you choose between all those boards full of boat trips, not to plan your two days to the brim.
If we had to pick one thing, it is the timing. In the early hours Phi Phi is one of the most beautiful islands in southern Thailand, because the day boats from Phuket and Krabi are not at the pier yet. Set your alarm for sunrise one morning and you will see a completely different island from the people who step off the boat at eleven.
And beyond that: leave one afternoon completely empty. Walk to Long Beach, lie in the water and look back at the rocks you sailed past that morning. In the end, that is what you came here for.
