Ko Phi Phi

Getting to Ko Phi Phi

Krabi International Airport (KBV IATA), or, is about 10 km from the city limits, 15 km from the city centre, 40 km from Ao Nang, and 23 km from Had Yao. Thai Airways operates daily direct flights from Bangkok, likewise Air Asia from Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. Bangkok Airways flies direct from Krabi and Ko Samui nearly every day of the week. Nok Air operates daily flights to Krabi from Bangkok (Don Mueang).

1. 01
   Arisa Speedboats

   Speedboat tours around the Phi Phi Islands, tickets cost 1,600 baht for a full-day excursion.

Worth seeing

This island is the largest of the

Things to do

Bird Watching. The best time of the year for bird watching is from Jan-Apr. Many rare birds are to be seen there: gurneys, finfoots, big-winged brown kingfishers, egrets, bitterns, and herons. There are many dive shops on Ton Sai Bay within walking distance of each other. They can organize all diving and accommodations. Expect to pay the same everywhere.

Where to eat

In general, Southern Thai food is known for its spiciness. Much of the cuisine has its origins in Malay, Indonesian and Indian food. Favourite dishes from the south include Indian-style Muslim curry (massaman), rice noodles in fish curry sauce (khanom jeen) and chicken with yellow rice.

1. 01
   Ae Fish BBQ

   Extremely fresh seafood, deliciously cooked.

Getting around Ko Phi Phi the local way

There is no airport, no road to the mainland and, in Tonsai where almost everyone stays, no cars, no motorbike taxis and no bicycles worth the name. Everything arrives at Tonsai Pier by boat from Phuket's Rassada Pier, Krabi's Klong Jilad Pier, Ao Nang's Nopparat Thara Pier, Railay East or Sala Dan on Ko Lanta, and a small fee is collected as you step off. From the pier you walk, and your bag goes in a wheelbarrow pushed by a porter or by your guesthouse. Every beach that is not Tonsai or Loh Dalum is reached by longtail taxi boat, negotiated at the water's edge, or on a jungle path. A scheduled shuttle boat ties Tonsai to Laem Tong at the northern tip three or four times a day. Phi Phi Leh, Maya Bay and Bamboo Island are inside a national park with a 400 baht foreigner fee, a two-month annual closure and a no-swimming rule at Maya Beach that carries a real fine. From roughly June to October the wind swings, the western bays close, the seasonal routes to Ko Jum, Ko Yao and the Trang islands stop, and a bad day means no boat at all.

1. 01
   Phuket to Tonsai Pier, the main arteryferry

   Rassada Pier, Phuket Town, to Tonsai Pier on Ko Phi Phi Don, some sailings continuing to Laem Tong

   Where

   Rassada is Phuket's main ferry terminal, about 45 minutes and roughly 450 to 500 baht by metered taxi from the airport, or a short ride from Phuket Town. Andaman Wave Master's Royal Jet Cruiser runs the crossing in three classes: standard car-type seats on the lower deck, first class sofa seats on the middle deck, and premium sofa seats on the upper deck with their own toilet and sundeck, the last two including coffee, tea and a snack. Most ferries terminate at Tonsai; if your hotel is on Laem Tong, book a sailing that continues there, otherwise you will be left at Tonsai to find your own longtail. Check in 30 minutes before departure. Sea Angel Pier, also signed Phuket-PhiPhi Port, is a second Phuket departure point used by some operators.

   When

   Ferries at 08:30 and 13:45 from Rassada, arriving Tonsai 10:30 and 15:45, and continuing to Laem Tong at 11:30 and 16:45. Back from Tonsai at 11:00 and 14:30, and from Laem Tong at 10:00 and 13:30. More sailings are added in high season.

   Fare (2026)

   Standard class 700 baht one way and 1,200 return, child 600. First class 1,000 one way, 1,800 return. Premium 1,300 one way, 2,400 return. To Laem Tong, standard is 800 one way and 1,400 return. Live availability on the operator's own booking page showed 550 baht standard on the 08:30 and 13:30 and 600 on the 15:00, so shoulder-season prices undercut the published tariff. Add the pier fee on Phi Phi.

   Takes

   2h to Tonsai, 3h through to Laem Tong

   Season

   Daily year-round, but the service thins and gets weather-bound from June to October

   Booking

   Online or at the pier. Andaman Wave Master's office hours are 07:00 to 22:00 on +66 76 614 135. Cancellation inside 48 hours forfeits the fare.

   Sources: andamanwavemaster.com (2026-09) · andamanwavemaster.com (2026-09) · andamanwavemaster.com (2026-09) · confidence high

2. 02
   Krabi, Ao Nang and Railay to Tonsai, and which pier is whichferry

   Klong Jilad Pier south of Krabi Town, Nopparat Thara Pier at Ao Nang and Railay East floating pier, to Tonsai Pier

   Where

   The ferry no longer leaves from the middle of Krabi Town. The passenger port is Klong Jilad, a few kilometres south, and a ticket bought in town normally includes the songthaew or minivan out to it. Ao Nang's boats use Nopparat Thara Pier at the western end of the beach, not the beach itself, and Railay boats use the floating pier on the east side, the mangrove side, not the postcard beach. Krabi airport is about 15 km from town; an air-conditioned airport bus into Krabi is 90 baht and a songthaew from the main road 40. The Krabi crossing is the cheapest of the mainland routes and the boat is the Nautica Express. Agents near the Chao Fah pier will try to add accommodation and tours to your ticket; buy only the ticket.

   When

   Klong Jilad to Tonsai at 09:00 and 13:00 daily, Tonsai back to Klong Jilad at 10:30 and 15:30. Ao Nang and Railay are served mainly by speedboat, year-round, roughly 40 to 50 minutes.

   Fare (2026)

   Klong Jilad to Tonsai 450 baht adult, 350 child, ferry ticket only and not including land transfer at either end. Ao Nang or Railay to Phi Phi by speedboat from 1,000 baht. A traveller guide still quotes 300 baht from Krabi Town with PP Family and 400 from Ao Nang including hotel pickup, which is below the operator's own 2026 tariff.

   Takes

   2h from Klong Jilad; about 40 minutes from Ao Nang or Railay by speedboat

   Season

   Daily year-round on the Krabi ferry. Ao Nang and Railay speedboats are listed as all-year but are the first to be pulled in a blow.

   Booking

   Online, at Klong Jilad, or at any travel office in Krabi and Ao Nang

   Sources: andamanwavemaster.com (2026-09) · andamanwavemaster.com (2026-09) · andamanwavemaster.com (2026-09) · confidence high

3. 03
   Ko Lanta and the Ko Jum connectionferry

   Sala Dan Pier, Ko Lanta, to Tonsai Pier, with Ko Jum reached by speedboat or by transfer off the Lanta boat

   Where

   There are two different things here and travellers confuse them. Andaman Wave Master's big ferry between Sala Dan and Phi Phi runs only from December to March and uses Leam Tong rather than Tonsai at the Phi Phi end, so it is a high-season product. The speedboat between Sala Dan and Tonsai is the year-round service, and it is fast: 30 to 40 minutes against an hour and a half. Ko Jum sits on the Lanta line and the boat calls by transferring you into a longtail that comes out to meet it, so you arrive on a beach, not a pier, with your bag handed across. Ko Jum only has a boat from Phi Phi between 1 November and 4 May; outside those dates you go through Krabi and Laem Kruat Pier instead.

   When

   Ferry Sala Dan to Tonsai 08:00 and 13:00, December to March only; back from Leam Tong 11:30 and 15:30 over the same months. Speedboat Lanta to Phi Phi and back, year-round. Phi Phi to Ko Jum, 1 November to 4 May only.

   Fare (2026)

   Ferry 450 baht adult, 350 child, ticket only. Speedboat Lanta to Phi Phi from 700 baht, Phi Phi to Ko Jum from 800 baht. Andaman Wave Master's speedboat on the Lanta run starts at 800 baht.

   Takes

   1h to 1h 30m by ferry, 30 to 40 minutes by speedboat, about 30 minutes to Ko Jum

   Season

   The ferry runs December to March. The speedboat is year-round. Ko Jum, Ko Yao Noi, Ko Yao Yai, Ko Ngai, Ko Mook, Ko Kradan and Ko Lipe all drop out of the network in the wet months.

   Booking

   Online or at agents in Sala Dan and Tonsai. For Ko Jum, tell the crew your beach when you board.

   Sources: andamanwavemaster.com (2026-09) · bundhayaspeedboat.com (2026-09) · andamanwavemaster.com (2026-09) · confidence high

4. 04
   The speedboat network and the dates it disappears onspeedboat

   Tonsai to Phuket, Krabi, Ao Nang, Railay, Ko Lanta, Ko Jum, Ko Yao Noi and Yai, Ko Ngai, Ko Mook, Ko Kradan and Ko Lipe

   Where

   Speedboats are the way to move between islands without going back to the mainland, and they run from Tonsai Pier on fixed morning departures. The important thing is which of them are year-round and which are not, because the seasonal ones vanish without any announcement you will see. Phuket, Krabi, Ao Nang, Railay and Ko Lanta run all year. Ko Yao Noi and Ko Yao Yai run 1 November to 4 May and 15 October to 20 May. Ko Ngai, Ko Mook, Ko Kradan and Ko Lipe run 15 October to 20 May. Ko Jum runs 1 November to 4 May only. Those Ko Lipe runs are a four-hour ride with island stops and they are the whole reason people go Phi Phi to Lipe rather than overland to Pak Bara.

   When

   Morning departures, typically one or two a day per destination in season. The long southern runs leave first.

   Fare (2026)

   From Tonsai: Phuket 800 baht, Ko Lanta 700, Ko Jum 800, Ao Nang or Railay 1,000, Ko Yao 1,200, Ko Ngai 1,350, Ko Mook or Ko Kradan 1,600, Ko Lipe 2,350. These are the operator's own starting adult fares.

   Takes

   1h to Phuket, 30 to 40 minutes to Lanta or Railay, 50 minutes to Ao Nang, 90 minutes to Ko Ngai, 4h to Ko Lipe

   Season

   See the dates above. Nothing runs south of Lanta from late May to mid-October.

   Booking

   Online or through any agent on Tonsai the day before. Book the long southern runs ahead; they sell out and only go once a day.

   Sources: bundhayaspeedboat.com (2026-09) · andamanwavemaster.com (2026-09) · andamanwavemaster.com (2026-09) · confidence high

5. 05
   The Tonsai to Laem Tong shuttle boatferry

   Tonsai Pier to Laem Tong Beach at the northern tip of Phi Phi Don, and back

   Where

   This is the only scheduled transport inside the island. Laem Tong has no road to Tonsai, only a boat or a long walk, and its resorts sit on a beach reached by wading or a short tender. The shuttle is a small ticketed boat run by Andaman Wave Master under the name Phi Phi Island Shuttle, and it is the cheap alternative to chartering a longtail for the same trip. If you are arriving from Ko Lanta, Ko Yao or anywhere that terminates at Tonsai and your hotel is at Laem Tong, this is your connection. Going back, ask your resort reception to confirm the boat at least a day before, because they hold the list.

   When

   Tonsai to Laem Tong at 09:40, 13:30, 14:30 and 16:00. Laem Tong to Tonsai at 08:30, 10:30 and 14:00.

   Fare (2026)

   200 baht adult, 100 baht child, each way

   Takes

   20 to 30 minutes

   Season

   Daily, subject to sea conditions. Pickup and drop-off at Laem Tong are difficult at low tide because the bay is shallow and sandy.

   Booking

   Buy at the pier or through a resort. Confirm the return a day ahead with your hotel reception.

   Sources: andamanwavemaster.com (2026-09) · andamanwavemaster.com (2026-09) · andamanwavemaster.com (2026-09) · confidence high

6. 06
   Longtail taxi boats, which are the island's real transportboat

   Tonsai and Loh Dalum to Long Beach, Loh Moo Dee, Rantee, Paknam, Loh Bakao, Lana Bay, Laem Tong and Monkey Beach

   Where

   Longtails wait on the sand either side of Tonsai Pier and along Loh Dalum. There is no meter and no rank discipline: you say the beach, they say a number, you settle it. Prices go up after dark, up again if the sea is rough, and a boat to yourself always costs more than a seat. Monkey Beach is five minutes out, Long Beach about ten. Take foam earplugs; the engines are unsilenced and after 45 minutes they wear on you. Agree with your captain what time he comes back and get his name and boat number, because there is no phone signal in several of the bays. Hiring by the hour or the half-day is the normal way to do anything beyond a single hop.

   When

   On demand from first light to late evening; thinner and dearer after dark

   Fare (2026)

   Wikivoyage's last figures are 40 baht a person to Long Beach in the afternoon, at least 80 at night and at least 100 for the whole boat, with around 1,200 baht for a six-hour charter to Phi Phi Leh and back. Those are undated and low; treat them as a floor and expect to pay more in 2026. The national park's own page quotes 2,000 baht for a full-day longtail charter and 1,500 for a half-day, up to eight people, but marks that price as September 2006.

   Takes

   5 minutes to Monkey Beach, 10 to Long Beach, 45 minutes or more to the northern bays

   Season

   Year-round. From April to November the western bays, Wang Long, Yong Kasem, Nui Beach and Maya Bay itself, are usually unreachable because of wind and swell; the eastern bays, Rantee, Paknam, Loh Bakao and Viking Bay, are the sheltered ones then. High-season winds can make the east choppy instead.

   Booking

   None. Walk to the water and negotiate. A dive shop or hotel can arrange a known captain for a day.

   Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · blueviewdivers.com (2025-09) · blueviewdivers.com (2025-09) · confidence medium

7. 07
   Walking, because there are no cars, and the one place there is a tuk-tukwalking trail

   Tonsai village, the isthmus between Tonsai Bay and Loh Dalum, the viewpoint ridge, and the jungle paths to Long Beach, Loh Moo Dee, Nui Beach and Lana Bay

   Where

   Tonsai has no roads, so nothing in the village is more than about ten minutes on foot from anything else and you walk everywhere. The lanes are narrow, unsigned and full of delivery trolleys; give way to them. Viewpoints 1, 2 and 3 are a steep 10 to 25 minutes up from the village with a 30 baht gate fee at the top, and water for sale when you get there. Long Beach, Loh Moo Dee and Nui Beach are all walkable from Tonsai on jungle paths, and Lana Bay connects to Loh Bakao village by a ten-minute walk over the hill. The exception to the no-vehicles rule is the north: there is a local tuk-tuk taxi between Loh Bakao and Laem Tong, and a handful of sidecar motorbikes in Tonsai that move building material and goods rather than people.

   When

   Any time. The viewpoint gate is staffed in daylight; go at dawn or dusk and bring a torch.

   Fare (2025)

   30 baht for the viewpoint gate. Walking is otherwise free.

   Takes

   10 minutes across Tonsai, 10 to 25 minutes up to the viewpoint, 30 to 45 minutes on foot to Long Beach

   Season

   Year-round. Paths are slick and leech-prone in the wet months.

   Booking

   None

   Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · blueviewdivers.com (2025-09) · blueviewdivers.com (2025-09) · confidence medium

8. 08
   Wheelbarrows and trolleys: how luggage actually movesporter

   Tonsai Pier to guesthouses and hotels across the village, and back

   Where

   With no vehicles, every suitcase, beer crate and bag of cement on Phi Phi travels in a wheelbarrow or a hand trolley pushed down the lanes. Hotels meet arriving guests at the pier with a barrow and take the bags in free; going the other way is not automatic and you will usually be quoted a price or told to carry it. Porters also work the pier independently. The practical consequence is to travel with something you can carry over uneven ground and up steps, because a large hard-shell case is a genuine problem here. The boardwalk that links Tonsai Bay pier with the village was wrecked by storms in July 2024 and was still being repaired in phases in 2025, with broken and uneven planks in the meantime, so the walk from the boat is not the smooth arrival it looks like in photographs.

   When

   Whenever a boat lands

   Fare

   Free from the pier to your room if your hotel is meeting you; negotiated and usually not free in the other direction. No published tariff could be found.

   Takes

   5 to 15 minutes to most of the village

   Season

   Year-round

   Booking

   Tell your hotel your boat and arrival time and they will send someone with a barrow

   Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · thethaiger.com (2025-08) · confidence medium

9. 09
   National park fee, the Maya Bay rules and the pier feepermit

   Ko Phi Phi Le, Maya Bay, Loh Samah Bay, Bamboo Island and Ko Phi Phi Don

   Where

   Phi Phi sits inside Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, headquartered at Ao Nang on the mainland, and the department lists Ko Phi Phi Don, Ko Phi Phi Le and Ko Mai Phai, which is Bamboo Island, as places where a foreigner pays the special services fee. In practice it is collected when you go ashore, not when you arrive on Phi Phi Don. Maya Beach is reached only on foot: boats moor in Loh Samah Bay on the opposite side of Phi Phi Le, you pay 400 baht at the pier there and walk over a raised boardwalk to the beach. Swimming, snorkelling and smoking at Maya Beach are all banned; two French visitors were fined in 2026 for entering the water, under a rule carrying a penalty of up to 100,000 baht. Maya Bay itself, the west-facing water outside the beach, has no entrance fee and you may swim there, which is why longtail captains offer it as the alternative. Queues at Loh Samah can add one to two hours to a trip between 10:00 and 15:00; the gate opens at 07:00 and people line up from 06:30. Keep the ticket on you, it gets checked.

   When

   Daily. Maya Bay and Loh Samah Bay close entirely from 1 August to 30 September every year for rehabilitation.

   Fare (2026)

   400 baht adult and 200 baht child for foreigners, covering Ko Phi Phi Don, Ko Phi Phi Le and Bamboo Island. Not included in any boat or tour price unless the operator says so.

   Takes

   Allow 1h to 2h for the Maya Beach visit including the queue

   Season

   Maya Bay and Loh Sama Bay shut 1 August to 30 September. Diving on the western side of Ko Kai at Ao Khangkhao, and at Ko Yung, was closed from 16 May 2026 onwards. Mosquito Island is closed for restoration.

   Booking

   None. Pay in cash at the pier or the checkpoint.

   Sources: portal.dnp.go.th (2026-09) · portal.dnp.go.th (2026-09) · thethaiger.com (2025-07) · confidence high

10. 10
    Day trips that double as the only way to see Phi Phi Letour package

    Tonsai to Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave, Monkey Beach, Bamboo Island and Mosquito Island

    Where

    There is no scheduled boat to Phi Phi Le, so a tour or a private longtail is the transport. Agencies on Tonsai sell shared speedboat trips; small group speedboat tours from Phi Phi itself start around 1,600 baht for a full day. Day trips from Phuket and Krabi are the cheap way in but they land 30 to 60 people at a time at each stop and are a different experience entirely. A private longtail chartered on Phi Phi is the way to set your own start time, which matters more than anything else: go at 06:30 for Maya Beach and you are ahead of the boats from Phuket, Krabi, Ao Nang and Lanta that arrive from 10:00. Longtails cannot enter Pileh Lagoon at low tide. Bamboo Island is 1 to 1.5 hours away by longtail and its own 400 baht park fee applies.

    When

    Daily, leaving between 06:00 and 09:00. Book the day before, because most boats are out on trips during the day.

    Fare (2026)

    From about 1,600 baht a head for a full-day small speedboat tour out of Phi Phi. National park fees of 400 baht are extra. A day trip sold on Phuket runs around 1,400 baht negotiated, against a printed 3,000.

    Takes

    Half day to full day; 8-hour charters are sold

    Season

    Year-round for the eastern and sheltered stops. From April to November the western sites, Maya Bay, Wang Long, Yong Kasem and Nui Beach, are usually off the itinerary.

    Booking

    Any agent or dive shop on Tonsai, the day before

    Sources: blueviewdivers.com (2025-09) · blueviewdivers.com (2025-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium

11. 11
    Low season, rough seas and the days no boat sailsservice status

    All Phi Phi sea routes and all marine attractions in the national park

    Where

    Three separate authorities can stop you travelling. The national park raises red flags at every marine attraction in its area and closes them when waves run high; in September 2024 it shut Phi Phi Le, Bamboo Island, Poda, Talay Waek and the dive sites around both Phi Phi islands for four days with waves over four metres, and the Krabi to Phi Phi ferries were suspended on the same days. The provincial and district authorities ban swimming and tourist boats and post red flags on the beaches when the monsoon blows, as they did in January 2025. And the operators themselves cancel, quietly, when a boat will not fill or the crossing is unsafe. High season is roughly November to May and the green season June to October, when boats run less often and the schedule is weather-dependent. Ask at the pier office the evening before rather than trusting a printed timetable, and do not plan a same-day flight connection out of Phuket or Krabi in the wet months.

    When

    Most likely June to October and during northeast monsoon surges in December and January

    Fare

    No charge for a weather cancellation; operators rebook or refund at their own discretion, and most allow changes up to a day or two before departure.

    Takes

    A day or two at a time for weather; two months for the annual Maya Bay closure

    Season

    Green season June to October is the main risk window

    Booking

    Check with the operator or the pier office the night before. The park office takes general and attraction-opening enquiries on +66 7566 1145.

    Sources: thethaiger.com (2024-09) · thethaiger.com (2025-01) · blueviewdivers.com (2025-09) · confidence high

Not yet confirmed: The pier entry fee on Phi Phi could not be confirmed at a current amount. Wikivoyage gives 20 baht a head collected at the pier for keeping the island clean, with no date. The Ao Nang subdistrict administration is the body that counts arrivals on Phi Phi and publishes the figures, so it is the likely collector, but its website carries no fee schedule and Krabi's provincial site refuses automated requests. Ask at the Tonsai Pier ticket booth or the Ao Nang subdistrict office on +66 75 637146.; The brief said Ko Phi Phi has no roads or cars at all. That is true of Tonsai and almost the whole island, but not quite everywhere: a dive operator resident on the island describes taking a local tuk-tuk taxi between Loh Bakao and the Laem Tong area in the north, and Wikivoyage records a few motorbikes with sidecars in Tonsai used for goods and building material. Plan on walking and longtails, but do not tell travellers on the north of the island that no vehicle exists.; The brief lists Tonsai as one of the longtail taxi destinations. Tonsai is the arrival pier and the village itself, the place those boats leave from, not somewhere you take a taxi boat to from within the island.; Current longtail taxi fares are not published anywhere. The 40 baht to Long Beach figure is Wikivoyage's and is undated and almost certainly out of date; the national park page's 2,000 baht full-day charter is explicitly marked as a September 2006 price. Nothing more recent with a number and a date could be found. Negotiate, and expect considerably more than those figures.; Andaman Wave Master's published Krabi fare is 450 baht where Wikivoyage still says 300 from Krabi Town and 400 from Ao Nang. The traveller figures are older; the operator's own tariff is the one to trust.; Whether the 400 baht national park fee is ever collected simply for landing at Tonsai could not be established. The department's own fee notice names Ko Phi Phi Don alongside Phi Phi Le and Bamboo Island, but every operator account describes it being paid at Loh Samah Bay or on Bamboo Island. Ask the park office..

The field note on Ko Phi Phi reads this entry in full, one option at a time, with every source beside it.