Ultimate island hopping day trip from Koh Phi Phi: Is it worth it?

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I absolutely love a boat trip and Thailand has some pretty amazing ones. In fact, one of my all time favourite boat trips is this one from Phuket to Hong Island: Hong by Starlight tour by John Gray Sea Canoe.. The scenery is incredible, if you only do one boat trip in Thailand, this is a definite contender for a top spot!

Coming in very highly at the top of the list for amazing boat trips is this trip around the Phi Phi islands… but there are definitely some mixed reviews around, so let me tell you all about it so that you can decide for yourself if it is worth it.

Where are the Phi Phi Islands?

Before I dive into my review of my full day island-hopping boat trip, you might be wondering where exactly are the Phi Phi Islands?

The Phi Phi islands are made up of six small islands, although most people only really know Koh Phi Phi Don and Koh Phi Phi Leh. Phi Phi Don is the only inhabited island and is where you will stay if you visit for the day or longer. Phi Phi Leh is home to the famous Maya Bay (featured in the film ‘The Beach’) and also Phi Lei Lagoon. The other four smaller islands are Koh Yung, Koh Mai Phai, Bida Nok, and Bida Nai, all of which are known for untouched beaches and great snorkel spots.

I would definitely recommend staying on Koh Phi Phi Don for a few days and I have written a separate blog post on everything you need to know about visiting Phi Phi, which you can read here.

However, if you are short on time, or don’t want to include a stay on Koh Phi Phi in your Thailand itinerary, then you can do a similar full day tour of the Phi Phi Islands from Phuket or Krabi.

This full day Phi Phi Island tour from Krabi has a similar itinerary to the one I am going to describe below.

Or, if you are travelling from Phuket, then this Premium Sunrise Phi Phi tour is a popular option, especially as you’ll be one of the first to arrive at Maya Bay in the morning.

My review of the ultimate island hopping day trip from Koh Phi Phi: Was it worth it?

Right, let’s get into my honest review of my full day boat trip from Koh Phi Phi…

One of the best things to do in Phi Phi is to take a boat tour around the islands that make up the Phi Phi archipelago. There are a few variations of tours on offer, from 2 hours tours to half day, full day and sunset tours. But pretty much all tours follow a similar itinerary.

If you want to personalize your trip, you can hire your own longtail boat to give you the ultimate flexibility and also get some great photos. A private longtail boat will set you back roughly 2500 thb for 2 people for 2 hours or 6500 thb for 6 hours. You can hire them directly from drivers on the island or book in advance if you prefer to read reviews beforehand.

We took a full day tour that set off at 12 midday and finished at 7.30pm. It was a good mix of snorkelling and relaxing with a varied itinerary. We ended up booking our trip spontaneously at one of the tour shops in the centre of Phi Phi, but if you wanted to book online in advance, this Half Day and Sunset Tour is the same itinerary as I did. I really wanted to include snorkelling in my trip (which I would recommend), however, there are plenty of boat tours where you can just sight-see from the boat, like this Early Morning Sunrise Boat Tour.

I thought that the most useful way to share the tour we did was to detail each stop we made and give you my honest thoughts and feedback on each one, in order to help you pick the right tour for you, so, here goes!

Monkey Beach

This was the first stop as it is on the way out of Phi Phi Don pier. Full disclosure: I hated it here. I honestly don’t get why the boats stop here. It’s just a small cove with a couple of monkeys hanging around. It was really quite dirty with rubbish and plastic drifting into the cove and getting washed up on the beach. It was also WAY too crowded with too many boats for such a small cove. I also think I only saw 2 monkeys. Everyone got off our boat but we stayed on. Not a great start but I promise it gets better! If you do your own personalised tour, definitely skip Monkey Beach.

Loh Samah Bay

On a much more positive note, this spot was so good! The location was beautiful, with views of a golden sandy beach. We had about 40 minutes here to snorkel, which went way too fast. I could have stayed here for longer. We saw so many different types of fish, as well as giant clams, sea urchins and sea cucumbers hidden amongst the coral.

The water was really calm, so it would be great even if you are a beginner snorkeler, or for children. And if you don’t want to get in and snorkel. You can just enjoy the surroundings from the boat. I am not sure if it was the time of day that we went but it was really quiet here, with maybe only 2 other boats in the wide bay, which were really far away from us.

I’d definitely make sure to do a trip that stops here if you want to see lots of fish.

Phi Leh lagoon

Phi Leh lagoon is undoubtedly very beautiful. You can’t deny that the towering tree covered limestone rocks combined with the turquoise water is very impressive.

However, as with most touristic spots, it does get very busy here. All boats visit the lagoon, and if you are familiar with the Thai longtail boats you’ll know that they are not quiet!

You will get some gorgeous photos here, especially if you are in a longtail and want those posed photos on the front. Our boat pulled up at the end of the lagoon as an opportunity for a swim. But I would seriously think twice about going in. The water at the end of the lagoon is quite polluted. The exhausts of the long tail boats go straight back into the water so you are literally swimming in fuel.

I would recommend to just sit back and enjoy the view – tip: the best photos are from further out, towards the entrance to the lagoon.

Bamboo island

This is an absolutely gorgeous island, with a pristine white, soft sand beach. We stopped here for lunch and spent some time relaxing on the beach. There are free toilets and also a snack bar.

One strange thing here that you should be aware of is that if you want to go into the sea, you have to wear a lifejacket and they are very strict about this! There is a national park ranger who patrols the shoreline with a megaphone and whistle to enforce the rule. Unfortunately there are lots of people who refuse to wear a lifejacket and I do completely understand why as it does seem very unnecessary, however it resulted in the ranger constantly shouting at people and blowing their whistle non stop which did kind of ruin the peace a little.

However, it was a really lovely spot to get off the boat. The beach is gorgeous and floating in the sea wearing a lifejacket was actually quite amusing. I enjoyed this little stop.

Maya Bay

Maya Bay is one of the most visited spots in the Phi Phi archipelago and pretty much ALL the tours visit here. In fact, I tried to find a snorkel tour that did not go to Maya Bay as I had already been a couple of years ago on a day trip from Phuket, however, I could only find one tour that didn’t stop at Maya Bay and it was much shorter in duration.

Also read: Amazing Daytrips from Phuket

Maya Bay was made famous as it is the filming location of the 90’s cult film ‘The Beach’, starring Leo DiCaprio. After a period where Maya Bay was completely closed off to visitors, the bay is open once again to tourists, but with restrictions. Upon arriving at Maya Bay, boats will dock at the other side of the island at a floating pontoon. You’ll then walk on a raised wooden pathway for about 5 mins max before reaching Maya Bay.

The Bay is absolutely beautiful. The sand is pristine white and the colour of the water is a light crystal blue. However, as with any touristic spot, it can get busy. Our tour arrived here just before the bay closed to the public so it did not feel too crowded at this time and there were plenty of spots to take good photos. However, I have seen photos taken during the day when it is so crowded and the wooden walkway is packed with people shuffling to the Bay. I would highly recommend booking a tour that stops at Maya Bay either first thing in the morning, or right at the end of the day to avoid the crowds, especially if you are travelling in peak season.

Note that you cannot wade into the water as it is a protected habitat for coral and also baby sharks. The beach is patrolled by National Park rangers who strictly enforce this rule and when we were there, the ranger was constantly walking up and down, shouting at tourists who waded in and were not listening to his whistle. He was non stop on the megaphone which was quite distracting and ruined the peace a little. However, I do respect the need to enforce the rule and it is good that they are taking the protection and conservation of this area seriously. If you watch any drone footage of Maya Bay, you can see just how many sharks there are in this small bay!

If you are unsure about visiting Maya Bay, I would say this: it is beautiful, there is no denying and I do think it is worth visiting, however there are many other beaches in Thailand which are just as beautiful and do not have the crowds or restrictions. So if you do go, go with an open mind and make sure you are aware of the rules and restrictions.

Shark Point

Shark Point was our second snorkel stop of the tour and it is a known area for seeing black tip reef sharks.

The visibility was not great here, but that kind of added to the anticipation of looking for sharks! All of a sudden, one would appear from nowhere! These sharks are not threatening to humans and actively swim away from you. The sharks we saw were about 2-4 feet in length. It was a great experience and I’d definitely recommend incorporating this spot into a tour. We were here at the end of the day and were the only boat in this area.

Sunset from the boat

After swimming with the sharks, we came around the corner of the island to be met with a gorgeous sunset. We floated peacefully whilst watching the sun set which was a great way to end the tour – or so we thought!

Seeing the Bio-luminescent Plankton

After the sunset, and just a short distance from the shore of Koh Phi Phi Don, we stopped and waited for darkness before getting into the water one final time to see the bioluminescent Plankton. The tiny Plankton glow blue when disturbed so if you wave your hands and feet in the water you can see them. To be honest, this was an unnecessary addition to the tour and probably wasn’t worth waiting for.

Would I recommend a full day boat trip from Phi Phi Don?

Quick answer: yes, absolutely!

As I’ve already mentioned, the islands of Phi Phi are beautiful and even just the boat trip around the archipelago is worth doing, without any stops.

I would just say, do your research, work out what you prefer and find the tour that most suits you. Do you want to snorkel? Do you want more beach time? Do you want to just take great photos?

Remember you can also hire your own longtail and customize your own trip, which is a really good option, especially if you are travelling in a group as it can also be more cost effective if there are a few of you.

There are also several dive shops on Koh Phi Phi Don offering various trips, like this Half day Dive trip for certified divers. So if you prefer to dive, definitely check them out!