Phi Phi Island Day Tour, Phuket, Thailand

If you’re going to Phuket, Thailand, don’t forget to include Phi Phi Island in your itinerary. Famous for its Maya Bay, there’s no need to deny that this island is exceptionally beautiful. There are many travel agents offering Phi Phi tour packages. Some of them start from Phuket, and the others start from Phi Phi. I would recommend you to take the tour which starts from Phi Phi instead, since it would be more flexible and cost much cheaper. You will have to buy the Phuket – Phi Phi ferry ticket by yourself, but don’t worry. The ferry ticket would only cost you about TBH 800, including land transfer from and to your hotel in Phuket. Once you arrive on Phi Phi, you will find many travel agents there. But if you want to start the tour on the same day as you arrive on Phi Phi, it is better for you to book the tour in advance, unless you have much time to spend on the island. Please be careful when you book the tour packages. If you take the ferry on the same day as your tour, do not choose the tour which starts before noon, even if you choose the earliest ferry. Even though the earliest ferry is scheduled to arrive on Tonsai Pier at 10.30, the ferry that we took arrived at 12.00, so you have to consider the delay before booking the tour.

My friends and I decided to book the tour in advance as we only stayed there for one night. We tried to search for the tour on the internet but not many tour starts from Phi Phi. At the end, we found one which looked reliable and the price was also affordable. The name was Five Star Travel and Tours. They have many kinds of day tour packages, which start in both morning and afternoon. Go check their website (just search it on Google and it will appear), you will find lots of information and you can make the online booking. We chose ‘3 in 1 Long-tail Boat Tour’ which started at 14.00 and it cost us TBH 700 per person. There would be additional fee to enter Maya Bay as it is part of National Park area and it cost TBH 400 per person for foreign visitors. It cost only TBH 40 for Thai people. This fee is not included in the tour price, and you will have to pay them when you arrive at Maya Bay, so makes sure you prepare some cash with you. And for your information, Maya Bay will be closed from 1 June – 30 September 2018 due to recovery.

The tour started at 14.00 and we had to check in at the travel's agent office half an hour before. There is no vehicle, car or even motorcycle, available on Phi Phi Island, so you have to walk everywhere you go. We used Google Maps to find the office but it wasn't accurate, the office is located right at the back of the point shown on Google Maps. We couldn't find the office, so we called the staff and asked her if she could pick us up. Then she accompanied us to the pier to start the tour. Unfortunately, the weather was not really good that day, since it was raining in the morning. Our first stop was Monkey Beach.

Monkey Beach

This is a small beach. It is called Monkey Beach because it is inhabited by many monkeys, but don’t be scared. They are extremely friendly to visitors. We only spent like 15 minutes there and no swimming or snorkeling. We stopped there just to take some pictures and leave.

Viking Cave

We didn’t go into the cave. You are not allowed to enter the cave since somebody still lives there. The boat will slow down when you pass the cave, and you can take some pictures.

Pileh Lagoon

This was the first snorkeling spot we visited and it was really beautiful. There were so many fishes. Right after you jump into the water and swim, you will be able to swim along with the fishes. The guide didn’t even have to throw some crackers to the sea in order to make fishes come out. The guide told us not to touch or step into corals or stones as they are really sharp and there are sea urchins as well. We spent about 40 minutes for snorkeling before moving to the next place. After snorkeling, you will be served some foods which was fried rice and fruits.

Loh Samah Bay & Maya Bay

Both of them are actually connected to each other. Normally the boat will stop at Maya Bay, but due to low tide, our boat stopped at Loh Samah Bay instead. Loh Samah Bay is located at the backside of Maya Bay. Once you get down from the boat, you will have to climb up some stones, pass a small cave, and climb some stairs again in order to see the beautiful bay. Please be careful since the stones are slippery and the cave is quite narrow. You will have to bend your body. But all those struggles would be paid off. The bay was really beautiful, the water was super blue and clear.

Once you finish enjoying the view, it is time to continue to the famous Maya Bay. You will pass a forest and walk for about 5 minutes, then you will see where ‘The Beach’ movie took place. The beach was really wide, due to the low tide and we saw baby shark there. It is not harmful, believe me. We spent about 2 hours at both of the bays and continued to the second snorkeling spot. It was not as beautiful as the first one. There were not many fishes there, and the wave was pretty big.

Sunset Point

Normally, you will be able to see the sunset while the boat moves. Since the weather was not good, and it was raining a little bit, we were not able to see the sunset. So we just continued to the last activity, which was to see the glowing plankton.

Glowing Plankton

You will have to wait until it’s completely dark to see the plankton. The guide will point where you should swim, so you can see the plankton. If you don’t want to swim, you can stay on the boat, but you won’t be able to see the plankton from the boat.

The tour came to an end at 19.30 and we were dropped on the pier where we started. Overall, this tour was really nice and exciting. The only disappointing one was the bad weather. You can go and enjoy so many beautiful places around Phi Phi Island in a short time.

Phi Phi Viewpoint

The day after our tour, we went to Phi Phi Viewpoints in the morning. It was easy to find them as there are signs pointing which direction you should go to reach the viewpoints. There are 2 viewpoints, the second one is located higher than the first one, and it gives you a better view. You will have to pay about TBH 20 at the entrance. On your way, you will climb quite lots of stair which was a bit steep and an uphill street. No need to complain, all those things would be paid off once you reach the top of Phi Phi Island. There are not too many people there so just take your time to enjoy the amazing view.