Phi Phi Islands: Getting There and Tips

View from Phi Phi Pier

Koh Phi Phi (pronounced Pe Pe) is a small group of islands located in the south of Thailand. They are easily accessible by ferry from Phuket and Krabi which both have airports. Phi Phi Don is the main island and boasts luxury hotels, beach bungalows, hostels, restaurants, bars and no cars. Phi Phi Leh is a uninhabitated island and is home to the legendary Maya Beach

The real beauty of Phi Phi lies in the crystal clear water, wooden longboats, white sand beaches and sheer limestone cliffs.

From Phuket, we took a taxi to Rassada Pier and then took a ferry which was about 2 hours to Phi Phi. Depending if you want to take a speed boat of ferry the prices vary. The speedboat is extremely bumping but there is a constant breeze and is faster than the ferry. The ferry is cheaper because it holds more people but takes 2 hours nonstop compared to the 1 hour speedboat. Price also varies depending on the time you go. We found that the morning times were generally more expensive.

Tonsai is the only town and the main pier for the ferry on Phi Phi. Tonsai is a small town, adapted for the hundreds of tourists that come every day. From the pier we then took a long boat to Long Beach where there are a number of beach bungalows. Long Beach is an absolutely gorgeous white sand beach with a views of Phi Phi Leh. The other large beach on the island is Loh Da Lum Bay which is crowded by beach bars and is the happening place for nightlife but no where as near beautiful as Long Beach. The town is completely walkable and is filled with souvenir shops and restaurants however, I did notice they could use a few more coffee shops. The town is about as charming as any super touristy place could get and the real beauty of this island lies in the crystal clear water, white sand beaches and sheer limestone cliffs.

Tips:

STAY ON LONGBEACH: Staying on Long Beach was the best decision we made because it was clean, beautiful, and didn't have a party scene. Its a little more expensive but worth it if you dont want to have a Spring Break type of experience. (The only downside were the long boats that constantly come and go and are really quite loud.

Have a drink at The Only Bar: Its not as cheap as “buckets” but has a great view of the sunset and good mojitos. Buckets are like a do it yourself cocktail. They come with a small bottle of alcohol, ice, and some type of juice or soda. They are popular because they are cheap and have a lot of alcohol.

Passion fruit mojito at The Only Bar

Dont have high expectations: This island's natural beauty is mouth dropping but its easy to focus on only the tourist filled streets, spring breaker type bars, smell of burning garbage, and the loud constant buzz of the long boats. I would recommend to go to Phi Phi as a free spirited adventure and but dont go looking for paradise because you will be disappointed.

Rent a private long boat to explore: Phi Phi Don is lovely but it is absouletly worth it see Phi Phi Leh. You can also go out to Bamboo Island or Monkey Beach. For 3 hours, we rented a private long boat for 1800 baht. I would say about 5 people could fit comfortably.

Maya Bay is CLOSED: Maya Bay is one of the most famous destinations in Thailand, partly because of the movie The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Due to over tourism, Maya Bay has been closed indefinitely. If you are planning your trip to Phi Phi just to snorkel in Maya Bay and walk on the famed beach, you will be horribly dismayed. Boats can still go into the bay but only a distance from the beach.

Spend at least 2 days: Its really worth it to spend at least 2 days on Phi Phi purely because of its beauty and laid back beach vibes. It’s a little more expensive than the mainland but the beach front hotels are still the fraction of the price compared to what they would be in the US.

Hike to Phi Phi view point: If you do this hike start in town and follow the signs up to the three different viewpoints. Don’t forget money because there is small charge to enter each viewpoint. I forgot to bring money on my hike and was unable to see the actual view though I heard it was great.

Beach path from long beach to town: This path is great if you don’t want to spend the 100baht per person on the long boat to town. It takes about 30 minutes from Long Beach to town but I would not recommend walking it in the dark. Parts of the path are uneven, rocky and narrow. At the end closest to Long Beach you have to climb down rocks and there is a tied rope for support-reminscent of Tarzan.