Phi Phi Islands Day Trip: Is It Worth Doing?

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There are some stunning places in Thailand, but without a doubt, the Phi Phi Islands are one of those bucket list experiences that is worth the hype! We did a Phi Phi Islands day trip from Phuket, and even with less than perfect weather, it was undoubtedly one of our favourite experiences during our trip to Thailand.

We did this full-day trip to Phi Phi Islands from Phuket. It included hotel transfers, which made the whole experience incredibly easy, although you can book without them too.

This guide will cover tips for visiting Phi Phi Islands, including options for day trips or longer stays, and share our experience from our own day exploring the islands.

Firstly, Are The Phi Phi Islands Worth Visiting?

Alright, before we get right into it, this is what you really want to know, right? Should you even visit the Phi Phi Islands, or is it over-hyped and destined to be a disappointment?

The short answer – YES. Did we love it? Absolutely. Do we recommend it? Yes.

But like anything, it’s not going to be entirely perfect. Koh Phi Phi had a bit of a bad rap over the years as being a must-visit backpacker’s destination, which earned it a bit of a reputation for tourists partying too hard and getting into bad situations. That version of the islands isn’t quite like that now.

Yep, you’re going to have to put up with massive crowds.

Some of the day tours do visit the different islands earlier than others to beat the rush. Our day tour visited Bamboo Island before any other boats arrived, so that was cool!

But overall, the islands are beautiful! They do look exactly like they do in the Instagram shots (although you might have to get lucky to get those shots without 50 people taking selfies in them). So yes, worth visiting!

Where Are The Phi Phi Islands?

The Phi Phi Islands are located on the western side of Thailand in the Andaman Sea, and are a similar distance from both Phuket and Krabi. We visited from Phuket. They are administratively part of Krabi Province.

They are approximately 48 km from Phuket and 42 km from Krabi.

For reference, it took approximately one hour by speedboat to reach the islands from Phuket Boat Harbour. A little longer by a long-tail boat or other slower cruises.

Our Phi Phi Islands Day Trip From Phuket

Before I get into our itinerary, there are many different Phi Phi Islands day tours available. We did this exact tour, and it was fantastic. Each one will have a slightly different itinerary.

Our day started early, with a 7:00 a.m. pickup from Beyond Kata Resort to take us to the marina. Here, sign-in was simple, and then there was time to have breakfast or a snack, and then onto the speedboat.

The thing we liked about Yacht Master, who our day trip was with, is that they have smaller speed boats, which means smaller groups.

Our day started at Bamboo Island and ours was the first boat to arrive which meant we had it to ourselves for around 30 minutes before any other boats arrived. That was pretty cool. Although, other than swimming, there isn’t a lot to do there.

There’s a store and picnic areas. If you get lucky, you might spot a comodo dragon.

Our next stop was for snorkelling at Ko Phi Phi Le. They provide snorkelling masks for everyone and, of course, life jackets. It was a good spot for snorkelling. Incredibly clear water and plenty of tropical fish, not too deep.

We’ve snorkelled in the Great Barrier Reef a few times, and this was comparable to some of those experiences.

We stopped for sightseeing at Monkey Beach. We didn’t get off the boat but it pulls in close to the beach and cliff faces so you can see a lot of monkeys. They are just hanging off the rocks everywhere. Crazy!

Our cruise host said they are nasty and like a monkey mafia, hence, no getting off the boat!

After that, it was on to Ko Phi Phi Don for lunch. Lunch was a buffet at one of the island restaurants. The buffet here was maybe my least favourite thing of the day, but it had enough variety.

We also had quite a bit of spare time to wander Phi Phi Don for some shopping at the markets and sightseeing.

And to watch monkeys doing crazy things… we were warned not to touch them.

After lunch, we went sightseeing in the beautiful Pileh Lagoon. This is one of those famous Instagram spots. Lots of people hire the private long tail boats to do their Gram-worthy shots. It’s actually hilarious just to watch people at the hull of all these wooden boats posing.

But Pileh Lagoon is stunning and totally lives up to its reputation.

We followed this with a second snorkelling site, just near Viking Cave. Another beautiful spot, and you can spot baby reef sharks skimming the top of the water.

Then our final stop was Maya Bay. This is a famous beach from the Leonardo DiCaprio film ‘The Beach’, and it is absolutely stunning. Our weather turned a little bad by this point of the day, but still fine to enjoy a walk along this beautiful beach.

Swimming is not allowed here due to the bay being protected. There is a person there to blow his whistle at anyone who tries. You will also find a cafe here if you’re in need of a snack, however, we got plenty of fruit snacks and water during our cruise.

Then, it was time to head back to Phuket Boat Ramp Pier, and I will warn you that the trip back is not like the trip over! Holy Moly!

Since you’re going against the waves, the speed boat is bouncing on those waves and launching everyone out of their seats every 30 seconds. It’s wild.

I am prone to sea sickness but always take ginger tablets before I board. Thank goodness I did. No issues at all. Grateful we didn’t have the kids with us either because our youngest would absolutely have been terrified and sick… but it was kind of fun still!

Then we got back, got given an ice cream, then boarded our private transfers back to our hotels. So simple.

Day Trip Or Overnight Stay At Phi Phi Islands?

While we only did a day trip to Phi Phi Islands during our Phuket itinerary, there is definitely an opportunity to extend your stay overnight or for more than one night.

Phi Phi Don is set up for longer stays, with accommodation, restaurants, markets and plenty of activities. It’s a good way to explore a little deeper around the islands, if you’ve got the time.

However, we found a day trip to be a perfect option for us with only 7 days in Phuket. We saw A LOT on our day trip. It felt like more than enough time in each location, too.

So if you’re short on time, a day trip is definitely the way to go!

Final Thoughts

We enjoyed our day trip to Phi Phi Islands. It was one of my favourite days on the whole trip, and while there were big crowds in some of the locations, it didn’t drastically impact our experience.

Our Maya, Phi Phi, and Bamboo Island with Buffet Lunch day tour from Phuket was a great option, and I’m glad we did this tour. Currently, it has over 16k reviews on GetYourGuide with an average of 4.6 out of 5 rating, hence why I booked it.

The whole process was smooth from transfers to boarding and getting back to our resort, plus the crew was fantastic!

But it’s certainly not your only option if you’re looking for something a little different.