Leonardo DiCaprio getting in trouble on a moderate box office success actually turned the paradisiacal Phi Phi Islands into one of the most desired destinations in Thailand, and while the movie deserves its rotten tomatoes status, the pristine archipelago deserves every bit of fame!

Pronounced “Pee-Pee”, the Phi Phi Islands are actually a group of 6 islands! The two main ones are Phi Phi Don, which is the only inhabited island, and Phi Phi Lee, where the famous Maya Bay is situated.

Here, you’ll find colossal limestone formations rising from the sea and surrounding white sandy beaches with turquoise water, as well as some great dive sites right at your fingertips. And, well, crowds…

Despite Leo being partially guilty of this one, we wouldn’t expect paradise to be on the screens and then not visited right?! Yet, once you do set foot on Koh Phi Phi, you’ll instantly understand why people keep coming back.

This is your ultimate guide to visiting Phi Phi Islands!

Best Time to Visit Phi Phi Islands

The best time to visit Phi Phi Islands for the best weather is from mid-November to May, with the peak summer and tourist season being between January and April.

Mid-May to October is monsoon season in Thailand, and although you might experience a few days of heavy rainfall, you’ll also get clear and sunny days, prices at an all-time low, and no crowds. If you opt to visit during monsoon, the months of June to August are the ones with the lowest rainfall.

How Long to Stay

Phi Phi Islands can be visited on a full-day tour from both Phuket and Krabi, which usually includes most of the Islands’ highlights, such as Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, and Monkey Beach. These are perfect if you’re short on time, but if you plan on spending a few days in paradise, we would recommend at least 3 nights to fully enjoy it!

Also read: 9 BEST Things to Do on Phi Phi Islands in 2023

How to get to Phi Phi Islands

There are two main ways to visit Phi Phi, you can either hop on a day tour of the islands or get a ferry. Ferries to the archipelago are available from Phuket, Krabi, and Koh Lanta, and can be booked online in advance or directly at the pier (we recommend booking at least one to two days in advance during peak season!).

Book your ferry to Phi Phi Islands here >

The ferry journey from Phuket to Phi Phi takes around two hours and from Krabi or Lanta, around 90 minutes. The average cost is about 400-600 bahts (around 10-16 euros) one way per person. Once arriving at the pier, another 20 bahts are required to enter the island.

If you opt to visit Phi Phi Islands on a day tour from Phuket or Krabi, we recommend booking in advance via Get Your Guide. The average cost is about 1,500-1,900 bahts (~40-52 euros) per person, going up to around 3,000-4,000 bahts (~80-110 euros) for a private tour.

Note: most tours departing from Krabi and Phuket are on large speedboats that fit up to 32 people, while the ones departing from Phi Phi Don are usually on longtail boats of 8 people.

Where to Stay on Phi Phi Islands

Tonsai Village, on Phi Phi Don, is where most of the hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops are situated. There are great accommodations on this part of the island but the closer you are to the pier and to the main Chaokoh Road, the noisier it will be. Alternatively, Long Beach and Viking Beach are also great options that are close enough to Tonsai!

If you prefer a more secluded stay, Loh Ba Kao and Laem Tong Village on the northernmost part of the island are great options, but only accessible by boat (or by a very adventurous 2-hour-plus jungle hike from Tonsai).

Pro tip: If you are looking for a very secluded luxury stay, we recommend the amazing SAii Phi Phi Island Village and the Zeavola Resort.

Getting Around

There are only two modes of transportation on Koh Phi Phi: your own feet or boats. While it is possible to do the whole island on foot (here’s the map on All Trails), a boat is the most comfortable option to get around and visit the island’s gorgeous beaches.

From Tonsai Pier and the Loh Dalum Beach, you can get longtail taxi boats that will take you anywhere on the island for a fee. These can get quite expensive depending on where you want to go: you can expect to pay around 100-300 bahts (~3-8 euros) to the most visited beaches such as Long Beach, and up to 500-1,200 bahts (~13-32 euros) to the northernmost or less visited spots, such as Nui Beach.

Also read: The Complete Guide to ALL of Phi Phi Islands Beaches

To visit the other islands, a day tour is the cheapest option, but you can also organize private trips with local longtail boats.

Things to Do at Phi Phi Islands

Despite being very small, there are plenty of things to do at Phi Phi Islands:

🌴 Take a day tour of the Phi Phi Islands: the best way to see all of Phi Phi Islands’ highlights is to hop on a day tour! These usually include a visit to Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Monkey Beach, and Bamboo Island, as well as lots of snorkeling stops on the way. Prices usually start at €40+ for a day tour.

🐚 Relax on one of the many paradisiacal beaches: Phi Phi Islands are home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and we have a complete guide that covers ALL of them. From the stunning Maya Bay to hidden coves surrounded by impressive limestone cliffs, there’s a beach for every type of traveler on Phi Phi!

🥳 Party all night: it’s no mystery Phi Phi is a party island and parties do get wild here. Think riding a mechanic bull naked or fighting a stranger on a muay-thay ring to win a cocktail-in-a-bucket kind of wild. You can also find laid-back bars and beachfront fire shows.

🤿 Go snorkeling and diving: snorkel with blacktip reef sharks just a few meters off the beach, or go deeper on a diving trip to spot some colorful corals, big schools of reef fish, and if you’re lucky, huge Whale Sharks.

If you want to see an in-depth guide on what to do at Phi Phi Islands, check out our 9 Best Things to Do at Phi Phi Islands which includes costs and personal recommendations as well as our Complete Guide to ALL of Phi Phi Islands Beaches for the absolute hidden gems!

Phi Phi Islands on a Budget

Phi Phi is more expensive than mainland Thailand, especially if you plan on doing boat trips and/or guided activities such as jungle hiking, snorkeling, or diving. Most places only accept cash, and there are plenty of ATMs available in Tonsai Village.

🛏️ Accommodation: the cheapest accommodations on Phi Phi start at €7-16 a night for hostel dorms and €15-30 for budget private rooms.

🍔 Food: different from mainland Thailand, you won’t find anything cheaper than €2 here. Food at Tonsai Village will usually cost between €3-10, averaging €4 per dish (still incredibly cheap!)

🚌 Transport: the ferry to and from Phi Phi costs around €10-16 one way. If you plan on taking taxi boats to the most isolated beaches, consider at least €15 both ways per day.

🎟️ Activities: if you plan on doing a boat tour you should consider at least €40+ for it. Most activities, except for diving, will start at this price tag, so you can use it as a ruler.

Note: we visited Koh Phi Phi on a budget for two weeks during the high season and managed to stay at a budget of around €23 per person per day, including two boat tours.

Phi Phi Islands Travel Tips

• There is only one hospital on the whole island – the World Med Center at Tonsai Village. It’s rather a clinic than a real hospital, and in most severe cases you will most likely be transferred back to Krabi or Phuket.
• Bring your own sunscreen! Sunscreen in Asia usually comes with brightening agents and is much more expensive on the islands.
• Tonsai Village is quite overdeveloped and unfortunately is not uncommon for the water to get contaminated – the very one you use to brush your teeth. We had so many friends get sick because of this, so if you’re on a budget stay and near the town, we would highly recommend brushing your teeth with bottled water.