A lot of you planning a trip to Phuket might be wondering… is Koh Phi Phi worth it or not? I sure did! Since we had such limited time (and I’m sure a lot of you do too), we wanted to make the best of our time in Phuket with the least amount of moving possible. Ideally, we wanted to stay in one place and just take excursions everyday, but the thought of spending the night on Koh Phi Phi did cross my mind but was it really worth it? So, I went into full research mode and in the end, glad we did what we did. Let’s dive in!

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Koh Phi Phi Islands

Koh Phi Phi is made up of six islands but the two main ones that everyone goes to are Koh Phi Phi Don and Koh Phi Phi Leh/Ley. Koh Phi Phi Don is the bigger island and is where all the accommodations, restaurants, bars, amenities are. Koh Phi Phi Leh is non-inhabited and is where the famous Maya Bay (made famous by the movie The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio) is. That alone makes Koh Phi Phi worth it for some people, but for others, there are some other things to take into consideration.

 

How Long Does it Take to Get to Koh Phi Phi Islands?

Determining if Koh Phi Phi is worth it or not might depend entirely if you have the time to visit the island. On average from Phuket, it takes about 2 hours by ferry or an 1 hour by speed boat to get to TonsaiPier on Koh Phi Phi Don. If you want to go to Maya Bay, then from Tonsai Pier, you’ll have to take another boat (usually a longtail boat) to Koh Phi Phi Leh. That will take you around 20-30 minutes.

Mind you, since you are coming off of a ferry or speed boat, everyone on those boats are probably doing the same thing you are. So, be prepared to wait in line as well once you get to Maya Bay. Maya Bay is not free and you will have to pay an entrance fee. On top of that, they only allow a certain number of people inside per “shift” so as not to overcrowd the beach. 

If you are making a day trip, just make sure you tell your longtail boat that you need to be back at Tonsai Pier at a certain time to catch your ferry or speedboat back. The one thing that sucks about these speed boats/ferries is that they have limited schedules. I believe the first boat out is around 8:30 am and the last boat that heads back to Phuket or Krabi is around 2:30-3:00 pm. So yeah, not much time. Also, if you miss your boat back, you’re going to be stuck on the island!

 

Should I Stay the Night in Koh Phi Phi?

I was really torn about this because I really wanted to see Maya Bay without the crowds. I’ve seen people’s videos of massive lines getting into Maya Bay and that was the last thing that I wanted. I knew if we stayed the night in Koh Phi Phi, we would have a better chance of seeing a more “chill” side to Maya Bay, but the thought of packing up all of our stuff just to spend one night in Koh Phi Phi didn’t seem worth it. Also, we were a group of 5 and there weren’t a lot of “Airbnbs” or affordable hotels for our size group on Koh Phi Phi Don. 

Luckily, after doing a ton of research, I found an AMAZING tour company called Simba Sea Trips (I’m not affiliated with them) that does a sunrise boat tour to Koh Phi Phi from Phuket. This tour is actually marketed to people that want to go to Maya Bay without dealing with the crowds. Yes, it was a very early morning wake up call but it was well worth it! We got to watch the sunrise over the Andaman Sea and make it to Maya Bay before it got too crowded. There were already plenty of people there, but I assume there was still far less than what it would be later in the day. 

So, overall, I don’t think you need to stay the night in Koh Phi Phi if all you want to do is see Maya Bay. You can take the same boat tour we did and you’ll be back home by lunch time. This is a great option especially if you are staying in Phuket and don’t want to move accommodations. I would say the only reason I would stay the night in Koh Phi Phi is that I’ve heard Maya Bay REALLY clears out by 2:00 pm because that’s when all the speed boats and ferries leave back to Phuket or Krabi. So, if you really want to enjoy the beach, and just not visit due to the movie, then it might be worth it for you to stay.

• Photography Tip: Keep in mind that if you do take the sunrise tour, you will get to Maya Bay very early and the lighting is not the best. The sun will be behind you and behind some large cliffs so you won’t get the bright blues out of the water as you see in all the pictures. The sun barely started making its way around the cliffs right when we left around 8:15-ish.

 

Is Maya Bay Open Right Now?

You’ve probably been hearing a lot of conflicting information, but yes, at least during the time I went over NYE 2024, Maya Bay was open to tourists. I know it was closed for a couple of years due to over-tourism, but then it opened again and then it closed again. Well, it’s definitely open at the moment but there are talks about it closing again later this year for 2 months to reevaluate the area and the effects of tourism. So, just make sure you research what time of year you are going if visiting Maya Bay is important to you. In 2023, they were closed from August 1-October 1, 2023, just to give you an idea.

 

So, Is Koh Phi Phi Worth it?

Why Koh Phi Phi is Not Worth It

Okay so here is my opinion… Yes, I absolutely think Koh Phi Phi is worth it, but for reasons you might not think. I don’t think Koh Phi Phi is worth it for Koh Phi Phi Don because accommodations are overpriced and I’ve heard there’s nothing there that you can’t find on any other beach back on Phuket or Krabi. 

Second, I don’t think it’s worth it for Maya Bay either. I know… shocking! Maya Bay is great if you actually get to sit, relax, and enjoy your time there, but you aren’t really allowed to do that. You’re not allowed to enter the water up to a certain point, you can’t swim, you can’t snorkel, and you can’t really explore around the island. There are a bunch of guards that will scream and yell at you if you get in the water too far or explore too deep along the coast. Unfortunately, Maya Bay is pretty much just a place for people to go and take pictures now. To be honest, it should probably stay that way so the bay can heal itself from the over-tourism from the past couple decades.

Why Koh Phi Phi Is Worth It

Now, why I think Koh Phi Phi is worth it is because of Pileh Lagoon (a.k.a. Pi Leh Bay). Omg, I don’t think I’ve seen a more picturesque place in the whole world! Pileh Lagoon is on the opposite side of Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Leh’s east coast. Pileh Lagoon was part of our sunrise tour too and it was my favorite place by far. The water was the most turquoise water I have ever seen. The lagoon was also surrounded by those towering cliffs you saw at Maya Bay so the water was just as calm here too. The best part is that everyone could actually swim and snorkel here. Granted, there’s no beach for you to lay on, but why would you when you have this amazing water! 

If you are coming to Koh Phi Phi just for Pileh Lagoon though, definitely check with your tour operator or boat tour if they can physically enter the lagoon that day. Pileh Lagoon is pretty shallow and during certain tides, the water can be too low for boats to enter the lagoon. Our tour guide told us that we were lucky since the day that we went was probably the last day we could enter the lagoon safely until the tides rose up again. Just something to keep in mind!

 

Final Thoughts

If you’ve never been to Koh Phi Phi, it’s almost a must that you go to Maya Bay especially if you’re a movie fanatic. But if you’re looking for a cool beach to hang out on, there are better options for you out there. If I were to do this again, I would seriously just pack some good food and booze the night before and take the first speed boat out from Phuket or Krabi to Tonsai Pier. Then rent a longtail boat and head straight for Pileh Lagoon. That way you can spend the whole morning there relaxing on the boat and swimming in the clear waters with some good music. Then I would probably leave the lagoon around 1:00-2:00 pm to catch the last speed boat back to wherever you’re staying. 

Hopefully I answered your question if Koh Phi Phi is worth it or not! It just really depends on what you are after and if you have the time or not. If you have any more questions, feel free to leave them in the comment box below. I read all the comments so I’ll definitely respond back if there is a question I can answer. Safe travels!