Phi Phi Islands day trip from Phuket and Khao Lak: tour, price and Maya Bay

The Phi Phi Islands are a full-day speedboat trip from Phuket: the boat leaves Royal Phuket Marina at 7:30 and reaches Maya Bay about an hour later. The Phi Phi Island X-Large "Early Bird" tour costs ฿4,100 per adult and ฿3,100 for children aged 4 to 12 — the same price from Phuket and from Khao Lak, with hotel transfer, national park fees, snorkelling gear, lunch and insurance included. It runs daily, all year round.

At a glance

• ·Price: ฿4,100, children (4–12) ฿3,100 — the same from Phuket and from Khao Lak, transfer included
• ·Days: daily, all year · about 8 hours
• ·Pickup: Phuket around 6:30, Khao Lak around 5:15 · boat leaves Royal Phuket Marina at 7:30 · back at the marina around 15:00
• ·Included: hotel transfer, light breakfast, park fees, guide (English, German, French), snorkelling gear, lunch, drinks, snacks, fruit, insurance
• ·Not included: beach towel, tips
• ·Boat: speedboat with at most 32 guests · minimum age 4 · not for pregnant guests

As of November 2026; we send the exact pickup time for your hotel the evening before.

How does the day go?

At 7:30 the speedboat leaves Royal Phuket Marina. The stops, in their usual order:

• ·Maya Bay (around 8:30): the bay from "The Beach" with Leonardo DiCaprio, at its quietest.
• ·Pileh Lagoon: emerald water between sheer limestone cliffs — the swim stop.
• ·Viking Cave: a photo stop from the boat; swiftlet nests are still harvested in the cave.
• ·Monkey Beach and Tonsai Bay on Phi Phi Don: the macaques, then free time on the beach or the walk up to the viewpoint over both bays.
• ·Snorkelling off Phi Phi Don: the long stop of the day, corals and reef fish.
• ·Bamboo Island: picnic lunch and beach time on soft white sand.

Around 15:00 the boat is back at the marina; depending on where your hotel is and on traffic, you are back there one to one and a half hours later. The order is not fixed: the guide rearranges it to keep clear of the other boats. Hence the early start — "Early Bird" means being in Maya Bay before most boats arrive.

Maya Bay: what is allowed?

Maya Bay is on Phi Phi Leh; a short trail leads into the bay. Under national park rules you may walk on the beach but not swim there — the swim comes at the next stop, in Pileh Lagoon. In 2026 the bay was closed for landing from 1 August to 30 September; during a closure like that it is viewed from the boat. We confirm the situation for your date when you enquire.

Phi Phi from Khao Lak: is it worth the drive?

The tour also runs from Khao Lak at the same price of ฿4,100 (children ฿3,100), transfer included. Hotel pickup is around 5:15, the drive to Royal Phuket Marina takes about 90 minutes, and the same again after the boat returns around 15:00. A long day, but a manageable one. If the early pickup puts you off: the Similan and Surin Islands start directly from the Khao Lak side (season 15 October to 15 May) — see tours from Khao Lak.

Group tour or private boat?

The group tour costs ฿4,100 per person, everything included, with at most 32 guests. The same route runs privately from Royal Phuket Marina, priced per boat:

• ·Speedboat: from ฿45,900 — up to 20 guests with two engines, up to 32 with three
• ·Speed catamaran: from ฿62,900 — noticeably steadier in a swell, a toilet on board
• ·Premium speed catamaran: from ฿119,000 — 2 × 780 hp, a big sun deck at the bow

The boat price includes breakfast, an English-speaking guide, insurance, snorkelling gear, drinks and snacks; hotel transfer, lunch, beach towels and a German- or French-speaking guide are added on request. For ten people the speedboat works out at ฿4,590 a head before extras — and you set the start time, the order and the pace. For two, the group tour is the right choice.

Phi Phi or Krabi?

Both tours leave from Royal Phuket Marina and last about eight hours. Phi Phi has the big names — Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Tonsai Bay — and runs daily, all year. [Krabi 4 Islands + Koh Hong](/tours/krabi-4-island-tour-from-phuket) costs ฿4,300 (children ฿3,500), picks up in Phuket around 5:15 and runs only from 15 October to 15 May, with a minimum of 12 guests: Poda Island, the Thale Waek sandbank, snorkelling off Koh Hong, its 360° viewpoint and its lagoon. If snorkelling is the point, take Koh Rok & Koh Haa (฿4,900, children ฿3,600, 10 hours, same season), with a break at Phi Phi Leh on the way. Other options: the Similan Islands from Phuket and James Bond Island.

With children, in a swell, in the rainy season?

Children can join from age 4; ages 4 to 12 pay the child price of ฿3,100. Pregnant guests cannot take part. The crossing to Maya Bay takes about an hour — pleasant in a calm sea, bumpy in a swell; anyone prone to seasickness takes a tablet beforehand.

The tour runs daily in the rainy season too. The operator decides in the morning on the day's weather and safety conditions; on a storm warning the trip is cancelled and we find a new date. In the rainy season lunch may be served in a local restaurant. More in rainy season and best time to visit.

What should you bring?

Swimwear under your clothes, a towel, sunscreen (waterproof, reef-safe if possible), a hat, a light jacket for the morning crossing, sandals with grip for the viewpoint walk, a little cash for tips. Valuables stay in the hotel safe. All tour conditions are in Thailand from A to Z.