Koh Phi Phi Destination Guide

Updated 3rd Sep 2026

The Phi Phi islands are two separate places under one name: Phi Phi Don, the inhabited island where every hotel and restaurant sits, and Phi Phi Leh, the uninhabited neighbour that holds Maya Bay. Neither has an airport. Both sit largely inside Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, and every visitor arrives by boat.

Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh: two very different islands

Phi Phi Don is the only inhabited island of the two. It covers 10.27 square kilometres, measuring roughly 8km by 3.5km, and its two hillside halves are almost separated, joined by a narrow flat isthmus where the main village sits. Its population was recorded at roughly 2,500 in 2018, most of them working in tourism.

Phi Phi Leh has none of that: no hotels, no shops, no roads and no permanent residents. At around 2 square kilometres it is smaller than Phi Phi Don, and its limestone cliffs almost completely enclose Maya Bay, a second bay called Loh Samah, and a shallow inlet called Pileh with a small coral reef at its mouth.

Maya Bay's fame traces to the 2000 film The Beach. The bay sits on Phi Phi Leh, not Phi Phi Don, and is a day trip, not an overnight stay.

The national park the islands sit in

Both islands sit inside Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, established in 1983 and covering roughly 388 square kilometres across two separate areas: a stretch of the Krabi mainland coastline and the Phi Phi archipelago itself. Most, but not literally all, of Phi Phi Don's own land falls inside the park boundary; part of the inhabited island instead sits under the Ao Nang Tambon Administrative Organisation.

Getting there: no airport, only boats

Koh Phi Phi has no airport. Every arrival is by boat, and for a visitor flying in that means one of three mainland piers: Krabi's Khlong Jilad Pier, Ao Nang's Nopparat Thara Pier, or Phuket's Rassada Pier, landing at Tonsai Pier on the island's south side or Laem Thong Pier on its north. Arrivals at Tonsai pay an island waste-management fee on landing.

A flight only reaches the mainland gateway, not the island itself. Krabi Airport (KBV) is the direct gateway for this part of the Andaman coast, and the Krabi Destination Guide covers the wider province and how to move on from there.

Phuket International Airport (HKT), covered on the Phuket Destination Guide, is the other starting point, with ferries running direct from Rassada Pier to Phi Phi without routing through Krabi at all. The Phuket crossing is the longer of the two, at around two to three hours against roughly two hours from Krabi, so check the operator for the day you travel.

Phi Phi also connects onward to Koh Lanta by boat, without returning to the mainland first. That crossing runs daily all year, with far more sailings between October and May than during the monsoon months. See the Koh Lanta Destination Guide for how that island fits into a longer Andaman itinerary, and Koh Lanta: A Hidden Treasure Near Krabi for what there is to do once there.

Maya Bay: access rules and the annual closure

Maya Bay closes every year from 1 August to 30 September, to let the reef and beach recover from the year's visitor numbers and because the monsoon sea there is unsafe for visitors. It normally reopens on 1 October, though the park can hold the date back if the sea is still rough. That is a standing annual pattern, not a one-off, and it is worth checking a trip's dates against it before planning a visit around the bay specifically.

During the closure, boats reportedly continue to run around the rest of Phi Phi Leh, including Pileh Lagoon and Viking Cave, and on to Bamboo Island off the north-east of Phi Phi Don, while Maya Bay, Ao Lo Samah and Ao Lokoh are all closed to landings; the beach can still be seen from a passing boat.

When the bay is open, boats do not enter it. They moor at Loh Samah Bay, on the far side of the same island, and visitors reach the beach on foot along a purpose-built boardwalk.

Swimming and snorkelling are banned inside Maya Bay, because it is a nursery for blacktip reef sharks and the coral is still recovering, and the ban is enforced: two tourists were fined after entering the water in a no-swimming zone at Maya Bay on 26 February 2026, under the National Park Act 2019. A visitor cap and a per-visit time limit also apply, alongside a park entry fee, so a bay visit is a timed slot, not a free-roaming stop.

A 2026 safety closure on Phi Phi Don

Nation Thailand reported that the national park closed Ao Ling and Sam Hat on Phi Phi Don to swimming, with red-flag warnings and coastal patrols, after rangers from its PP 7 protection unit found Portuguese man o' war there on 5 June 2026, reported the following day. Laem Tanod, at the neighbouring Mu Ko Lanta National Park, closed for the same reason the same day.

No reopening date has been published since. Thai park closures of this kind are not always announced when they end, so check the posted beach flags or the park's own notices at Ao Ling and Sam Hat on arrival, instead of assuming either way.

When to go

The Andaman monsoon season runs roughly May to October, with periodic strong-wind and wave warnings through that stretch and small boats advised to stay ashore during them. November to April is the established cool, dry season and the recommended window for a Phi Phi trip.

Within that pattern, travel-guide accounts of the islands describe May and September as usually the wettest months on Phi Phi specifically, March to mid-May as the hottest stretch, and October as a quieter tail end of the wet season as conditions ease.

Where to stay on Phi Phi Don

Travel write-ups agree closely on the island's four areas, though none of them is an operator or an official guide. Tonsai Village, at the main pier, is the commercial hub of restaurants, bars and budget lodging: loud into the early morning on its bar-heavy east side, calmer on its west side despite sitting just as close to the centre.

Loh Dalum, the beach immediately behind Tonsai on the same narrow isthmus, is the island's main nightlife beach, with beach bars and fire shows after dark and a livelier feel than Tonsai's back streets.

Long Beach (Hat Yao), reachable on foot from Tonsai at low tide or by longtail boat at high tide and after dark, is quieter, with softer sand, better snorkelling and views across to Phi Phi Leh.

Laem Thong, at the island's far northern tip and a longtail ride from Tonsai, is the most remote and secluded part of the island: an Urak Lawoi sea-gypsy village alongside a handful of resorts, and no backpacker strip.

Who Phi Phi Don suits

Tonsai and Loh Dalum suit budget travellers, backpackers and anyone after a party-oriented nightlife scene. Long Beach and Laem Thong suit people who want quiet and good snorkelling instead, with Laem Thong's small resorts described as more upmarket and away from the village.

The island has no cars anywhere. It is walkable within each village. Getting between the beaches is mostly by longtail boat, though Long Beach can also be reached on foot from Tonsai at low tide.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an airport on Koh Phi Phi?

No. Every arrival is by boat, landing at Tonsai Pier or Laem Thong Pier. Most crossings run from Krabi, Ao Nang or Phuket; there are also direct boats from Koh Lanta.

What is the difference between Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh?

Phi Phi Don is inhabited, with hotels, restaurants and a resident population. Phi Phi Leh is not: no hotels, no shops, no roads, and Maya Bay, which it holds, is visited for the day, not stayed on.

Can I swim at Maya Bay?

No. Swimming and snorkelling are banned inside the bay itself, and the ban is enforced with fines. The rest of Phi Phi Leh, including Pileh Lagoon, does not carry the same ban, and nor does Bamboo Island, which sits off Phi Phi Don, not Phi Phi Leh.

Where should I stay on Koh Phi Phi?

Tonsai and Loh Dalum if you want to be within walking distance of the boats and the bars. Long Beach if you want quiet but still want to walk into the village at low tide. Laem Thong if you want neither, and do not mind that every trip off the beach is a boat.