The Phi Phi islands are the reason many people come to Krabi at all, and a day tour is the simple way to see them: Maya Bay, the enclosed water of Pileh Lagoon, snorkeling off Phi Phi Leh, lunch on Phi Phi Don and an hour or so on the white sand of Bamboo Island. Srisawat’s Phi Phi Speedboat with Buffet Lunch is a fair example of the standard day. It was $47 per person for 9 November 2026, takes about 7.5 hours with hotel pickup in Krabi, crosses in about 45 minutes, stops at two snorkel spots on the way, and is rated 4.6 from 1,052 reviews. Our review →
Phi Phi Speedboat with Buffet Lunch
What the day gives you
In one day you see the places on the postcards. You walk into Maya Bay from the boardwalk at Loh Samah on the back of Phi Phi Leh, swim off the boat in Pileh Lagoon, look into Viking Cave and at the macaques of Monkey Beach from the water, eat a buffet lunch on Phi Phi Don, and finish on Bamboo Island. Snorkel gear, lunch, water, fruit and the pickup are included.
Getting there on your own costs more effort than money. The ferry to Phi Phi Don takes about 2 hours, and Maya Bay and Pileh are on the other island, so you would still need a boat from Tonsai. For a day trip from Krabi, the tour is the practical way to do it.
What it costs you in time
It is a long day. Pickups start before 9:00, and on the early birds before 6:30. The crossing from the Ao Nang side takes about 45 to 60 minutes each way, and most stops last 15 to 50 minutes, so you are getting on and off the boat all day. Most standard tours have you back by about 17:00.
Speedboats are fast and loud, and on a choppy day the open-water crossing can be hard on your back. Nearly every operator lists pregnancy and back or heart problems as reasons not to come.
The crowds
The main drawback is that you share these places with a lot of other people. Maya Bay takes visitors in landing rounds of up to an hour, with a reported cap of about 375 people a round, and boats from Phuket and Phi Phi Don arrive too. Reviews of the bigger boats describe 30 to 40 people aboard on Sea Eagle’s Phi Phi, Maya Bay & Bamboo Island tour and about 57 on the Phi Phi Sunset, BBQ & Plankton, all moving between stops together.
For most people it does not spoil the day. Sea Eagle’s tour is rated 4.4 from 3,941 reviews and Srisawat’s 4.6, and the lower ratings are mostly three-star reviews from people who enjoyed the scenery and disliked the crowd. Small-group tours exist for exactly this, and the early birds aim to reach Maya Bay before the busiest part of the morning.
What the low-star reviews say
We read the one- to three-star reviews on the main tours. The same few themes come up:
- Crowds and a rushed feel. “Too many tourists squashed” at stops on the Phi Phi Speedboat Tour with Lunch, Maya Bay as a “tourist zoo” on Sea Eagle’s tour, “a disaster” with over a thousand people on the Maya Bay, Bamboo & Phi Phi Day Tour, and “crowds despite early bird” on the best-selling early bird.
- Waiting. Head counts and late starts while the boat collects other groups; one Sea Eagle reviewer waited 50 minutes.
- Rough seas and seasickness on windy days.
- The park fee on top. Some reviewers did not expect to pay 400 THB in cash on the boat.
- Transfers. One reviewer of GR Rungtawan’s speedboat tour rode in the back of a pickup truck with an infant and felt unsafe.
Most of these reviewers still describe the islands as beautiful and the crews as friendly. What they did not enjoy was sharing the day with so many people, and that is the part you can change by choosing a different kind of tour.
Who might skip it
The day may not suit you if:
- you are pregnant or have back, heart or blood-pressure problems; the operators say so themselves;
- you get badly seasick and the forecast is windy;
- you are travelling with a toddler; several tours do not take children under 2 or 3, and the Srisawat tour excludes anyone under 120 cm;
- you dislike crowds and are not willing to pay for a smaller boat or an earlier start;
- you only have a day or two in Krabi and would rather stay close. The Hong Islands are about 20 to 30 minutes from Ao Nang by speedboat, against 45 to 60 for Phi Phi (Phi Phi or Hong Island?).
If you are moving on to Phi Phi to stay a few nights anyway, you can see Maya Bay from there. Getting to Phi Phi covers the ferry and speedboat options.
How to get more out of the day
Choose the tour around the thing that bothers you most.
Crowds: an early bird such as the Phi Phi Early Bird & 4 Islands ($79, 4.9 from 3,568 reviews) visits Maya Bay early, with a maximum of 30 on the boat. Krabi Vip Tour’s Phi Phi Small Group Speedboat Tour ($89) goes the other way round, starting at Bamboo Island.
Group size: Thalassa’s Semi-Private Phi Phi & Early Maya Bay ($116, park fee included) and the Private Phi Phi Speedboat Charter ($566 for up to 12) cut the numbers right down.
Comfort: a catamaran is steadier. The Phi Phi Speedboat Tour with Lunch has a catamaran option at $74, against $50 by speedboat.
Small things help too: sit in the middle of the boat, take seasickness tablets before you board, bring cash for the park fee, and pack reef-safe sunscreen, since Thai marine parks ban sunscreens with oxybenzone, octinoxate, 4-MBC and butylparaben. Our what to bring list has the rest.
So, is it worth it for you?
For a first visit to Krabi in the dry season, I think it is: Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon are the places most people picture when they think of Krabi’s islands, and $47 to $50 with lunch and pickup is fair for a 7- to 8-hour day. Go in knowing it is a busy, shared day with a lot of time on a fast boat. If that is what puts you off, an early bird or a small group fixes most of it for $29 to $66 more. Which tour to book compares them, and the price guide adds up the full day. To see the featured tour’s dates, check availability.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Phi Phi Island tour from Krabi worth it?
For most first-time visitors, yes. A standard tour cost $47 to $50 per person on the dates we checked in November 2026 and covers Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, snorkeling, lunch and Bamboo Island. Expect crowds and a long day on a speedboat.
How long is a Phi Phi day trip from Krabi?
About 7 to 8 hours on a standard tour and about 9 hours on an early bird, plus the hotel pickup. The crossing takes about 45 to 60 minutes each way.
Is Phi Phi too crowded?
It is busy, especially at Maya Bay, which takes visitors in rounds of up to an hour. Early birds, small groups and private boats reduce the crowding.
Is the Phi Phi tour expensive?
Not by island-tour standards. Shared tours started at $47 per person in November 2026, plus a 400 THB park fee per adult in cash.
Who should not do a Phi Phi speedboat tour?
Operators advise against it in pregnancy or with back, heart or blood-pressure problems, and several do not take children under 2 or 3. If you get seasick easily, a catamaran or a calm-weather day is gentler.
Pick your Phi Phi day and check the boat
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on the tours we review. The national park fee (400 THB per adult) is usually paid in cash on the day.
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