A Phi Phi day trip from Krabi is a long, wet, sunny day on a speedboat, with five or six stops where you climb in and out of the water. Most of what you need is already on board: the tours we review include a snorkel mask, a life jacket, drinking water and lunch. What they do not cover is the national park fee, which most operators collect in cash, plus a few things you will want in the sun and on the boat. The list below fits a day on the Phi Phi Speedboat Tour with Lunch, and works for every other Phi Phi tour from Krabi too.
Phi Phi Speedboat Tour with Lunch
The short list
- Cash in Thai baht for the park fee and small extras
- Swimwear, worn under your clothes
- Sunscreen without oxybenzone, octinoxate, 4-MBC or butylparaben
- A small dry bag for your phone and cash
- Water shoes or sandals that stay on in the water
- A towel and a dry T-shirt for the ride home
- Sunglasses and a hat that will not blow off on the speedboat
- Seasickness tablets if you are prone to it, taken before you board
Leave the backpack and the big beach bag at the hotel. Several operators do not allow luggage or large bags on board, and the Phi Phi Early Bird & 4 Islands lists backpacks among the things not allowed.
Cash for the park fee
The Phi Phi islands are part of Hat Noppharat Thara – Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, and foreign visitors pay 400 THB per adult and 200 THB per child. On almost every tour from Krabi this is extra and paid in cash on the day, usually to your guide at check-in or on the boat. The one tour we review that includes it is the Phi Phi Small Group Tour & Early Maya Bay. The child rate depends on an age or height rule that differs between listings, so check yours.
The fee covers the whole park for the day, including Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and Bamboo Island. Keep the receipt until you are back at the pier.
A little more cash is handy. If your lunch stop is at Tonsai pier on Phi Phi Don, there is a small local charge of about 20 THB per person, separate from the park fee; ask whether your tour pays it. Tips and alcoholic drinks are not included on most tours. For a couple, 1,000 THB in small notes covers the fee with some to spare. Our price guide adds up the full cost of the day.
Sunscreen: check the ingredients
Since 2021, Thailand has banned sunscreens containing oxybenzone, octinoxate, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC) or butylparaben in its marine national parks, Phi Phi included. Rangers can hold banned products, and the law allows fines of up to 100,000 THB. In October 2025 the parks department told parks to enforce the ban strictly.
“Reef-safe” on a bottle is a marketing term, with no legal definition, so turn the bottle round and read the ingredients. Mineral sunscreens based on zinc oxide or titanium dioxide avoid all four. Several operators ask for biodegradable or reef-safe sunscreen in their listings. Buy it before you leave home or in Ao Nang, where you can take your time reading labels.
Put it on before you get on the boat. On the water you will be in full sun from mid-morning, with little shade on a speedboat.
Dry bag, water shoes and your phone
A small dry bag is the most useful thing you can bring. Speedboats take spray on the crossing, you climb in and out at every stop, and your phone and cash need somewhere to go while you swim. Dry bags are not included on the Speedboat Tour with Lunch and several other tours, and many operators list a waterproof bag in what to bring.
Water shoes help in three places. At Maya Bay the boats moor at Loh Samah Bay and you walk about 5 to 10 minutes along a boardwalk to the beach. At beach stops such as Bamboo Island you step off the boat into shallow water. And the Phi Phi Sunrise & Shark Nursery operator suggests water shoes and long swimwear as protection when jellyfish are around in certain seasons.
A waterproof phone pouch is enough for photos from the surface. Drones need permission from the park, which is rarely given, and several tours list them as not allowed.
What to wear
Wear your swimwear under shorts and a light T-shirt, so you can jump in at Pileh Lagoon without looking for somewhere to change. A long-sleeved rash guard or swim shirt saves a lot of sunscreen on the snorkel stops, and covers you if there are jellyfish.
On the speedboat, a cap or a hat with a chin strap stays on better than a wide brim. Sunglasses on a strap are a good idea too. For the lunch stop on Phi Phi Don and the drive home, a dry T-shirt and shorts in your dry bag are welcome. Some tours list nudity among the things not allowed, so keep to swimwear on the beaches.
Flip-flops are fine for the van and the pier. The boardwalk and the shallow beach landings are easier in water shoes.
If you get seasick
The crossing from Ao Nang takes about 45 to 60 minutes each way on a speedboat, and in a swell it bounces. The operator of the Speedboat Tour with Lunch asks anyone prone to motion sickness to take medication before boarding, and the Phi Phi Speedboat with Buffet Lunch hands out seasickness pills on request. Take your tablet with breakfast, since most of them need time to work.
Where you sit matters. The front of a speedboat takes the biggest bumps, and one operator advises against sitting in the nose. A seat in the middle or towards the back is calmer. Eat a light breakfast; lunch on most tours is around midday.
Speedboats are not suitable for pregnant women or people with back problems on nearly every listing. If that applies to you, read the “not suitable for” section of the tour before booking, and our ferry or speedboat guide covers the slower option.
What the tour already gives you
You do not need to pack your own snorkel gear unless you want to. On the tours we review, a mask and snorkel and a life jacket are included. Fins are usually not, and the operators who mention them list fins as extra. Water and soft drinks, seasonal fruit and a buffet lunch are included on every tour except the Private Phi Phi Speedboat Charter, where lunch costs 280 THB per person extra.
So the bag you carry can be small: cash, sunscreen, a towel, a dry T-shirt and your phone in a dry bag. If you have not booked yet, our review → covers the standard day, the itinerary guide shows where each stop falls, and the speedboat tours page compares the options.
Frequently asked questions
What should I bring on a Phi Phi island tour?
Cash for the 400 THB park fee, sunscreen without the four banned ingredients, swimwear, a towel, a small dry bag, water shoes, a hat and sunglasses. Seasickness tablets if you need them. The tour provides the mask, snorkel, life jacket, water and lunch.
Do I need cash on a Phi Phi tour from Krabi?
Yes. The national park fee of 400 THB per adult and 200 THB per child is paid in cash on almost every tour, and you may want a little more for a pier charge, drinks or tips.
What should I wear on a Phi Phi speedboat tour?
Swimwear under light shorts and a T-shirt, a hat that stays on in the wind, and water shoes or secure sandals. A long-sleeved swim shirt helps with sun and jellyfish.
Which sunscreen is allowed at Phi Phi?
Sunscreen without oxybenzone, octinoxate, 4-MBC or butylparaben, which are banned in Thai marine national parks. Check the ingredient list; a “reef-safe” label alone is no guarantee.
Should I bring my own snorkel gear?
Only if you prefer your own mask. Masks, snorkels and life jackets are included on the tours we review. Fins are usually extra, so bring a pair if you want them.
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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