Phi Phi Island Speed Boat Tour from Krabi

For a first Phi Phi day from Krabi, the standard speedboat tour with lunch covers what most people come for. The Phi Phi Speedboat Tour with Lunch from GR Rungtawan was $50 per person for 9 November 2026 when we checked, has 4.7 from 1,887 reviews and runs from 9:00 to 17:00 with free pickup in Ao Nang, Krabi Town, Klong Muang and Ao Nam Mao. On top of that you pay the national park fee in cash: 400 THB per adult and 200 THB per child. Our review →

Two other tours were $3 cheaper on the same date. That saving does not change much, so the choice usually comes down to pickup area, the order of the stops and how large a review base you want behind your booking.

What the day looks like

Maya Bay comes first on GR Rungtawan’s route, with about 45 minutes there. Boats are not allowed into the bay itself: they tie up at the pontoon in Loh Samah Bay on the back of Phi Phi Leh, and you walk five to ten minutes along a boardwalk to the beach. You can paddle at the edge, but swimming at the front beach is banned. One guest in October wrote that they reached Maya Bay before the crowds, which fits a route that goes there first.

After that come Pileh Lagoon (30 minutes), Viking Cave with a snorkel from the boat (20), Monkey Beach (20), then a buffet lunch on Phi Phi Don at 12:00, with halal, vegetarian and gluten-free food on request. The last stop is about 45 minutes on Bamboo Island. The crossing from the Ao Nang side takes about 45 to 60 minutes each way, and the listing asks anyone prone to seasickness to take tablets before boarding.

Pack sunscreen without oxybenzone, octinoxate, 4-MBC or butylparaben. Thai marine parks have banned those ingredients since 2021, and rangers can confiscate them.

What guests say goes wrong

Crowds come up most. “Too many tourists squashed into one area,” wrote one guest in June, who still called the lunch excellent. Others found that most of the swimming happens straight off the boat, and that the day involves a lot of time in transit. The transfer is the other weak point: one family rode to the pier in the back of a pickup truck with an infant and did not feel safe, and another guest spent an hour collecting other groups who never showed. If you have small children, ask how you will be collected when you book.

The guides get steady praise, especially for keeping people informed and on time, and the recent five-star reviews mention good value and plenty of snorkeling. The tour is not suitable during pregnancy or with back problems or high blood pressure.

The $47 alternatives

The Phi Phi Speedboat Tour with Buffet Lunch from Srisawat was $47 and has 4.6 from 1,052 reviews. It adds two snorkel stops on the way out, serves a halal buffet on Phi Phi Don with no pork or beef, and Railay guests board at the Railay East floating pier. It does not take children under 120 cm or travelers over 60. Our review →

The Maya Bay, Bamboo & Phi Phi Islands Day Tour from Oh-Hoo was also $47 and runs about 8 hours. Pickup is free only in Ao Nang and Ao Nam Mao; from Krabi Town, Klong Muang or Tub Kaek it costs THB 100 per person extra. It has 4.4 from 626 reviews, and one unhappy guest described Maya Bay as packed with over a thousand people. Our review →

A bigger boat or a smaller group

Krabi Blue Sky’s Phi Phi Islands Speedboat or Catamaran Tour sells the same day for $50 by speedboat or $74 by catamaran, and the catamaran has a toilet where the speedboat does not. It visits Bamboo Island first and has 4.7 from 64 reviews. Our catamaran page compares it with the other catamaran options.

If a full boat would spoil the day, the Phi Phi Islands Small Group Tour from Krabi Vip Tour was $89 with Ao Nang or Railay pickup ($107 from Klong Muang, Tub Kaek or Krabi Town). Guests counted 10 to 12 people on board, and the route runs in reverse, with Bamboo Island first and Maya Bay late, to stay out of step with the big boats. It has 4.7 from 54 reviews. Our review →

For most first-time visitors, the $50 tour with lunch is the one I would book. If you would get up at 6 am to see Maya Bay before the late-morning boats, the early bird tours cost $24 to $29 more. Our price guide lists every tour’s price with the park fee, and the packing list covers water shoes, cash and a dry bag.