Phi Phi Islands

The group has six islands. Phi Phi Don is the largest and the only one with a resident population, and Phi Phi Le is home to Maya Bay. The islands are part of Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, established in 1983. Maya Bay was closed from 2018 to 2022 so the reef could recover. It now closes every year from 1 August to 30 September, and swimming there is banned. The islands are reached only by boat, from Phuket, Krabi or Ko Lanta. There are no cars on Phi Phi Don. Its paths are for pedestrians and bicycles only.

The Phi Phi Islands are a group of six islands in the Andaman Sea, administratively part of Krabi Province in southern Thailand and about 46 km southeast of Phuket. Ko Phi Phi Don is the largest at about 10 square kilometres and is the only island with a resident population, hotels and restaurants. Ko Phi Phi Le is smaller and uninhabited. The remaining islands are Ko Mai Phai (Bamboo Island), Ko Yung, Ko Bida Nok and Ko Bida Nai.

The islands are made largely of limestone, which forms steep karst cliffs rising straight out of the sea, with sandy bays and coral reefs at their base. They lie within Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, a marine park of roughly 388 square kilometres. Most visitors come for snorkelling, diving, island-hopping by long-tail boat or speedboat, and beach time. The viewpoint above Ton Sai village on Phi Phi Don gives a well-known view over its twin bays.

Maya Bay on Phi Phi Le became internationally famous after it appeared in the 2000 film The Beach, and heavy visitor numbers then damaged its reef. The bay closed in June 2018 and reopened on 1 January 2022 under stricter rules. Swimming in the bay is banned, visitor numbers are controlled, and the bay now closes every year in August and September. Other stops on Phi Phi Le include Pileh Lagoon and Viking Cave, where edible birds' nests are harvested.

When to go: The drier months from about November or December to April usually bring calmer seas and clearer water for snorkelling and diving. The rainy season runs from roughly May to December, with the heaviest rain around July, and rough seas can disrupt boat trips. Maya Bay closes to visitors every year from 1 August to 30 September.

Getting there: The islands can be reached only by boat. Ferries run from Rassada Pier in Phuket (about 2 hours), Khlong Jilad Pier in Krabi (about 1.5 hours) and Saladan Pier on Ko Lanta (about 1.5 hours), arriving at Ton Sai Pier on Phi Phi Don. Speedboat and long-tail day tours also leave from Phuket, Krabi town and Ao Nang. The nearest airports are Krabi and Phuket. Once on Phi Phi Don you get around on foot, by bicycle or by boat taxi.

The islands were included in Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park when it was established in 1983. The park combines a coastal section near Ao Nang on the Krabi mainland with the Phi Phi group further south. Tourism grew quickly from the 1990s. A small visitor fee was introduced in 1992 to pay for waste collection on the islands.

On 26 December 2004 the Indian Ocean tsunami struck Phi Phi Don and destroyed about 70 percent of the buildings in its inhabited area. The village was later rebuilt, and tourism resumed.

Pressure from mass tourism at Maya Bay led the national park to close the beach in June 2018 so its coral and marine life could recover. It reopened on 1 January 2022 with visitor controls and a ban on swimming. Since then the park has closed the bay every year during the southwest monsoon. In 2026 it was closed from 1 August to 30 September and reopened on 1 October.

1. Thai National Parks · Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park ↗
2. Wikipedia · Phi Phi Islands ↗
3. Wikipedia · Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park ↗
4. Time Out Bangkok · Thailand's famous Maya Bay reopens ↗