Krabi has over 150 islands, stunning limestone rock formations, clear emerald water and beautiful beaches like the ones on Phi Phi island, but many came and left these islands feeling utterly disappointed. Who could blame them when throngs of tourists fill almost every inch of the beach. Those who wanted to take a dip in the waters of the Andaman Sea barely had any area to swim with countless boats lined up along the beach. Don’t believe me? Just google “Phi Phi crowded” and look at the photos from other visitors.
Well, what if I tell you that there is a way to enjoy these stunning islands without the crowds?
Take for example Maya Bay, a gorgeous beach made famous by Leonardo Di Caprio in the movie “The Beach”. Situated on the island of Phi Phi Leh, Maya Bay is sheltered by tall limestone cliffs, giving you clean and clear water with gentle waves.
Wouldn’t you love to enjoy the talcum-soft sand on the beach at Maya Bay, and the oh-so-inviting warm waters without the crowd?
When you visit Maya Bay at the right time, you will get to enjoy the full stretch of beach that would otherwise be occupied by speedboats.
Pileh Lagoon is also another great place to swim when it is not crowded. Located on the same island as Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon has a majestic entrance with tall and lush limestone cliffs surrounding the lagoon.
As the boat ventured further in towards the lagoon, we were amazed by how clear the water was. We could see details of the corals without even getting out of our boat.
Within the bay area, the water was extremely calm and wonderfully warm, making it a terrific place to swim.
The fact that we had the whole lagoon almost to ourselves made it even more special and memorable for our family.
Do you want to know how to enjoy these islands without the crowd? It is very simple actually. Just follow the three simple tips below.
1. Start your island-hopping tour from Phi Phi Don
Day trips from Phuket to these islands are very popular amongst tourists. The tours typically leave around 8-9 am and return in the afternoon. The islands get very crowded with day-trippers from 10 am to 2 pm. You can avoid the crowd by taking a ferry from Phuket or Krabi in the morning at 8.30 or 9am, reach Phi Phi Don by around 10.30am, and start your tour from Phi Phi Don at around 1pm and end at 6pm.
Alternatively, if you stay two nights on Phi Phi Don, you can start your island-hopping tour early in the morning before the crowd arrives.
2. Rent a long-tail boat
Traditional long-tail boats are, by far, the best way to go island-hopping around Phi Phi.
Snorkelling equipment and life vests were provided at no extra charge. The long-tail boat that we took even had life vests and snorkelling equipment for children. Those who don’t fancy the speedboats pounding hard against the water, possibly giving you a backache, would enjoy the more gentle ride on the long-tail boat.
Unlike the bigger speed boats, the long-tail boats can go to shallow waters, thereby enabling snorkelers to see the corals and marine life up close.
Moreover, you will be further away from other tourists in bigger boats. Check out the photo above. We had a large area to snorkel, while other snorkelers were further away from the shore and had limited space in between the speed boats. It’s as if we were VIPs or had first class tickets.
The other great thing about taking a long-tail boat was that we had the boat all to ourselves. We could decide our route and how long we wanted to stay at one island. This was great for us because my two girls had never gone snorkelling before this trip, so we could take time teaching them how to snorkel.
Cost-conscious family travellers would love to hear that this option was cheaper than sharing bigger boats with other travellers. The more people you have in your group, the cheaper it is per person.
Another plus for taking a private long-tail boat was that you would avoid joining tours that serve a lot of booze. If you don’t want your kids to be taking the same boat as passengers who might get drunk, then avoid such tours, and go for a private boat.
It is easy to rent a long-tail boat from Phi Phi Don. There were many operators around the island advertising their tours when we were there. We booked ours through our hotel on Phi Phi Don.
3. Spend the night on Phi Phi Don
After a fun-filled day of island-hopping and snorkelling, return to Phi Phi Don and spend at least one night on the island. Accommodations vary from very cheap huts to a 5-star resort. We enjoyed our stay at Mama Beach Residence which was right in front of the beach. Read more about our stay at Mama Beach Residence.
Phi Phi Don was an island with a laid-back feel. There were no roads at all on this island, no hustle-bustle and no reason to be in a hurry. In the evening, we explored the shops and eateries and enjoyed picking out fresh seafood and had it cooked to whichever style we wanted.
Phi Phi Don used to be a simple muslim village before it became a popular tourist attraction, so there were a number of eateries serving halal food.
We enjoyed the grilled fish, cereal prawns and the thick Thai mango juice.
Of course, we did not forget the famous Tom Yum soup. Who goes to Thailand without tasting Tom Yum soup?
The next morning, we enjoyed the beach on Phi Phi Don before the day-trippers arrive.
There were simple stalls by the beach selling burgers, Thai Pancakes, fruit shakes and coconut.
The photo below was taken when the beach started to get a little crowded. People barely had any place to swim in between speedboats. How fun is that? Thank goodness we got to enjoy the beach before the maddening crowd.
Another thing that day-trippers would not have time to do was to go on a 30-minute hike to enjoy a stunning view of the two contrasting beaches on Phi Phi Don from Phi Phi viewpoint.
Credit to Kullez
We didn’t take a hike (haha, pun intended) as my girls were too little, but we explored the shops around the area.
Getting out of Phi Phi island is easy – just take a ferry from Tonsai Pier to Phuket or Krabi. It took us about 1-1.5 hours to reach Phuket’s Rassada Pier. The latest ferry departs at 5pm. You can buy ferry tickets in advance at www.phuketferry.com or www.phiphi-ferry.com. You can also arrange land transportation to your hotel from the pier through the website.
Well, there you have it – three simple tips to enjoy the beautiful islands in Thailand without the crowd. Do ‘Like’ this article if you find these tips useful. 🙂
Thank you Rosie for posting the beautiful pictures and the helpful tips. We’ll be going as a large family with in-laws and grandparents in June.
You are welcome, Natalie. Hope you and your family have fun in Phi Phi!
Hi. My daughter’s are 7&8yrs old. We are planning island hopping in krabi. They are no swimmer. Would you recommend the island hopping for us? Which island you’ll recommend and which to avoid? TIA.
Hi Saila, it is great that you are planing a trip to Krabi. Everyone will get a life vest but do check to make sure they have kids size. It is not so important for them to know how to swim but more important that they are not afraid of the water. You can choose beaches instead of open water if your kids are not comfortable not being able to touch the ground. Have fun In Krabi!
Hi rosie,
We will be going to Krabi next week, 2 adult, 2 kids (7 and 5). You were saying that taking the private boat is cheaper than getting the share boat by tour operator (or it was the other way round?). Just wanna check more option for the family.
Operators of shared boats (usually speed boats) charges per person whereas operators of private boats charges per boat. At the time that I went and based on the number of people we had, it was cheaper to take the private boat. Would be good to do the comparisons based on the number of people you have.
Hi Rosie,
Your views and requirement from a tour matches me completely. The information you provide is perfect.
We are a group of 9 with 2 couples and 5 kids aged 14,13,6,5,4 respectively we land in krabi on Day 1 at 1500 hrs and take a flight back to bkk on Day 3 at 2100 hrs. Can you suggest the most suitable itinerary for us. We are keen on watersports.
According to what i studied from your blog i can plan accordingly
Day 1 – Railay beach sunset and dinner at Grotto
Day 2 – Phi Phi Don at 10.30am followed by phi phi view point hike, island tour starting @13.30pm with Maya Bay, Philey Lagoon, Bamboo Island by Long Tail.
Day 3 – Hong Island and 4 island Tour ending by 17.00 hrs and straight to airport for a flight back to bkk.
Suggestions plz.
Hi, after dinner at Railay, do you plan to return to Krabi mainland? If yes, do you have sea transport arrangements? The water can be quite choppy at night. I would suggest doing Phi Phi island tour early in the morning on the last day and hike in the afternoon as wet clothings can add a lot of weight to your luggage.
Hi rosie,
We plan go to krabi and phi phi on june,
could you tell me how to hired long tail boat privately?(language issue) and how much money to pay? Should ee book from now?Tq
Hi Rav, Don’t worry about language. You can book through the hotel, or any tour boat operator. They all speak English. Have fun in Krabi and Phi Phi!
Hi there! I love the information you have given. So helpful! Can you tell me who you used for the long tail boat once on Phi Phi, and how much it cost? Also, was it private or shared with other guests?
Hi Dennis, We booked the long tail boat through our accommodation, Mama Residences. It is also easy to find a long tail boat operator near the beach. We took a private one as it gives us the flexibility to decide how long we want to spend at each place.