Phi Phi by private speedboat
Maya Bay at 07:50, before the fleet. Your own boat, your own crew, and a route that skips the two stops every group tour makes because they are convenient rather than good.
The Phi Phi island tour costs $118 per person on a private speedboat leaving Phuket at 06:30, which puts you at Maya Bay before the tour fleet. The day covers Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Leh, Maya Bay and Bamboo Island. National park fee, snorkel gear and lunch are included.
- Price$118 per person
- Departure06:30 from Phuket
- BoatPrivate speedboat
- IncludedPark fee, snorkel gear, lunch
Why the 06:30 departure
Maya Bay is small. Between 10:00 and 15:00 there are forty boats in it and a roped path you walk along in a line. Before 08:30 there are four boats and you can swim. That ninety minutes is the entire difference between the postcard and the reality.
The route: Maya Bay first, then Pileh Lagoon for a swim in the enclosed emerald water, then Bamboo Island for lunch and snorkelling on a reef the group boats do not visit, and back through Phi Phi Don for a look at the village.
Speedboat or longtail?
Phi Phi is 45 minutes by speedboat and two hours by longtail — the speedboat is the only sensible choice here. In Phang Nga Bay it is the opposite; longtails go where speedboats cannot.
| Time | Where | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 06:30 | Depart | Private pier, no queue |
| 07:50 | Maya Bay | Before the fleet |
| 09:30 | Pileh Lagoon | Swim stop |
| 11:30 | Bamboo Island | Lunch and snorkel |
| 15:30 | Back at pier | Hotel by 16:30 |
Private speedboat and crew, national park fees (฿400), snorkel gear, life jackets, lunch, water and fruit. Towels not included.
Why 06:30 and not 09:00
Maya Bay is 45 minutes from Phuket by speedboat, and by 09:30 there are 60 boats anchored off it. Leaving at 06:30 puts you on the sand at 07:50 with perhaps a dozen people, and the light is coming from the right direction. The difference between the two versions of that beach is the entire reason this trip exists.
The route then runs north to Pileh Lagoon for a swim, round to Viking Cave, a snorkel stop on the north side of Phi Phi Leh, lunch on Bamboo Island, and a look at Phi Phi Don's Tonsai Bay before the ferry crowd lands. You are back at the pier by 15:30.
Maya Bay is not always open
The bay closes for set periods each year for reef recovery, and the closure dates are announced a few months ahead. When it is shut we reroute to Bamboo Island and Pileh, which are honestly as good and less crowded. We check before quoting rather than after you have paid, and we will tell you on the phone if your dates fall inside a closure.
What the boat is
A private speedboat with a crew of two, 28–32 feet, with a shade canopy, life jackets in adult and child sizes and a cool box. It is not a yacht and it does not have a toilet — the stops have toilets. In a February swell the crossing to Phi Phi Leh takes 55 minutes instead of 45 and you will get wet; that is the trade for a boat that can get into Pileh at all.
Who it suits
Families with children over four, couples, and anyone who would rather pay for a private boat than share a 40-person speedboat for 40% less. Not suitable for pregnant travellers or anyone with a back injury in the monsoon months, and we will say so at booking rather than at the pier.
Before you book
Is Maya Bay open?
It closes for set periods each year for reef recovery. We check the current dates before quoting and reroute to Pileh or Bamboo if needed.
Will we be seasick?
The crossing is 45 minutes of open water. Take something an hour before if you are prone. The lagoon and bays are flat.
How many people fit?
Up to eight in the standard boat, twelve in the larger one. Price is per boat.
Check your date.
Tell us the day and how many of you — we confirm availability, the boat and the price.
Written and checked by the Travel Thailand Tour team, Bangkok · Last updated · Prices are per person and were correct at the time of writing.