Our top pickRated 4.9
9 hoursPhi Phi Early Bird & 4 Islands by Speedboat
★ 4.9 · 3,492 reviews
- Nine hours, Maya Bay before the day boats
- Four islands in one day
- Departs from Phuket
- Free cancellation
$79$8.78 / hour
Check availability→ Maya Bay
Phi Phi islands Maya Bay tour: which boats get there, and when
A Phi Phi islands Maya bay tour is the booking almost everybody arrives wanting. Maya Bay sits on Koh Phi Phi Ley, it is the beach from The Beach, and thirteen of the eighteen listings on this site name it. What separates them is the hour they arrive, how long they stay and what else they hang around it — Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave, Bamboo Island or the 4 Islands of Krabi. Fares run from $35 to a private boat at $1,323.
The Phi Phi islands Maya Bay tour at a glance
- Where it is
- Koh Phi Phi Leythe smaller, uninhabited of the two main islands
- Listings that name it
- 13 of 18from half-day boats to private charters
- Lowest fare that includes it
- $35entering through the official Loh Samah Bay access route, park fees included
- Best rated that includes it
- $794.9 across 3,492 reviews — our top pick, and an early start
- Longest stay named
- $44the one listing that promises a full hour at Maya Bay
- The late option
- $40Maya Bay in the sunset light, then night snorkelling with plankton
- What it is famous for
- The Beachnamed in the listings for $46 and $44
- Cancellation
- Free cancellationshown on all 18 listings here
Quick answer
The short answer. For a Phi Phi islands Maya bay tour the decision is the departure hour. $79 is our top pick at 4.9 across 3,492 reviews and its whole design is beating the day boats to the bay. $35 is the lowest fare that includes Maya Bay and it enters through the official Loh Samah Bay access route with park fees inside the booking. $44 is the only listing that names a full hour there. $40 takes the bay at sunset instead. All carry free cancellation.
The place
What a Phi Phi islands Maya Bay tour is actually visiting
Maya Bay is a crescent of white sand on Koh Phi Phi Ley, closed in on three sides by limestone walls that rise straight out of the water. Nobody lives on the island. That combination — the enclosure, the colour of the water, the absence of any building — is the reason a Phi Phi islands Maya bay tour is the most requested booking in this part of the Andaman Sea.
The listings on this site describe it in almost the same words each time. $37 offers to let you dangle your feet into the turquoise water on ‘The Beach’ at Maya Bay. $63 calls it the place where the famous film was shot. $81 promises the famous Maya Bay featured in The Beach and an unforgettable photo. $1,323 goes further and speaks of the bay’s recovered natural beauty.
How boats enter. $35 is the listing that spells it out: it visits Maya Bay through the official Loh Samah Bay access route. That is the approach from the far side of the island, and it is worth knowing because it explains why a Phi Phi Maya bay boat tour does not simply pull up on the sand at the front.
What you do there. Walk the beach, photograph the walls, stand in the shallows. It is not a snorkel stop — the snorkelling on these itineraries happens at Loh Sama, near Viking Cave or at a site the crew picks on the day. Maya Bay is a landing and a look, and the listings that treat it that way are the ones people rate highest.
How long you get. Most listings do not put a number on it. $44 does: a full hour, stated in the highlights. On the full-day boats the bay is one of five or six stops, so plan for a shorter stay and a fuller day.
Every trip, current fare
Every listing that names Maya Bay, current fare
Thirteen of the eighteen tours here include the bay, cheapest first. Cost per hour divides the fare by the booked length, which is the fairest way to read a four-hour boat against a ten-hour day.
| Tour | Length | Price | What is included | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phi Phi, Maya Bay & Khai Island Tour with LunchLowest fare on the site | 1 day | $35 | Maya Bay via Loh Samah, Pileh Lagoon, Khai Island, buffet lunch, park fees | $1.46 | 4.4 · 2,142 |
| Phi Phi speedboat tour, Maya and BambooMost reviewed trip here | 7 hours | $37 | Speedboat from Krabi, Pileh Lagoon, Maya Bay, Koh Pai, Viking Cave, Monkey Bay | $5.29 | 4.4 · 3,881 |
| Phi Phi Islands Speedboat Tour with Buffet LunchBuffet lunch on Phi Phi Don | 7h 30m | $40 | Maya Bay, Viking Cave, Bamboo Island, a snorkel stop, international buffet | $5.71 | 4.6 · 977 |
| Maya Bay Sunset & Plankton by SpeedboatSunset, then glowing water | 5 hours | $40 | Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, sunset watching, night snorkelling with plankton | $8.00 | 4.6 · 649 |
| Speedboat Day Trip with Shark SnorkelingReef sharks and turtles | 5 hours | $44 | Maya Bay, Monkey Beach, snorkel gear, soft drinks and fresh fruit | $8.80 | 4.5 · 236 |
| Half-Day Speedboat Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon & SnorkelThe short one — four hours | 4 hours | $44 | Maya Bay for one hour, Pileh Lagoon, Monkey Bay, one snorkel stop | $11.00 | 4.7 · 188 |
| Early bird Maya Bay Phi Phi + 4 Islands by SpeedboatEarly start, then the 4 Islands | 9 hours | $63 | Early departure, Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, the 4 Islands, buffet on Phi Phi Don | $7.00 | 4.7 · 957 |
| Phi Phi Early Bird & 4 Islands by SpeedboatOur top pick — rated 4.9 | 9 hours | $79 | Early start, Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, snorkelling, Thai buffet on the beach | $8.78 | 4.9 · 3,492 |
| Phi Phi, Bamboo & Maithon by Premium Speed CatamaranCatamaran with Maithon added | 10 hours | $81 | Premium catamaran, Maya Bay, Viking Cave snorkelling, Maithon, buffet lunch | $8.10 | 4.6 · 1,045 |
| Phi Phi, Maya Bay & Bamboo by Limited-Group Speed Catamaran28 guests, not 40 | 9 hours | $98 | Speed catamaran capped at 28 guests, Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Bamboo Island | $10.89 | 4.7 · 366 |
| Phi Phi Islands Day-Trip by Speed CatamaranCatamaran and a longtail lagoon | 8h 30m | $125 | Speed catamaran, a longtail into Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave reefs, Bamboo Island | $15.62 | 4.7 · 972 |
| Phi Phi Island Sunrise Small Group Speedboat TourSmall group, sunrise start | 8 hours | $160 | Sunrise start, Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave, Koh Rang Yai, buffet lunch | $20.00 | 4.9 · 443 |
| Private Phi Phi & Bamboo Islands Tour by SpeedboatPrivate, Phi Phi and Bamboo | 7 hours | $1,323 | Private speedboat, Phi Phi and Bamboo Island, Pileh Lagoon, lunch on Phi Phi Don | $189.00 | New |
The hour you arrive
When each Phi Phi islands Maya Bay tour reaches the bay
This is the whole decision on a Phi Phi islands Maya bay tour. Everything else on these itineraries is similar; the clock is not.
| Departure | Listing | Hours | What that hour buys |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early birdahead of the fleet | $79 | 9 h | An early start at the bay, then Pileh Lagoon, snorkelling, a Thai buffet on the beach and the 4 Islands |
| Early birdfrom Krabi | $63 | 9 h | The listing is built on visiting earlier to avoid the crowds, then the 4 Islands of Krabi |
| Sunrisesmall group | $160 | 8 h | The islands in complete tranquility, plus Viking Cave and Koh Rang Yai |
| Mid-morninglowest fare | $35 | 1 day | The official Loh Samah access route, Pileh Lagoon, Khai Island, lunch and park fees |
| Mid-morningmost reviewed | $37 | 7 h | Maya Bay and Bamboo, with Loh Sama snorkelling, Koh Pai and Monkey Bay |
| Middaycatamaran | $125 | 8h 30m | The bay from a speed catamaran, with a longtail into Pileh Lagoon afterwards |
| Half daya stated hour | $44 | 4 h | One full hour at Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Monkey Bay and a snorkel stop |
| Eveningsunset | $40 | 5 h | The bay in the late light, sunset over the water, then glowing plankton |
The verdict
Which Phi Phi islands Maya Bay tour to book
For the best version of the day, book $79. Nine hours from Krabi, an early start that is the entire premise of the listing, then Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon, sunning, swimming and snorkelling, a Thai buffet lunch on the beach, striking coastal views under limestone cliffs, and a group of islands linked by a fine white sandbar. 4.9 across 3,492 reviews, and our top pick.
For the lowest fare, book $35. It is the least expensive listing on the site that reaches the bay and it does not feel like it: the official Loh Samah Bay access route, Pileh Lagoon, a snorkel site chosen when conditions allow, Khai Island, a buffet lunch and National Park fees already inside the booking. This is the honest answer to a Phi Phi islands Maya bay Phuket tour.
For the longest stay, book $44. Four hours in total and a full hour at Maya Bay, which no other listing here commits to in writing. Pileh Lagoon, the macaques at Monkey Bay and one snorkel stop fill the rest, and the afternoon option ends with bioluminescent plankton.
For the quietest bay, book $160. A sunrise departure from Phuket in a small group, sold on discovering the islands in complete tranquility away from the crowds, with Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave, Monkey Beach and Koh Rang Yai around it. 4.9 across 443 reviews.
For the late light, book $40. Five hours from Koh Phi Phi Don: sightseeing at Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon, sunset over the water, then snorkelling with flashing, glowing bioluminescent plankton. It is the only Phi Phi islands Maya bay boat tour here that works at that hour.
For your own boat, book $1,323. A private speedboat to Phi Phi and Bamboo Island, the azure water of Pileh Lagoon, the white sand of Maya Bay, monkeys on the beach, coral reefs and lunch on Phi Phi Don — with nobody else aboard.
Book direct
Four ways to reach Maya Bay
Four ways to book a Phi Phi islands Maya bay tour: the early-bird top pick, the lowest fare that includes the bay, the four-hour boat with a full hour there, and the sunset run.
From $352,142 reviews
1 dayPhi Phi, Maya Bay & Khai Island Tour with Lunch
★ 4.4 · 2,142 reviews
- A full day, Phi Phi, Maya Bay and Khai Island
- Hotel pickup included
- Lunch included
- Free cancellation
$35$1.46 / hour
Check availability→ 
Rated 4.7Half day
4 hoursHalf-Day Speedboat Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon & Snorkel
★ 4.7 · 188 reviews
- Four hours, Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon
- Half a day by speedboat
- Departs from Phuket
- Free cancellation
$44$11.00 / hour
Check availability→ 
SunsetPlankton
5 hoursMaya Bay Sunset & Plankton by Speedboat
★ 4.6 · 649 reviews
- Five hours, Maya Bay at sunset
- Plankton after dark
- Departs from Phuket
- Free cancellation
$40$8.00 / hour
Check availability→ Around the bay
What else a Maya Bay itinerary puts in the day
Nobody sells Maya Bay on its own, and that is sensible: the bay is a stop, not a day. Here is what the listings hang around it, in the order you are likely to meet them.
Pileh Lagoon. A body of emerald water enclosed by cliff walls on the same island, and the most common companion to the bay. A Phi Phi islands Maya bay lagoon pairing appears in nine of the thirteen listings here, and $125 is the one that carries you in by longtail. If the Phi Phi islands Maya bay Pileh lagoon combination is why you are booking, almost every full day covers it.
Viking Cave. $40, $37, $81, $125 and $160 all name it — some as a snorkelling site, some as a cliff you glide past.
Monkey Beach and Monkey Bay. The macaques on the rocks of Koh Phi Phi Don, named by $44, $44, $81 and $160.
Bamboo Island. Pale sand and shallow water north of Phi Phi Don, included by $37, $40, $98, $125, $55 and $1,323.
Lunch on Phi Phi Don. The inhabited island, and where almost every full-day boat stops to eat. It is also where the half-day boats do not go, which is part of why they are shorter.
Times of day
What the hour does to the bay
One bay, four different experiences, decided entirely by when your boat arrives.
Dawn
Early bird
The early departures are designed around arriving first. $79, $63 and $160 all say so in their own highlights.
Late morning
The main fleet
When most boats arrive. The bay is at its busiest and the light is hard overhead, but the fares are the lowest — $35 starts here.
Afternoon
Half day
$44 is the four-hour option with a stated full hour at the bay, and it runs in the afternoon as well as the morning.
Evening
Sunset
$40 takes Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon in the late light and stays out for the plankton; $55 takes its sunset from Krabi.
Mistakes
Six mistakes people make booking a Maya Bay trip
They all come from treating a Phi Phi islands Maya bay tour as the bay alone rather than as a day with the bay in it.
- 1. Booking the cheapest boat and expecting an empty beach
An empty bay is a departure time, not a fare. If that is what you want, the early and sunrise departures are the listings that promise it.
- 2. Assuming a stated hour at the bay is standard
Only $44 commits to a full hour in writing. On the full days the bay shares the clock with four or five other stops.
- 3. Expecting to snorkel at Maya Bay
The snorkelling on these itineraries happens elsewhere — Loh Sama on $37, near Viking Cave on $81, or a site picked on the day on $35. A Phi Phi islands Maya bay snorkeling day is really a day with the bay and a reef stop in it.
- 4. Overlooking the park fee line
$35 includes the National Park fees in the booking. When two fares look close, that line is usually the difference.
- 5. Booking the same shape of day twice
The full-day boats cover very similar ground. Two days on the islands are better spent as one full day and one short one — $44 or $40 from Koh Phi Phi Don.
- 6. Leaving it to the morning
The early departures are the ones that fill, because arriving first is the product. Free cancellation means a held place costs nothing if the plan moves.
Checklist
Five things to check before you pay
The bay is fixed. These five lines are what actually vary.
- The departure hour
Early, mid-morning, afternoon or sunset. Everything else about a Phi Phi islands Maya bay tour is secondary to this.
- Whether Pileh Lagoon is named
Most boats pair the two. $125 is the one that goes in by longtail rather than swimming across from the speedboat.
- Where the snorkel stop is
Loh Sama, Viking Cave or a site chosen on the day. The Phi Phi islands Maya bay turquoise lagoon pictures come from the lagoon; the fish come from the reef stop.
- Whether lunch and park fees are inside the fare
$35 says both are. That makes the comparison with a slightly cheaper seat elsewhere simpler than it looks.
- Free cancellation
Shown on every listing on this site, and the reason an early departure can be held while the rest of your week settles.
Our top pick for a Phi Phi islands Maya bay speedboat tour is $79 — an early start at the bay and Pileh Lagoon, snorkelling, a Thai buffet on the beach and the 4 Islands, rated 4.9 across 3,492 reviews.
Where the snorkel stops are→Common questions
Common questions about a Phi Phi islands Maya Bay tour
How much does a Phi Phi islands Maya Bay tour cost?
From $35 for the full day from Phuket with lunch and National Park fees included. The half-day boat from the islands is $44, our top pick is $79, and a private boat is $1,323.
How long do boats stay at Maya Bay?
Only $44 puts a number on it — a full hour. On the full-day listings the bay is one of five or six stops, so the stay is shorter and the day is longer.
Which tour reaches Maya Bay first?
The early departures: $79 and $63 from Krabi, and $160 from Phuket. Each listing names beating the crowds as the reason it exists.
Is Maya Bay the beach from the film?
Yes — the listings for $46, $44 and $81 all name The Beach, and $44 names Leonardo DiCaprio with it.
Can I see Maya Bay in the evening?
Yes. $40 is a five-hour run from Koh Phi Phi Don with sightseeing stops at Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon, sunset watching, and night snorkelling with bioluminescent plankton.
Do all the boats visit Pileh Lagoon too?
Nine of the thirteen name it. $125 is the listing that transfers you into a traditional longtail boat to sail in.
Go deeper
More on the Phi Phi Islands
From Phuket
Phi Phi Island tours from Phuket
Every speedboat that leaves Phuket for the islands, compared.
All boat toursPhi Phi Islands boat tours
Speedboat, catamaran or longtail — what each kind of boat gives you.
SnorkellingSnorkelling at the Phi Phi Islands
Where the stops are, how long they last and what you see.
Early birdEarly bird tours to Phi Phi
Leaving before dawn to reach Maya Bay ahead of the day boats.
From KrabiPhi Phi tours from Krabi and Ao Nang
The shorter crossing from the mainland, and what it changes.
Private boatsPrivate Phi Phi speedboat charters
Your own boat and skipper: what it costs and what it buys.
