Best beaches Phi Phi lists usually start with Maya Bay, but the islands have far more sand to offer, spread over two islands and reached mostly by boat. Phi Phi Don has the long strips of sand, the resorts and the nightlife, while Phi Phi Leh, the smaller island, has the cliff-walled bays that made the islands famous. The right choice among the best beaches Phi Phi has depends on whether you want a swim after breakfast, a quiet resort week or a snorkel stop on a boat tour.
This guide compares nine of the best beaches Phi Phi has by mood, access, swimming and season, using Phuket 101, Hotels.com, Touropia, The Lost Passport and Isla Guru, plus a live GetYourGuide listing that we checked on 26 October 2026. Boat prices and rules change, so confirm them before you go.
- Beaches compared
- 9, on two islands
- Closest to Ton Sai
- Loh Dalum, a 1 to 2 minute walk
- Longtail to Long Beach
- 5 minutes
- Longtail to Laem Thong
- 40 to 45 minutes
- Maya Bay fee
- ฿400, closed Aug and Sep
- Calmest months
- November to April
Which is the best beach on Phi Phi?
There is no single winner among the best beaches Phi Phi has. Long Beach is the best all-round choice for a quiet swim and easy snorkeling, Loh Dalum Bay is the most convenient, Laem Thong suits a resort stay, and Maya Bay is the one to see from a boat tour.
Best Beaches Phi Phi Compared at a Glance
Phi Phi Don is shaped like a dumbbell, with the village of Ton Sai on a narrow sandy strip between two bays. Most of the island's beaches sit within a short boat ride of that strip, and the quietest ones are on the north and east coasts. The table shows how the nine best beaches Phi Phi has in this guide differ.
| Beach | Island | Mood | How you get there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loh Dalum Bay | Phi Phi Don | Lively, shallow water, nightlife | 1 to 2 minutes on foot from Ton Sai |
| Long Beach | Phi Phi Don | Quiet, soft sand, easy snorkeling | 5 minutes by longtail or a 20 to 30 minute walk |
| Loh Moo Dee | Phi Phi Don | Quiet and undeveloped | A short trail from Long Beach |
| Monkey Beach | Phi Phi Don | Small cove with wild monkeys | Longtail, kayak or tour stop |
| Laem Thong | Phi Phi Don | Calm, resort beach on the north coast | 40 to 45 minutes by longtail |
| Loh Ba Kao | Phi Phi Don | Long bay with bungalows and a village | 20 to 30 minutes by longtail |
| Maya Bay | Phi Phi Leh | Famous cliff-walled bay | Boat tour only; wade, no swimming |
| Pileh Lagoon | Phi Phi Leh | Deep green lagoon, swimming allowed | Boat tour only |
| Bamboo Island | North of Phi Phi Don | Sandy island with coral | 45 to 60 minutes by longtail |
For a wider look at the island, our guide to Phi Phi Don explains the layout, and our things to do in Phi Phi guide shows how to fit the beaches into a trip.
Best Beaches Phi Phi Don Has Within Reach of Ton Sai
These are the best beaches Phi Phi visitors can reach without a tour, and they are the easiest ones to fit around a ferry arrival. They also have the most food, shade and places to stay.
Loh Dalum Bay
Loh Dalum Bay is the beach most visitors meet first. Phuket 101 puts it a 1 to 2 minute walk from Ton Sai and says the bay is relatively narrow, at about 160 m wide, with shallow, very blue water that looks its best around midday. The Lost Passport says the water is warm and so shallow that you can walk a long way out, and that the sheltered position keeps the waves small.
The trade-off is crowds. The Lost Passport warns that umbrellas and sun loungers fill the sand in the peak period, and Phuket 101 says the bay turns into a party scene after dark with fire shows and loud music. Touropia adds that swimming is best at high tide. Kayaks are available for rent. If you want the area's quieter side after dark, Hotels.com says Ton Sai West is the calmest part of the central strip, and our guide to Phi Phi nightlife covers the bars.
Ton Sai Bay: the harbour, not the beach
Ton Sai Bay is where the ferries dock. Phuket 101 calls it loud, busy and commercial, with shops, bars, a 7-Eleven, ATMs, a clinic and pharmacies, and Touropia says the water is quite polluted and advises against swimming in it. Treat it as a base, not a beach. Our guides to Phuket to Phi Phi and Krabi to Phi Phi cover the crossing.
Long Beach (Hat Yao)
Among the best beaches Phi Phi has near Ton Sai, Long Beach is the one to pick if you want calm. It is a 600 m strip of soft white sand on the southeast coast, a five-minute longtail ride from the pier, and Phuket 101 calls the snorkeling just off the beach surprisingly good. Shark Point, a rock about 100 to 200 m offshore, is where small blacktip reef sharks are often seen early in the morning. Our full guide to Long Beach Phi Phi covers the walk, the resorts and the sunsets.
Loh Moo Dee
Loh Moo Dee is the quiet neighbour of Long Beach. Hotels.com says a small trail links the two in about 12 minutes, and Isla Guru calls the beach quiet and undeveloped, with sunset views and coral nearby. There is little here beyond sand and sea, so bring water and snacks.
Best Beaches Phi Phi Don Offers Away From the Crowds
The quietest of the best beaches Phi Phi has are on the north and east coasts, where Phi Phi Don slows down. They take longer to reach, and most visitors who stay there are guests of the resorts behind the sand.
Laem Thong Beach
Laem Thong sits at the far northern end of the island. Hotels.com describes a long strip of sand with a few upscale resorts, a small fishing village and a couple of bars and restaurants, and Phuket 101 says the beach is used mostly by hotel guests and has changed less than the rest of the island. The Lost Passport says the beach runs for almost a kilometre and that a coral reef is within ten minutes' swim of the shore.
Getting there takes about 40 to 45 minutes by longtail from Ton Sai, according to Hotels.com and Touropia. Mosquito Island, Bamboo Island and Hin Klang are close by for snorkeling, as The Lost Passport notes. Our dedicated guide to Laem Tong Beach covers the resorts and the boat options.
Loh Ba Kao (Loh Bagao)
Loh Ba Kao is a long bay on the northeast coast, about 800 m wide and 2.5 km from Ton Sai according to Phuket 101. It is lined with coconut trees and Thai-style bungalows, and at the northern end a river leads to a mangrove and a quiet village. Hotels.com says the east coast has only a few small bungalow resorts and that Loh Bagao adds a village with local bars and restaurants.
A longtail from Ton Sai Pier takes 20 to 30 minutes. Phuket 101 says walking takes over an hour, and Hotels.com puts the trek along the east coast at about two hours on steep jungle trails, so most people go by boat.
Monkey Beach
Monkey Beach, or Ao Ling, is a small cove northwest of Loh Dalum Bay. Touropia says you can reach it on foot, by kayak or by chartering a longtail from Loh Dalum, and that at very high tide there is little beach left. Longtails stop here on most island tours, as the half-day tour below does for about 20 minutes. Our guide to Monkey Beach Phi Phi explains how to visit.
The macaques are the attraction and the risk. The Lost Passport warns that they can get very wild and climb onto your legs looking for bananas, and Touropia says anyone carrying food is a target. Keep bags closed, do not carry fruit and do not feed them.
Best Beaches Phi Phi Leh and the Nearby Islands Offer
Some of the best beaches Phi Phi is known for are on Phi Phi Leh, which has no hotels and no roads. You see it on a boat tour, and each of the bays below is a stop on the usual route. Our guide to Phi Phi Leh covers the whole island.
Maya Bay
Maya Bay is the best-known beach on Phi Phi and also the most controlled. Phuket 101 says boats can no longer enter the bay. They stop at a floating pier in Loh Samah Bay, and visitors walk about five minutes along a boardwalk. The national park fee is ฿400, visitor numbers are capped at 375 an hour, and swimming is not allowed, so you wade at the edge. The bay closes every August and September for conservation and reopened on 1 October 2026, according to the GetYourGuide listing below. Our guide to Maya Bay has the full rules.
Pileh Lagoon
Pileh Lagoon is a deep, green bay ringed by tall limestone cliffs, usually visited just before Maya Bay. Phuket 101 says swimming and snorkeling are both allowed and suggests going later in the day, because morning shadows from the cliffs are heavy and the water is brightest around midday.
Bamboo Island
Bamboo Island, or Koh Mai Phai, is an uninhabited island north of Phi Phi Don. Touropia says it is about 5 km from the northern tip of Phi Phi Don and takes 45 to 60 minutes by longtail from Ton Sai, depending on the sea. Phuket 101 describes white sand, clear water and coral reefs, and warns that tours usually visit it last, so it is often busy with speedboats. Our guide to Bamboo Island Phi Phi explains how to time a visit.
One boat trip for the bays
If you only have half a day, one tour covers most of the Phi Phi Leh stops from Ton Sai. This listing is the simplest way to see several of the best beaches Phi Phi has in one trip.
From Phi Phi: Maya Bay Half-Day Longtail Boat Tour With Snorkeling
A four-hour trip in a traditional longtail from Ton Sai Bay, with Monkey Beach, Viking Cave, a snorkeling stop at Pileh Lagoon, then Maya Bay by the floating pier. The 14:30 departure adds sunset and a plankton swim.
Check on the listing before you book
- Start times: 8:30, 10:00, 11:00 or 14:30
- Meets at the Marlin Statue in Ton Sai Bay
- Life jackets, snorkel gear, water and fruit
Powered by GetYourGuide. Price, duration and availability depend on your date.
The listing is rated 4.0 out of 5 from 34 reviews, with 4.5 for the guide and 4.3 for value, and showed a price from about €20 per person on the page we checked. It asks you to pay the ฿400 national park fee in cash, once a day, so budget for it on top of the ticket. Reviews are mixed. Several travelers praise the scenery and the sunset, while others report a crowded boat, a wait of about 20 minutes at the Maya Bay pier, a snorkeling stop of only around 20 minutes and, in two reviews, a late return after a breakdown. It is not suitable for pregnant women, wheelchair users or babies under one.
The tour is a shared group trip with no hotel pickup, so you need to be on Phi Phi already. For other options, our guides to the Phi Phi island tour choices and to Phi Phi island hopping compare longer routes.
How to Choose Among the Best Beaches Phi Phi Has
The easiest way to pick from the best beaches Phi Phi has is to start from what you want the beach to do. The table matches common priorities to a beach and gives the reason.
| If you want | Go to | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A quiet swim near the village | Long Beach | Soft sand, calm water in the dry season, five minutes from Ton Sai by longtail |
| Convenience and nightlife | Loh Dalum Bay | A 1 to 2 minute walk from Ton Sai, with bars and fire shows after dark |
| A resort week with few crowds | Laem Thong | Upscale resorts, a long beach and a reef within a short swim |
| Snorkeling from the sand | Long Beach or Laem Thong | Reef fish and Shark Point at Long Beach; a coral reef near Laem Thong |
| Wildlife and a short boat ride | Monkey Beach | Resident macaques, a usual stop on island tours |
| The famous scenery | Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon | Cliff-walled bays, reached only on a boat tour |
| A day away from Phi Phi Don | Bamboo Island | A small sandy island with coral, 45 to 60 minutes by longtail |
If the beach is also your base, read our guide to where to stay in Phi Phi. For views from above, the Phi Phi viewpoint walk starts in Ton Sai and looks down on Loh Dalum Bay and the bay on the other side.
Best Time to Visit the Best Beaches Phi Phi Has
The best beaches Phi Phi has are at their best in the calm months, November to April, when the sea is flat and swimming and snorkeling are at their easiest, as Phuket 101 and Hotels.com report for Long Beach. From May to October the sea can be choppy, and low tide exposes rocks and coral on some beaches. For month-by-month detail, see our guide to the best time to visit Phi Phi.
| Factor | What to know | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Dry season | November to April: calm, flat water | Phuket 101, Hotels.com |
| Monsoon | May to October: choppy sea, harder swimming at low tide | Hotels.com |
| Maya Bay | Closed every August and September | Phuket 101 |
| Loh Dalum Bay | Swimming is best at high tide | Touropia |
| Monkey Beach | Very little beach at high tide | Touropia |
| Time of day | Pileh Lagoon is brightest around midday; Long Beach is quietest at 7 to 8 AM | Phuket 101 |
How to Reach the Best Beaches Phi Phi Has: Boats and Costs
Reaching the best beaches Phi Phi has beyond Ton Sai takes a walk or a longtail ride, because there are no cars on Phi Phi Don. Fares are set by the drivers, so agree the price and the return trip before you board.
- Walk: Loh Dalum Bay is 1 to 2 minutes from Ton Sai. Long Beach takes 20 to 30 minutes on a rocky path that you should not use at night.
- Longtail: Phuket 101 quotes ฿100 per person by day for the five-minute ride to Long Beach. Loh Ba Kao takes 20 to 30 minutes and Laem Thong 40 to 45 minutes.
- Charter: Phuket 101 says private longtail day trips usually cost ฿1,500 to ฿3,000, which is worth splitting between a group.
- Kayak: You can paddle from Loh Dalum Bay to Monkey Beach, as Touropia notes, but check the tide and the wind first.
- Tour: Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon are reached only on a boat tour, such as the half-day trip above.
To reach Phi Phi in the first place, see our guides to Phuket to Phi Phi and Krabi to Phi Phi.
Tips for the Best Beaches Phi Phi Visitors Should Know
A few habits keep a day at the best beaches Phi Phi has safe and cheap. They come from Phuket 101, Touropia, The Lost Passport and the national park rules.
- Use sunscreen without oxybenzone, octinoxate, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor or butylparaben. These filters are banned in Thai marine national parks, with fines of up to ฿100,000, according to Khaosod English.
- Do not feed or carry food near the monkeys, and keep bags closed at Monkey Beach.
- Walk to Long Beach in daylight and at low to mid tide, and take a torch if you plan to return after sunset.
- Check the tide before you go. Loh Dalum Bay is best at high tide, while Long Beach is best when the reef is covered.
- Take cash. Boats, kayaks and the Maya Bay fee are usually paid in baht on the day.
- Do not swim in Ton Sai Bay, because of boat traffic and water quality.
For wider guidance on the sea and warnings on the island, see our guide to Phi Phi tsunami and safety. For snorkeling spots beyond the beaches, our guide to snorkeling in Phi Phi compares the reefs.
Best Beaches Phi Phi FAQ
What are the best beaches Phi Phi has to offer?
Long Beach is the best all-round choice, with soft sand, clear water and easy snorkeling, five minutes from Ton Sai by longtail. Laem Thong suits a resort stay, and Loh Dalum Bay is the most convenient.
Which of the best beaches Phi Phi has is best for swimming?
Long Beach and Loh Dalum Bay. Loh Dalum is shallow and sheltered, with the best swimming at high tide, and Long Beach has clear water that drops off quickly. Swimming is not allowed at Maya Bay.
Which of the best beaches Phi Phi has is best for snorkeling?
Long Beach has a reef and Shark Point close to the sand, and Laem Thong has a coral reef within a short swim. Pileh Lagoon is the best snorkeling stop on a boat tour.
Which of the best beaches Phi Phi has is the quietest?
Laem Thong and Loh Ba Kao on the north and east coasts, and Loh Moo Dee near Long Beach. All three take a boat or a trail to reach.
Which of the best beaches Phi Phi has suits families?
Loh Dalum Bay has shallow, sheltered water with small waves, and Long Beach is calm in the dry season. Long Beach is a short longtail ride from Ton Sai, so take care with the rocky path if you walk with children.
Can you swim at Maya Bay?
No. Phuket 101 says swimming is not allowed, and visitors may only wade. Pileh Lagoon, nearby, allows swimming and snorkeling.
Is Maya Bay open now?
Yes. The bay closes every August and September and reopened on 1 October 2026. The national park fee is ฿400.
How do you get to the beaches on Phi Phi Don?
Walk to Loh Dalum Bay, or take a longtail boat from Ton Sai Pier to Long Beach (5 minutes), Loh Ba Kao (20 to 30 minutes) or Laem Thong (40 to 45 minutes).
When is the best time to visit the Phi Phi beaches?
November to April, when the sea is calm. The monsoon from May to October brings choppy water.
Want to see the bays on one trip?
Check dates, start times and the price for the half-day longtail tour to Monkey Beach, Pileh Lagoon and Maya Bay, leaving from Ton Sai Bay.
Photo credits: Turquoise beach on Phi Phi Don by Renek78 (CC0, Wikimedia Commons); Loh Dalum Bay viewpoint by Caitriana Nicholson (CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons); Laem Thong Beach by Fabio Achilli (CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons); Monkey Beach by Alexey Komarov (CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons). Tour photos: GetYourGuide.
Disclosure: InsideSamui may earn a commission when you book through some of the links on this page, at no extra cost to you. This guide is compiled from published park, operator and traveler information, checked on 26 October 2026. We have not run these trips ourselves for this page. Prices, schedules, fees and rules around Koh Phi Phi change often, so confirm with your operator before you travel. Tour bookings are handled by GetYourGuide.
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