Phi Phi Island boat tour review: Should you take the speedboat group tour or a private longtail boat
To give a background of our Phi Phi Island boat tour review, it was monsoon season when we went to Phuket and Krabi in July this year. This means that it rained almost everyday in the afternoon and waves were strong. But on the plus side, there were fewer tourists. We were considering renting a longtail boat to explore Railay beach, Phi Phi Island, etc., but during our stay, the longtail boats and many other boats were cancelled due to strong wind and waves. In the end, speedboat group tours seem to be the only option.
After a panicky afternoon sorting out the post-exposure rabies vaccination due to a monkey scratch (see my other Centara Grand Beach Resort Krabi review on this story), I dashed to book the boat tour at our hotel, the Centara Grand Beach Resort, for my last day in Thailand.
I prayed for small waves and sun, otherwise no ship would be able to edge close to the resort. If that's the case, I will have to walk through the mountain into Ao Nang and take a tuk-tuk to the pier to catch the boat. Miraculously, my prayer was answered! The waves were much smaller compared to the previous few days and we were picked up at 9:30 am at the Centara Grand Beach Resort jetty.
Bamboo Island:
Bamboo island was the first stop of our tour. From Centara Grand Beach Resort, it took about 45 minutes to get there. The sea was quite choppy and two people on our boat threw up so be mindful if you are easily sea sick.
I was really lucky to finally get a full day of sun on my last day in Thailand. Bamboo island was covered by, you guessed it, bamboo, but that's no longer the case. To set foot on the island, you have to pay a national park fee of 400 baht (200 for children). We were allowed 45 minutes on this island.
I was slightly disappointed that waters were not turquoise in Phuket and Ao Nang but I finally got it here! The sand was completely white, the water crystal clear, and I could snorkel and see fish even in the shallow water. Now we are talking! With many trees behind the beach, the island makes some seriously Instagram-worthy pictures.
After spending exactly 45 minutes on the island, our speedboat left for a spot in the middle of the sea about three minutes from Bamboo Island for some snorkeling. We were given an hour to snorkel, which may sound like enough, but for me, I love seeing fishes so I hung on to the very last second. The water was very clear, my feet could ALMOST touch the coral (almost only, as you really shouldn't for the sake of yourself and the coral), and I could see Dory and some of her friends. Overall, a great spot!
Monkey Beach
After some snorkeling, the speedboat drove us to Monkey Beach. I was screaming inside of me as I was traumatized by monkeys given our monkey scare and I thought, "Haven't we seen enough monkeys in our hotel?" Luckily, the boat just pulled close to the beach while some people shot a few pictures of the monkeys on the beach, and we left. Phew! I certainly do not want to get close to them anymore. To me, I think these tours can stop bringing people to this island as monkeys are cute to look at but definitely not to be fed or played with.
Koh Phi Phi
Next, we head to the main Phi Phi island for some lunch. The lunch was a Chinese style buffet, which is not surprising as China has the largest number of tourists visiting Thailand (more than 8 million visitors in 2016). The lunch was basic but acceptable.
The island was surrounded by some impressive mountains, and with the turquoise water, it was magical. Less magical was the constant arrival of tour boats and tourists but luckily, the beach was wide enough to not feel overly crowded. The only disappointment for me was getting too excited for the "coconut ice-cream" I bought (you are warned, it has no coconut flavor at all) and the short time given to stay on the island.
Maya Bay
This is supposed to be the highlight of our tour, said our guide, thanks to Leo, who made a very lousy movie called "The Beach" in 2000. My husband warned that Maya Bay gets very crowded and he was right. The island was very narrow, and there must be hundreds of tourists on it at any given time. It was so crowded that our boat didn't find a space to park, and many boats simply had to leave and come back for pick up. Remind you that I went during the low season so can you imagine how it will look like during high season? The island would be sinking at this rate!
Maya Bay at low season
Again, we were given 45 minutes for this island. We raced to complete a tour of the island. At the end of the island was Losama Bay, the spot where Leo did a cliff jump in the movie. Obviously, we were no Hollywood movie star and you were not supposed to jump as there were a lot of rocks underneath and the waves were quite strong. There was a net allowing people to climb down and feel the waves. But no cliff jumping!
Losama Bay
On our way to this point, we passed by some very impressive mountains. I could easily imagine myself in some Kong Island or Jurassic Park movie. I was surprised that despite the insane crowd, there is still amazement to be found on this island!
I was hoping to find my two square meters of space in the water to do a quick swim before getting back on the boat, but time ran out and we were pushed back into the boat.
Pileh lagoon and Viking cave
The tour took us to the last spot for more swimming. Pileh lagoon seems to be our tour guide's personal favorite as he kept telling us not to forget the name of this beautiful lagoon. The scenery was quite stunning with all the limestone cliffs surrounding it. However, Bamboo Island remains my favorite as the water is clearer and you can snorkel, whereas the water at the Pileh wasn't so clear to see fishes.
Our last stop was the Viking cave. This is a cave full of swallows nests (for the harvesting of bird's nests, which is something beloved by the Chinese) and Viking boat wall paintings. It was a pity that going into the cave is no longer permitted so you can't actually see the wall paintings. Personally, I think this is another spot that can be skipped in order to allow more snorkeling time. We returned to our hotel at 4pm.
Overall speaking, I was glad I took the group tour and highly recommend going to Phi Phi, Bamboo island, Maya Bay and Pileh lagoon. Bamboo Island is simply stunning and a must go! The big debate would be whether to do the speedboat tour or rent a private longtail boat. Depending on your group and your preferences, these are the pros of each option:
Choose speedboat group tours if:
- You want to have it easy. Taking this option would not require much planning in advance. You get to visit all the important surrounding islands in one go. Lifejackets, snorkeling equipment, water and food are all included in the tour so all you need is your sunscreen and towel. Our guide also spoke good English and the trip was overall well-organized
- You have no intention of staying on Phi Phi or another island for the night. If your goal is to arrive early (before 9am) at Phi Phi or Maya Bay to avoid the crowd, taking the private longtail will likely mean spending a night in Phi Phi. People generally would take the ferry to get from Ao Nang, Krabi to Phi Phi island because the longtail will take 2.5 hours, plus the sea is too rough for the longtail. In fact, I did not see longtails offering rides from Ao Nang to Phi Phi. If your goal is to arrive early (before 9am) at Phi Phi or Maya Bay to avoid the crowd, you might consider getting a ferry to Phi Phi from Ao Nang, stay a night there, and then rent the longtail to Maya Bay and other islands
- You are traveling monsoon season and longtail boats have stopped running most of the days you are there. You are better off directly signing up for the speedboat tours, which are much less likely affected by the monsoon and strong waves
- You are not dying to have Maya Bay all by yourself. Other than Maya Bay, there was enough space for activities and I wasn't too bothered by other tourists in general. I was particularly impressed that the boat tour took us to a spectacular snorkeling spot near Bamboo island. Despite a few other boats parking around the same area, there was enough space for snorkeling
Longtail boats are better if:
- You want to spend quality time on each island and want to beat the crowd. The very limited time allowed on each island was the biggest con for the speedboat tour. You will definitely have more flexibility if you rent your own boat as you can decide when to start and how long to stay in each island
- You get sea sick easily. The speedboats can get very bumpy when water is choppy. Longtails should be better as they go slower.
What if you are a family traveling with young kids under five years of age?
This is a difficult one as both could be tough for young kids. For us, rushing around several islands plus the high waves and bumpy rides would be too stressful for my four-year-old boy. There was a five-year-old girl on my tour and she was so nervous that she clung on to her mother the whole way, while another nine-year-old boy just threw up from sea sickness. They seemed to enjoy the trip in the end but depending on your child, this option can be a bit stressful. But the private longtail boat doesn't seem much better as it would either involve a lot of planning and/or moving around different hotels if you opt to stay one night in Phi Phi. If you have to travel with the kids to these islands, choose the option that would be least stressful for you and the kids.
Have you ever been to Phi Phi and surrounding islands of Phuket and Krabi? Which island is your favorite? Would you rather take the speedboat tour or take a private longtail boat?
