Getting to Koh Phi Phi is very easy and the island is accessible all year round.
The small tropical paradise of Koh Phi Phi is located in the Andaman sea, 42 km from Krabi, 48 km from Phuket and 35 km from Koh Lanta.
THE ONLY WAY TO GET HERE IS BY A BOAT:
- either bigger ferry-boat which runs a few times a day
- or a faster speedboat transfer.
All boats arrive at main Tonsai Pier in Phi Phi Don.
Tip: If you have your hotel booked in advance, look for a bell boy or a boat captain from your hotel waiting for you at the pier. They will then take your luggage by cart and walk you to your hotel or drive you by a long tail boat if your hotel is on the other side of the island.
FROM BANGKOK TO KOH PHI PHI:
1/ FLIGHT TO KRABI OR PHUKET
2/ NIGHT TRAIN TO SURATHANI
3/ NIGHT BUS TO KRABI
- The easiest and fastest way to get to Phi Phi from Bangkok is to fly from either of Bangkok’s airports to Krabi or Phuket.
- These are the closest airports to Phi Phi island. The flight is less than 1.5 hour and there are many flights each day.
- Apart from flying you can also get to Phi Phi by taking an overnight train from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal railway station to Suratthani and then bus to Krabi or Phuket. The railway operators provide join tickets for train and bus transfer.
- The cheapest and least comfortable option would be the overnight bus from Bangkok to Krabi or Phuket which takes around 12 hours.
FROM THE NORTH:
Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai to Koh Phi Phi
1/ FLIGHT (RECOMMENDED)
2/ OVERNIGHT TRAIN VIA BANGKOK
- Unless you have many days to spare then I recommend taking a plane. There are direct flights with Air Asia from Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai to Krabi.
The flight takes about 2 hours.
- Going by land would be very time consuming, so unless you are backpacking and planning to stop overnight in Bangkok, it is not a good option for a short vacation.
FROM PHUKET TO KOH PHI PHI
2/ SPEED BOAT (faster, more expensive)
All boats going to Phi Phi island depart from Rassada Pier. Rassada is in the south-east part of Phuket and you can get here by taxi or join minivan.
Many hotels and agencies in Patong, Karon, Kata and Phuket town organize for you joint ticket. This ticket combines transfer to the port and a boat ticket.
FERRY DEPARTURE TIME FROM PHUKET TO PHI PHI:
- 8:30 company Andaman Wave Master SPEEDBOAT
- 9:00 company Phi Phi Sabai Marine SPEEDBOAT
- 9:00 company Phi Phi Cruiser FERRY
- 10:30 company Kanichta SPEEDBOAT
- 11:00 company Phi Phi Sabai Marine SPEEDBOAT
- 12:30 company Andaman Wave Master SPEEDBOAT
- 13:30 company Andaman Wave Master SPEEDBOAT
- 13:45 company Andaman Wave FERRY
- 14.00 company Phi Phi Logistics SPEEDBOAT
- 15:00 company Chao Koh FERRY
FROM KRABI TOWN:
1/ FERRY BOAT (slower, cheaper)
2/ SPEED BOAT (faster, more expensive)
All ferries depart to Phi Phi from Klong Jilad Pier, which is around 10 min drive from Krabi Town. The drive from the airport is around 30-40 minutes. Taxi costs around 500 THB for 2-3 people or a bus to Krabi town for 90 THB.
The cost of the ferry ticket at the pier is 450 THB.
FERRY DEPARTURE TIME FROM KRABI TO PHI PHI:
- 9:15 company Kanichta SPEEDBOAT
- 10:00 company Chao Koh SPEEDBOAT
- 10:30 company U-rip Travel FERRY
- 13.00 company Arisa SPEEDBOAT
- 14:00 company Phi Phi Cabana SPEEDBOAT
- 13:00 company Phi Phi Chukit FERRY
- 16.00 company Arisa SPEEDBOAT
The speedboat transfer leaves from Krabi Town Chao Fa Pier- Marina port.
FROM AONANG or RAILAY TO KOH PHI PHI:
1/ FERRY BOAT (slower, cheaper)
2/ SPEED BOAT (faster, more expensive)
- 9:30 company Aonang Travel (ferry)
- 9:40 company Koh Yao Smile SPEEDBOAT
- 11.40 company Koh Yao Smile SPEEDBOAT
FROM KOH LANTA TO KOH PHI PHI:
1/ FERRY BOAT (slower, cheaper)
2/ SPEED BOAT (faster, more expensive)
- 8:30 ferry Lanta Petpalin
- 13.00 company Bundhaya/ Satun Pakbara SPEEDBOAT
FROM THE SOUTH:
Koh Lipe, Koh Mook, Koh Ngai, Koh Kradan etc.
1/ SPEED BOAT during HIGH SEASON
2/ BOAT-BUS-BOAT during LOW SEASON
During high season from November to May speedboat transfers are running once a day. There are two companies are operating in the area- Satun Pakrbara Boat Club and Bundhaya Speed Boat.
All boats stop in Koh Lanta, where you have to change the boat and then continue to Koh Phi Phi.
The duration of the transfer from Koh Lipe to Phi Phi by speedboat is around 4 hours and the price is around 2,600 THB per person.
During the low season from May till October, speedboats don’t run and you have to take a boat transfer from Lipe to Pakbara Pier. From Parkara pier, you can take a bus to Krabi or Koh Lanta and ferry from Krabi or Lanta to Phi Phi the next day.
You will have to stay in Krabi or Lanta overnight as the bus arrives later in the evening.
FROM KOH YAO YAI/NOI TO KOH PHI PHI:
The easiest way is to take a speedboat transfer. It takes 1,5h and costs 1.200 THB by company Koh Yao Sun Smile.
Alternatively, you can return to Phuket by boat, take a taxi or minivan to Rassada pier (approximately 40 minutes drive) and then 2 hours boat ride to Phi Phi. You will save some money, but lose half of the day traveling.
FROM KOH SAMUI,
KOH PHANGAN, KOH TAO TO KOH PHI PHI:
JOINT TICKET: FERRY+BUS+FERRY
From any of the three islands, you can buy a joint ticket which consists of a ferry or catamaran to the Donsak Pier, bus drive from Donsak in Suratthani to Krabi, followed by a two-hour boat ride to Koh Phi Phi.
The best company to go with is Lomprayah, you can also try Seatran or the cheaper Songserm (Andaman Wave Master).
The journey from Koh Tao takes around 10 hours, from Phangan 9 hours and Samui 8 hours. The departure is early in the morning and you will arrive in Koh Phi Phi in the afternoon.
There are also some overnight ferries from Tao and Koh Phangan, but they are very unreliable and often cancelled on the day of the trip, because of the temperament sea conditions in the Gulf of Thailand.
