Phi Phi Sunset Speedboat Tour with BBQ Dinner and Plankton Krabi

Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Leh

After hotel pickup and a speedboat crossing of about an hour from the Krabi coast, the first highlight is Maya Bay on the uninhabited island of Koh Phi Phi Leh. This curve of fine white sand, enclosed by limestone cliffs more than 100 metres high, is the most famous beach in Thailand, and it was closed for several years to let its coral recover before reopening under strict protection.

Boats now drop visitors at a floating pier on the far side of the island, and a wooden boardwalk leads through the forest to the beach. Swimming is not allowed, but you can walk on the sand, take photos and look for young blacktip reef sharks in the shallows. Maya Bay closes every year for a period, usually August and September; the boat then spends longer at the other stops.

Pileh Lagoon and the Viking Cave

On the east side of Koh Phi Phi Leh, the speedboat slips through a gap in the cliffs into Pileh Lagoon, a narrow inlet of calm, emerald-green water almost completely surrounded by sheer limestone walls. The boat stops so you can jump in for a swim, one of the most memorable moments of any Phi Phi Islands tour.

Nearby, the boat pauses outside the Viking Cave, a large sea cave at the foot of the cliffs where swiftlets build their nests high on the walls; old paintings of boats on the rock gave the cave its name. Visitors cannot enter, but your guide explains the history of the nest collectors who once climbed bamboo poles here. The scenery of overhanging cliffs and turquoise water all around Phi Phi Leh is spectacular.

Monkey Bay and lunch on Koh Phi Phi Don

Next, the boat crosses to Koh Phi Phi Don, the larger, inhabited island, stopping first at Monkey Bay, a small beach where long-tailed macaques come down from the forest to the shore. You watch them from the boat or the beach; do not feed or touch them, and keep bags closed.

Lunch is a Thai buffet at a restaurant on Koh Phi Phi Don, with halal and vegetarian choices on request; let us know when booking. The island's narrow waist, with beaches on both sides and green hills behind, makes a beautiful setting for a break. Many travellers wonder how to get to Phi Phi from Krabi and see everything in one day: with this route, you visit both islands and still have the evening ahead.

Bamboo Island

In the afternoon, the speedboat continues to Bamboo Island, a small, flat island north-east of Phi Phi Don, protected within the national park. It is ringed by soft white sand and shallow, crystal-clear water, with a reef close to the shore where you can snorkel among parrotfish, angelfish and coral heads.

You have time to swim, snorkel with the mask provided and relax on the beach, and the shallow water suits children and less confident swimmers. Fins are not included, so bring your own if you prefer them. The best time to visit the Phi Phi Islands is from November to April, when the Andaman Sea is calm and the water at its clearest; from May to October, the sea can be rougher and the route may be adjusted.

Koh Poda: sunset, BBQ dinner and glowing plankton

As the sun drops, the boat heads back towards the Krabi coast to Koh Poda, a limestone island with a long white beach and a striking rock pinnacle rising from the sea just offshore. Here you watch the sunset paint the islands gold and pink, while dinner is prepared: a BBQ dinner on the beach, with halal and vegetarian choices on request.

After dark comes the final highlight: a swim among bioluminescent plankton. These tiny marine organisms glow blue-green when the water moves, so every stroke of your arms leaves a trail of sparkling light. The effect is strongest on dark nights with little moonlight. The boat then returns to the mainland, and our driver takes you back to your hotel in the evening.