Going to Phi Phi island for the day is a must when you are visiting Phuket, Thailand. While you are there snorkel, feed monkeys, and more.
Phi Phi Island
One of the most famous islands near Phuket, Thailand and possibly one of the most famous islands in the world is Ko Phi Phi island. It’s famous for many reasons, but one of the main ones is because several of the beaches were used in Leonardo DiCaprio’s film the Beach.
How to Get to Ko Phi Phi Island
Phi Phi Island and is accessible only by boat and there are tons of companies that will take you out there. We got out there on a speed boat with My Phuket Holiday. We had to sit up front because the main cabin was full. This was fun at first, but a little insane. We bounced all around. The waves were massive and they were going super fast. Depending on how large your group is, it would not be much more to take a private boat instead of a group boat.

The famous beach on Phi Phi island (taken with a GoPro)

The Beach on Phi Phi Island (taken w/a GoPro)

The Beach on Phi Phi Island (taken w/a GoPro)
The Beach on Phi Phi Island
Once you get to Phi Phi island you can visit the famous Beach, where Leonardo DiCaprio filmed The Beach. The water is turquoise and the beach is surrounded by cliffs. It is quite stunning. You can swim in a sectioned off area or just lounge. There are restrooms here and I guess sometimes there is a snack bar open. There was no snack bar during the morning we visited.
- Be careful where you place your things! We set our stuff on the beach and swam. Luckily I noticed the waves hitting higher on the beach. I barely saved some of our stuff from being ruined. My advice – leave most stuff on the boat!
- Take your own toilet paper. Apparently, you should carry your own toilet paper with you depending on what you are doing in Thailand. Sometimes the toilet paper is up high on a wall outside of the restroom.

Eden snorkeling at Phi Phi island (taken with a GoPro)
Snorkeling around Phi Phi Island
The snorkeling is excellent in many spots around Phi Phi island. People were snorkeling at various locations around the island. The waves were a little too intense in areas for my 10 year old. So, if your kids are snorkeling make sure everyone has a good life jacket on and try to stay together.
Monkey Beach on Phi Phi Island
One of the stops is monkey beach. It isn’t much of a beach, but the water is turquoise and there are lots of monkeys. The boat guide gets up close with them and all the kids got the chance to feed them. Sometimes the monkeys will come on to the boat to get to the food.
Here is a little video of us feeding the monkeys. Jonah got to feed a couple of them!
Bamboo Beach
Last but not least they took us to Bamboo Beach. The sand here was white and the water is turquoise. I heard that the snorkeling is good here, but sadly we did not get to try it ourselves. A big storm was blowing in so we had to leave.
One more thing I thought I might should add. There are a lot of companies you can go with. I feel extremely comfortable recommending My Phuket Holiday. One of my kids had a seizure on the boat and the staff was phenomenal. One of the guys caught him, so he didn’t hit his head. The guy got him down on the floor of the boat and a nurse that was on board jumped in and helped. The staff checked on us throughout the rest of the excursion and if I had asked them to they would have taken us back even though they had a bunch of other people on the boat and we were basically in the middle of nowhere.
More Fun Things to do in Phuket
Where to Stay in Phuket
Should You Get Travel Insurance?
Don’t forget travel insurance! I have gotten extremely sick twice now out of the country and Noah has had seizures in Thailand, so I always recommend getting some sort of coverage. Read more about why you should always carry travel insurance here.
Car Rental
If you are looking for a car rental I recommend getting the car at the airport. You can get a car rental for super cheap in Phuket.
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