3 Day Koh Phi Phi Itinerary for Maya Bay Viewpoints

Planning a trip to Koh Phi Phi but don’t know where to start? There’s so much to do on the island, but most visitors don’t even cover half of it. In this itinerary, I’m going to show you how to experience the island properly with a three-day adventure that covers the best nearby islands to explore, where to find the number one snorkeling spot in the whole of Thailand, and the beaches most tourists never even hear about.

Personally, I’m more interested in how to visit Thailand’s most beautiful nature spots, and this itinerary will be about showing you the best the island has to offer. Imagine drifting through emerald-green waters, with towering limestone cliffs on either side, and exploring hidden beaches that are only accessible by boat.

The 3 Day Koh Phi Phi Itinerary at a Glance

Koh Phi Phi is known for having some of the best island-hopping tours in Thailand, but you can’t just hop on any old boat. One of the benefits of taking these tours from Koh Phi Phi, as opposed to traveling a long distance from Krabi or Phuket, is that you get to take the traditional Thai longtail boat. These are just a bit more fun to ride in than the bigger, louder, and bumpier speedboats that people have to take when they’re coming from elsewhere.

There are lots of different types of boat tours that you can take. Some are half-day trips and others are full-day trips. Prices start from around 1,000 Thai Baht and go up considerably based on the size of the group or the type of boat you take.

Day 1 Island Hopping Around Koh Phi Phi

But which are the best islands to visit on a tour like this? Well, Koh Phi Phi is home to one of the most iconic locations in the whole of Thailand, and it’s actually just recently been reopened to the public after being closed down for a few years due to overtourism. This beach was made famous by the Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach. It’s every bit as stunning in person, with its crystal-clear water surrounded by towering cliffs. This is Maya Bay, and it’s definitely the most popular spot on the list.

If possible, try to get on a tour that heads here first. In fact, there are some tours that only come here, and they set off before 6:00 a.m. to beat the crowds. I believe that this is the best way to see the beach.

The waters around Koh Phi Phi have a bright turquoise hue unlike anywhere else in the world. The best place to experience this is the Emerald Lagoon. Emerald Lagoon’s vibrant green color comes from sunlight reflecting off the clear, mineral-rich water, especially the calcium from the surrounding limestone cliff faces. The lush greenery around the lagoon adds to the effect, giving the water its stunning emerald color and making it one of the most beautiful places to visit on the island.

There’s another spot that you have to visit on one of these tours that is famous for its mysterious cave paintings and Viking ships. It’s unclear where these paintings came from, but it has been suggested that they were drawn by sailors who were washed up on the island in a storm. This is Viking Cave, and it’s unlikely the paintings were actually drawn by Vikings, but it’s still a fascinating mystery.

Some of these deserted islands aren’t actually that deserted. Monkey Beach is a small, secluded stretch of sand famous for its hungry macaques. They’ve lived here for generations due to the abundance of food, and the monkeys are used to interacting with visitors, so they’ll often come down from the cliffs to hang out by the beach. But be careful: they might just steal your sunglasses if you’re not paying attention.

Day 2 Viewpoints Cafes and Loh Dalum Beach

Koh Phi Phi is a uniquely shaped island. Most of the island is uninhabitable because of its mountainous terrain and steep cliff faces, and the area where most people actually stay and explore is concentrated on this thin strip of land by the pier. In fact, the two beaches are separated by only about 100 meters.

This means that Koh Phi Phi is home to one of the most iconic views in the whole of Thailand. By hiking up to the top of a nearby mountain, you can see where Koh Phi Phi’s two main beaches almost meet. On a good day, you’ll be able to see the turquoise waters the island is famous for and the mountains on either side of the island.

This is called the Viewpoint hike, and I’d recommend doing it in the morning to avoid the heat. If you get up there early enough, you can see one of the best sunrises you’ll ever see. Some people also like to come for sunset, but it does get crowded at the top. The hike only takes about 30 to 40 minutes, and it’s clearly signposted from the town.

What most visitors don’t realize is that you can continue on past the Viewpoint hike to two more stunning viewpoints, creatively named Viewpoints 2 and 3. By visiting these spots, you’ll get a 360-degree view of the island and of the hidden beaches that you’ll explore on day three.

Once you descend, it’s time to treat yourself to some coffee and breakfast. All of the best cafés on the island are towards the entrance of the Viewpoint hike and around Walking Street. I recommend grabbing a bite of food around Tonsai and watching as the boats come in and out of the island.

But if there’s one thing you came to this island for, it’s beautiful beaches, right? And Koh Phi Phi does not disappoint. Loh Dalum Beach has perfect white sands and crystal-clear waters stretching out in a calm, shallow bay. It’s the perfect spot to chill out in, with cliff faces on either side providing a stunning natural backdrop. The water here is so shallow and peaceful that you can actually walk out for hundreds of meters, making it ideal for wading, swimming, or even renting a kayak to explore the bay’s emerald waters. As it turns to nighttime, this beach shifts gears. This tranquil stretch of beach transforms into one of the liveliest nightlife spots in the country as the beach lights up with beach bars and fire dancers. This is called Loh Dalum Beach, and it’s one of the best spots on the island.

Day 3 Long Beach Shark Point and Laem Tong Beach

Day three is all about getting off the beaten path and exploring the lesser-known beaches of Koh Phi Phi. Most people who come to the island never leave the area around the pier and Loh Dalum Beach unless they’re on a boat tour, but there are actually some amazing hidden beaches to explore on the main island.

About a 30-minute walk from town, after a short hike through the jungle, you can reach Long Beach. This beach has a much more chill atmosphere than Loh Dalum, and it’s the perfect place to relax. But the real reason to come to this beach is that it’s home to the number one snorkeling spot in the whole of Thailand. Just a short swim away from the beach, there’s a spot known as Shark Point, which is home to groups of blacktip reef sharks.

Don’t worry: they’re harmless to humans, and they’re relatively small, only growing between about 1 and 1.5 meters. At this spot, you’ll also see an array of colorful starfish and brightly colored tropical fish like parrotfish, clownfish, and butterflyfish. The currents are pretty strong, which is what attracts the sharks, so you might want to wear a life jacket just in case. Some boat tour operators might actually take you here as one of their stops, but it’s definitely worth spending some time here on Long Beach to have a better chance of spotting sharks.

But there’s one more beach that lies to the far north of the island that most tourists don’t even know exists. This beach is so secluded that it’s perfect for the more adventurous explorers. It also has great snorkeling, with marine life just up the coast, and the views from this beach are breathtaking. You can see some of the neighboring islands, like Bamboo Island, in the distance, making it a picturesque beach. This beach is perfect for renting a sea kayak and exploring some of the hidden coves in the area, too.

This is called Laem Tong Beach, and it’s located right at the northern tip of Koh Phi Phi. To get here, you can hike across the whole island or hop in a longtail boat to take you there. This is the side of the Phi Phi islands that most people never, ever see.

But if you want to experience an island with some of the best food, temples, and beaches of Southern Thailand, you’re going to have to travel a little further. Check out this three-day itinerary to find out how to get the most out of your trip to Phuket.