A Phi Phi Islands tour from Phuket with our 4-year-old, Khai Island first

Search for a Phi Phi Islands tour from Phuket and you get hundreds of options. They leave from different piers, visit the islands in a different order and use boats of different sizes. In October 2019, I spent 10 days in Phuket with our 4-year-old, just the two of us, and gave one of those days to this tour. We left by speedboat from the pier on Ko Sire, east of Phuket Town, stopped at Khai Island first, then went around Phi Phi Le and Phi Phi Don before heading back.

This post covers how long we stayed at each island, what the day was like with a young kid, what to look at when you choose a tour now, what to pack for a child, and how the Maya Bay rules have changed. Speedboat tours covering Khai Island, Phi Phi and Maya Bay, the same route we took, can still be booked.

Here is the day’s route by boat. From Ko Sire pier we went east to Khai Island, then southeast to Phi Phi Le and Phi Phi Don.

Lines are simplified and don’t follow the exact route.

From Ko Sire pier to the boat

The tour van picked us up outside our hotel in Patong around 8:20 a.m. The drive crosses the island from the west-coast beaches to the far east side. Ko Sire is a small island joined to Phuket by a bridge, east of Phuket Town, and many speedboats to Phi Phi and Khai Island leave from its pier.

We reached the pier before 9 a.m. and boarded around 10. A big white boat and a row of speedboats were tied up in front of the covered waiting area. Before we boarded, a vendor on the pier took our photo. It was the photo that later turned up printed on plates (see below).

Tours like this one pick up guests from hotels along the west-coast beaches, such as Patong, Kata and Karon. We stayed at Baan Laimai Beach Resort & Spa in Patong and were picked up right outside.

Khai Island (Koh Khai)

A little over 20 minutes after leaving Ko Sire, the boat stopped off Khai Island at about 10:20 a.m. Khai Island is the name for three small islands in the sea east of Phuket: Khai Nai, Khai Nui and Khai Nok. The one we landed on had a white sand beach with bright blue water stretching out in front of it.

The water was clear and shallow. When our kid waded in wearing the orange life jacket from the tour boat, schools of yellow and black striped fish crowded in close. There was no need to go out far; the fish were easy to see right at the water’s edge.

One end of the beach was covered in wide stretches of rock instead of sand. Our kid spent time peering into the pools between the rocks. On ground like that, water shoes are easier than bare feet.

We stayed on Khai Island until about 12:10 p.m., close to two hours.

• No fish feeding Feeding the fish is not allowed at Khai Island. A tourist was in fact arrested for feeding fish off Khai Nok. The fish come close without food anyway.

If you’d rather spend the afternoon at your hotel pool, there are half-day tours that go to Khai Island only.

Phi Phi Le and Maya Bay

The ride from Khai Island to Phi Phi Le took about 40 minutes. After Khai the boat was packed, and the orange life jackets handed out on board said “SEA ANGEL.” The boat went fast, but our kid was fine: no seasickness, no fear.

We arrived off Ko Phi Phi Le at about 12:50 p.m., and limestone cliffs rose straight out of the sea in front of us. Phi Phi Le is uninhabited and belongs to Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park.

Maya Bay from the boat in 2019, and now

Maya Bay is a small bay on the west side of Phi Phi Le, known as a filming location for The Beach. When we went in October 2019, it was closed while the beach recovered, so the boat waited a few minutes at the mouth of the bay and turned around. We only saw the beach from a distance, from the boat.

Today you can go onto the beach. Boats don’t pull into the bay, though. You land at the pier in Loh Samah Bay on the other side of the island and walk in along a wooden boardwalk.

Detail	October 2019	November 2026
Getting onto the beach	Closed; seen from the boat only	Land at Loh Samah Bay pier and walk in
Closure	June 2018 to January 2022	Every year, August 1–September 30

Swimming is not allowed at the beach. In February 2026, two tourists were fined for going into the water in the no-swimming zone. During the two-month closure each rainy season, Maya Bay and Loh Samah Bay both close, and tours only view Maya Bay from the boat. The Phi Phi national park fee is 400 baht for foreign adults and 200 baht for children.

A swim below the cliffs

From Maya Bay, the boat went around the south of the island and stopped in front of a cliff where a line of yellow buoys was strung across the water. Around 1:20 p.m., our kid and I got in together. As at Khai Island, our kid wore the boat’s life jacket, and we used the snorkeling gear we had brought. The water was very clear and the fish were easy to see.

Pileh Lagoon entrance and Viking Cave

At about 1:35 p.m. we passed the entrance to Pileh Lagoon, a narrow channel between two tall cliffs. Pileh Lagoon is an inner stretch of sea enclosed by cliffs, and tours these days often stop there to swim instead of Maya Bay.

A little to the north, Viking Cave is a large hollow cut into the base of the cliff. Wooden scaffolding is tangled across the rock wall, used by people who collect the nests of birds living inside the cave. The name is said to come from old paintings of boats on the cave walls. Tour boats don’t go in; they look from outside and move on. Near the cave we also saw some of the island’s monkeys.

Phi Phi Don (Ko Phi Phi Don)

From Phi Phi Le we headed north for about 10 minutes and landed on a beach on Phi Phi Don around 2 p.m. Phi Phi Don is the large, inhabited island of the group, where the hotels and restaurants are.

Lunch was a buffet at a beach restaurant. Our kid loved the tomato spaghetti. After lunch we swam once more off the beach, and this time our kid wore the inflatable vest we had brought instead of the boat’s life jacket.

On Phi Phi, many people took an interest in our kid, who is from Korea. Three families from India asked if they could take photos with our kid, and other people nearby wanted to join in.

We left Phi Phi Don around 3 p.m. and headed back to Phuket. When we got off the boat, the photos taken on the pier that morning were on sale, printed on plates. Our kid wanted to buy a second plate along with the one with our kid’s photo.

“If we buy the plate you’re on too, we’ll be together!”

So we bought two.

Choosing a Phi Phi tour from Phuket

Phi Phi tours from Phuket can look alike, but they differ in a few ways. As of November 2026, there are five main differences between tours.

What differs from tour to tour

• Departure pier and pickup time Tours that leave from a pier on Phuket’s east side, like Ko Sire, pick up early from west-coast hotels. The exact time depends on your hotel.
• Which islands Some tours include Khai Island; others include Bamboo Island instead. Every listing notes that the order and stops can change with the weather and tides.
• National park fee Some tours include it; with others you pay separately in cash on the spot.
• Type of boat Some tours move quickly on a small speedboat; others use a larger catamaran.
• Cancellation policy Some tours give a full refund until 9 a.m. local time the day before; others are discounted but nonrefundable.

Booking ahead

We booked online on October 7, 15 days before the tour, and got a confirmation email. Tours today also send a voucher with the pickup time and place once the booking is confirmed. Pickup times depend on where you’re staying, so enter your hotel name exactly when you book.

Speedboat, catamaran or Bamboo Island: three tours compared

Three Phi Phi day tours from Phuket, on the same points. The clearest differences are highlighted.

Prices checked on November 4, 2026, start at about $39 per person for A, $75 for B and $58 for C, and change with the date. All three offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before. With a young kid and several islands in one day, look at A; for more room on board, B; if Bamboo Island’s beach appeals, C.

What to pack for a young kid

The tour boat hands out orange vest-style life jackets and snorkel gear. Still, it was a long day in the water with a small child, so I brought a few things of our own.

If your kid doesn’t like putting their face in the water, an underwater viewer (paid link) comes in handy. Ours used one to look at the fish.

FAQ

Why do Phi Phi tour prices from Phuket vary so much?

The price comes down to the type of boat (speedboat or catamaran), which islands you visit, whether the national park fee is included, and where your hotel pickup is. Even on tours that visit the same islands, if the fee isn’t included you pay 400 baht per foreign adult and 200 baht per child on the spot.

Can you swim at Maya Bay?

No. Today you land at the Loh Samah Bay pier and walk to the beach, and swimming happens in permitted spots such as Pileh Lagoon. Maya Bay closes every year from August 1 to September 30.

Is Khai Island OK with a young child?

We went with our 4-year-old. The water off the beach is shallow and clear, so the fish came close while our kid simply stood there in a life jacket. If a full day on a boat feels like too much, there are half-day tours from Phuket that visit only Khai Island.

What should you wear on a Phi Phi tour?

You get in the water at every island, so a swimsuit is the baseline. We packed our kid’s swimsuit and water shoes; a rash guard for sun protection is even better. The tour boat provides life jackets.

Does the itinerary change in bad weather?

Every listing says the island order and stops can change with the weather, tides and national park rules. Cancellation and refund policies vary by tour, so check the tour page before you book.

Wrap-up

Shallow water and fish at Khai Island, cliffs and clear water at Phi Phi Le, lunch and a swim at Phi Phi Don: three islands in one day. The people on Phi Phi who came over to our kid, and our kid’s idea of buying two plates, are things I still remember warmly.

Getting there

Place	How to get there
Ko Sire pier	10–15 minutes by car from Phuket Town across the bridge, in the tour pickup van
Khai Island (Koh Khai)	A little over 20 minutes by speedboat from Ko Sire pier
Phi Phi Le (Ko Phi Phi Le)	About 40 minutes by speedboat from Khai Island
Phi Phi Don (Ko Phi Phi Don)	About 10 minutes by speedboat from Phi Phi Le

To find Ko Sire pier on Google Maps, search “Ko Sire Phuket pier.” We got around the islands only on the tour boat.

What we used on this trip

Gear

• Kid’s goggles, snorkel gear, inflatable vest, water shoes (paid link), underwater viewer (paid link) What to pack for a young kid

Bookings

• Phi Phi and Khai Island speedboat tour Booked 15 days ahead, tour comparison
• Hotel A Patong hotel inside the tour pickup zone, where we stayed

Sources

• Bangkok Post: Maya Bay and Loh Samah Bay close in August and September
• Asia News Network: Maya Bay reopening and national park fees
• The Thaiger: fines for swimming in Maya Bay’s no-swim zone
• Bangkok Post: arrest for fish feeding at Koh Khai Nok
• Phuket 101: the three Khai islands