Ko Phi Phi Don, the main island, is about 10.3 square kilometres — roughly 8 km long and 3.5 km wide. It’s the only inhabited island in the group and the one most people mean by “Phi Phi Island.” The famous smaller island, Ko Phi Phi Leh (home to Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon), is much smaller at around 1.3 square kilometres and is uninhabited national park. Together with their four small siblings — Bida Nok, Bida Nai, Bamboo (Ko Mai Phai) and Mosquito (Ko Yung) — the whole Phi Phi archipelago covers roughly 12 square kilometres of land in Krabi Province, about 40 km west of Krabi town (and ~46 km southeast of Phuket), ringed by limestone karst cliffs and reef. To put the scale in perspective, that’s a tiny fraction of Phuket itself (Phuket island is about 543 km²). All of it is protected within the Hat Nopparat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park. In short: Phi Phi is compact. You can take in its headline sights — Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, the Viking Cave, the snorkelling reefs and Bamboo Island — in a single well-planned day by boat.
Simba Sea Trips has run boats out to Phi Phi since 2005 — over twenty years on these exact waters — so we’ve watched the islands change through Maya Bay’s closure, its reopening, and the shifting daily rhythm of the tour fleet. That longevity is the practical edge here: knowing how small Phi Phi really is tells you the secret to enjoying it. Because the islands are tiny and the marquee sights are few, the entire day-tripper fleet funnels into the same handful of spots at the same time. Get there first, and a small place feels expansive; arrive at 11am with everyone else, and even a beautiful bay feels packed.
The Phi Phi islands by size
| Island | Approx. area | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ko Phi Phi Don | ~10.3 km² (8 × 3.5 km) | Largest, the only inhabited island; villages, beaches, viewpoints |
| Ko Phi Phi Leh | ~1.3 km² | Uninhabited national park; Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave |
| Bamboo Island (Ko Mai Phai) | small | White-sand beach and reef, north of Phi Phi Don |
| Mosquito Island (Ko Yung) | small | Snorkelling, no facilities |
| Bida Nok & Bida Nai | small islets | Dramatic limestone stacks south of Phi Phi Leh; diving/snorkelling |
How far is Phi Phi from Phuket?
Phi Phi sits between Phuket and Krabi in the Andaman Sea. From our base at Soho Pool Club, Boat Lagoon Marina, it’s about a 1 hour 10 minute run by speedboat. That short transit is exactly why an early start works so well: leave at dawn and you reach Maya Bay before the day-tripper fleet sails over from the main piers.
Small island, big crowds — why timing wins
Because the land area is so small and the must-see spots are concentrated on Phi Phi Leh, midday is when it gets busy. The fix is simple: be early. Our Phi Phi Sunrise Tour is built around this — you catch the sunrise at sea during the crossing, then arrive at Maya Bay ahead of the crowds rather than in the thick of them. (During the annual national-park conservation closure in August–September, we substitute Bamboo Island so the day still delivers.)
Seeing Phi Phi in a day
You don’t need to stay overnight to experience Phi Phi well — its compact size is what makes a day trip work. Our small-group Phi Phi Sunrise Tour (maximum 18 adults) covers Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, the Viking Cave, two snorkelling stops and Bamboo Island, all-inclusive from ฿5,310* per person, with lunch back at our Soho Pool Club. Prefer your own boat and schedule? The Luxury Phi Phi Sunrise Private Charter runs from ฿40,700* for the boat. For the full island-by-island rundown, see our Phi Phi Islands destination guide.
A note on Maya Bay
Maya Bay — the beach made famous by the film — sits on tiny Phi Phi Leh and is carefully managed by Thailand’s national park authority, including seasonal closures to let the reef recover. Having operated here since 2005, we plan our Phi Phi days around the current rules and the crowd patterns, so you see the bay at its best and within the regulations. Small island, big reputation: the trick is simply being in the right place at the right time.
