The Ultimate Budgeter’s Guide to Koh Phi Phi

Koh Phi Phi Don is the only inhabitable island of the Phi Phi Islands, and is known for its beautiful beaches, gorgeous viewpoints, and wild nightlife. If you’re not partying, there’s plenty to do and plenty of places to stay away from the madness of Tonsai village, just prepare yourself for a wild party throughout the streets each night. With three days to play in this beautiful part of Thailand, I wanted to maximize my fun and minimize my budget. Keep reading to find out how I was able to have an incredible three day visit for only $118.

Getting There: The ferry to Koh Phi Phi only leaves from Railay Beach or Ao Nang (if you’re coming from Krabi) so if you’re staying in Tonsai, make sure to build in extra time to hike to Railay Beach. If the tide is low enough, it will be easy to get there, but if it’s high like when I went, you’ll need to make the very slippery hike with all of your stuff…basically I was covered in mud by the time I got to Railay. The ferry leaves from the opposite side of Railay, costs $11 and takes about an hour and a half.

Stay: I stayed at Tropical Garden Bungalows for three nights and was so happy with my stay. The rooms were small, but very clean and a great open bathroom. It cost $36 for the three nights I stayed, which was a bargain considering my friend paid over $20 per night for his private room, and I met some other backpackers who paid $10 per night for a jam packed dorm room at one of the island’s party hostels. Tropical Garden Bungalows even had a pool with a swim-up bar which I really enjoyed, and was close enough to bars, restaurants and nightlife so that I felt included, but far enough away that I could have a restful nights sleep in peace.

TO DO:

Nightlife: Phi Phi Reggae Bar is a staple of Phi Phi Don nightlife with a Muay Thai boxing ring in the center, and staff member encouraging patrons to enter the ring in exchange for free drinks. After watching a few amateur crowd members attempt to pummel each other, real Mauy Thai boxers stepped in the ring for a go. I’m not really into fighting, but it was definitely entertaining. Slinky Beach Bar is home to the wildest beach party on the island, full of young party-goers. Warning: do not enter sober.

Loh Dalam Bay: After a night of partying, have a nice relaxing day on Loh Dalam Beach, and sip on a recovery juice from one of the many nearby juice stands.

Koh Phi Phi Viewpoint: Essentially around the corner from Tropical Garden Bungalows is a sign for a viewpoint that you cannot miss during your stay in Phi Phi Don! After a nice booty-burning trek up some steep stairs you, will need to pay a bank-breaking $1entrance fee and then you will see a sign for viewpoint 1. Don’t even bother stopping here. Keep walking to viewpoint 2 for some epic views of the island below.

Moh Dee Beach & Long Beach: After snapping plenty of photos at viewpoint 2, you can trek 40 min to the soft sand and clear water of the secluded Moh Dee beach. From here take a 15 min walk to get to Long Beach, home to the Shark Point snorkeling and dive site, where you are sure to spot a leopard shark. Once you’ve gotten your snorkeling fix, it’s an easy 30 min walk back towards Ao Tonsai Pier during low tide.

Arisa Speedboat Snorkeling Trip: This was by far my most favorite part of my stay in the Phi Phi Islands. The trip was much more expensive than a lot of advertised trips throughout Phi Phi Don, but this is an example of you get what you pay for, and I’m beyond happy we chose to use this company! It cost $35, which included equipment for three snorkeling stops, unlimited bottled water and soda, fresh fruit, and lunch. What really stood out to me about this trip was how fun, energetic, and all around wonderful the crewmembers were, and how well they stuck to the schedule and made sure were able to enjoy the max amount of time at each place promised. Later on I met a few travelers that were so distraught over how awful their snorkeling trip was. Apparently they tried to charge them additional fees once on the boat, and didn’t take them to the beaches and snorkeling spots that they were told they would go to. We also noticed ferry boats attempting to do the same tour, but with over 200 passengers on board. At one point, we watched as each passenger jumped off of the back of the boat to snorkel one by one. The last person in line had to wait about 20 minutes to finally get into the water to enjoy! I urge you to spend a little extra money for a speedboat trip and forego the cheap ferry tours. They are unable to dock too close to any of the beautiful beaches and coves. To purchase tickets for an Arisa Speed Boat Skorkeling Trip click here!

• Enjoy a Relaxing Beach Day at Loh Dalam Bay