Maya Bay Half-Day Longtail Tour with Snorkelling

About the Phi Phi Don to Maya Bay longtail boat tour

The maya bay koh phi phi snorkeling is built around one goal: getting you to Maya Bay and the best of Ko Phi Phi Leh without the hassle of arranging boats yourself. It is one of the most popular ways to reach the bay, bundling the must-see stops into a single, well-organised day. You travel by traditional Thai longtail boat — the slim, wooden, ribbon-decked craft that has worked these waters for generations. It is slower than a speedboat but gentler in a swell and far more atmospheric.

Departing from Phi Phi Don, this small-group trip strings together the archipelago’s signature stops — limestone-walled bays, hidden lagoons and shallow snorkelling reefs — into a roughly 4 hours adventure. For the wider context before you book, our complete Maya Bay guide and how to get to Maya Bay explain the rules, fees and routes in depth.

What you’ll see on this Phi Phi Islands tour

Itineraries shift with the weather and the tide, but a typical day on this tour includes:

• Maya Bay — the headline stop — a crescent of white sand wrapped in sheer limestone cliffs, made famous by the film The Beach.
• Pileh Lagoon — a flooded canyon of calm, jade-green water where swimming is allowed (unlike Maya Bay itself).
• Loh Samah Bay — the sheltered bay behind Phi Phi Leh where boats moor and snorkellers slip into the reef.
• Monkey Beach — a quick stop to watch the resident troop of wild macaques on the shore.
• Viking Cave — a vast sea cavern where collectors still harvest swiftlet nests, viewed from the boat.

Every one of these sits inside Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, the protected marine reserve that covers the Phi Phi Islands. That protection is exactly why the water is so clear and the reefs so alive.

Maya Bay: the star of every Phi Phi tour

Maya Bay is the reason most people book a boat in the first place, and it does not disappoint. After a near four-year closure to let its reef recover, the bay reopened in 2022 under careful management. Boats now moor at a pier on the back of the island and you walk a short boardwalk through the cliffs to reach the sand — you no longer sail straight into the cove.

Two rules matter on the day: there is no swimming inside the bay (it is a reef-recovery and blacktip-shark nursery zone), and your time on the beach is timed, usually 30–60 minutes. Going early in the itinerary helps you beat the busiest period. To understand the timing trade-offs, see our guide to the best time to visit Maya Bay.

Snorkelling and marine life on the Andaman reefs

Snorkelling is a core part of this trip. You’ll float over hard and soft corals busy with parrotfish, angelfish and shoals of fusiliers, and there’s a real chance of meeting the harmless blacktip reef sharks that patrol the shallows — a highlight, not a hazard, as our Maya Bay sharks guide explains. Lucky snorkellers also spot green and hawksbill turtles grazing the seagrass. For the best reefs around the islands, read our Phi Phi snorkelling guide.

What’s included

Your booking typically covers longtail boat tour, guide, life jacket, snorkeling equipment, drinking water, fruits. Usually not included: Hotel pickup and drop-off; Accommodation; National Park entry fee (400 THB must be paid in cash at Maya Bay).

What to bring: reef-safe sunscreen, a dry bag for your phone, a towel and swimwear worn under your clothes, and cash in Thai baht for the 400 THB national park fee. Add motion-sickness tablets if you’re prone to seasickness on faster boats, and a waterproof phone case for the snorkelling stops.

Who this small-group tour is best for

This trip suits independent travellers who want a sociable, well-paced day without the scale of a big-boat tour. The set itinerary keeps the day moving so you tick off the highlights without long waits. If a quiet, crowd-free Maya Bay is your priority, weigh it against an early start using our Phi Phi to Maya Bay tips.

How it compares to other Maya Bay tours

There’s no single “best” Maya Bay tour — only the right one for your trip. Travelling from Phi Phi Don, this option trades speed and distance for atmosphere. If you’re still deciding between vessels, our longtail vs speedboat comparison breaks down the difference, and you can line up every option side by side on the tours page.

Book your Phi Phi Don Maya Bay tour

Live prices, available dates and instant confirmation are shown in the booking panel on this page, powered by GetYourGuide. Many dates offer reserve-now, pay-later with free cancellation, so you can lock in your spot and finalise plans later. Popular sunrise and small-group departures sell out fast in the November–April high season — if your dates are fixed, book a day or two ahead.

This tour is one piece of the full maya tour phi phi picture; use our Maya Bay guide to plan the rest of your trip around it.