Monkey Beach Phi Phi: What to Know Before You Go

Not every Phi Phi highlight is about turquoise water. Monkey Beach adds a dose of wildlife to an island tour — and a lesson in keeping a respectful distance from animals that have grown a little too used to people. For the wider area, see our Phi Phi Islands guide.

Where is Monkey Beach in Phi Phi?

Monkey Beach (Yong Kasem Bay) is a small cove on the western shore of Phi Phi Don, a few minutes by longtail from the main Tonsai village. Its resident troop of crab-eating macaques comes down to the sand and rocks, especially around low tide, making it a reliable spot to see monkeys in the wild. It’s a quick, photogenic stop on many island-hopping tours.

Is Monkey Beach safe to visit?

Generally yes — if you respect the monkeys. These are wild animals that can bite and snatch food or shiny objects. The golden rules:

• Don’t feed them. It encourages aggression and dependency, and it’s discouraged by park authorities.
• Don’t touch them, and never get between a mother and her young.
• Secure your stuff. Zip up bags, and keep phones, sunglasses, food and drinks out of reach.
• Watch children closely.

Why you shouldn’t feed the monkeys

A bite can mean a clinic visit for rabies precautions, so caution here isn’t about being a killjoy — it’s good sense. Feeding also harms the troop: it makes them aggressive, alters their natural foraging, and leads to exactly the human-wildlife conflict that makes some visits stressful. Enjoy watching them; keep all food out of sight.

How long do you spend at Monkey Beach?

Visits are short — typically 15–20 minutes as part of a longer trip. That’s enough to watch the troop and take photos before moving on to the snorkelling and the headline stops. It works best as a quick add-on rather than a destination in itself.

What else is nearby

Monkey Beach pairs naturally with the other classic stops: Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and the snorkelling reefs off Bamboo Island. A well-planned longtail tour or private charter takes them all in.

Responsible wildlife watching

The macaques are a reminder that the Phi Phi Islands are a living ecosystem, not a theme park. Keeping your distance, never feeding, and taking your litter away all help keep both the animals and future visitors safe. The same ethic protects the reefs and the recovering wildlife at Maya Bay.

About the macaques of Monkey Beach

The residents of Monkey Beach are crab-eating macaques (also called long-tailed macaques), a species native to Southeast Asia and well adapted to coastal life. They forage along the shoreline for crabs, shellfish and fruit, and they’re strong swimmers. Years of tourist contact have made the Monkey Beach troop bold and food-motivated, which is exactly why the no-feeding rule matters — these are intelligent wild animals, not pets, and their behaviour reflects how visitors treat them.

Getting to Monkey Beach

Monkey Beach (Yong Kasem Bay) is a short longtail ride from Tonsai village on Phi Phi Don and features as a quick stop on many island tours, often combined with snorkelling and the Phi Phi Leh highlights. You can also charter a longtail to visit independently. Because the stop is brief and the cove small, it works best as part of a wider island-hopping tour rather than a destination in its own right.

Staying safe around the monkeys

The macaques can be assertive, especially where food is involved, so a little caution keeps the encounter fun. Keep all food and drinks sealed and out of sight, secure loose items like sunglasses and phones, don’t make direct eye contact or sudden movements, and never try to pet or hold them. Give mothers with babies a wide berth. If a monkey approaches, stay calm and back away slowly rather than grabbing your bag — most “incidents” happen when people panic over a snatched snack.

Why feeding wildlife is harmful

It’s tempting to feed the monkeys for a closer photo, but it does real damage. Human food harms their health, feeding makes them aggressive and dependent, and it escalates the conflict that leads to bites and, ultimately, to animals being culled or relocated. Responsible operators and park authorities discourage it for exactly these reasons. Watching the troop behave naturally — foraging, grooming, swimming — is a better experience anyway, and it keeps both monkeys and visitors safe. The same respect-from-a-distance ethic protects the reefs and the returning sharks at Maya Bay.

A quick stop, done right

Monkey Beach works best as a short, well-managed highlight rather than the centrepiece of your day. Spend fifteen or twenty minutes watching the troop behave naturally, keep your snacks zipped away, hold onto your sunglasses and phone, and resist the urge to feed or pet them. Do that and you’ll enjoy a genuine wild-animal encounter with none of the drama — then move on to the snorkelling and the headline bays. Slot it into a wider island-hopping tour and compare your options on the tours page.

Plan your trip

Book a tour that includes Monkey Beach on the tours page, and use our Phi Phi Islands guide and this maya tour phi phi hub to plan the rest.