The Phi Phi Islands are famous for their dramatic limestone cliffs, turquoise lagoons, and stunning beaches, including Maya Bay, made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio’s The Beach. To beat the crowds, we booked the Luxury Small Group Phi Phi Sunrise Tour with Simba Sea Trips, which meant another painfully early wake-up after our James Bond Island adventure the previous day. Thankfully, this time we were rewarded with a spectacular sunrise over the Andaman Sea! Our day took us from recreating movie scenes and spotting blacktip reef sharks at Maya Bay to swimming in Pileh Lagoon, snorkeling near Viking Cave, searching for monkeys, and admiring colorful longtail boats along Nui Beach. We finished with some much-needed relaxation at Ko Rang Yai before returning to Phuket in the early afternoon. While the boat itself didn’t quite live up to its luxury billing, the incredible variety of stops made this another unforgettable island-hopping adventure.
🗓️ Itinerary: Sunrise to Shoreline in the Phi Phi Islands
This was our second 5:00 AM tour in a row, but once again, getting out early was worth it. We booked the Luxury Small Group Phi Phi Sunrise Tour from Phuket with Simba Sea Trips on April 15, 2026; they kept the group relatively small and packed most of the sightseeing into the morning, leaving us enough time to return to our resort and even hike to Freedom Beach that afternoon.
- 🚐 4:50 AM – Hotel pickup and transfer to Phuket Boat Lagoon marina
- 🍽️ 5:30 AM – Check-in and light breakfast, tea, & coffee (~30 min)
- 🌅 6:00 AM – Depart marina and enjoy a spectacular sunrise along ride to Maya Bay (~80 min)
- 📸 7:20 AM – Maya Bay beach stop (~80 min)
- 🏞️ 8:50 AM – Swim at Pileh Bay (~20 min)
- 🤿 9:20 AM – Snorkel at Viking Cave (~30 min)
- 🐒 10:00 AM – Quick photo stop at Monkey Beach (~15 min, stay on boat)
- 🙉 10:15 AM – Explore Nui “Big Monkey” Beach (~45 min, optional snorkeling)
- 🚤 11:00 AM – Boat to Ko Rang Yai (~40 min)
- 🏝️ 12:00 PM – Free time at Ko Rang Yai beach (~60 min)
- 🚤 1:05 PM – Head back to Phuket Boat Lagoon
- 🍽️ 1:15 PM – Lunch buffet at Soho Pool Club (~45 min, included)
- 🚐 2:00 PM – Transfer from marina to hotel (~45 min)
- 🛏️ 2:40 PM – Arrive back at hotel
💡 Tips: Phi Phi Islands Without the FOMO
- 🌅 Book a Sunrise Tour: Arriving at Maya Bay around 7:20 AM helped us get ahead of the biggest crowds, although the beach was still surprisingly busy. Don’t expect a secluded paradise, even with an early start!
- 🚤 Consider a Small-Group Tour: We specifically chose Simba Sea Trips’ Luxury Small Group tour rather than a large group excursion, which better matched how we wanted to experience the islands.
- 🧴 Prepare for Lots of Sun: Sunscreen, water, a hat and lightweight sun protection are important because much of the day is spent exposed on the boat or beaches.
- 🤿 Bring or Wear Your Swim Gear: Swimming and snorkeling are spread throughout the morning, so being ready to get in and out of the water makes the day much easier.
- 🦈 Know Maya Bay’s Swimming Rules: Maya Bay is primarily for sightseeing and photography, with swimming restricted to protect its recovering ecosystem.
- 🐒 Stay on the Boat at Monkey Beach: Our stop on Simba only allowed for viewing and photos rather than interacting with the monkeys to protect the wildlife as well as people from potential bites.
- 🪼 Watch for Stinging Marine Life: We experienced small stings while swimming at Pileh Bay, possibly from jellyfish or sea lice. We didn’t have any long-term effects, but it’s worth being aware of before jumping in.
- ⏰ You Still Have an Afternoon: Despite seeing a lot, we were back at Avista Hideaway around 2:40 PM and still had enough time to hike down to Freedom Beach.
🦈 Maya Bay: Beating the Crowds to THE BEACH
Maya Bay was the headline stop of the tour and the biggest reason an early departure appealed to us. Made internationally famous by The Beach, the bay is surrounded by dramatic limestone cliffs and beautiful turquoise water; the water wasn’t quite as vibrant and clear as we’d expected, likely because the skies weren’t particularly sunny during our visit. We arrived around 7:20 AM and had approximately 80 minutes to explore, including our favorite spot at the far right end of the beach, where a massive limestone overhang frames spectacular views of the bay. Simba Sea Trips also provided banana bread and snacks wrapped in banana leaves, which we enjoyed while taking in the scenery. We even spotted blacktip reef sharks swimming through the shallow water, an especially fitting sight given Leonardo DiCaprio’s memorable shark encounter in The Beach. Thankfully, ours was much less dramatic!
🎥
🔄 360 Photo: Click and drag to look around
📸 Comparison Shots: Recreating Leo on The Beach
It was a bit of a challenge to recreate the shot of Leonardo DiCaprio sitting in The Beach. Getting the perspective right was surprisingly tricky, but the distinctive dip between the limestone cliffs is a great reference point for lining up the background. Keep in mind that the movie used CGI to extend the limestone cliffs and close the natural opening to the bay, so it’s impossible to match the skyline perfectly. We found the best approach was to have Scott sit a little farther back from the water and take the photo from a low angle, including plenty of sand in the foreground with a narrow strip of turquoise water behind him. It took some experimenting with the position and camera angle, but you can get surprisingly close to the original shot with an iPhone camera.
🏞️ Pileh Bay: Paradise Swim with a Little Sting
After Maya Bay, we headed to Pileh Bay, where towering limestone cliffs surround brilliant blue-green water. This was our first chance of the morning to jump in and enjoy the water, with about 20 minutes for swimming. Unfortunately, we also experienced some unexpected stinging sensations while swimming, which we initially thought might be jellyfish. We later wondered if it could have been sea lice, although we never confirmed the cause. Thankfully, the stings didn’t stop us from enjoying the spectacular scenery!
🤿 Viking Cave: Snorkeling Beneath the Cliffs
Our next stop was near Viking Cave, where we spent roughly 30 minutes snorkeling. We didn’t enter the cave itself, but the surrounding water provided another completely different way to experience the limestone scenery after walking Maya Bay and swimming at Pileh Bay.
🐒 Monkey Beach: Monkey Business from the Boat
We made a quick stop near Monkey Beach, where macaques can often be spotted along the shoreline. We stayed on the boat for our roughly 15-minute photo stop rather than going ashore, giving us a chance to watch the monkeys without turning it into another close-contact wildlife encounter.
🙈 Nui Beach: Longtail Boats & Big Monkey
Next came Nui Beach, sometimes called Big Monkey Beach because of the monkey-shaped limestone formation overlooking the water. We had around 45 minutes here and opted to skip snorkeling in favor of exploring the beautiful beach, admiring the colorful traditional Thai longtail boats along the shoreline, and searching for monkeys. We even spotted one hiding among the trees and tried to capture a photo, although it blended into the branches so well that we still can’t find it in our pictures!
🏝️ Ko Rang Yai: The Calm After the Island-Hopping Storm
After leaving the Phi Phi Islands, we headed back toward Phuket and stopped at Ko Rang Yai for about an hour of relaxation. The beach had soft sand, shallow turquoise water, traditional longtail boats, and plenty of loungers tucked beneath the shade of tropical trees. After a busy morning of sightseeing, swimming, and snorkeling, it was nice to finally slow down and relax on the beach.
🍽️ Soho Pool Club: A Curry Good Ending
Instead of squeezing lunch into the middle of the island hopping, our buffet meal came toward the end of the tour at Soho Pool Club. This was the first time I tried green curry in Thailand and it became my new favorite! After lunch, we transferred back to Avista Hideaway and arrived around 2:40 PM, surprisingly early considering how much we packed into the day.
🚤 Cruising the Phi Phi Islands: The Simba Sea Trips Experience
While we loved the stops on our Simba Sea Trips Phi Phi Sunrise Tour, the boat itself didn’t quite live up to its luxury billing. The speedboat was fairly basic, with limited comfort and no upper deck or open areas for enjoying different views, especially compared with our spacious Siam Adventure World catamaran the previous day. However, watching a spectacular orange sunrise over the Andaman Sea was a highlight, and the small-group experience, fantastic itinerary, and ability to accommodate Scott’s gluten-free needs more than made up for the boat’s shortcomings. We’d still happily recommend the tour!
🎥
🔄 360 Photo: Click and drag to look around
📞 Tour Info: Simba Sea Trips
Despite the boat’s shortcomings, we really enjoyed our Simba Sea Trips Phi Phi Sunrise Tour. The spectacular sunrise, early arrival at Maya Bay, and variety of stops made it well worth the early wake-up, and we’d happily recommend it.
- 🚤 Tour: Luxury Small Group Phi Phi Sunrise Tour from Phuket with Simba Sea Trips, booked via Viator
- 💰 Cost: As of 2026, $346.20 total for two people, before ~$17 in Viator Rewards, $35 Amex cash back, and 14% TopCashback
- 📅 Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour
- 🚐 Transportation: Free hotel pickup and drop-off were included
- ⏰ Pickup: Exact hotel pickup time was provided around 3:00 PM the day before the tour
- 🍽️ Food & Gluten-Free: Light breakfast and lunch were included; we informed the tour company in advance about Scott’s gluten-free requirements, which they were able to accommodate
- 🌅 Why We Chose It: The sunrise departure got us to Maya Bay early while combining several Phi Phi Islands highlights into one tour
- 🤿 Activities: Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, snorkeling near Viking Cave, Monkey Beach, Nui Beach, Ko Rang Yai, and lunch at Soho Pool Club were included
No Comments