Cliff-ringed islands in the middle of the Andaman Sea: you stay on Phi Phi Don and take boats to Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon on Phi Phi Leh. There are no cars — you walk or take longtail boats. By day it is clear water, snorkelling and viewpoints; at night Tonsai and Loh Dalum turn into a party scene, so families should pick Long Beach or a quiet resort on the north coast. No direct flights from Ulaanbaatar: fly to Phuket (HKT), then 1.5–2 hours by ferry. Mongolian citizens can stay 30 days visa-free.
🛂 Visa: Visa-free · 30 days✈ Flight: 11h☀ Best months: December, January, February, March
Orange — daytime average, blue — night, grey bars — rainfall, green — sea temperature. Best months: December, January, February, March, April.
Things to see (12)
🧸 for kids
Maya Bay (Phi Phi Leh)
NatureNational park fee 400฿ (children 200฿)8:00–16:30; closed 1 Aug–30 Sep
The famous bay from 'The Beach': sheer cliffs and white sand. Swimming is banned to protect the coral — you may wade ankle-deep only; boats moor at the back pier and you walk in on a boardwalk. Fewer people early in the morning.
NatureCovered by the park fee (tour extra)Tours ≈8:00–17:00
A jade-green lagoon hidden inside the cliffs of Phi Phi Leh. Jump straight off the boat for a swim or rent a kayak. Life jackets for children.
Travel guide
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goMongolian citizens need no visa, but the TDAC digital card is mandatory. Getting to Phi Phi means chaining a flight, a road transfer and a ferry.+
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Visa: 30 days visa-free
Under the Mongolia–Thailand bilateral agreement, an ordinary passport gives 30 days visa-free. The general 60-day exemption ended on 15 September 2026, but this does not affect Mongolia. With good reason the stay can be extended once (1,900฿); overstaying is fined 500฿ per day. Your passport should be valid for more than 6 months and you should hold a return ticket.
Every foreigner entering Thailand fills in the TDAC on the official site within 3 days before arrival — free. Put your Phi Phi hotel as the address and save the QR code. Immigration is done at your first Thai airport (Bangkok or Phuket).
On the Andaman coast December–April is dry with a calm sea. In the May–October south-west monsoon waves are high, ferries roll and trips are cancelled. Landing at Maya Bay is banned every year from 1 August to 30 September.
Tip: With children, book a quiet hotel away from Tonsai village, on Long Beach or the north coast.
🛬From Phuket to the islandAirport → Rassada Pier → ferry to Tonsai Pier.+
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Phuket Airport to Rassada Pier
Rassada Pier is 36 km from Phuket Airport, 60–75 minutes by car. An airport taxi costs ≈700–850฿, a minivan ≈900฿. Many ferry companies sell an airport pickup together with the ticket.
Daily ferries (Chaokoh, Andaman Wave Master) from Rassada Pier to Tonsai take 1.5–2 hours, from ≈550฿; speedboats take ≈1 hour and cost more. From Krabi's Klong Jilad Pier it is from ≈450฿, 1.5–2 hours. Pay the 20฿ island fee in cash when you land at Tonsai Pier.
Tip: The last ferries leave early in the afternoon — if you land in Phuket in the evening, stay the night there.
There are no cars on the island: walk to village hotels pulling your luggage, or hire a luggage cart. Hotels on Long Beach and the north coast are reached by longtail or hotel boat — book it in advance.
📶Phone and internet+
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Tourist SIM at the airport
AIS and TrueMove H counters in the Bangkok or Phuket arrivals hall: an 8-day plan with about 15 GB ≈299฿, 15–30-day plans up to 599฿. Show your passport and staff will set it up.
If your phone supports eSIM, install one before the flight. Coverage is good in Tonsai and Loh Dalum, but the signal drops between the cliffs of Phi Phi Leh and on remote beaches. Download your maps for offline use.
Tip: Top up your SIM at 7-Eleven in Tonsai.
🚇Getting around the islandPhi Phi Don has no cars or motorbikes — you walk, cycle or take longtail boats.+
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On foot and by longtail
Tonsai village, Loh Dalum and the viewpoint are all within walking distance. For Long Beach, Monkey Beach and north-coast hotels, hire a longtail from the beach — agree the price before you get in. Prices rise in the evening and on rough days.
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Island tours and park fees
Tours to Phi Phi Leh (Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave) and Bamboo Island leave Tonsai by longtail or speedboat. The national park fee of 400฿ (children 200฿) is usually not included and is paid in cash. Maya Bay is open 8:00–16:30 and closed in August–September.
Almost every Thai bank ATM charges about 220฿ (some 250–350฿) per withdrawal with a foreign card. Tonsai has plenty of ATMs but they sometimes run dry — take out a large sum in Phuket.
The pier fee, national park fees, longtail boats and street food are cash baht only. Hotels, dive centres and larger restaurants take cards but may add a surcharge. Everything on the island costs more than on the mainland.
Tip: When paying by card, choose to pay in baht — the dollar conversion is expensive.
🍜FoodSeafood, Thai and international food — all concentrated in Tonsai village.+
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What to eat
Grilled seafood, pad thai, green curry, tom yum, roti, mango sticky rice and fresh fruit shakes. Ask for 'mai phet' if you want it less spicy. Beachfront restaurants price fish by weight, so ask before ordering.
Tip: Drink only bottled water; there are refill stations on the island.
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Cheap eats and families
Small stalls on the main village lane and places signed 'local food' are cheapest. With children, eat dinner early — loud music starts towards Loh Dalum in the evening.
The island has only a small hospital and clinics — serious cases go by speedboat to hospitals in Phuket. Get insurance that covers medical evacuation and bring enough of your children's medicines.
Wear a life jacket on boats and don't swim under a red flag. 'Tsunami Evacuation Route' signs in the village point up to the viewpoint — check the route from your hotel once. Bar 'buckets', fire shows and drunken swims cause accidents. Never show food to monkeys.
🙏Etiquette+
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The King and the royal family
Insulting the royal family is a serious crime under Thai law. The King's portrait is on every banknote, so never step on money.
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The village and Muslim residents
Most of Phi Phi's native residents are Muslim. Don't walk the village lanes in swimwear or shirtless, and dress modestly near the mosque. Losing your temper means losing face — keep calm.
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Protecting nature
No swimming at Maya Bay, and touching or standing on coral or taking shells or sand is forbidden. Take your rubbish back — waste disposal is a problem on the island. Use reef-safe sunscreen.
📱Useful apps+
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Transport and tickets
12Go — ferries to Phuket, Krabi and Lanta, plus combined tickets with airport pickup. Grab — rides in Phuket. Google Maps — village lanes, the viewpoint trail and offline maps.
LINE — the chat app hotels, boatmen and tour operators all use. The Thailand Tourist Police app connects you straight to the Tourist Police and shares your location. Download Thai in Google Translate for offline use.
The ferry from Tonsai to Phuket takes 1.5–2 hours, Rassada to the airport 60–75 minutes, and you should be at the airport 3 hours before an international flight. So take a morning ferry or spend the night before your flight in Phuket. Departures run late on rough days.
In shops displaying 'VAT Refund for Tourists', show your passport and ask for the form. At the international airport where you leave Thailand, show the goods at the customs counter before passport control to get the stamp.
A cliff cave where swiftlet nests are harvested for bird's-nest soup, with old boat paintings inside. Entry is forbidden — a short stop seen from the boat.
A 20–30-minute stair climb from Tonsai village to look down on the narrow sandy isthmus between two bays. Best at sunrise or sunset. It is also the tsunami escape route.
A quiet white-sand beach south of Tonsai — the best fit for families. Snorkel straight off the beach among colourful fish, and watch the sunset towards Phi Phi Leh.
A bay 5 minutes' walk from Tonsai with shallow, clear water at low tide. Good for swimming with children by day; at night it becomes the party hub with bars, fire shows and loud music.
A small beach on the north-west of Phi Phi Don with cliff-dwelling monkeys. Don't feed them — they bite and grab bags, so with small children it is better to watch from the boat.
BeachNational park fee 400฿ (children 200฿)8:00–16:30
20–30 minutes north of Phi Phi Don: fine white sand, shallow green water and snorkelling on the fringing reef. The easiest island day out with children.
NatureCovered by the park fee (tour extra)On tour routes
A small rocky island next to Bamboo Island — the beach is tiny but the reef is full of fish, a good snorkelling stop. Usually part of the Bamboo Island tour.
FoodFree (food ≈60–200฿)Restaurants ≈8:00–23:00, bars until late
The island's car-free 'centre' of narrow lanes: street food, seafood, shops and dive centres. In the evening bars, fire shows and loud music take over towards Loh Dalum — with children, stay away from the village.
NatureShared ≈500–1,000฿, private boat from ≈3,000฿; park fee extra≈15:00–20:00
An afternoon longtail trip past Pileh Lagoon and the outside of Maya Bay, watching the sunset from the sea, then swimming after dark among glowing plankton.
