Koh Phi Phi Le (Maya Bay)

Koh Phi Phi Le is the uninhabited half of Koh Phi Phi — a day-trip-only island south of Phi Phi Don, where all the archipelago’s hotels and residents actually are. There’s no village, no road, and nowhere to stay overnight: everyone arrives by boat and leaves the same day. Maya Bay, the horseshoe cove where Danny Boyle shot The Beach in 2000, sits on the island’s western side inside Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, with its own 400 THB park fee (40 THB for Thai nationals).

Three places anchor most tours here. Maya Bay’s white sand and cliff walls are the main event; Pileh Lagoon, a short run around the coast, is a near-enclosed pool of blue-green water ringed by sheer cliffs — one of the calmest spots in the bay to swim. Viking Cave, on the eastern shore, holds faded wall paintings alongside the bamboo scaffolding local harvesters still climb to collect swiftlet nests from the cave roof, a trade that predates the tourism by generations. Snorkeling anywhere along the coast turns up parrotfish, angelfish, and reef sharks over coral gardens in clear water.

Insider Tip: Book the first boat of the day. The run from Phi Phi Don takes about 15 minutes, from Phuket over an hour, and both routes converge on Maya Bay by mid-morning — the horseshoe fills with tour boats stern to bow.

Nothing here is set up for visitors beyond the park gate: no shops, no shade past the cliff line, no fresh water. Bring drinking water, reef-safe sunscreen, and any snorkelling gear you want to use before you board, because none of it is sold on the island. Most Maya Bay tours fold the 400 THB park fee into the trip price rather than collecting it at the gate — confirm with your operator before you go.