Phi Phi Early Bird Tour from Phuket
Phi Phi early bird and sunrise tours from Phuket against the classic day and the late departures: start times, crowds and cost (Oct 2026).
An early bird or sunrise tour is worth the alarm if crowds are what would spoil your day: you reach the bays before most of the boats from Phuket, and on V. Marine’s sunrise day you have breakfast on Khai Nai island as the sun comes up first. It costs about two and a half times the classic speedboat seat. If crowds bother you less than an early start, a late departure leaves the pier at 10:45 and ends with the sunset at Khai Nok. V. Marine’s sunrise day is from US$110 a person in current promotion (usually US$116) with the park fee included, and rated 4.9 from 1,712 reviews (checked October 2026).
Three ways to time the day
The sunrise start. V. Marine collects you in the dark, crosses from Royal Phuket Marina to Khai Nai in about 30 minutes and serves breakfast on the beach as the sun comes up. Then it crosses to Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Phi Phi Don and Monkey Beach, has lunch at a resort on Phi Phi and ends on Bamboo Island; about 9 hours in all. Simba Sea Trips runs a small-group sunrise speedboat: breakfast on the beach, the sunrise at the Khai Islands, Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and Ko Rang Yai, and lunch at the Soho Pool Club where the day starts.
The classic day. Pickup between 7:00 and 8:00 and Maya Bay mid-morning, with most of the other boats out of Phuket. It is the cheapest and fits the most stops; the cost is company at every stop.
The late start. Good Morning Holiday’s late boat collects you at 9:00, leaves the pier at 10:45 and ends at Khai Nok island in the evening, with the chance of a sunset before the ride back; you are home by about 19:30 to 20:00. The sunset boats go further: the premium speed catamaran ends at a sunset viewpoint, and Love Andaman's sunset boat watches it from the water and comes back late.
What the early start actually buys
In the newest 350 reviews of V. Marine’s sunrise day, 331 are 5 stars, and the most common theme is the crowds you miss. “It was great going early, we got there first and before the crowds,” one guest wrote in May; another, in April, that at the first island “our group had the place all to ourselves.” It is not a private beach for the whole day: one guest found Monkey Beach “extremely crowded”. The early start buys you the first stops, not every stop.
Two caveats from the same reviews and listing. The sunrise itself depends on the sky, and on a rainy morning V. Marine moved one group to its standard full day instead. And it is a speedboat, so the crossing is still open sea: one guest noted nobody was sick “despite waves of 1.6 m high”.
Compare the times
| Day | Leaves | Ends | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| V. Marine sunrise | Before sunrise, Royal Phuket Marina | About 9 hours later | US$110 in current promotion (usually US$116) |
| Simba sunrise small group | Before sunrise | About 8 hours | US$159 |
| One Asia classic day | Pickup 7:00 to 8:00 | Pier about 17:00 to 18:00 | US$42 in current promotion (usually US$56) |
| Good Morning Holiday late boat | Pier 10:45 | Pier 18:30, hotel by about 20:00 | US$39 in current promotion (usually US$52) |
| Love Andaman sunset boat | Morning pickup | After sunset, late evening | US$115 in current promotion (usually US$127) |
On a phone, swipe the table sideways.
Times and prices from the GetYourGuide listings, checked October 2026.
Pick your timing
Choose by the hour you want to start:
Sunrise Speedboat
Breakfast on Khai Nai at sunrise, then Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Phi Phi Don and Bamboo Island.
Check dates →Classic Speedboat Day
Maya Bay on foot, Pileh Lagoon, lunch on Phi Phi Don and 1.5 hours on Bamboo Island.
See the classic day →Late Departure
Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and Phi Phi Don, then the evening at Khai Nok; park fee in cash.
See the late boat →Prices and review counts from GetYourGuide, checked October 2026; operators change prices, so treat them as a guide, not a quote.
Maya Bay’s rules explains what you can and cannot do once you land.
Departure and return times, stops and inclusions from the GetYourGuide listings, read on 29 October 2026; review quotes and counts from the newest 350 reviews of V. Marine’s sunrise day, read the same day.
Sunrise at Khai Nai, Then Phi Phi
V. Marine's sunrise speedboat leaves Royal Phuket Marina in the dark, serves breakfast on Khai Nai as the sun comes up, then crosses to Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Phi Phi Don and Bamboo Island. Park fee and hotel transfers included.
Check Sunrise Dates