Beautiful Phuket | Part 3 | Island Hopping Preparation

During our vacation, we spent three days in Phuket. I’m going to split our time in Phuket into multiple parts to better cover the wide range of information about the places we visited, modes of transportation, and prices.

In this third chapter, I’ll share about our Island Hopping Adventure.

I must say, this was the most exciting experience we had during our trip. I will summarize the details under a few topics so that you can easily find answers to any questions you may have.

1. What is Phi Phi Island Hopping?

Phuket is surrounded by many islands located in the Andaman Sea. This tour involves visiting a few of the most beautiful and famous islands, along with other water activities such as snorkeling, diving, kayaking, etc. There are two starting points for the tour: one from Phuket and the other from Krabi. Since we stayed in Phuket, we started the tour from there.

Our tour included visiting:

• Khai Nok Island
• Phi Phi Don Island
• Lunch Buffet
• Monkey Island
• Viking Cave
• Pileh Lagoon
• Maya Bay

Snorkeling gear was provided, and diving in certain areas was allowed. Kayaking in Pileh Lagoon was not included in our package, but instead, we were offered a longtail boat ride along the lagoon.

How to Book a Tour

Our tour was arranged by the travel agency, but you can find plenty of tour packages offered by roadside travel service providers and even at the airport.

We don’t know the exact cost of our package, but we received a promotional poster from our service provider the day before the tour.

Alternatively, you can visit Phi Phi Island directly from Rassada Pier and explore the available package options there.

How We Started & Pre-Preparations

We were picked up by a van around 8:30 a.m. along with a few other guests assigned to the same tour. We were taken to a pier (name unknown), which had many ferries and speedboats.

Each group was assigned a tour guide. We waited until about 10:00 a.m. for all members to gather. Our group included mostly Indians, Pakistanis, and one Russian family. It seemed like the groups were organized by region, as most boats had South Asian tourists grouped together.

At the pier, we were served a light breakfast, and washroom facilities were available. You could also purchase items such as waterproof phone covers, snorkeling gear, water shoes, scarves, etc. We had brought phone covers from home, and the prices at the pier were nearly double what we paid.

They recommend wearing water shoes if you plan to snorkel, and prices were around 400 Baht.

Once everyone arrived, the tour guide gave a briefing on the itinerary and optional paid services. Water was provided throughout the journey, along with some fruits and Coca-Cola later on.

Must-Bring Items

• Waterproof phone cover – passengers will get wet due to sea spray.
• Sunglasses and a hat/cap – the beaches are very sunny.
• Motion sickness/sea sickness tablets – available at the pier for free. You’ll likely need one!
• Comfortable, quick-dry clothing – something easy to get on/off when wet.
• A waterproof side bag – very useful for carrying essentials.

Types of Boats

From this pier, you can choose between a speedboat or a ferry:

Speedboat: Faster but more bumpy. You’ll definitely get wet. Typically holds around 20 or more passengers depending on size.

Ferry: Larger and holds around 50–100 passengers. Mostly used for public transport to Phi Phi Island. From there, you can hire a longtail boat.

Longtail Boat: Available from Phi Phi Islands. It offers a smoother, calmer ride compared to speedboats.

Caution!

This tour is not very smooth, especially during the off-season. The boat ride to Phi Phi Island can take around 1 hour at high speed, and the return trip can take even longer. If you have heart issues, back pain, or are allergic to saltwater, this tour may not be suitable.

On our return around 4:30 p.m., we experienced extremely rough waves. We weren’t even provided with life jackets until we asked, and many passengers became seasick.

So if you are pregnant or traveling with young children, please consider this carefully. That said, despite the challenges, the experience is well worth it!

Refer video below to get some idea. Further, they said the sea is not this rough during the summer season.
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSS5u3C9J/

How Long Will It Take?

It’s a full-day tour. Ours started at 10:00 a.m. and ended around 5:30 p.m., with approximately 3 hours spent at sea.

I’ll share the beautiful places we visited in the next article.