My Honest Koh Phi Phi Travel Guide – Is It Worth Visiting in 2026? global-gallivanting.com

The Phi Phi Islands are the most famous islands in Thailand – but are they worth visiting? Here's my honest opinion and Koh Phi Phi travel guide.

The Phi Phi Islands are one of the most picture perfect paradises in the world, and one of the most famous tourist destinations in Thailand, and even the whole of Southeast Asia!

After all, this is where you’ll find soft white sandy beaches, dreamy turquoise waters, towering limestone cliffs and the famous Maya Bay where ‘The Beach‘ movie was filmed.

Even though I’d dreamt of traveling to Thailand and finding a hidden hippie community on a secret beach ever since I first saw ‘The Beach‘, I put off visiting Koh Phi Phi for a long time because I’d heard it was overcrowded, overpriced, overhyped and wasn’t worth visiting.

Then Maya Bay was closed due to the environmental damage caused by over tourism, then Covid happened and I thought I’d never get to tick The Beach off my Thailand bucket list!

Now it’s possible to visit Maya Bay again so I decided it was time to find out once and for all if Koh Phi Phi is worth visiting, and to write an honest Koh Phi Phi travel guide to share my experience and tips if you’re also on the fence about whether to go or not.