Phi Phi Yacht Rental: how to get to the island and not go broke

I was sitting on the pier in Chalong, drinking coconut and watching the longtails that took tourists to Phi Phi. They were crammed into boats like sardines into a jar—thirty people each, with life jackets on their heads and doomed faces. Nearby, in a nearby bay, a white catamaran was slowly turning around to receive a company of eight people. They had music playing on the deck, someone was pouring champagne, and it looked like they were filming an advertisement for expensive watches.

The difference between these two pictures is not in money, but in knowledge. Because renting a yacht on Phi Phi today is not as crazy as it seems. It’s just that most people don’t even know that this is an option at all.

Phi Phi is the same sheer cliffs, emerald lagoons and Maya Bay beach, which became famous after the movie “The Beach” with Leo DiCaprio. The beauty there is inhuman. But there are different ways to see it: you can in a crowd, or you can from the deck, where no one steps on your towel and asks you to take a picture of it for the twenty-fifth time.

In this text, I will tell you how to rent a yacht on Phi Phi, how much it really costs, what’s inside and why you need to take a yacht with a captain.

Why even need a yacht if there are longtails?

Longtail (long-tailed boat) is a Thai classic. Cheap, angry, with a distinctive motor sound that can be heard three miles away. But there is a caveat.

Group tours to Phi Phi are a survival quest. You are loaded into a boat, driven according to schedule, dropped off in the most crowded places for exactly 40 minutes and driven on. The crowds, the hustle, the sweaty elbows of the neighbors. One tourist on Viator described it this way: “We were put on the very bottom of the ship, in an absolutely claustrophobic environment, and we sailed for two and a half hours in one direction, although a speedboat takes an hour to get there. At the same time, they paid like a suite.”

A private yacht is when you decide for yourself where to sail and how long to stay there. Do you want to anchor in a deserted bay and swim with a mask for two hours? No problem. Do you want to come to Maya Bay at dawn, before the crowds arrive? The captain will wake you up at five in the morning. Do you want lunch with a view of the cliffs, not in a ten-dollar cafe with overflowing rice? There is a cook on board who will cook you something that will lick your fingers.

What to sail on: catamaran, speedboat or sailboat?

The choice of vessel determines 90% of the impressions. If you make a mistake, you’ll spit.

Catamaran is the gold standard for Phi Phi.

Why? Because it doesn’t swing. Literally. The two cases provide such stability that you can put the glass on the table and forget about motion sickness. This is important because it takes an hour and a half to walk from Phuket to Phi Phi, and there can be a decent wave. Catamarans are spacious, they have plenty of sunroom, shade, cabins and often a diving board net between the hulls, where children and adults love to lie around.

One tourist wrote in the reviews:

We celebrated March 8th on a catamaran with the captain. We walked along two routes — Phi Phi and the Golden Triangle. I don’t get seasick on a catamaran at all! Don’t be afraid of the waves.”

A speedboat is an option for those who save time. He’ll get you to Phi Phi in an hour, but it’ll be a lot of shaking. If there are children, the elderly, or those who get seasick even on a swing, it’s better not to take any chances. The boats are smaller, there is less space on them, and after a whole day in this mode, the back can say thank you, but not immediately.

A sailing yacht is a romance for two. Slowly, majestically, under the wind. But it will take forever to get to Phi Phi, and if there is no wind, you will not sail anywhere at all. For an active day, it is better to choose a motor.

Longtails are for local flavor and short walks. You can take a longtail to Phi Phi right on the island to ride between the bays. For example, renting a traditional boat for a group costs about 500 baht or 2500 baht individually. But sailing on one from Phuket is a dubious idea.

What are the prices in 2026

Yacht rental prices in Phi Phi depend on the season, the type of vessel and the arrogance of the owner. But there are average landmarks from which you can dance.

A speedboat for 8-15 people will cost 25 000 — 45 000 baht per day (about 700-1300 dollars). This price usually includes the captain, crew, fuel, water, fruits and masks with tubes.

Catamaran for the day — 35 000 — 120 000 baht (1000-3500 dollars). The range is large: older models are cheaper, new ones with air conditioners and Jacuzzis are more expensive.

Luxury motor yacht — from 200,000 baht ($5,800) and above. For example, the PRINCESS 64 on Sparks Life costs from 5,000 euros per day.

A night charter is more profitable for several days in terms of a day. For example, Faraway Yachting offers a Shindig catamaran for 8 people with a crew starting from 39,900 baht for a day charter and from 1,100 euros for a night charter in low season. The price includes everything: food, drinks, transfer, even shampoo with towels.

Important: National park fees are charged separately. For Phi Phi, this is 400 baht per adult and 200 baht per child. This is the entrance fee to the protected area, and there is no way to avoid it.

Route: how to see Phi Phi without crowds

The standard route from Phuket to Phi Phi looks like this:

• Leaving the marina at about 8 a.m. The sooner the better — you need to approach Maya Bay first before there are hundreds of boats there.
• Maya Bay is the beach from the movie. It is now forbidden to swim there in order to restore nature, but you can go by boat and take pictures. The view blows the roof off anyway.
• Phi Phi Don is the main inhabited island. Here you can have lunch at the restaurant or ask the cook to cook on board. The second option is better — fewer people.
• Phi Phi Lay is an uninhabited island with a lagoon. The “Beach” was filmed here. You can enter the lagoon by kayak, if the water allows.
• Bamboo Bay — white sand, clear water, ideal for snorkeling.
• Monkey Beach — if you want to look at impudent macaques who steal food from tourists.

They usually come back by sunset. The sun setting behind the cliffs of Phi Phi is something worth renting a yacht for, rather than taking a group tour.

Captain: to take or not to take

In Thailand, renting a yacht without a captain is only possible if you have international rights (IYT, RYA). But even if they are, think twice.

A captain in Phuket is not just a skipper. This is a person who knows where the best visibility for snorkeling is today, which bay there are no jellyfish in, and how to approach Maya Bay without queuing for an hour. He builds a route taking into account the tides (the water drop in the Andaman Sea reaches 2.5 meters) and knows when the beach is accessible and when it goes under water.

The average cost of a skipper’s services is about $300 per day. This is pennies compared to how much nerves you will save by trying to moor yourself in an unfamiliar bay to the screams of Thai boaters.

In addition, local laws require commercial vessels to be operated by licensed captains. So in 90% of cases, renting with a crew is the only legal option.

Season: when to sail and when not to

The high season in Phuket is from November to April. At this time, the sea is calm, the sun is bright, and rains are rare. The prices, respectively, are the maximum . Renting a yacht in the season can cost twice as much as in the off-season.

The low season is from May to October. It’s monsoon time. It can rain for hours, the wave rises, and some routes are closed. But there is a plus: prices are falling by almost half. If you are ready for spontaneity and are not afraid to get wet, you can catch great deals.

By the way, in the low season you can go to Phang Nga Bay — there are practically no waves there, even in the rains. There are other beauties there — karst rocks, caves, James Bond Island. It’s better not to go to Phi Phi in the monsoon.

Summary: how much does a dream cost

Renting a yacht on Phi Phi is not space money, if you count on the company. A normal catamaran for a day for 8-10 people will cost 1000-1500 dollars. Divide it by everyone and you get the price of a good dinner in a restaurant.

This amount includes: the captain, the crew, fuel, water, fruits, masks, insurance and the complete feeling that you are not a tourist, but an explorer who has discovered his personal paradise. Yes, yachts are different in Dubai and on the Cote d’Azur. But Thailand is Thailand. Here, for reasonable money, you can get impressions that would cost a fortune in Europe.

The main thing is not to save money on the ship and not try to embrace the immensity in one day. Phi Phi deserves to be seen without crowds, without haste and with the feeling that the sea belongs only to you.

If you want to rent a yacht on Phi Phi and not get into trouble, Anyships will help you choose a proven vessel with an adequate crew and transparent conditions. Send us a request with dates and the composition of the group. We will be looking for your ideal option.