Coral Island or Bamboo Island from Phuket: Which Beach Day?
By the PhuketGO tour desk on Phuket — we book and run these trips every week · Updated 12 October 2026
Both are beach stops, but they come with very different days: Coral Island is a short crossing with plenty of beach time and water sports, and Bamboo Island is one stop on a Phi Phi route with Maya Bay, Pileh lagoon and Monkey Beach. The Racha and Coral speedboat and the Coral Island trip from Rawai cost 1,400 ฿; the Phi Phi, Bamboo and fishing day and Phi Phi at sunrise cost 2,300 ฿. Hubs: Racha and Coral island tours and Phi Phi tours.
Tours and prices in Thai baht
| Tour | Duration | Adult | Child 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Racha and Coral islands by speedboat Best for Racha Yai in the morning, Coral Island beach and water sports after lunch; children 4–9 pay the child price Programme & booking | Eight to nine hours | 1,400 ฿ | 1,300 ฿ |
| Coral island from Rawai pier Best for a Coral Island morning, back at Rawai pier at 14:00; children 4–9 pay the child price Programme & booking | Half a day, 08:30–14:00 | 1,400 ฿ | 1,300 ฿ |
| Phi Phi, Bamboo island and fishing at Rang Yai Best for Bamboo first, then Phi Phi, Maya Bay and fishing at Rang Yai; children 4–9 pay the child price Programme & booking | One day | 2,300 ฿ | 2,000 ฿ |
| Phi Phi at sunrise: Maya Bay before the crowds Best for Maya Bay at seven and Bamboo Island to finish; children 4–9 pay the child price Programme & booking | One day, 04:00–15:30 | 2,300 ฿ | 2,000 ฿ |
Prices come straight from our booking system. Children under four join free on most trips — each tour page says so.
How much beach time do you get?
On Coral Island, most of the day. The Rawai trip lands at 09:30 and stays until lunch at noon, then snorkels in Hin Dam bay on the other side of the island. The Racha and Coral speedboat gets to Coral Island at about 12:30, after a morning on Racha Yai, and stays for lunch, the water sports and beach time until 16:00.
Bamboo Island is one stop of several. On the Phi Phi, Bamboo and fishing day it's the first, at 09:30, before the Viking Cave, Pileh lagoon, Maya Bay, lunch on Phi Phi Don and the fishing at Rang Yai. On Phi Phi at sunrise it's the last, from 12:50 to 14:20, after Maya Bay at seven in the morning. You get a proper swim, but not a whole day on the sand.
Which is better for swimming and snorkelling?
Both give you real swimming. Coral Island has the reef close to the beach and a separate snorkel stop on the Rawai trip, and the Racha and Coral day adds snorkelling at Racha Yai. Our card recommends being able to swim for it.
On the Phi Phi days, Bamboo is the beach for swimming, and there's a snorkel stop as well: at Phi Phi Don on the Bamboo and fishing day, and in one of the archipelago's snorkel spots on the sunrise trip. At Maya Bay, swimming isn't allowed under national park rules; you walk in on a boardwalk.
How long and how tiring is each day?
Coral Island is the easy one. The Rawai trip meets at 08:30 and is back at the pier at 14:00; the Racha and Coral speedboat picks up at 08:00–08:30 and is back at the hotel around 17:30.
The Bamboo days are longer and earlier. The Phi Phi, Bamboo and fishing day collects you around 06:50 and is back at the pier at 16:30. The sunrise trip picks up at 04:00–04:30 and is back at the pier at 15:30. Both are longer boat days, and our sunrise card doesn't recommend it for pregnant travellers or people with back problems.
What's included, and what costs extra?
Coral: the Racha and Coral speedboat includes hotel transfer, lunch on Coral Island, a mask and snorkel, life jackets, drinks, fruit, the island fees and insurance; the Rawai trip includes transfer, coffee at the pier, lunch, the park fee and snorkel masks. Water sports are paid on the beach: parasailing 1,000–1,500 ฿, the banana boat 300–500 ฿, jet skis 800–1,200 ฿ for half an hour.
Bamboo: the Phi Phi, Bamboo and fishing day includes transfer, the speedboat, lunch at a beach restaurant on Phi Phi Don, masks and snorkels, the fishing tackle, water and fruit, and insurance; the national park fee is paid on the day in cash. Phi Phi at sunrise includes the park tickets, a breakfast box, lunch on Phi Phi Don and snorkel gear. All four run with an English-speaking guide, and children 4–9 pay the child price.
Which one would we book?
A slow beach day, small children, or water sports on the list: Coral Island, and the Rawai trip if you want the afternoon free. You want to see Phi Phi and Maya Bay and still get a white beach: one of the Bamboo days, the sunrise trip if you can face the alarm.
Weather can change the route on any of them. Bamboo Island and Coral Island describe each island on its own. To book, message us on WhatsApp with the trip, the date, your hotel and everyone's ages. Payment is agreed in the chat after the booking is confirmed.
The tours on this page
Questions people ask
Is Coral Island or Bamboo Island better?
Coral Island for an easy beach day close to Phuket with water sports. Bamboo Island if you also want Phi Phi and Maya Bay the same day.
Can I visit Bamboo Island without Phi Phi?
Not on our trips. Bamboo comes as part of a Phi Phi day: the Bamboo and fishing day or Phi Phi at sunrise.
Which is cheaper, Coral or Bamboo island?
Coral Island: 1,400 ฿ for adults and 1,300 ฿ for children 4–9. The Bamboo days are 2,300 ฿ and 2,000 ฿.
Is Maya Bay on the same trip as Bamboo Island?
Yes, on both Bamboo days: at 11:35 on the Bamboo and fishing day, and at seven in the morning on the sunrise trip. Swimming at Maya Bay isn't allowed under park rules.
Which is better with small children?
Coral Island. The crossing is short and the Rawai trip is over by 14:00. Children under four go free on both.
Which of these trips include the park fee?
On the Rawai Coral trip and on Phi Phi at sunrise, yes. On the Phi Phi, Bamboo and fishing day it's paid in cash on the day.
Tell us your dates
Send the trip you like, your dates and your hotel. We confirm the pickup time and how the sea looks for that day. Payment is agreed in the chat after the booking is confirmed: by card, bank transfer or USDT.