How to Book the Phi Phi and Racha Yai Catamaran from Phuket

What you're booking

A full day on a two-deck catamaran, one of only two catamaran trips we run. Breakfast is hot, in a lounge at the pier, from half past seven. You board at 08:30 and spend 09:00 to 11:00 at Racha Yai while its beach is still empty, then lunch and a walk on Phi Phi Don with the viewpoint over the archipelago. The afternoon is Monkey Beach from the boat, the Viking Cave, a swim inside Pileh Lagoon and Maya Bay between 16:00 and 17:00.

Then the part people book it for: the sunset stop beside Maiton island from 17:45, with the slide, the inflatable pool, SUP boards, clear canoes, snorkelling, cocktails and fruit. Nobody lands on Maiton; everything happens in the water next to the boat. Ice cream waits at the pier when you get back at 19:00.

What to send us

The trip, the date (a second date helps), your hotel, and the number of adults and children with the children's ages. Children under four travel free, without a separate seat or meals; from 4 to 9 they pay the child price, and from ten the adult price applies.

If anyone is nervous about the sea or the water, say so in the same message. The catamaran is a two-deck boat with a bar and music on board, and our card says families take it as often as couples do.

What the price covers

Hotel transfer both ways, the buffet breakfast at the pier, beer at the pier, coffee and tea, the bar and music on board, the slide, pool, SUP boards and clear canoes, lunch on Phi Phi Don, cocktails and fruit at the sunset stop, a bamboo cup to keep, personal snorkel mouthpieces, towels on board, Wi-Fi, ice cream on return, a guide and insurance. It runs only in the Comfort+ format.

You pay for alcohol beyond the beer at the pier, extra drinks, professional photo and video, tips and anything personal. This tour runs with an English-speaking guide.

Paying, weather and the pier

Payment is by card online, agreed in the chat after the booking is confirmed, so there's nothing to give the driver at pickup. Bad weather can change the programme. If the authorities close the sea, the trip moves to another date or the payment comes back; if you cancel yourself less than 24 hours before, miss the transfer or don't show up, the payment isn't returned.

Our tours leave from different piers, so the pier and the meeting time are the ones in your booking confirmation. Whether the catamaran is worth the extra over a speedboat for you is weighed on Phi Phi and Racha Yai catamaran: is it worth it.

What to bring

Swimwear under your clothes, sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses, a waterproof phone case and a change of clothes for the ride home after sunset. Towels are on board. Bring some cash for drinks beyond what's included and for anything you buy on Phi Phi Don.

The early start is what buys the empty morning beach at Racha Yai and the late, quieter Maya Bay. Go to bed early the night before; it's a long and very full day. Want the boat to yourselves? Private tours from Phuket explains how we quote it.

Questions people ask