Pileh Lagoon, Phi Phi: When You Can Swim In and Which Tours Go
By the PhuketGO tour desk on Phuket — we book and run these trips every week · Updated 28 September 2026
Pileh Lagoon is on Phi Phi Leh, a bay of green water almost closed in by limestone cliffs, and boats can only get inside at high tide. Nearly every Phi Phi trip we sell stops there; the guide moves the stop around the day to catch the water.
Tours and prices in Thai baht
| Tour | Duration | Adult | Child 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phi Phi at sunrise: Maya Bay before the crowds | One day, 04:00–15:30 | 2,300 ฿ | 2,000 ฿ |
| Phi Phi and Racha Yai by catamaran, with a sunset stop at Maiton | One day, 06:30–19:00 | 2,700 ฿ | 2,500 ฿ |
| Phi Phi, Maya Bay and Khai island by speedboat | One day | 2,000 ฿ | 1,800 ฿ |
| Phi Phi, Bamboo island and fishing at Rang Yai | One day | 2,300 ฿ | 2,000 ฿ |
| Phi Phi: two days, one night | Two days, one night | 4,300 ฿ | 3,800 ฿ |
| Eleven islands in one day: Phang Nga, Hong and Phi Phi | One day, twelve hours or more | 4,200 ฿ | 3,800 ฿ |
Prices come straight from our booking system. Children under four join free on most trips — each tour page says so.
Why does the tide matter so much?
Because boats can only get in at high water — at low water they cannot. Our cards say it plainly — entry depends on the tide and the captain, and the order of stops can change to catch it.
That is why you will see Pileh at 08:30 on one trip and at 17:20 on another. The lagoon sets the timetable, not the other way round.
Which tours swim in the lagoon, and when?
Phi Phi at sunrise: a swim at 08:30, right after Maya Bay. The Phi Phi two-day trip: 10:50 on day one. Four pearls: 10:00 on day two; Five pearls: 10:40 on day two. The catamaran: 15:00 to 15:40, swimming inside the ring of cliffs. The eleven-islands day: 17:20, tide permitting. Sunrise and the catamaran, the two trips that miss the Maya Bay crowds, are compared on Maya Bay at sunrise or after 4 pm.
On Phi Phi, Maya Bay and Khai island it comes with the Viking Cave around 13:20; on the Bamboo and fishing day at 11:00, with the card noting entry is only possible at high tide.
What is it like inside?
Quiet, when the timing is right. Cliffs on almost every side, green water under the boat, and — on the late or early trips — very few other boats. The eleven-islands card explains why it reaches Phi Phi late on purpose: by four in the afternoon the day boats have left, and Maya Bay and Pileh are calm.
Most people swim straight off the boat. Life jackets are on board if you want one.
When is it least crowded?
Early in the morning or late in the afternoon. The sunrise trip swims here at half past eight; the catamaran and the eleven-islands day come after three. Midday is when the day boats pile in.
If Pileh and Maya Bay are the reason you are going, pick one of those three — see Maya Bay tours for the full comparison. Check whether Maya Bay is open on your date too.
Which trip gives the most time there?
The catamaran: forty minutes, from 15:00 to 15:40, swimming inside the ring of cliffs before Maya Bay at four. On the other routes it is a swim stop fitted around the tide.
The catamaran is also the slowest Phi Phi day overall — Racha Yai in the morning, lunch on Phi Phi Don, a sunset on the water by Maiton island at the end, back on Phuket at 19:00. It runs in the Comfort+ format only. What that slow day buys you is weighed in catamaran to Phi Phi and Racha Yai: worth it?.
What should I bring for the lagoon?
Swimwear on under your clothes, because the swim is straight off the boat. A waterproof case for the phone if you want pictures from the water. Reef-safe sunscreen, put on well before you get in rather than on the boat.
On the Khai island day and the Bamboo fishing day the national park fee is paid in cash on the day; on the sunrise, two-day and eleven-islands trips it is included.
Is Pileh Lagoon good for children?
With a life jacket and an adult alongside, yes — the water inside is calm when the boat can enter. For small children the easiest Phi Phi route is the Khai island day, with shallow water at its first stop; the sunrise trip's early pickup is the hard part for them, not the lagoon.
How do the Phi Phi trips differ around the lagoon?
The sunrise boat does Maya Bay at seven, then Pileh at half past eight, the Viking Cave, a snorkel, Monkey Beach, lunch and Bamboo island, back at 15:30 — Pileh while the morning light is low. The Khai island speedboat does Khai, Phi Phi Don and lunch first, then Phi Phi Leh after one o'clock, Maya Bay last.
The Bamboo and fishing day starts at Bamboo island and reaches the lagoon at eleven, finishing with deep-water fishing at Rang Yai. The eleven-islands day comes to Phi Phi last of all, after Phang Nga and Krabi, when the day boats have left. If you cannot decide between that long run and a Phi Phi-only day, see eleven islands or Phi Phi. Pick the day, and Pileh comes with it. Then how to book a Phi Phi speedboat tour takes it from there. On the overnight trips the lagoon comes right after Maya Bay in the morning; does the Phi Phi overnight tour visit Maya Bay in the morning has both times.
What else is next to it?
Maya Bay, the beach from the film, and the Viking Cave, where swiftlet nests are collected — all three on Phi Phi Leh, which has no hotels. Boats usually take them in one sweep, then cross to Phi Phi Don for lunch and Monkey Beach. Five pearls only swims in at high water, the card says; how that trip compares with Four pearls is on Five Pearls or Four Pearls.
The tours on this page
Questions people ask
Can you swim in Pileh Lagoon?
Yes, on most of our Phi Phi trips, when the tide lets the boat in.
When can boats enter Pileh Lagoon?
Only at high tide. The guide reorders stops to catch it.
Where is Pileh Lagoon?
On Phi Phi Leh, the uninhabited island of the Phi Phi archipelago, near Maya Bay.
What time is best for Pileh Lagoon?
Early morning or late afternoon, when the day boats are elsewhere: the sunrise trip at 08:30, the catamaran from 15:00.
Is Pileh Lagoon on every Phi Phi tour?
On every Phi Phi route we sell, subject to the tide.
Do I need to be a good swimmer?
No. Life jackets are on board, and you can stay close to the boat.
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.