Monkey Beach on Phi Phi Don: what the tour stop is like and how to behave around macaques

What you will see at Monkey Beach

Monkey Beach lies on Phi Phi Don, the only inhabited island of the group. It is named after the macaques that live on the sand and in the trees behind the beach. Photographers on Commons label such macaques on Phi Phi as crab-eating macaques (Macaca fascicularis), and the DNP’s description of the park lists monkeys among its mammals. These are wild animals, not an enclosure.

What is here:

• A strip of shore. A small beach with forest behind the sand, which Wikivoyage calls secluded
• Macaques. According to Wikivoyage they live on the sand and in the surrounding trees and may steal belongings and bite

Wikivoyage suggests the beach can be reached on foot, by canoe or by longtail. There is no confirmation from the park about these routes, so treat it as a guide only.

Rules around macaques

The park’s main rule: do not feed the animals. In May 2025, after a video of tourists feeding monkeys, Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park said (in a DNP update of 4 May) that feeding monkeys is strictly prohibited and cited the 2019 National Parks Act. The park gives its reasons: food changes the macaques’ behaviour, makes them more vulnerable to disease and more dangerous to people. It was tracking down the tourists in the video to apply the penalties under the law.

• Food and bags. Do not take open food or rustling bags ashore, the macaques snatch them from your hands
• Bags and phones. Keep belongings closed and on your shoulder, do not put them on the sand
• Distance. Stay away from the babies: macaques become territorial around them
• Children. Hold your child’s hand and never let them onto the shore alone: Wikivoyage warns that macaques can bite and become territorial near their young

What to do after a bite

If a macaque bites or scratches you, follow the WHO’s advice for any animal bite: wash the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes straight away and see a doctor. The WHO names this treatment and urgent vaccination as the key measures against rabies. Tell the guide or the captain, they will help you reach a doctor. Check before the trip if your insurance covers vaccination after a bite.

Opening hours and how to spend your time

We found no opening hours for the beach in the park’s sources: it is visited as part of a boat trip in the daytime. The length of the stop depends on the programme:

• Love Andaman: Monkey Bay at 13:20, lunch at Tonsai at 13:30
• Tisland Travel: Monkey Beach at 9:50, reef snorkelling at 10:00
• Phuket Tour, late-departure catamaran: Monkey Beach at 15:00 after lunch, then Maiton Island at 16:00
• Phuket Tour, premium catamaran: the monkey island stop is part of a block with Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and Viking Cave, and no separate time is given

If you want more time, stay a night on Phi Phi Don and hire a longtail in the morning.

How long it takes and when to go

The stop is short, but a Phi Phi tour takes the whole day: 8-10 hours including the transfer. The best time is December-March, when the sea is calm; see the overview of the Phi Phi day. The 1 August-30 September closure applies to Maya Bay and Loh Samah, and Monkey Beach is not named in the park’s announcements. On 18.10.2026 the DNP had closed only diving at Ko Yung and on the west side of Ko Kai in the park.

Getting there and how long it takes

• A tour from Phuket. From Rassada Pier to Phi Phi Don is about 42 km in a straight line (Thaipedia calculation from OpenStreetMap), and a speedboat takes 45-75 minutes. Monkey Beach comes in the programme next to Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and lunch at Tonsai
• From Phi Phi Don. About 1.2 km in a straight line from Tonsai Pier to the beach. You hire a longtail on the spot, so agree the price and time in advance: the park publishes no official rates
• Ferry. Ferries from Phuket and Krabi take 1.5-2 hours (Wikivoyage), more in the Phi Phi overview

National park fee and what is included

Source: DNP table of entrance fees for individuals, revision of 02.06.2023, checked 18.10.2026. There is no separate ticket for the beach, you pay the general fee for the zone.

What to do in rain and rough seas

How boats approach the shore depends on the sea. The TMD forecast for the Andaman Sea on 18.10.2026 reads: waves about 1 m, above 2 m in thundershowers (TMD page). According to Tisland Travel, at 2-3 m waves speedboats to far islands are cancelled first, and the captain decides on the day. Ask about rescheduling or refunds before you pay.

Safety

• Macaques. Do not feed or provoke them and keep belongings closed
• Boats. Under the 2018 rules everyone on a Phuket tourist boat must wear a life jacket (TAT Newsroom, 17.07.2018)
• Water. There may be rocks and broken coral near the shore, so water shoes help
• Insurance. Check that your policy covers medical care on the islands and vaccination after a bite

Who it suits and who should skip it

• Suits. People who want to see wild macaques for 10 minutes on the way through the Phi Phi programme and follow the rules
• Skip it. Anyone afraid of animals and parents who cannot hold their children’s hands. Also anyone who wants a long beach stay: Bamboo Island is better for that

What is nearby

• Maya Bay with the landing at Loh Samah
• Bamboo Island for a beach and swimming
• The Phi Phi catamaran and a private boat if you need more time at the stops

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