Tonsai Beach is a major bay in Koh Phi Phi Don. It’s home to the island’s main pier, making it the first place to see when arriving on the island on a speed boat.
The beach has stunning views of the limestone cliffs. It is often packed with boats, and people coming and leaving the island. You can find some designated areas on the beach for swimming. There are some nice beach bars and seafood restaurants along the beach road.
In this article, I’ll help you to look at Tonsai Bay with its location on the map, things to do, and some of the best hotels and resorts on the beach.
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Where is Tonsai Beach, Koh Phi Phi?
Tonsai Beach is located at the southern part of Koh Phi Phi Don island. It’s next to Tonsai Village and Long Beach. It’s around 10 minutes walk to Loh Dalum Beach, which is another main beach of Koh Phi Phi.
Tonsai Beach is home to Tonsai Pier, which is the main pier of the island. The pier has speed boats and long tail boats to all other islands on the Andaman Sea such as Phuket, Ao Nang, Krabi, Koh Lanta, or Koh Lipe.
Main Areas of Tonsai Beach, Koh Phi Phi
Tonsai Beach West
To the left side of Tonsai Pier is the west Tonsai Beach, where you can find Ko Phi Phi Hospital as well as famous resorts such as Phi Phi Cliff Beach Resort, or Mama Beach Residence. West Tonsai Beach has a quieter atmosphere with fewer bars and restaurants compared to the other side of the bay.
Tonsai Beach East
To the right side of Tonsai Pier, is the Tonsai Village and East Tonsai Beach area. This area has a higher concentration of bars and restaurants and is busier than the west side. This is a better place to go for nightlife compared to Tonsai West Beach.
Tonsai Village
Tonsai Village is the area between Tonsai Pier and Phi Phi Don Chukit Resort. This area has a lively atmosphere, packed with tourist amenities such as restaurants, travel agencies, souvenir shops, convenience stores, bars, and cafes.
What’s on Tonsai Beach, Koh Phi Phi?
Ton Sai Pier
Tonsai Pier is the main pier of Koh Phi Phi. From there, you can take speed boats from and to other islands on the Andaman Sea such as Phuket, Koh Lanta, Koh Lipe, Ao Nang, Railay, Krabi, or Koh Yao Yai/ Noi.
There are also dozens of long tail boats docking around the Tonsai pier, where you can take boats to nearby islands such as Koh Phi Phi Leh and its famous Maya Bay.
When arriving at the pier, you need to pay a 20-baht island cleaning fee. Around the pier are boat operators where you can buy tickets to other islands. There are also fast food chains such as Mc Donald’s and Burger King right at Tonsai Pier.
Marlin Fish Sculpture
This fish sculpture and welcome to Phi Phi island sign, are located just 100 m from east of Tonsai Pier.You can spot the sign when the speed boat approaches the pier. It’s a good place to take photos and is a popular meeting point for the longtail boat tours.
Tourist Amenities: Restaurants, bars, shops, convenience stores
The road running parallel with the beach is packed with tourist amenities. There are shops after shops. You can find 7-Eleven, travel agencies, seafood restaurants, bars, diving centers, and souvenir shops everywhere along the 2km long Tonsai Beach Road.
Long tail boats & Speed boats
Boats are docked along most of Tonsai beach. You can easily book boats to nearby islands such as Koh Phi Phi Leh. But there are downsides too, including noise from the boats.
Things to do in Tonsai Beach, Koh Phi Phi
Swimming, sunbathing, kayaking
Tonsai Beach is a 2km long bay that has soft sand, crystal clear, clean, and shallow water. It’s not the best beach on the island, but it’s still a great place for swimming, sunbathing, and kayaking.
Many hotels and resorts have sunbeds and umbrellas for the guests on the beach. There are designated swimming beach areas at some sections of the beach.
Enjoy the nightlife
Tonsai Beach, in my opinion, is the 3rd best place on Phi Phi to go for nightlife after Loh Dalum and Tosai Village. The nightlife in Tonsai Beach is concentrated along the area east of Tonsai Pier, around the Tonsai Village. You can find many seafood restaurants and bars with the sea views along the beach road.
Some popular bars in this area are Carlito’s bar and Hippie’s Bar where you can enjoy the fire show, live music, and a more chilled atmosphere than Loh Dalum.
Check out the Tonsai Village
Tonsai Village is just a step away from Tonsai Bay. It’s a network of small narrow streets packed with tourist facilities like restaurants, shops, bars, and travel agencies. Tonsai village is quieter in the early morning, and gets busier from afternoon to evening.
The village is a great place to find authentic local foods, shop for Thai souvenirs, book boat tours, and enjoy the vibrant nightlife.
Visit Long Beach by walking or longtail boats
Long Beach, in my opinion, is one of the best beaches in Koh Phi Phi. This 800m long beach has crystal clear water, white fine sand, and less boats than Tonsai Beach. It’s an ideal place for swimming, sunbathing, and snorkeling.
Long Beach is just a 5-10 minute long tail boat ride from Tonsai Beach. You can also walk to Long Beach from Tonsai beach for 30-45 minutes. Along the trail, you can explore many other beautiful beaches such as Love Beach or Viking Beach.
Take longtail boats to Maya Bay and Koh Phi Phi Leh
Visiting Maya Bay and Pi Leh Bay are the must when visiting Phi Phi island. You can book group tours from one of many agencies in Tonsai Village. They have an early trip to avoid crowds.
If you have a group of friends, you can consider renting a private boat for 2000-3000 baht for a few hours exploring the island.
The boat trips usually will take you to Viking Cave, Pi Leh Bay, Maya Bay, and Monkey Beach. It’s mostly sightseeing tours, plus a spot for swimming and snorkeling outside of Maya Bay.
Best Hotels in Tonsai Beach, Koh Phi Phi
Mama Beach Residence
This is a popular resort located in a quiet area on the western end of Tonsai Bay, next to the cliffs. You can easily walk to the pier, the main village, and Loh Dalum for nightlife.
The resort has spacious rooms with facilities such as a swimming pool, onsite restaurant/ bar, and direct access to the beach. There are sunbeds and umbrellas around the pool and the beachfront area.
Phi Phi Villa Resort
This famous beachfront resort is located on the eastern side of Tonsai Bay. It’s an easy distance to the beautiful Long Beach, as well as the nightlife in the main village and Loh Dalum Beach. The pier is also within walking distance from the resort.
The resort has beautiful rooms, outdoor swimming pool, a gym, and stunning views of the beach and the limestone cliffs. The beach in front of Phi Phi Villa resort is also lovely with white sand and clean water. Ideal for those who want a good quality resort, quiet area, but still close to the action.
Phi Phi Cliff Beach Resort
Phi Phi Cliff is located in the Tonsai Bay West area, in a secluded location but still an easy walking distance to the main village and the main pier. Like many resorts on the island, it has an outdoor swimming pool, great views, and a good quality breakfast.
Phi Phi at Pier
The resort has a prime location on Phi Phi Don, steps away from the main pier and Tonsai Village. You can easily access the boats and the restaurants and bars.
How to get to Tonsai Beach Koh Phi Phi
From Long Beach
Long Beach is located right next to East Tonsai Beach. You can walk from Tonsai Beach to Long Beach for 20-40 minutes depending on your location in each area. There are narrow coastal trails and jungle trails at the last bit near Long Beach.
You can also take long tail boat rides from Long Beach to Tonsai Beach. It is around 5-10 minute boat ride and costs 100 baht during day time and 150-200 baht at night.
I recommend taking the walk from Long Beach to Tonsai Beach during daytime and use the long tail boat to travel after sunset. The trail near Long Beach is not very well lit and it’s safer to take a boat ride.
From Loh Dalum Beach
Loh Dalum Beach is directly connected to Tonsai Beach via Tonsai Village. You can easily follow the narrow streets inside the village to travel between these two beaches. It’s around 5 minutes walking distance.
From the beaches on the north of Koh Phi Phi Don
The northern beaches of Phi Phi Don are Nui Bay, Loh Lana, Loh Ba Kao Bay, Laem Tong Beach, and Phaknam Bay. The easiest way to get from the island’s northern beaches to Tonsai Beach is by taking direct long tail boats. Otherwise, it’s possible to walk all the way from these beaches to Tonsai Beach.
Laem Tong to Tonsai Bay
Laem Tong is a 1.2 km long laid-back beach in the northern part of Koh Phi Phi. This area is home to some high-end resorts and is a great place to stay for those who want a relaxing beach holiday away from it all.
To get from Laem Tong to Tonsai Bay, you need to take a speed boat or a long tail boat along the beach, or ask your resort to organise one for you. The boat journey from Laem Tong to Tonsai is about 15 mins by speedboats and 30 min on long tail boats.
Many resorts offer paid scheduled shuttle services from Laem Tong to Tonsai Bay. You can hire a private long tail boat for 1000-1200 Baht per boat. There are also shuttle boats from Laem Tong, Tonsai, and Long Beach running a few times a day and cost 300 baht per person.
If you want to save money by boat, or just simply like walking and hiking, you can walk all the way from Laem Tong to Tonsai. The walking journey is around 1 hour. Part of the journey from Laem Tong to Loh Ba Kao village, you can take tuk tuk for 100 baht.
There are roads and trails connecting Laem Tong, Loh Ba Kao village, Koh Phi Phi Viewpoints, Tonsai Village, and Tonsai Bay. At low tide, you can walk along the coastal trail via Loh Dalum Beach. There are signs to show you direction along the way.
Loh Ba Kao Bay to Tonsai Bay
Loh Bao Koh, located on the northern coast of Koh Phi Phi, just south of Laem Tong Beach, is another relaxing place to stay on the island. The beachfront is home to SAii Phi Phi Island Village Resort, which is a popular place to stay on Phi Phi island.
You can take 30 minute long tail boats from Loh Ba Kao Bay to Tonsai Bay or do the one hour hiking via either Phi Phi Viewpoints (jungle trail and steep stairs) or Loh Dalum Bay (at low tide).
The long tail boat ride ranges from 1000-2000 one way depending on the time of the day. It’s more expensive in the evening. The resort has paid shuttle boats three times a day for 300 baht per way. You can walk during day time and use long tail services during night time.
Phak Nam Bay to Tonsai Bay
This secluded bay is located on the northern side of Koh Phi Phi and is home to Phi Phi Relax Beach Resort. If you want a remote atmosphere, surrounded by nature, crystal-clear water, this bay is a great place to stay.
To get from Phak Nam Bay to Tonsai Bay, you need to take long tail boats or hike for around a 45 minutes jungle trail to Tonsai via Phi Phi Viewpoint 1 and 2 and its steep stairs.
The boat ride between Phak Nam Bay and Tonsai Bay is 20-30 minutes in the sea condition. The resort offers pad shuttle services a few times a day.
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So, there you have it, my travel guide about Tonsai Bay of Koh Phi Phi Don. The bay has crystal clear water, beautiful views of the limestone cliffs, and a lively nightlife scene. It’s also the departure and arrival point of the island.