The Phi Phi islands are located about 45 Km southeast from Phuket, 42 km south of Krabi Town and 40 km from Ao Nang Beach. They can be reached in between 1 to 3 hours depending on the type of boat you choose. Boats leave from Phuket, Ao Nang and the Chao Fa Pier in Krabi Town on a daily basis.

The name "Phi Phi" is derived from Malay, and the original was Pulao Pi ah Pi, where in pulao is the Malay word for island , and Pi, pronounced with a soft "p" sound, was very close in pronunciation to the English word "bee"; the ah was dropped, so the name was said something like Bee Bee.