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:: t h e P H I P H I I S L A N D S - หมู่เกาะพีพี ::

Koh Phi Phi, or the Phi Phi Islands, is a small cluster of 6 stunning islands located in the Andaman Sea between the touristy island of Phuket and the mainland coast of Southern Thailand. They constitute a marine national park which is sort of semi-protected; the main island has escaped protection in being progressively developed for accommodating the increasing amount of backpackers and day visitors whom wish to enjoy this breathtaking bit of Southern Thailand.

The islands are a natural paradise with tropical forest covering the hilly interior, spectacular towering limestone cliff formations and dazzling white beaches. The population, originating from sea gypsies, is primarily Muslim, and lives by fishing and cashew nut and coconut nut cultivation. Many locals also work in the tourist industry as boatmen on dive boats and long tail boats or as chefs, retailers and waiters in the resorts, beach cafés, eateries and shops.

Map of South Andaman Sea, West coast of Southern Thailand

Only one island, Koh Phi Phi Don, is inhabited and has accommodation facilities. The other islands are pure nature and can be visited by boat. Koh Phi Phi Leh is the second-most visited island, as it holds some extremely beautiful bays with crystal clear water and beaches which make one hyperventilate at first sight. Many of the diving companies dive around this island because of its fringing abundant coral reefs and make daily stopovers at the beaches for lunch.

The islands have been mentioned in the international media two times within the last decade. First, Koh Phi Phi Leh was the backdrop for the 2000 Hollywood-movie the Beach, and in the 2004 SE-Asia tsunami, a small stretch on Koh Phi Phi Don was devastated - unfortunately it was the stretch which holds almost all bungalows and resorts. It has been thoroughly rebuilt by international aid organizations and volunteers during 2004 and 2005.

Koh Phi Phi Don: View from the highest point towards the

isthmus connecting the island’s two long lime-stone ridges

When did we go there?

In winter 2002 Jakob and Anders visited these islands for almost two weeks and spent a large amount of their time diving most of the dive sites and partying.

Jakob revisited these islands for 10 days in the summer of 2006 with his girlfriend. A lot of things had happened since his last visit and the tourist industry had sort of boomed, but still, the development was under control and had no ugly appearance like in Phuket or many other places in Thailand.

Koh Phi Phi Lei: Maya Bay – the beautiful sand stretch from the movie ‘the Beach’

Getting there and getting around

You can get there easily from many places in southern Thailand in one day. Several boats a day leave from Phuket, Krabi, Railey Beach and Koh Lanta. The travel time from these places is approximately two hours. Alternatively, you can get there by rented speedboat on an island-hopping trip from Ao Nang, Railey Beach or Phuket. Once arriving, the only way to get around the many beaches and small bays is by boat. There’s always a long tail boat in sight which can be hired. There are only a handful of cars on Koh Phi Phi Don which are used for post-tsunami reconstruction. Otherwise there are no roads on the island, only a few walking paths around Ton Sai village. At all other places it’s only possible to walk by the beach because dense jungle and towering lime stone cliffs fringe all coast lines.

View towards Ton Sai village, Ko Phi Phi Don

Beach close to the main pier in Koh Phi Phi Don. The big boats cruise between the mainland

and the Phi Phi Islands, while the small speed boats are used for island hopping to nearby islets

Long tail boats are the only means of inter-beach transport on these islands

:: Koh Phi Phi Don ::

Beaches, accommodations and views

There are many sights and places to hang around in the Phi Phi Islands – and there’s something for everyone. The area around the largest village, Ton Sai, is the most frenzied with many small shops, bistros and restaurants – and in the nighttime – bars and discos, all with a somewhat relaxed and cozy atmosphere. If you want more calm surroundings, then head east for Hin Khom beach, there’s a walking path from the jetty.

The most tranquil alternative close to Ton Sai village is undisturbed Long Beach which only has a single beach bar and a couple of restaurants. If you want completely stillness and peacefulness you might want to consider a stay-over at a resort in one of the many isolated bays and beaches north of Ton Sai village on the eastern lime-stone ridge.

Had Yao - Long beach

A lovely beach stretch to the east of Ton Sai village with two low key bungalow-style resorts and magnificent views towards the western lime-stone cliffs of Koh Phi Phi Don. You can walk there from Ton Sai village in an hour or so, or get there with long tail boat in five minutes from the pier. The perfectly situated beach restaurant at Phi Phi Pearl Paradise Resort serves a magnificent green curry and good seafood. They also arrange affordable island-hopping and snorkeling trips to Koh Phi Phi Lei and Bamboo Island (Koh Pai).

Long Beach is a favorite by beach bums and a quit alternative to the beaches around Ton Sai village

Our cheap hut in the jungle behind Long Beach. We stayed here one night and

the next day we moved closer to beach and got a nicer (and more expensive) bungalow.

The sunsets create spectacular silhouette views of the limestone sea cliff scenery

View towards Koh Phi Phi Lei from the hills behind Long Beach. In the foreground is a petite group

of reefs rising above the sea level at low tide called Hin Phae. At this spot it is possible to

snorkel with black-tipped reef sharks – go there early in the morning, e.g. 6 AM.

Hin Khom Beach

At our first visit in 2002, this stretch was pure jungle. Today, Ton Sai village has expanded eastern wards to the hills between Ton Sai Village and Long Beach. There’s a range of cozy lay-down-in-huge-pillows-like seaside restaurants and beach cafés at this sand stretch. Accommodation in bungalows or luxurious huts is possible. More cheap accommodation in simple rooms is also possible if the budget is low.

The last, westernmost part of Hin Khom Beach

The small and secluded Leam Hin Beach. Long Beach can be glimpsed in the background

The coast between Hin Khom Beach and Long beach at high tide.

Ton Sai Bay Village and Beach

Ton Sai village holds the pier, most resorts and the only cheap guesthouses where you live in a room and not a hut or bungalow. It also holds many dive shops, the commercial establishments, small shops, internet cafés, a few fruit markets, many bars, and even a couple of 7-elevens. The village is built on a tiny sandy isthmus between two soaring limestone ridges and is surrounded by palm-fringed beaches and two picturesque bays to the south and the north.

The walking path between Ton Sai beach and Hin Khom Beach is lined with small vendor shops

The westernmost part of Ton Sai Beach. The tall jungle-free cliff wall at the end

of the beach is a popular rock climbing spot

Lo Dalam Bay Beach

Lo Dalam Bay is a moon crescent shaped bay on the northern side of the Ton Sai isthmus – it is the back-to-back bay to Ton Sai Bay. Many locals live in this part of Ton Sai village in small shacks.

Household close to Lo Dalam Beach

View towards the saw tooth-shaped Nui Bay from Lo Dalam Beach.

Post-tsunami signing at Lo Dalam Beach. Maybe more important, a tsunami early warning

alarm system has been installed by the Thai government.

:: Koh Phi Phi Lei and Koh Pai ::

Koh Phi Phi Lei is the other “large” island in the Phi Phi Island group. It is situated immediately south of Koh Phi Phi Don, there’s only about one mile or so between the two islands. There’s nothing to this island but raw nature; Phi Phi Lei is amazingly beautiful with many bays surrounded by craggy steep limestone cliffs, caves, ledges and rocky coves with white sand and crystal clear turquoise water.

You can go there on day-trips with a rented long tail boat or as a diver with one of the many dive operators. Much of the island is surrounded by abundant coral reefs inviting for both snorkeling and SCUBA diving.

Koh Phi Phi Lei; Loh Samah Bay with its dramatic limestone seascape

Koh Phi Phi Lei; Exceptional Maya Bay is probably one of the most beautiful bays in the world

Psychedelic and sparkling blue waters around Pileh Bay at Koh Phi Phi Lei

Another island not to miss is tiny Koh Pai (Mai Phai), or Bamboo Island, which is north of Koh Phi Phi Don. It is different than the other islands in being low-lying and flat. It has no limestone landscape but is made almost purely by white powdery sand. The small isle has some magnificent beaches and the clear waters around the island crave for snorkelers. It is usually a part of the whole-day island-hopping and snorkeling itineraries arranged from Koh Phi Phi Don. The ride to Bamboo Island takes around one hour in a long tail boat. If it’s very windy you might want to consider taking the trip another day, as the waves can get quite rough in the open sea between the islands.

View towards Koh Phi Phi Don from Bamboo Island

View towards Railey Beach and Krabi from Bamboo Island. There are nothing but serene

beaches at this island. Occasionally you can encounter a monitor lizard in the jungle.

Activities and Inactivites

Diving and snorkeling

Many who visit the Phi Phi Island spend a great deal of their time SCUBA diving at the numerous dive sites with one of the many dive operators. The area has a rich diversity of mostly hard corals and reef fishes, and occasionally you can encounter pelagics. Most of the dive operators have their own large diving boats. There are many different kinds of dive sites, including coral gardens, deep walls, caves, canyons, open sea drop offs and wrecks. For more information about the best dive sites check out the Southeast Asia Diving Section.

Snorkeling is popular around Bamboo Island and Koh Phi Phi Lei, especially Maya Bay, Nui Bay, Pileh Bay, the rocks called Hin Phae close to Long Beach, and the two small rocky limestone islands Koh Bida Nok and Koh Bida Nai. You can expect a visibility of 8-30m most of the places depending on the season and weather – in the European winter the Western face of Koh Phi Phi Lei is best, whereas the Eastern face is best in the summer.

Chilling on the beach, sunbathing and swimming

With its many gorgeous beaches it comes as no surprise that beach (in)activities are performed in a large scale. To avoid overcrowding on Maya Bay beach it’s better to go there in the afternoon. Remember to bring some snacks as there are no shops – and remember to bring a trash bag wherever you go.

Other activities

A lot of small tour operators are placed around Ton Sai village and in the resorts, and they arrange everything from sea-kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, trekking, beach scrambling and rock-climbing to hair rising cliff jumping.

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