Phi Phi Islands | Love at first sight

Phi Phi Islands

Phi Phi Island is Thailand's island-superstar. It's been in the movies [The Beach, 2000]. 

It's the topic of conversation for travelers all over Thailand. For some, it's the only reason to touchdown in Phuket. Even with all the hype, it doesn't disappoint.

Phi Phi's beauty is a large chunk of the allure. The islands, when approached by boat, rise from the sea like a fortress. Sheer cliffs tower overhead, then give way to the beach-fronted jungle. It's love at first sight [that is true, I been there and I love it].

The second part of the why-we-love-this-place story is attitude: a few places on the planet are this laid-back. Of the two islands, one is completely free of human inhabitants (Phi Phi Leh), and the other is without roads (Phi Phi Don). There's no schedule, no hustle-and-bustle, no reason to be in a hurry.

As an added bonus, Phi Phi is affordable. Destinations this beautiful are often reserved for those that can pay dearly. That's not the case here; Phi Phi has something for every budget. You might be surprised – that perfect beachfront room costs less than you expect.

Phi Phi consists of six small islands south of Phuket which overflow with fine sandy beaches that give way to soaring limestone cliffs to form spectacular scenery.

Add crystal clear water, a refreshing lack of roads, plus a laid-back lifestyle, and it's easy to see why Phi Phi is one of southern Thailand's most popular destinations.

Phi Phi Leh

Phi Phi Leh is an uninhabited island that lies 1.5km off the southernmost tip of Phi Phi Don.
Stunning vertical cliffs capped with green foliage give way to small sandy beaches and tropical coral seas.
Most visitors to Phi Phi find their way around Phi Phi Leh on an organized boat tour. However, you can rent a longtail boat for your own customized trip.

Maya Bay

Maya Bay is a stunningly beautiful bay that's sheltered by 100-meter high cliffs on three sides. Inside the bay there are several beaches, most are small and some only exist at low tide. The main one is around 200 meters long with silky soft white sand, underwater colorful coral and exotic fish in exceptionally clear water; the whole bay is one big reef.
Maya Bay has become the main tourist attraction of Phi Phi since The Beach was filmed here in 1999. It was always very popular before the film but now people around the world who haven't even heard of Phi Phi have certainly heard of Maya Bay.
The best time to visit Maya Bay is between November and April during the high season when seas are calm and access to the bay is easy. Rough seas from May to October may hinder access but rarely deny entry. 

Loh Sama (Sama Bay)

Located on the south side of the island the only activity here is snorkeling which is excellent for discovering beautiful coral and tropical fish. Boat anchor in the shallow waters, swimmers feed fish and snorkel.
You can get to Maya Bay from here at low tide via a small hole through a cliff about one meter high and sometimes when the sea is rough from May to October this is the only way to get into Maya Bay.

Pi Leh Bay

Pi Leh Bay is on the west coast, the opposite side of the island to Maya Bay. Similar to Maya Bay, it has 100m vertical cliffs rising from the water. Most of the bay is in shade except at midday.
This long thin bay is pretty shallow and is only accessible to speedboats and longtails, it does not dry out at low tide and there is a very small beach right at the back that you can just glimpse if you're passing.
Very beautiful and excellent for swimming. At the entrance, there are excellent snorkeling opportunities.

Viking Cave

Just to the north of Pi Leh Bay is the Viking Cave where swifts make their nests. There are some paintings on the walls of boats resembling Viking ships that are supposed to be ancient however they're more likely to be just a couple of hundred years old… if that. However, the Viking tag has stuck.
The nests are made by the birds from their saliva and harvested from February to April by locals who use rickety bamboo scaffolding to get up to them once the birds have finished nesting. The nests sell for many thousands of dollars per kilo and are used for the Chinese delicacy bird's nest soup.

Palong Bay

Just outside Maya Bay to the north, this is more of a dive site than a bay. Here there are many black-tip reef sharks and coral formations in up to 12 meters of water.
There can be strong currents here so it is not advisable to snorkel without an organized tour (i.e. someone who knows the currents).

Phi Phi Don
This island is the largest of the 6 Phi Phi islands and consists of two main sections. It is on Ton Sai where the original inhabitants settled and are now the home of the main accommodation area. Phi Phi Don is quite stunning and has earned the title of one of the most fantastic islands in the world. Nowadays though, with development, the beaches have paid the price and so they're not quite as spectacular as they were in the days of yesteryear. The landscape, however, can never be ruined.

Viewpoint - walk up to the Viewpoint, 186 meters above sea level (a very steep walk of between 10-25 minutes, depending on fitness), to get a breathtaking view of the entire island - particularly at dawn or sunset (bring a flashlight). You will be surprised at how narrow the sand strip is between the two main parts of the island.

Monkey Beach - accessible on foot or by renting a canoe, or be lazy and charter a longtail boat. Be careful as the monkeys can sometimes be aggressive. (Note: you should not feed wildlife)

Fireshow - there are several highly skilled and entertaining fire shows held nightly in several venues on the island, including at Carlito's, Apache Bar, Hippies, Carpe Diem, and The Tia and Millie Sunflower Bar on Lohdalum.

Tsunami Memorial Garden - by the Tia and Millie Sunflower Bar; a beautiful place for quiet contemplation and paying one's respects to the victims of the recent tragedy.

Yao Beach - Yao Beach, just south of Ton Sai, offers visitors some fantastic views, scenery and coral reefs for snorkeling and scuba diving. This small place is packed out however, with places to stay and so some people do complain that the vicinity has been rather overdeveloped. You can get there either by walking from Ton Sai or taking a long-tail boat.

Lanti Beach - Next door to Yao Beach, Lanti Beach is very similar in many regards with its great scenery and coral reefs. You can get there on foot.

Hin Khao Beach - This beach is extremely quiet and can only be reached on foot.

Ton Sai Bay - Ao Ton Sai is where most of the action is; be it restaurants, bars, hotels or guesthouses. Most tourists stay at Ton Sai Bay because of the convenience. Even though it isn’t the most beautiful place on Phi Phi, it is still impressive.

Laem Tong - Laem Thong, located at the very north of the island offers visitors and lovely quiet beach with exhilarating scenery. Accommodation on Laem Thong is aimed at higher spending tourists.