Ko Phi Phi - Sharing Paradise With Thousands

Tonsai Bay, Ko Phi Phi Don
see all photos »

Our friend Bernadette was visiting us for a couple of days in Phuket to escape Dubai's summer heat. We decided to visit the well-known Phi Phi Islands, as all of us had not been there before. To travel in our own pace and make individual adjustments to our intenerary we decided to charter a boat including captain in Chalong on Phuket.The real goal behind that probably was that we wanted to ensure that we visit Ko Phi Phi's famous sights before thousands of daytrippers would follow.

Ko Phi Phi Ley
see all photos »

Our trip started at 8.oo in the morning and should take us a little over 45 minutes to the islands. The conditions of the ocean were fine and the sun came out once we hit the water. After a while we were able to spot Ko Phi Phi far on the horizon and the closer we got the more of it's extraordinary shape appeared. We still did not see a single other boat on the ocean. Once we approached Ko Phi Phi Leh all of a sudden speedboats seemed to come from all directions. We entered a small passage between the green covered limestone rocks, that could have been the perfect setting for any Super Mario computer game.  Then we noticed that we were unfortunately not the first people this morning to set a foot on The Beach, made famous by the hollywood blockbuster. In fact there were quite a few boats anchoring already in the magnificent Maya Bay and even more were coming with us. It took a couple of seconds before we realized that we had to share this little piece of paradise with thousands of others this morning, eventhough it was allegedly off-season. We left the boat and wandered around the beach for a while.   

Ko Phi Phi Ley
see all photos »

Nevertheless we had one major advantage. We could decide where to go and how long to stay. We spent almost three hours on Maya Bay sunbathing, swimming and walking in the accessible parts of the beautiful jungle behind the beach. Other than we had expected, the beach is relatively small. Nevertheless it is the surroundings that make it a special place. Maya Bay is nestled between huge limestone cliffs on both sides and vast vegetation in the back. As both of the Phi Phi Islands, Maya Bay is also part of the Hat Noppharat Thara - Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park and is therefore somehow protected. There are actually Park Rangers based on the island to secure its splendid beauty, but it rather looks like tour operators can work without any limitations in this pristine environment. There were wide spread environmental concerns before and during the production of the The Beach. More than 60 palm trees were planted at Maya Bay and a sand dune was lowered to create the perfect beach. After the production had finished the film crew restored Maya Bay's original condition and scavenged tons of waste of the beach and its surroundings.

Phi Phi Island Village Resort & Spa
see all photos »

After the large number of excursionists, that visit Ko Phi Phi daily, had left Maya Bay, we almost had this truly stunning place to ourselves. We enjoyed the calmness and privacy for a while and took some photos before we returned to our boat and continued with the journey.  

The next stop in our intenarary took us to the much bigger of the two Phi Phi Islands. We entered Ko Phi Phi Don's Tonsai Bay, where large numbers of boats are mooring, and walked along dozens of souvenir shops, hostels and restaurants. The vibe on the island is relatively relaxed as it mainly attracts crowds of travellers from around the globe. Eventhough it has been 1.5 years already, since the Phi Phi Islands got hit by the devasting Tsunami, the place still does not look fully recovered. At this part of the island, not only most manmade structures but also hundreds of palm trees must have been swept away by the wave. A lot of construction work is ongoing and nature is starting to prosper again. Nevertheless we were really amazed by the islands' natural beauty and a lot of literature suggests to visit now, as Ko Phi Phi is back in a condition as it was before massive overdevelopment.

Arriving at "The Beach", Ko Phi Phi Leh
see all photos »

After we had lunch in a neat little Thai Restaurant at Tonsai Bay, we boarded the boat again to cruise around Phi Phi Don and look at some of the other beaches. We stopped at Monkey Beach but unfortunately did not spot any of the wild animals. Ko Phi Phi Don is unexpectedly big in size and there are numerous little bays and beaches on every side of the island. While Tonsai Bay is the only lively development on the islands, all other parts are more remote and secluded. Tong Cape in the northern part of the Phi Phi Don has a long stretch of beautiful beach and several accomodation options. This area is the home to some of the more upmarket hotels including one of Phi Phi's only luxury accomodation: the stylish Zeavola Resort. The Phi Phi Island Village Resort also looks quite appealing due to its isolated location on a private, palm fringed beach with massive limestone rockformations nearby.    

Bernadette at Maya Bay, Ko Phi Phi Leh
see all photos »

As time passed by quickly we had to make our way back to the mainland before nightfall. On the return journey we stopped at a small island, which is home to the luxury Maiton Island Resort, shortly before Phuket's mainland. During our visit it was closed for refurbishment and maintenance work. We used the time to jump into the water and snorkel for a while on the beautiful house reef before we returned to Chalong pier.