Welcome to Phi Phi Islands, Thailand!

by Tsvete Popp
Traditional boats on a clear beach at Phi Phi Island, Thailand, with cliffs in the background.

Phi Phi Islands, we are coming!

So it was time to go to Phi Phi Islands! … The days in Koh Tao have gone as fast as my very first coffee at 5:30 in the morning before we left our apartment at Sairee Beach. A pickup taxi drove us to Koh Tao’s pier where we took the ferry to Koh Samui Airport. The journey from Koh Tao to Koh Phi Phi Don took about 9 hours, from 6:30 to 15:30 (ferry from Koh Tao to Samui + taxi to Samui Airport + flight to Krabi + taxi to Krabi's Pier + ferry to Phi Phi Don + taxi boat from Tonsai Pier to Long Beach).

Plane and mobile staircase on a sunny tarmac near Phi Phi Island, Thailand.

Koh Samui Airport


Bangkok Airways plane cabin with passengers seated, open tray tables, in-flight in Thailand.

Bangkok Airways

Koh Samui's Airport won first place for the smallest airport so far. It was that small, there were no buildings whatsoever, but some counters outside that served as gates 😀 Half an hour later we were sitting for the first time in a Bangkok Airways plane – a miny-tiny one! We were flying to Krabi where we immediately took the ferry to Phi Phi Don.

Aerial view of Phi Phi Island, Thailand with turquoise sea and cloudy sky from a plane window.

Gulf of Thailand from Above

Aerial view of lush Phi Phi Island, Thailand, with turquoise waters visible under aircraft wing.

Aerial view of lush green landscape from a plane over Phi Phi Island, Thailand.

Krabi from Above

The ferry from Krabi to Phi Phi Don took about 1h 30 min. The only Island where you can stay for the night is Koh Phi Phi Don so I had already booked in advance a bungalow in HIP Seaview Resort @Phi Phi at Long Beach. Long Beach has the greatest views over Phi Phi Leh and is far away from the backpacker's wild nightlife in Tonsai Village and is about a five-minute longtail boat ride from Tonsai Pier.

Passengers inside a ferry with red seats traveling to Phi Phi Island, Thailand.

Krabi Phi Phi Ferry


Scenic view of beachfront bungalows on Phi Phi Island, Thailand with turquoise sea.

Koh Phi Phi Tonsai Pier

I always wanted to go to Phi Phi Islands, especially after watching The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio when I was 12. Well, some dreams take often too long – in this case some 18 years or so. But as we know, better 18 years later, than never 😀

Anyways, we all know that the Phi Phi Islands have changed a lot since the movie “The Beach”.

Frangipani flowers with tropical sea view in Phi Phi Island, Thailand.

View from HIP Seaview Resort @ Phi Phi


Longtail boats on a turquoise sea near Phi Phi Island, Thailand, framed by lush greenery.

View from HIP Seaview Resort @ Phi Phi

Scenic view of Phi Phi Island, Thailand with ocean, cliffs, and traditional rooftops.

Scenic view of tropical huts and turquoise sea on Phi Phi Island, Thailand's coastline.

The natural paradise of Phi Phi is no longer a secluded place or a hidden gem. The Phi Phi Islands are literally abused by mass tourism and thirsty for party backpackers from all over the World. But one thing has not changed – the Phi Phi Islands are probably the most naturally beautiful islands in Thailand. There are limestone mountains with cliffs, caves, long white sandy beaches and amazing marine life.

Turquoise waters and islands at Phi Phi Island, Thailand under a clear blue sky.

View from HIP Seaview Resort @ Phi Phi


Vibrant pink bougainvillea with sea view on Phi Phi Island, Thailand.

View from HIP Seaview Resort @ Phi Phi

Longtail boat on turquoise waters with islands in the background, Phi Phi Island, Thailand.

! Did you know that ...
Phi Phi Islands are pronounced “Pee Pee”, not “Fee Fee”.

Woman jumping on a sandy beach beside a long-tail boat in Phi Phi Island, Thailand.

Woman in sunglasses on Phi Phi Island, Thailand, with a longtail boat and sea in the background.

Colorful longtail boats on a beach at Phi Phi Island, Thailand, with cliffs in the background.

Long-tail boats on a sandy beach with clear blue water at Phi Phi Island, Thailand.

View over Phi Phi Leh

Traditional longtail boat adorned with vibrant flowers at Phi Phi Island, Thailand.

The Phi Phi Islands are two islands with an almost identical name: Koh Phi Phi Don and Kho Phi Phi Leh which are very close to each other. Ko Phi Phi is a small archipelago where Ko Phi Phi Don is the largest and only island with permanent inhabitants. Kho Phi Phi Leh is an uninhabited island, declared a natural park. The most famous beach Maya Bay, located on Phi Phi Leh, closed indefinitely in June 2018. How long – until its ecosystem and physical structure returns to its full condition and until its natural resources return to normal?

Traditional longtail boat adorned with vibrant flowers at Phi Phi Island, Thailand.

White sandy beach with boats and clear blue water at Phi Phi Island, Thailand.

Long-tail boats lined up on a sandy beach at Phi Phi Island, Thailand, with limestone cliffs.

Decorated long-tail boats on the sandy shores of Phi Phi Island, Thailand.

Rustic huts and lush greenery overlooking the sea at Phi Phi Island, Thailand.

Sunset over boats in the serene waters off Phi Phi Island, Thailand.

Sunset Long Beach Phi Phi Don

 

We spent our first day at Long Beach as we had it almost for ourselves. Several boats came and went during the afternoon, but we enjoyed the beautiful sunny Andaman Sea day undisturbed in the shadow of some trees along the shoreline. The great thing about the HIP Seaview Resort @Phi Phi at Long Beach is the sunsets as we could enjoy them directly from the veranda with our new cat friends (… and best friends after one or two ham slices).

Cat sitting on a path with scenic view of Phi Phi Island, Thailand in the background.

Orange cat walks on a sunny path at Phi Phi Island, Thailand, with lush greenery in the background.

Sunset over ocean and silhouettes of hills at Phi Phi Island, Thailand.

Sunset Long Beach Phi Phi Don

 

On the next day, we were going to explore the small islands around Phi Phi Leh. So we enjoyed our dinner at one of the several restaurants in Long Beach and went to sleep pretty early.

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Enjoy the day!

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