Phi Phi Islands

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Introduction

Great bar!

© All Rights Reserved heidit

The Phi Phi Islands are situated in Krabi Province. Phi Phi Don is the larger of the two, while Phi Phi Ley is un-inhabited but well worth a visit to check out the caves where locals collect birds nests. These birds nests arr considered a delicacy by the Chinese, who often pay very steep prices for them.

Phi Phi Don is not really a quiet island, although there are some smaller hideaways. The center of the island is normally packed with tourists and some people think it is spoiled and prefer the lesser developed islands elsewhere in Thailand.

The Thai population of Phi Phi Island are predominantly Muslim instead of Buddhist as most Thai people are. You will also find sea-gypsies, or People of the Sea (Chao Lae) as the Thais call them. Sea Gypsies are scattered along the coasts of the Andaman Sea all the way down South to Singapore.

Geography

Cities

Sights and Activities

Scuba Diving

Phi Phi Island

© All Rights Reserved cathdoran

Phi Phi Island offers very nice scuba diving and a lot of easily accessible destinations, with most less than an hour away. The number of established diving companies is quite impressive considering the size of the island, and in the high season some of the diving destinations tend to be a bit crowded by divers.

Day-trips with 1 or 2 fun-dives can be booked at many places. The prices are lower than on Phuket, but are fixed all over the island.

When booking a trip, be sure to ask what kind of boat the diving company is using and how many people will participate in the day-trip. Some people prefer a big boat where you can relax on the roof or in the shade between dives, but it can also be charming to use the long-tail boats that some companies are using. If you're going by long-tail boat you will normally go to a beach for lunch between the 2 dives.

The underwater life around Phi Phi Islands is very diverse and fascinating. Leopard sharks are common and sometimes dolphins even visit the coasts. In some places, it is also possible just by using snorkeling equipment, to spot blacktipped reef sharks, especially if you swim along the beach early in the morning. You can also consider a night dive which is offered by most diving companies on the island. A night dive will reveal different underwater life than a daytime dive, and it can be very thrilling. Make sure that the batteries in your torch are new and that you carry both a back-up torch as well as an underwater marker-light.

WARNING: Some of the diving companies offer trips that take you inside underwater caves, but it is not recommended to participate in trips like these unless you are trained specifically for cave-diving by a well-known diving organization and bring the proper equipment. It sounds fascinating, and the dive master may be very persuasive, but fatalities have occurred in these caves!

Nightlife

Events and Festivals

Weather

Getting There

Phi Phi Island can be reached by boat from Phuket and Krabi.

By Plane

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Getting Around

The island is actually relatively big, but big areas are very hard to access since it is hilly and with no roads. There are no 4-wheeled vehicles on this island and normally only 2- or 3-wheeled vehicles are used for transportation. Small tracks used by the locals can take you to most places on the island. You have to be adventurous and it requires hiking through sometimes quite dense jungle.

By Plane

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Phi Phi Don is packed with hotels, guest houses, bungalows, shops and restaurants, but in the high season it can still be impossible to find accommodation here.