Travel to Phi Phi Island, Thailand. Phi Phi Island - photos and reviews about the excursion to Maya Bay And now everything described above is only in photos and videos

Maya Bay is a beautiful lagoon protected on three sides by 100m rock cliffs. The beach is small - 200 meters. There are many coral reefs with fish near the shore. Since this is the most popular place in the entire area, not a trace remains of the former privacy shown in the film.

Every day crowds of tourists arrive here and 100-200 people are on the coast at the same time. But if you really want to feel a calm and deserted atmosphere, then come here early in the morning (at 7-8 o’clock, for example, when excursion groups have not yet arrived) or in the evening, after 17 (when tourists go home).

To get to Phi Phi Ley island at this time, you just need to rent. Currently, next to the beach there is a small bar with drinks and snacks, toilets, showers and several houses of local residents.

2) Viking Cave.

Viking Cave - the second attraction, which is located in the north of the island, near Pi Ley Bay and is famous for the rock paintings of ancient people. Almost all of the drawings have an aquatic theme, which suggests that these people were seafarers, and the boats look like Viking ships (hence the name).

In addition, in the Viking cave you can see swallows’ nests. These nests are made not from branches and leaves, but from the saliva of swallows. They are used in cooking and are considered a delicacy (their price is appropriate). The Thais collect these nests and then sell them (usually to China, where they are especially popular).

Snorkeling

If you If you decide to visit Phi Phi Lei Island on your own, then be sure to take a mask and snorkel. If you go as part of a train, they are included in the price (however, the quality often leaves much to be desired).

Snorkeling on Phi Phi Ley is a mandatory part of all excursions and not a single visit is complete without it. Best places for this purpose - the bays of Loh Samah (you can walk across the island from Maya Beach) and Pi Ley. The rich underwater world will not leave anyone indifferent - neither beginners nor seasoned divers!

Phi Phi Islands is an archipelago of 6 islands off the mainland of Thailand. The islands consist of 2 main islands: Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Ley, as well as 4 small islands: Bamboo Island, Ko Yun, Bida Nok and Bida Nai.

Since 1983 they have the status national park. Geographically located in the south of Krabi province, 42 km and 48 km southeast of Phuket.

Phi Phi Don has a fairly developed tourist infrastructure. Phi Phi Ley, an uninhabited island, is a popular attraction, including the one where the movie “The Beach” with Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed. Two more bays, Pileh Bay and Loh Samah Bay.

Of the other islands, Bamboo Island (bamboo island) is very popular; it has a wonderful beach, considered one of the best in the archipelago. There is only one drawback: there are a lot of tourists.

When we talk about holidays on the Phi Phi Islands, we mainly mean Phi Phi Don; the nearby islands are mainly visited as excursions. In general, the resort is considered for 1-2 days of visiting. The cost of the excursion depends on the program from 3000 baht for adults, for children from 1900 baht.

Let's be honest in the central part of the island, there are too many people, garbage and a lot of stalls.

How to get there

It is easier to get there from Phuket or Krabi airports, since there is no airport on Phi Phi.

The transfer point in both cases can be Ao Nang; at 9 am a ferry runs from the central beach to Phi Phi Don island. Tickets can be purchased at travel agencies near the beach, ticket prices start from 400 baht. Travel time is 1.5 hours.

Phi Phi on the map

Ferries depart from Rassada Pier on Phuket Island three times a day. Time at sea is 2 hours, the first ferry from Phuket leaves at 8.30 am. The trip will cost one tourist 600 baht. It is logical to buy a two-way ticket at once - you will spend 1000 baht for the round trip. Another saving: if you purchase a ticket from a travel agency, it will include a free transfer from the hotel. Otherwise, you will also have to fork out for a taxi to the pier - about 500 baht.

Not on Phi Phi Don public transport. Only sometimes you can find motorcycles with sidecars, which serve as carriers of goods and building materials. There is a rental of motorcycles and bicycles, but it is not advisable to rent due to the mountainous terrain.

They mostly travel on foot and by boat. Long-tail boats with sails ply between all the beaches. The cost depends on the distance. There is a high probability of agreeing with the owner of the boat about taking you to the beach in the morning and returning after sunset. For example, from Tonsai to Long Beach, you will have to pay 40 baht per person during the day, 80 baht per person in the evening.

The island has many walking paths that take you to every beach.

Entertainment

Arriving on the islands, forget about the busy life of a holidaymaker and the entertainment that is generously provided to tourists in Phuket or other resorts in Thailand. This is a more relaxing holiday with a visit to the National Marine Sanctuary, where you can visit the Vapnyak caves and long sandy beaches.

To visit the marine reserve, you must pay a one-time fee of 20 baht.

Popular Viking Cave. No one knows for sure why the mysterious cave has the name of the Vikings, but every excursionist strives to see it, bypassing the islands by sea.

Tourists are prohibited from entering the cave itself, on the island of Phi Phi Ley.

An exception may be a visit to the tourist village of Tonsai Village. Here you can still have noisy fun in open-air bars that are open until the last visitor, despite the “royal” restrictions - two o’clock in the morning. Some bars are worth mentioning separately, such as Carlitos Bar, famous for its fire shows and pleasant music, Reggae Bar is more of an entertainment complex, a popular place where Muay Thai fights are organized, mostly staged fights, of course, but very exciting. Bar Ibiza. One of the best dance bars.

Of course there are a lot of people, mostly Americans who come here to have fun. The nights pass to the rhythms of music and alcohol, which is sold here in the literal sense of the word “buckets”.

You can do some shopping. Of course, you won’t find brand stores or supermarkets on the islands, and that’s not what you came for. You can buy traditional Thai souvenirs for yourself and your friends - elephants, T-shirts, clothes made of Thai silk, straw hats, bags, beautiful scarves and jewelry - in small local shops cheaper than in other resorts in Thailand.

At every step of the Phi Phi resorts you will see the rental of masks, fins, scuba gear - there are a lot of beautiful places worthy not only of snorkeling, but also of scuba diving. For scuba diving enthusiasts, the two rocky islands of Bida Nai and Bida Nok are ideal, famous for their coral necklace and marine life.

Go fishing near the Phi Phi Islands. IN sea ​​waters More than one and a half dozen species of fish live here. The best time for sea fishing is August. Be sure to climb observation deck, height 186 meters above sea level (steep climb, please provide sports shoes in advance).

Having reached the peak, you will be pleasantly surprised - there are few people, the view of the island is truly magnificent.

Beaches

The best beaches for tourists are:

Maya Bay Beach, where the film “The Beach” with Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed. Thanks to the film, the municipality of Phi Phi Island managed to attract many tourists here, mainly, of course, crowds of Chinese who occupy almost the entire territory, sometimes it is not even possible to take a photo.

Today Maya Bay and the beach are considered one of the most beautiful on the island of Phi Phi Le.

Tonsai Bay, the central beach, is attractive with many cafes and discos, a pier, and coconut palms. At night, here you can see a show with burning torches, which in terms of timing and performance has no equal in other resorts in Thailand.

Long Beach attracts vacationers with snow-white sand and the possibility of secluded relaxation. Near the beach you can rent good accommodation, there are several cafes with good local cuisine, and massage parlors. The active life of holidaymakers fades away with the sunset.

Lo Mu Di- the calmest and most secluded beach on Phi Phi, and of very good quality. The only drawback is that it is quite remote and not so easy to get to.

Housing

One-day excursions from Phuket without accommodation are organized to the Phi Phi Islands. If you like to spend your entire resort vacation in solitude, you will find dozens of hotels, guest houses or bungalows on the inhabited island. Prices here are 10–20 percent higher than the Thai average.

Price for hotel accommodation on the first coastline Phi Phi Don Island starts from 2000 baht per night for a double room. For 800 baht you can rent a cozy room in guest house. They will ask you the same amount for living in a modest bungalow. Relatively cheap accommodation - a room without amenities or a hut in a local village. In an area far from the beaches, a bed for the night will cost 300 baht.

If you want to save money, it is better to stay in the low season, and it is worth considering that prices vary significantly from season to season. The most important thing is that you will relax in one of the most exotic corners of Thailand with pristine nature, clear water, sparkling sand and marvelous sunsets!

In April, I visited everyone’s favorite Phi Phi Islands, where the movie “The Beach” was filmed. This time I went without Slava, since he had already visited the island 3 years ago from Phuket. I’ll also add his photo to the article so that you have a better idea of ​​this place. My mother and I bought an excursion and happily went on a sea voyage.

Phi Phi

Phi Phi Islands: on your own or with a tour

Initially we thought of going on our own. We wanted to stay in Maya Bay all day. But, as it turned out, for this you need to either rent a small boat for 6-8 people. The cost of an independent trip on a longtail boat will be about 10 thousand baht. It's ok with a group, but a little expensive for two.

The second option is to take a ferry to the island for an overnight stay. And from the embankment you can already get to Maya Bay by water taxi - longtail boats at a normal price. Overnight, because the ferry runs only in the morning.

Hotels near Phi Phi Don >>

This option also did not suit us, since an overnight stay was not included in our plans. The excursion sellers did not answer us anything intelligibly about the trip, they shrugged their shoulders and offered us an excursion, which we eventually took.

Excursion to Phi Phi: reviews

For 1000 baht with bargaining, we purchased an excursion from a street travel agency and went to the islands, visiting lagoons and other nearby islands along the way. We were immediately warned that we would only be at Maya Bay for 45 minutes. Well, there's not much choice, just 45 minutes on one of the most beautiful islands in Thailand! So little! But I really wanted my mother to have a lot of impressions. After all, living in Krabi and not visiting PhiPhi is the same as coming from France without seeing the Eiffel Tower.

And mom has a blast in Krabi

We started at 8 am from Noparatara beach in Krabi. On the way to the islands, those interested can go snorkeling.

Ko Phi Phi Ley Island

And here it is! The stunningly beautiful uninhabited island of Phi Phi Ley. These islands suffered greatly from the earthquake that shook the entire Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004, but now everything is fine. Perhaps Maya Bay has the most beautiful beach from all the islands. Further in this review I will use photos from my trip with my mother and Slavina’s photos from a previous visit to Pi-Pi.

The famous Maya Bay

Where can I order a transfer from the airport?

We use the service - KiwiTaxi
We ordered a taxi online and paid by card. We were met at the airport with a sign with our name on it. We were taken to the hotel in a comfortable car. You've already talked about your experience In this article

Phi Phi Beach

Maya Bay beach is very small. You know who spoils all the beauty? We are tourists. Yes, no matter how rude it may sound, but There are so many tourists that it’s impossible to fully enjoy the beauty. Very noisy and crowded, every minute they bring a new excursion and take away the old one. Everyone is taking pictures and running up and down the beach because they only have 40 minutes of time.

Phi Phi Beach crowded with tourists


Speedboats are out of place. Blocking the already small swimming space


The helicopter was still missing

How wonderful it can be there if you find yourself alone. For a few seconds I closed my eyes and imagined that all the people had disappeared, so that I could feel at least a glimpse of the place where I had long wanted to find myself.

And as soon as I opened my eyes, I plunged into a harsh reality with humming motor boats, screaming guides, crowds of people taking pictures of each other, children jumping in the water and crowds of Chinese. Slava was luckier in his time; in the next photo you can imagine that he was alone on the island

What PhiPhi looks like without tourists

We weren't able to have that much privacy. I kept trying to take good photos without strangers, but the bay was so small and crowded with tourists that then I gave up and my mother and I took turns running from one end of the beach to the other in order to have time to take at least a photo of ourselves against the backdrop of the wonderful views.

And we arrived in April, when the season in Thailand was already ending. I can’t imagine what’s going on here during the high season, in December-January. Time flew by instantly. Saturated with emotions from both tourists and Maya Bay, we moved on

Maya Bay beach


Photos from a trip in May. There are significantly fewer tourists here during the low season

Walk deep into the island

Of course, it’s very disappointing that so little time is given. Ideally, you need at least 3 hours to enjoy this wonderful tropical island. But if you don’t linger anywhere, you can have time to run around the island to another bay. This walk will take about 20 minutes. Here's what you can see:

Path from the beach through the roots of palm trees


The path goes through the landscaped jungle with dizzying views


Log structure with the inscription Ma Ya Bay Thailand


Round uninhabited rock island

Phi Phi video

Video from an excursion to Maya Bay, the island of phiphi don and the view from the observation deck.

Fortunately, due to some remoteness and isolation from civilization, you, the bay, will not be so easily spoiled by exhaust fumes, garbage and cigarette butts in the sand. Although, more and more tourists come every year.

Live bay - you are beautiful!

Phi Phi hotels

If you want to come to Phi Phi on your own, you will need to stay overnight. There are different types of hotels on Phi Phi Island price category. The choice of accommodation is wide, from budget bungalows with a fan to luxury resorts with a swimming pool. Just keep in mind that there are no hotels in Maya Bay itself, all of them are on the neighboring island of Ko Phi Phi Don, and you can get to the bay by boat in 15-20 minutes.

Yes, you guessed right. I'm talking about everyone's favorite island in Thailand. And no, I didn’t make a mistake in the title, because it contains not only the name of the Thai island of Phi Phi Don, but also my personal impression of it.

So, I’ll tell you how I learned a completely different, by no means romantic and beautiful side of Phi Phi Don Island...

If we have already started talking about the name, I’ll make a note. Some call the island Phi Phi, and others call it Phi Phi, according to the transcription. I always called him Pi-Pi, and I will adhere to this tradition in this post.

The islet of Ko Phi Phi Don is located almost in the central part of the Andaman Sea. He became famous after the film “The Beach” with DiCaprio was filmed on a neighboring island (Phi Phi Leu). Both islands are located next door.

I was on the island a long time ago, back in 12. And I saw it from a slightly different, completely non-tourist side. I really hope that since then something has changed there for the better.

No, the foreground views that open to your eyes are simply amazing.

I bet every self-respecting tourist who visited Phi Phi has photos like this:

And a bunch of hotels. There are even ones with swimming pools. I have always wondered why install swimming pools when there is a sea just a few steps away? Although, as for Pi-Pi Island, I can imagine how much pi-pi accumulates in the waters there from crowds of tourists...

Yes, about hotels. For different colors and tastes!

Many, many shops and souvenir shops:

Everything is designed to create a feeling of eternal celebration. Even the working tractor is decorated with flowers and New Year's tinsel (I was on the island on January 12, apparently, the Thais, like us, have a very hard time parting with holiday attributes such as a Christmas tree, silver rain and tinsel).

As you already know, I’m an omnipresent tourist and it’s not so easy to be led off course by gorgeous beaches. And my course was towards the center of the island. I had to have time to run through Pi-Pi, looking into its very depths and those places where farang feet rarely go.

I have few regrets in my life. But this walk deep into the island of Phi Phi is exactly what I would gladly erase from my memory...

In the depths of the island, mountains and megatons of garbage appeared before my eyes...

One got the feeling that the entire small island consisted of some kind of plastic bottles, construction waste and waste...

It was sad... It’s sad because in fact, the once luxurious island is being so shamelessly polluted so that everything can be done without a hitch for tourists. And I was ashamed that I was also participating in this surreal thing. After all, this is for my benefit and comfort local residents they so thoughtlessly pollute nature, destroying its pristine beauty.

I got to know Phi Phi Island from a different, non-tourist side. Perhaps it is good that tourists are generally not curious creatures and are lazy. They do not think about the inner side of life in a resort town and believe that the surrounding world of their vacation is beautiful. But personally, I am a supporter of the idea that sometimes you need to take off your rose-colored glasses. So as not to destroy the world. And everyone must be aware of their responsibility for the destruction of nature and historical monuments, and understand what this or that action can lead to.

And if they tell you, for example, not to take a pebble from the Karadag nature reserve in Crimea, or they hang up basic signs asking you not to litter (they even started making them with pictures for the stupid rednecks! If you don’t know how to read, maybe you’ll at least understand the pictures!!!), then we must treat this with understanding.

Friends, don’t act like stinking pigs!

All covered with greenery, absolutely all!..

The water has some crazy colors, the rocks... well, you have to see it.

The madhouse begins after ten.
We jumped up before dawn and would have arrived earlier if it weren’t for the damn Gazza rain. I won’t say it was serious, but something was drizzling lazily, getting on my nerves. The sky was thick and we could only guess what surprises the weather could throw at us. But at about 11 o'clock it suddenly became a little blue - there is justice in life - and headlong we rushed after the boat.

I didn’t care about money anymore, so, having bargained purely for the sake of decency, literally in a few minutes we were already sailing to Pi-Pi Lei, who had been an eyesore for me for three days.

I knew how full Maya Bay would be, but, to be honest, I didn’t care about it either. At least we will see the island and maybe not in the rain - here it is, a little happiness.

By the way, Garland in “The Beach” described a completely different island - Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand. But the curse of Hollywood fell on Pee Pee Lay. Filming took place here:

The “front entrance”, or rather the exit, to Maya Bay costs 200 baht per person. The boatman offered to save money and give us a lift from the opposite direction. We foolishly agreed, then regretted it. But not because they heated up the famous Beach for 400 Thai rubles, but because they had to leave the camera in the boat. "Back entrance" looked cool:

I had to undress and swim to the stairs. We walked to Maya Bay, hung out - and there were so many people! - we looked at the tent camp (you can stay overnight) and returned to our fidgety place to snorkel a little. Maya Bay, by the way, looked surprisingly clean, but for some reason there was no desire to splash around among the boats and people.

On Phi Phi Ley there is snorkeling at every corner and around every turn.

And from a variety of craft.

From time to time it seemed that we were about to run over some enthusiastic snorkeler.

If you noticed nice little coves, you asked the boatman to turn there. They arrived at one and were upset - that’s where it was littered. Damn! Who would dare to defile such beauty?

What the island is a little lucky with is that its vertical cliffs are not conducive to construction.

Now the island is inhabited only by sea swifts, whose nests are collected from rickety bamboo platforms by chaule. We didn’t see any pickers; their busiest time is from February to May.

Another bay of Phi Phi Ley, Phi Le Bay is considered almost the most beautiful in Thailand. Fortunately, not all ships can enter it. Cool place, I recommend it to everyone.

Not far from Phi Le there is a fairly large Viking cave. Of course, there were no Vikings nearby - the cave got its name from rock paintings of all sorts of boats. When we were swimming past, such a wave rose that I hid the camera.

On the way back, our longtail broke - it tried to throw off its tail - and we spent fifteen unforgettable minutes jumping on the waves exactly between Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Lei. We must pay tribute to the boatman, he was able to repair himself without outside help and, in general, all is well that ends well.

Everyone decides for themselves whether to go or not to go to PiPi. It seems to me that the islands are already struggling to cope with the influx of tourists and it will only get worse. But if you go, it’s better not with a one-day excursion for four hours, but at least for a couple of days. Then the impressions will be somewhat different.

We had a great time at Pipi for four days and it was time to move on. The next day someone arrived at our little hotel,

And as some information:
1. Map of Phi Phi Islands:

2. The boat to Phi Phi Lei cost us one and a half thousand, but we took it near the hotel, and it’s expensive there and you can’t really bargain.
3. It is much cheaper (but not better) to buy an excursion, it costs from 300 baht and above - it all depends on the size of the craft, the tour program and the included services. Some tours include 200 baht for Maya Bay, some will take you to the same stairs we climbed. If you choose a full-day excursion, you will be served lunch. There are excursions combined with Bambu or with an overview of Phi Phi Don (monkey beach and long beach). But, in my opinion, the only sensible offer is the “sunset snork” when you arrive at Maya Bay after lunch - by this time most of them are heading home in orderly rows or heading to Phi Phi Don.
4. The only ferry to Ao Nang (via Railay) this year departed from Pipei at 15-30. The issue price is 350 baht. What’s nice is that the ferry ticket includes a transfer to any hotel in Ao Nang.

Well, that’s probably all about Phi Phi. :))

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