The Non-Tourist tourist guide to Phi Phi island and beyond
by The Adventure People on 12th September 2018
Would you like to write for our blog? Please send an email to hello@theadventurepeople.com we'd love to hear your ideas!
Guest Blog
Phi Phi Island, Thailand. One of the most beautiful and picturesque lumps of land in the Malacca Strait. Breathtaking landscapes, fascinating culture and with plenty of smaller islands surrounding it, an almost endless list of things to see and explore. However, these days certain parts of the island are heaving with tourists at almost every hour of the day. This is great for the economic state of Phi Phi and its locals... For people who just want to appreciate the island in its full, natural glory, not so much. In this guide I’ll show you how I explored Phi Phi island and some of its awesome surrounding islands while managing to (mainly) avoid the crowds, money traps and typical tourist activities. Getting to Ko Phi PhiGetting yourself onto the island is usually pretty straightforward. Personally, I travelled from Bangkok to Krabi and that was where I boarded a ferry. Phi phi isn’t big enough for any air travel, so you’ll have to travel to either Krabi or Phuket and there, board a ferry. This is usually relatively cheap but make sure you book in advance and print off a paper copy of your ticket. I made the mistake of not printing and almost wasn’t allowed on the ferry! Once you’re on the island’s pier you will probably see an overwhelming amount of local business men. Whether they’re trying to sell you accommodation, boat tours or even a soda, they’ll be pushy! It’s up to you if you buy anything from them but you may end up paying a tad more than you’d have liked. I said ‘no, thank you’, and then ended up wandering the island getting my bearings whilst waiting for my room to be ready for check in. Exploring Ko Phi PhiIt’s a small island and easy to navigate if you get a free map. They’re available from the large information desk, where you have to pay a 400Baht (roughly £10) entry fee to the island. This is because the area is classed as a national park.If you’re anything like me, you’re probably going to want to have a warm shower and some nice food after the long, hot and crowded ferry ride. There are plenty of great food options around the central part of Phi Phi. There’s fresh fruit, freshly caught fish, plenty of noodle bars and even a Macca’s - not what I’d call traditional Thai food but handy for a hangover, I guess!I visited several Pad Thai restaurants along here in my time on The Island and I wasn’t disappointed. After I wolfed down a nice, yet spicy meal I decided I was going to go on my own nature walk! I packed plenty of water and of course my trusty camera. I walked along the main beach, which is left of the pier towards the mountainous, jungle looking area. As I was climbing onto the first of the rocks to reach the main part of the mountain, a sleepy street dog woke up and decided he was going to tag along!After a quick climb and a bit of a stroll through this less touched area, where we saw beautiful birds, butterflies and even a monkey, we reached a natural view-point. Here, we could see out onto the whole Island, the beach and by that time, the creamy, orange sunset. I believe it’s good to see the nature and the natural landscapes on the island and from my experience that’s the best way to do it. It takes just over an hour and is free! This is not for everyone, however, since the initial climb up may be a bit steep for some people. After this I jumped into the ocean around the secluded side of the island to cool off! It was awesome to experience the beautiful fish swimming around my face and feet in the crystal-clear water. Check out my video to see what I mean.If you do go for a dip, make you stay safely away from boats and strong currents. It’s just a quick walk to the beaches safe swim zone if you’re not a confident swimmer. That evening I purchased a ticket for a speed boat tour, due for the next day. These are the better value boat tours when compared to the traditional long-boat tours and allow you to see more of the surrounding islands, as they can go further and over a shorter period. The islands and spots that the tour boat visited over the course of the day were - Saam-Haad, Viking cave, Pileh lagoon, Loh Samah bay, Nui bay, monkey beach, Runtee bay, bamboo island, Hin-klang island, Loh moo Dee beach, shark point and the iconic Maya bay- the breath-taking location, where ‘The Beach’ was filmed. We also stopped in 3 different places for snorkelling, which was an insane experience, as well as for the awesome sunset view, of course. You can see all of these locations and my diving experiences in my ‘Thailand Island Hopping’ video! I highly recommend you do one of these trips in your time in Thailand, it’s the best way to see all that the islands have to offer, with great information from the locals too. These tours can understandably become quite busy, but if you book online you should be able to pick the capacity of boat you’d like to be on. I was due to leave Phi Phi the next day so on the night of the boat tour I decided to go and see a traditional fire dancing show, at a bar on the island. I thought that this would be crammed full of drunk students and the such, but it was relatively empty as there was an entry fee. I found that because of the entry fee, the drinks were cheaper here than in the bars with free entry. After watching the fire show I debated getting a traditional Thai bamboo tattoo. You hear horror stories about people getting these and nasty infections following but as long as you check everything comes from a sterile packet and the shop is clean they’re usually quite safe. I did decide against it, however, and headed back to my room, early enough to avoid any rowdy, late night drinkers. Walking at night on Phi Phi was really nice and peaceful once I was off of the main strip. The stars here were amazing to see, too as there was little light pollution. On my last morning on Phi Phi I decided to go for a final swim in the ocean. I went early, so as to miss the inevitable flocks of people rushing to the beach to secure a perfect tanning spot for the rest of the day. It was still nice and warm just as the sun was coming up! I then got a nice fresh fruit breakfast and boarded the ferry, to go back to Krabi and continue my adventure. If you liked this article and would like to see the video I made of the island, click this link for the videoCheck out my Facebook page here My YouTube channel here - Jack Allen (Jackventures!)