World Famous Phi Phi Islands

This island group is one of those places that once you go it will likely remain on your top 3 most beautiful place on Earth for life - this is true for the entire Krabi region of Thailand, but these islands are the perfect introduction. The water is turquoise blue, the sand is white, and you can stay in a private air-conditioned bungalow with an amazing view and pool for $60/night ($30 each). We typically try to keep lodging at or under $15/night so this was a bit of a splurge but so worth it for the spot we had. Phi Phi Islands known for 2 things: 1) Boat rides around the islands exploring different coves and beaches 2) Partying! At least this is my experience. Phi Phi islands was made famous after it was the setting of a 2000 Leonardo DiCaprio movie called "The Beach." 

The view from our bungalow's balcony

I can't continue recounting our experiences until I touch on something that is very heavy. In 2004, Phi Phi islands were hit by the catastrophic Boxing Day (December 26) tsunami, claiming the lives of 4,000 people and destroying 70% of the infrastructure. This tsunami impacted 18 countries in the Indian Ocean and claimed the lives of over 230,000 people, making it the deadliest tsunami to have ever occurred. A couple weeks before leaving for this trip, I listened to a podcast that interviewed a survivor who recounted her nightmarish experience 20 years later. The threat of a tsunami was something that was always in the back of my mind while island hopping. Every time we arrived to a new island, I always looked for where the higher ground was located. The devastating 2004 tsunami prompted a lot of change and the good news is that there are better tracking and communications systems in place to make sure a tragedy so immense never happens again. My thoughts go out to everyone who was impacted by this horrible event. 

2004 footage of Phi Phi islands after the tsunami hit

After a 2 hour ferry ride, we arrived at a pier where 2 guides were waiting for us to help carry our bags and guide us to the bungalow, which was across the island and up a hill, about a 15 minute walk. Shoutout to every single local person we interacted with… they were all so friendly and helpful. They all work so hard. The people of Thailand are incredible.

There are no cars or any form of transportation on the island other than walking, but it’s really small and super walkable. There are 2 islands that make up Phi Phi and the one that is developed with lodging, dining, and excursions is known as Phi Phi Don. The other, which can only be explored by boat during the day, is called Phi Phi Leh. We checked into our cute little bungalow, changed out of our soaking wet clothes (you get sweaty within 5 minutes here) and into our “going out” clothes. 

This is one of the those places where even if you don’t plan on drinking you might find yourself with a drink or maybe even a few... It’s definitely a place where people come to party! And it’s not that you need to drink to have fun (of course not- if you don’t drink, that is awesome & I respect the heck out of you) but it’s very accessible, cheap and encouraged. I wasn’t planning on drinking and then I saw stand after stand selling mojitos, Mai Thais, pina coladas, etc for 100 Baht, which converts to $2.94 USD. The conversion is confusing. $1 = 34 Baht. I ended up deciding to get one and I watched the bartender pour at least 2 ounces of liquor, which equals 2 drinks in my opinion. If you’re gonna drink in a foreign country, especially liquor, I think it’s a good idea to watch the drink being made so you know what you’re consuming! Different parts of the world have different ratios. Beer is the safest option in Asia because of problems with methanol poisoning from tainted alcohol; however, Thailand is the one place I feel safe consuming drinks outside of beer. I’m making myself sound like a big drinker but I'm actually not at all. I don't drink back home other than an occasional sour beer :)

Anyways, we walked towards the music and found ourselves at a massive beach party fire show. 3 guys were doing really impressive fire tricks then the public got involved for fire limbo and fire jump rope. Anyone who participated got free alcohol. We did the fire limbo and were given a free shot - which we later realized was out of a communal shot glass- a moment that would later haunt us (To be continued in future post about Tonsai Beach).

On our first and only full day, we booked a private boat tour. The most popular way to get around the islands is by long tail boat pictured here:

We paid 2400 Baht total for a 3 hour tour. That converts to $70, so $35 each. That included a private boat and guide who took us to several spots around the island. 

1) First stop: Monkey Beach - The name explains itself. The monkeys are used to hundreds of tourists visiting every day, which means they aren't afraid of humans. I acquired a fear of monkeys after living in India for 5 months and facing multiple uncomfortable situations with wild monkeys, but I love to observe them from afar. It amazes me how much the mannerisms of monkeys resemble those of humans. By the way, you never want to have any food on you in a place like this - they will try to take it from you and from what I've seen, monkeys always win. They're relentless little creatures, especially when they've been unintentionally domesticated from tourism.

2) Second stop: Shark Point - This was a spot where our boat anchored out at sea and we went snorkeling! We saw so many colorful exotic fish and schools of thousands of fish, but sadly no sharks despite the name. This was also where things started going a bit south for us... Atticus was hit with sea sickness first then mine set in shortly after. If I could go back, I would've packed and worn "Sea Bands," a natural motion sickness prevention. 

3) Third stop: Long Beach - This is a beach located on the main island of Phi Phi with white sand and crystal clear water. We went swimming while our boat driver took a nap in his hammock on his boat. No one is in a rush here and rest is noticeably valued. I love that part of Thai culture.

4) There was supposed to be a 4th stop but we opted to end our tour early due to sea sickness. I did a similar tour in 2018 that was all day and I didn't get seasick at all, so I guess this is a part of aging? Or maybe a warning to what was coming.

After we recovered from the seasickness, we went on a highly recommended viewpoint hike. It's only 0.8 miles total, but includes a lot of steps in a short amount of time. The view is so rewarding! At the top we met a nice French couple who graciously shared their snacks with us. One of my favorite parts of traveling is meeting other travelers and getting to know a bit of their culture. 

View from the hike. Photo (and most others featured on here) by Atticus
View from the hike after the sun set (Also by Atticus)

A moment for the food in Phi Phi:

Beef noodle soup, similar to pho. We had this 3 times because it was delicious and cost $2.35. For cheap prices like this in Phi Phi, you have to seek out the local spots off the main strip. I am always mindful about where the locals are eating and this place was 100% locals and us :)
Miscellaneous meats on sticks
I am obsessed with enoki mushrooms! These ones were bacon wrapped, yum!
I cannot get enough of all the tropical fruit. I could live off of passionfruit, dragonfruit, and mango!
Our first western meal- a delicious turkey club. I LOVE Asian food, but I do crave food from home once a week or so.		Our time in Phi Phi flew by, but our time here was the perfect start to our Krabi adventure. Krabi is a province in southern Thailand home to 154 beautiful islands, giant limestone cliffs, and thick mangrove forests. From Phi Phi, we took a ferry to Tonsai Beach.