Koh Phi Phi is a popular stop on the backpacker and tourist routes of Thailand. It’s probably best known as a “Party Island”, and if that’s what you’re looking for, you won’t be disappointed. However, it has a lot more to offer than drunken nights and sleepy days. There are many opportunities to relax on pristine beaches, hike up to breathtaking views, snorkel in the shallows, kayak to a beach full of monkeys, enjoy your favorite Thai cuisine, and of course do some great Scuba Diving! If you’re not the party all night kind of traveler, or you’ve had enough of that already by the time you get to Phi Phi don’t worry, the bars and clubs, while numerous, are fairly contained to a relatively small area of the island.
We spent about 5 months living and diving on and around Koh Phi Phi in 2018. If you are planning a visit then we suggest you try to plan your trip between mid November to around early May if you want to take advantage of the calm and clear waters. Of course, that is also the high season, so if you would rather avoid the crowds then there can be some off season discounts that you may be able to take advantage of. Regardless of the time of year, you’re sure to enjoy your stay though.
Phi Phi is a super cat friendly island, and feline lovers will feel very much at home. We have a theory that the cats are secretly running the island and that they have meetings at night to decide which territories will be patrolled by which of the ‘cat bosses’… but sadly there was no evidence to support this hypothesis. It was a notable difference to other destinations in Asia though in the sense that we saw very few roaming dogs, so the felines are definitely in charge. Animal welfare lovers can take some relief in knowing that the population and overall health is kept in check through catch and release programs to spay/neuter and give the cats their necessary shots a few times each year. This is evidenced by a number tattooed on the inside of their ears in many cases.
So, we covered partying and cats… what about the diving you ask? Well that is one of the best reasons to visit Phi Phi in our somewhat biased opinion. Because the island is situated a few hours off the southwestern shores of Thailand in the Andaman sea, it is blessed with relatively good visibility. Of course, having said that, this fluctuates with the seasons, phases of the moon, and is effected by storms. One of the things we liked about the dive sites closest to the island were the big schools of snappers, abundant reef shark populations, and of course the chance to see the large pelagic species such as Whale sharks and Manta rays. Phi Phi is another of those places that can offer something for everyone because beginners will benefit from calm waters and bountiful amounts of colorful reef fish, intermediate divers have a chance to see more of the small creatures they might be starting to appreciate such as anemone shrimp and nudibranch, and even experienced photographers can enjoy the relatively good vis and hope for that magic encounter with their favorite marine creatures.
Most dive operators do a fairly set route that covers Bida Nok, Bida Nai, and Phi Phi Leh (home to the famous Maya beach, which the government finally closed to the public). While these islands really offer a good amount of variety in dive sites, we suggest seeking a special trip out to Koh Haa, or Hin Bida if you get the chance. The prices may be a bit higher for these trips when taken from Phi Phi due to their distance, and in all fairness the prices for everything are about 10-20% higher for goods and services on Phi Phi, but that’s typical with most island markets. When picking a dive center to go with though you don’t have to worry about who is the highest or lowest price, because all the dive shops have agreed to charge the exact same rate, for better or for worse. If you’re interested in diving Koh Haa, Hin Daeng, and Hin Muang and you are on a budget or have to time for an extra stop, you can also go there from Koh Lanta. There, dive centers also offer trips to Bida Nok and Bida Nai, which makes it an alternative for going to Koh Phi Phi altogether, but the atmosphere there is quite different.
From an environmental standpoint, Koh Phi Phi is fairly unsustainable without a large scale effort to remove the thousands of kilos of trash produced there every day. If you’re around the jetty in the mornings, you will see the ships being loaded up with bags of trash that were collected all night while everyone was sleeping. It’s done quite discretely to be fair, so it may seem as though all that rubbish just magically disappears. However, anyone who has walked through the crowded streets lined with shops and hotels on a sunny afternoon, has undoubtedly had to jump out of the way to let the endless procession of carts pass them as the trolley boys sing their relentless calls of “Beep Beep Beep” to make their way through the crowds. Koh Phi Phi isn’t unique in this way really. No doubt, many similar islands operate the same way all over the place. But it’s the lack of motorized vehicles perhaps that makes it much more visible. All of those trolleys being pushed and pulled full of consumable goods gives us the opportunity to pause and ponder where it’s all going once we eat and drink all of these goods and products. The thing that struck us about this tragic situation was the lack of recycling in the whole area (not just Koh Phi Phi). Thailand is a tourist hotspot and has been for many years. Hopefully as they continue to adapt to the times, things that many of us take for granted in other places will catch up there as well.
In conclusion, Koh Phi Phi is a nice place to visit for diving and more. Yes, it is a bit more expensive so you may not want to stay long, but it has a special vibe and atmosphere that makes it worth the trip over. If you want to avoid the crowds you have two options, either you can hike up to a quieter spot, or you can take a taxi boat around to many of the seaside resorts that are isolated from the main town area. It’s very much a choose your own adventure kind of place that way and the choice you make can mean a very different experience. Depending on the route you take it will be like staying on a totally different island. Either way, you can probably find what you’re looking for.