phi phi islands Thailand

Phi Phi Islands

The Phi Phi Islands are located in Thailand, between the large island of Phuket and the western Andaman Sea coast of the mainland. The islands are administratively part of Krabi province.

Ko Phi Phi Don ("ko" (Thai: เกาะ) meaning "island" in the Thai language) is the largest island of the group, and is the only island with permanent inhabitants, although the beaches of the second largest island, Ko Phi Phi Lee (or "Ko Phi Phi Leh"), are visited by many people as well. The rest of the islands in the group, including Bida Nok, Bida Noi, and Bamboo Island (Ko Mai Phai), are not much more than large limestone rocks jutting out of the sea.

Phi Phi Islands Groups

Ko Phi Phi Lee

Ko Phi Phi Don

Ko Mai Phai

Koh Pai

Koh Yung

Ko Bida Nok

Ko Bida Noi

Maya Bay Island

Ko Phi Phi Lee

Koh Phi Phi Leh or Ko Phi Phi Ley is an island of the Phi Phi archipelago, in the Andaman Sea. It belongs to the Krabi province of Thailand.

Ko Phi Phi Don

Ko Phi Phi Don is the largest of the Phi Phi Islands, in Thailand. The islands are administratively part of Krabi province. It is the only island in the group with permanent inhabitants.
Ko Mai Phai
The beach and reefs here are wonderful and if you have children with you absolutely first rate. The water is safe, there is practically no current and the water stays shallow for a long time.

The fish are abundant and are certainly not afraid to swim around you.

And, of course, once you've finished swimming with the fish... you can either sit back and chill or make a sand castle. Really, these are your two options.

Koh Pai
Koh Pai or “Bamboo Island” is controlled by the Royal Thai Navy, who restricts the use of the beaches, but the fairly large sheltered bay at the south of the island is ideal for beginners. While beginners are using the South Bay, more experienced divers have opportunity to follow the southern most part of the island down to 24 meters where they will find some larger fish and a few outcroppings of rock formations and a spattering of coral. It could be a decent dive but the area unfortunately has quite a bit of discarded bottles, fishing boat parts and some nets, old tires and other trash. We have had some interesting dives in the deep in spite of this.

Koh Yung

Lies to the north of Phi Phi Don. There is a rocky beach on the east side a small beach in a fold of the hill; and perfectly preserved coral gardens.

It is a great place for snorkeling. The island gets its name from the black clouds of mosquitoes at sunset.
Koh Phai Nok Island (Bamboo Island) is a tiny island surrounded by coral reef, standing next to Koh Yoong. The northern and eastern shores offer the beautiful beaches and a long stretch of coral reef to the south of the island. 

  
koh bida nok

This small islet is around 2km south of Koh Phi Phi Ley, it is one of the better dive sites in the area. There is a shallow bay on one side with colourful coral gardens and a drop off on the other side with a dramatic hard coral wall housing several specias of moray eel. You will also find a few caverns and overhangs here where bearded scorpionfish and lionfish can be seen lurking in the dappled light. At the right time of year (December to February) mantas and whale sharks have been spotted at Koh Bida Nok.

Depth: 5 - 30m
Viz: 5 - 25m
Currents: Can be strong
Getting there : Boat 40 mins
Best months: Dec / March

Ko Bida Noi

The little sister of Koh Bida Nok has a different underwater terrain. More boulders and fallen rocks here make some interesting swimthoughs that are often hidden by large shoals of glassfish. Good bouyancy control here is essential as bearded lionfish are lurking on the bottom. Upon closer inspection of the walls and caves you may be lucky enough to spot a ghost pipefish or boxer shrimp. There is a coral outcrop called Fantasy Reef where you can spend some time and a staghorn garden where you may come across leopard or black tip sharks.

Depth: 10 - 30m
Viz: 5 - 20m
Currents: Occasional
Getting there : Boat 40 mins
Best months: Dec / March