Koh Phi Phi

Our description of the island — "beaches that became an icon, dramatic cliffs and snorkelling among clownfish" — explains both why it is so sought after and why it does not suit everyone.

Two islands, two roles

Koh Phi Phi Don is the inhabited island: that is where the hotels, the restaurants and the pier are. Koh Phi Phi Leh, the smaller one, is uninhabited, and you reach it by boat for a day or half a day.

The most famous beach in the area, Maya Bay, is on Koh Phi Phi Leh. In recent years it has closed and reopened intermittently, and the number of visitors is limited; we have written about this separately, and it is worth reading before planning a whole day around it.

What to do there

Most of the activity is at sea: sailing between the islands, snorkelling on the reefs and stops in bays with no access from land. A day's boat trip covers several spots in a row, and that is the common way to get to know the area.

On the island itself there are viewpoints that look over the two bays forming the familiar shape of Koh Phi Phi Don, and a short hike to them is one of the experiences that comes up with almost everyone who has been there.

Sleep on the island or come for the day

There are two approaches, and both are legitimate. You can sleep on Koh Phi Phi and wake up on the island, or you can come as a day trip from Phuket or Krabi and go back to sleep on the mainland.

The decision depends mainly on pace: a small, lively island suits anyone who wants to be in the middle of it, and staying on the mainland suits anyone who wants a larger hotel and one day of islands.

One tip that saves disappointment

Koh Phi Phi is a popular destination, and the well-known spots are crowded. If what matters to you is quiet, it is worth building the day around less talked-about spots and not only around the beach on the poster.

When to go

This area operates almost all year, but the sea changes: in the dry-season months it is calmer, and in the rainy season there are days when boat trips to the small islands are cancelled because of the weather.

If Koh Phi Phi is the reason you are flying, it is worth setting aside more than one day for it in your schedule: that way a cancelled day does not cancel the whole idea.

Want us to put it together for you?

Tell us when you plan to fly, with whom, and how much time you have, and we will come back with an itinerary, hotels and attractions that fit exactly that — in Hebrew.