On the main island Phi Phi Don, there are private and group boat options to explore the smaller Phi Phi islands. We got an afternoon snorkeling tour with a group boat for 1200 THB1 each. The meeting point was at Loh Dalum beach on the north bay at 1.30 PM. There were about 10 of us in the group and once everyone arrived, we were given life jackets and set out to Monkey Beach on Phi Phi Don. We visited this beach earlier when we went kayaking in the morning. Visiting on the boat tour in the afternoon was quite different since the beach was very busy now with several tour boats anchored at the beach. It was a quick stop here for pictures and some snorkeling. There are a couple of fishes here but not that many. The next stop was then Long Beach on the south side of Phi Phi Don. The ship anchored in by the cliffside in an area called Shark Point. One of the guides said there was a chance to see some sharks hence the name of the site. We didn’t manage to see any but there were many fishes and some corals, so it was still a good snorkeling location.
We then left Phi Phi Don and headed further south to Phi Phi Leh arriving at the north side of the island at around 3 PM. The boat sailed around the perimeter of the island passing by Monkey Bay and a quick stop at Viking Cave where the guide tells us of the paintings found in the walls of what appear to be Viking ships. The guide also gives some info on how locals get edible swiftlet bird nests from here to sell. It is believed the bird nests have some health benefits and is considered a delicacy. We then continue sailing via Pi Leh Lagoon and then anchoring in at Loh Samah Bay for some more snorkeling. This was also a good snorkeling spot with corals and several different fish species.
Next, we continue to Maya Bay, the famous beach featured in the movie ‘The Beach’ starring Leonardo Di Caprio. The beach was closed off due to damage caused by tourism so we could only sail past it from a distance. This was the last location on Phi Phi Leh and we set off to Bamboo Island for the sunset. On the way, we made a brief stop at Nui Beach to take pictures. We arrived at Bamboo Island at around 4.20 PM and were told we could wander around the island and pointed to good snorkeling locations.
It’s a very small island and a great place to relax at the beach and swim in its refreshing waters. We stayed here until 6.30 PM when the sun started to set. We then got to see the rest of the sunset from the middle of the sea. The colors of the sky and silhouettes of the islands were beautiful. Once the sun had fully set, we headed to the south bay on Phi Phi Don for a swim with fluorescent plankton. When you jump in the water and splash around, the plankton light up. The plankton is tiny and I couldn’t capture it on a GoPro, but it was good fun. We were then dropped off at the pier and we headed to the hotel to change into some dry clothes before heading out for some dinner.
