Koh Phi Phi, Thailand.
A majestic archipelago of limestone cliffs, jutting out of the Andaman Sea’s emerald waters. Lush Thai jungles, golden beaches, humming longtail boats, and the glorious tropical sunshine.
…Or, is that not how you picture it? Perhaps you’ve heard tales of the crowded, smelly town center, the drunk backpackers slurping buckets of vodka, the inflated prices, and the damaged ecosystem.
So which is it? Is Koh Phi Phi a sublime island paradise, or a ruined party zone?
In a way, it’s probably a bit of both. I spent five days and nights on Koh Phi Phi during my Thailand travels, and I found the island to be both breathtakingly beautiful, as well as a little sad.
…Allow me to elaborate.
For those who don’t know, Koh Phi Phi is a Thai island situated between Phuket and Krabi, and to get there, you’ll need to take a ferry. This ferry will be jam-packed with families and backpackers, and you will all be deposited at the central hub of Koh Phi Phi: Tonsai pier.
From there, your island experience is fully in your hands. Where you choose to sleep, eat, visit, and explore will determine which side of Koh Phi Phi you see: the overpopulated, pricey, polluted party hub, or the island getaway of your dreams.
DON’T stay in Tonsai Bay or Loh Dalum Bay.
The vast majority of visitors will be staying near Tonsai Bay or Loh Dalum Bay. These two bays make up the narrowest part of the island (i.e. the skinny strip of land visible from the viewpoint), and are home to the pier and 95% of the island’s restaurants and hotels.
This is NOT where I stayed, nor where I would recommend staying if you’re looking for those deserted island vibes.
Instead, we made our temporary home on Long Beach, a much quieter (but still popular) section of Koh Phi Phi. In comparison to Loh Dalum, there are fewer sunbathers and swimmers, but still a nice variety of restaurants and accommodation.
Not to mention, Long Beach is pretty much your quintessential Thai beach, with sugary white sand, turquoise water and picturesque longtail boats lined up along the shore.
Oh, and did I mention that you can see Koh Phi Phi Leh in the distance, where the famous (and seriously gorgeous) Maya Bay is located?
A photo posted by Kelly Borglum (@thewanderingblonde_) on
And how cute is this beachfront treehouse bungalow that we stayed in?!
The best part? Long Beach is a great starting point for finding those rare off-the-beaten-path gems scattered around Phi Phi. Each morning, we ventured out to find even quieter, more remote parts of the island…and we succeeded!
Here were our favorite secluded finds on Koh Phi Phi:
Totally empty white sand beaches
Yes, I’m totally serious – we had more than one run-in with a fully deserted beach on Koh Phi Phi.
I mean, do you see that turquoise water? Those breezy palm trees? THAT EMPTY BEACH?!
We visited this particular beach twice during our stay on Koh Phi Phi; on the first day there were only around 5 other people, and on the second day we literally had it all to ourselves.
I don’t want to give away the name of our secret little paradise, but I will say that we only had to walk about 10 minutes from Long Beach (up one hell of a hill, though!) and that it is listed on several maps of the island.
That said, if you opt to visit Koh Phi Phi, I highly recommend doing a bit of exploring and seeing what you stumble across. After all, Koh Phi Phi is an island – there are SO MANY BEACHES to see and enjoy outside of the two that 99% of visitors seem to flock to (just make sure there’s no signage indicating that you’re on a private beach).
There’s no better feeling than emerging from the jungle, sweaty and exhausted, and walking out onto a bright, open, and empty beach. Talk about an incentive for working up a sweat!
Hiking the interior of the island
For reference, Long Beach is about a 20 minute walk east from the main town. For all of our daily adventures, we walked even farther away from town, towards the far eastern side of the island.
This involved quite a few hikes through the hot, humid, densely forested interior of the island. In fact, the island has a whole system of trails linking the ever-popular Phi Phi viewpoint with a number of beautiful beaches and scenic outlooks.
The walks through the jungle-y interior of the island were wonderfully scenic and oh-so interesting. During our walks, we passed very few other travelers, but did get the chance to see a few homes, gardens (complete with chickens running across our path) and locals enjoying their daily lives. We were even able to watch a handful of monkeys playing in the trees from afar.
During these hikes, we felt as if we had discovered a whole new side to Koh Phi Phi – one that doesn’t often make it onto the typical tourist agenda.
It’s important to note that many of these trails are not official hiking trails, but rather just paths that have been created by the locals to help them get around. There are some signs (but not as many as we would have hoped) and some bits can be quite strenuous.
However, it’s well worth it when you’re rewarded with views like these along the hike:
Tropical paradise 🌴Koh Phi Phi, Thailand
A photo posted by Kelly Borglum (@thewanderingblonde_) on
The oft-forgotten Viewpoint #3
Surely no one would plan a visit to Koh Phi Phi without including a trip to the top of the island, to soak in the views from the famous viewpoint.
…But did you know that the island actually has three “official” viewpoints?
Typically, travelers will follow a set of cement steps from Ton Sai Village up a twisting path past guesthouses and restaurants. Most will breeze past Viewpoint 1 in favor of the iconic Viewpoint 2, which is definitely not something you want to miss.
(Note: you can also use the jungle paths to take the long route from Long Beach to the viewpoint; this is a wide dirt path leading through the jungle, rather than the stone steps leading from town).
However, after stopping at Viewpoint 2, you can continue walking away from town and into the jungle. There’s a dirt path that leads past a few buildings and a cart where you can buy fresh coconut milk, and if you keep going, you’ll spot a wooden sign directing you towards Viewpoint 3.
This is the highest of Phi Phi’s viewpoints and is not very well advertised, so the chances of having it all to yourself (like we did) is probably pretty high.
No, it doesn’t offer those same iconic views, but there was an empty hammock and some shade, which we were quick to take advantage of.
Talk about relaxing, eh?!
However…
As great as our experience on Koh Phi Phi was, there are definitely some negative things to be said about the level of the island’s development.
The town center was bursting with neon tanks and cheap souvenirs. Loh Dalum was so crowded that it wasn’t even close to being possible to snap a photo without hordes of tourists in every shot. There was trash and debris floating in the water near the pier. And the prices for food and accommodation were quite inflated, especially as you move closer towards the town center.
But is Koh Phi Phi a ruined island? In my (strong) opinion, absolutely not!
A photo posted by Kelly Borglum (@thewanderingblonde_) on
If you make an effort to steer clear of the heavily populated areas, and are willing to sweat a little (alright, in my case I sweat a lot) during hikes across the island, you will be rewarded with some truly clean, quiet, and picturesque hidden gems.
There are areas of the island where you can find a quiet moment alone, where you can admire the postcard-perfect beaches, where you can have a real conversation with a local, and where you can feel like you’re in your own Swiss Family Robinson jungle-island paradise.
After all, “off the beaten path” doesn’t have to mean going to a brand new place that no one has EVER gone to before; rather, I think it means creating your own adventures and doing things differently, even if you’re in one of the top tourist destinations in the world.
It won’t come easy, but it’ll be worth it.
Have you ever been to Koh Phi Phi? What did you think of it?
I love your pictures! I found your blog through Pinterest, trying to plan a trip to Thailand next year and debating whether or not to go to Phi Phi for the reasons you mention. Glad to see a positive and realistic opinion! And definitely glad to see pictures of the island without hoards of tourists! Thanks for the insight! Cheers! xx
Yes, we definitely had a positive experience there–the island is super beautiful and there are so many ways to enjoy it, you just have to know where to look!
Nice review! I stopped thru Phi Phi while backpacking Thailand recently and honestly can’t say I enjoyed my time there, but we stayed near Ton Sai and as you say, it was crowded, overpriced, and touristy as hell. We were there such a short time we really just went to some bars in the area and to Loh Dalum, didnt even make it up to the viewpoint or get to see more of the island. Looks like we missed out not venturing out from the main town! Looks awesome where you stayed!
Aw I’m sorry that was your experience, but from what I’ve heard you’re not the only person to have that impression. Glad to show you another side of Phi Phi!
We opted to go to Phang Nga Bay instead of Phi Phi island. I guess it is Leonardo De Caprio’s fault for commercializing this island. 🙂 But when I go back to Thailand, given the chance, I will still check out Phi Phi island to see it for myself but will try to keep your tips in mind.
Yes, its definitely all his fault haha 🙂 I really did think it was a beautiful island, hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did if you ever decide to check it out!
SO glad I found this post. I’ve read some really negative reviews of Phi Phi, basically saying the only reason to go is for the Full Moon Party, which isn’t really my scene. But, it sounds like you found some really nice areas! I had no idea you could hike on the island, that’s so cool! I’ve actually been trying to find more info on that but I can’t seem to find much? Is it fairly easy to find the trails?
If you’re interested in hiking, you’ll definitely be able to find some nice spots on Phi Phi, far far away from the buckets and bars, so no worries 🙂 I can’t offer totally comprehensive advice on the trails, but we started from near the Ton Sai side to head up to the viewpoint along the “back route”. Near the top, there are about four or so trails that branch out back down to the beaches on the east side. It was marked fairly well!
I absolutely adore Thailand and have visited quite a few times. But although I was on a boat that dropped others at Phi Phi, I stayed on and went to one of the other nearby islands instead. Beautiful, unspoiled beaches. Your photos are bringing it all back 😉 The diving was incredible – we swam with two huge manta rays on one dive (from a live aboard in the Andaman islands area) which is probably my number one dive ever. I was also in Phuket just after the 2004 tsunami and there was a lot of talk of rebuilding Phi Phi to be more attractive. I guess that didn’t happen 🙁
Yeah, there are definitely some seriously beautiful diving spots around there–if you know where to look! 🙂 The town itself on Phi Phi just really didn’t do it for me–WAY too much jammed together for such a small space, and there were a lot of polluted areas and completely touristy attractions. But the island itself outside of town was still so beautiful!
This is super helpful! I’ve also been trying to decide whether or not Phi Phi is the best island for us to visit. It’s hard to find many pictures of some of the beaches you mention, but I guess that’s for a good reason! Which hotel or guesthouse did you stay at on Long Beach? Although I’d like to visit, I’m having a hard time finding affordable options!
We stayed at Viking Nature Resort, which actually is just off of Long Beach. It’s quite a spread out resort–our little shack that we stayed in was on a small beach just west of Long Beach, so it required a short walk to get there. Also, I don’t want to mislead you with the name “resort”. There was no A/C and it was very very basic, although we were super happy with our choice. As far as affordability, Phi Phi is all around not very affordable. I couldn’t find anywhere I wanted to stay for less than 50 USD/night–much more pricey than the rest of Thailand! Good luck!
Nice post and pictures! I used to go to Phi Phi every year, but stopped now and kind of want to remember it like it was before. Last time for me was 2006, but maybe now from getting inspired by your pics its time to go check it out again! I do miss the Viewpoint and my favourite the Loh moo dee Beach its still looks so pretty. Thanks for reminding me. xx
You should definitely check it out again! I loved Loh Moo Dee, it was my favorite beach there. I would definitely go back!
I’m so glad i found your blog!!
BF and I are going to Thailand in Mid October for 3 week, and i’m so glad i found your blog. you’re helping me alot with my planning!! (def. the chiang mai part)
I wasn’t sure if i wanted to go to Koh phi phi because of what people were saying but i really wants to go now!!
Is 5 days too long? we’re planning on island hopping
Once again, your blog is awesome!!
Thanks so much for your kind words! That’s an awesome compliment 🙂 We spent 5 days on Koh Phi Phi, and it was great. It’s easy to visit some of the smaller islands nearby by boat, and it was nice to have extra free time to just explore the island.
Hi! Thank you for posting – this is super helpful! I’m set to go to Koh Phi Phi in November and I”m having a hard time picking out where to stay. Do you know how late long tail boat will travel? I’m traveling with my husband (young couple) and would like to be far away from the party scene but close enough that we can see still enjoy the nightlife. If we go to long beach area, would we be able to get a long tail to take us back? Do you have any suggestions? We don’t plan to stay late- we just want to enjoy the nightlife and light show and head back. Many thanks!
I’m actually not sure…I don’t think they run *super* late, maybe 10 or even 11pm? If there were no longtail boats available, it would definitely be quite the hike back in the dark! There were a handful of nice bars and restaurants close to Long Beach (none that had Koh Phi Phi’s famous party scene, but still) and we enjoyed getting drinks there at night.
OMG!! this info is so helpful!!! we are planning our Thailand trip for February 2017 and your post is the first one I see that has actual useful tips. Thank you so much for sharing!
Awesome, have a fun time in Thailand!! It’s the best.
I just got back from a trip to Phi Phi last week! We stayed on Long Beach and also found the secret deserted beach 😉. Unfortunately for us we got hit by a monsoon 4 out of 5 days and could not go on an island boat trip or do much tanning. Just means I have to go back!
Aw what a bummer about the monsoon, but I’m glad you were able to enjoy a bit of time on that beautiful beach!
I LOVE this post, such great tips! I was really worried about Koh Phi Phi and decided to just do a day trip from Lanta (which I loved!) to get a taster. So I only saw the touristy areas, but it was low season and in the morning the main beach was really quiet, so that was a pleasant surprise! I did leave wishing we’d booked an overnight stay, but this post makes me want to go back for a few days!
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Ahh I’m glad to hear you loved Koh Phi Phi too! It really is a beautiful island, I honestly think that each traveler’s experience there depends on how they approach it. And yes, morning is definitely a lot more peaceful than later in the day!
Hi! First I wanted to thank you for your blog. It’s been a great guide for our two week trip to Thailand. We even stayed in Vikings based on your recommendations and it’s been amazing.
I have one doubt though. I know your post is now two years and things change quite a bit in that time, but is your desserted beach loo moo deh beach by any chance? I read that in 2014 this was a desserted place but now apparently is full of tours and long tails with chinese tourists in it.
Thanks again for everything! Live when people take the time to help others by writing these blogs
Thanks so much for your comment, and glad you enjoyed Vikings! Yes actually, that is the beach I was talking about. Such a bummer to hear that it’s changed over the years and isn’t as nice now 🙁 Guess that happens to every “hidden gem” eventually!