Phi Phi Island

Located in Krabi Province, Phi Phi is 40km from Krabi and Phuket, approximately 1.5 hours by ferry. The worldwide exposure the island gained in the Hollywood film “The Beach” made what was already a famous holiday island even more popular.

Unfortunately, parts of Phi Phi suffered a lot of damage due to the tsunami and while recovery is well under way, it will take a little more time before many of the businesses and visitors return.The name Phi Phi actually refers to two islands, Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh. There are six islands in the Phi Phi island group; Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Leh, Biddah Nok, Biddah Nai, Yung and Pai. These form a total area of about 35 square kilometres. In 1983, they were incorporated into Had Noppharat Thara - Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park.

Phi Phi Don:

All the development is restricted to Phi Phi Don, the centre of which is Ao Ton Sai (Ton Sai bay), which is where the ferry pier is located. Only a couple of hundred yards on the other side of the narrow isthmus is Ao Loh Da Lam (Loh Da Lam bay), a beautiful and peaceful bay. For a really quiet beach there is Hat Yao (Long beach), a south-facing beach near the southern tip of the island.There are no cars or motorbikes on the island, and the main area around Ton Sai is quite compact making it easy to get around by foot. Trips to more distant beaches can be made by longtail boat. Most resorts have arrangements to transfer their guests from the ferry pier.

Phi Phi Leh:

Phi Phi Ley is quite spectacular. The main beach, Hat Maya, was the location used in the film “The Beach”. Even more impressive, Ao Pileh is very nearly enclosed by the limestone walls of the island's cliffs, so that the small bay appears almost to be an inland sea. You can't stay on Phi Phi Ley but the island is easily reached by longtail boat or speedboat from Phi Phi Don. Boats can be chartered from Ton Sai beach.

Yung Island:

This small island lies to the north of Phi Phi Don. There is a rocky beach on the east side, and a smaller strand of sand in a fold of the hill. Some really beautiful corals can be found here.

Pai Island:

Pai Island lies not far from Yung Island. The north and east sides of the island have sandy beaches. There is a broad coral reefs which stretches away to the south.

Pida Nai Island and Pida Nok Island:

These are small islands visited mainly by divers for their underwater scenery. Pida Nok Island is very good for both advanced and beginners with both shallow and deep dive sites.

Koh Lanta, Krabi

Koh Lanta is actually a group of 52 islands that form the southernmost district of Krabi province. The two largest islands, Koh Lanta Yai and Koh Lanta Noi (Big Lanta and Little Lanta) are separated by a narrow strait which also includes the small island of Koh Klang. Fifteen of the islands in this group are included in the Koh Lanta National Marine Park. This has allowed development to be checked to some degree, though like elsewhere in Thailand, developers have encroached on protected land.

Koh Lanta has only recently been promoted as a tourist destination, therefore much of the infrastructure is not as good as other resort islands. There are few roads which are mostly dirt tracks and gives the island an undeveloped feel. This makes it very attractive for those seeking a beach paradise without the fast food chains and brand name stores.

The two main Lanta islands are quite mountainous and are covered in dense jungle. There is a large variety of wildlife, making it ideal for trekking. The sea surrounding Koh Lanta is dotted with small islands and coral reefs. These provide lots of opportunities for diving or snorkelling.Although the beaches on Lanta do not compare to other islands in Krabi province, such as Phi Phi, they are beautiful and clean. The best beaches are along the north and south of the Koh Lanta Yai's west coast. There are two main settlements on the island. Ban Koh Lanta, in the southern part of the island's east coast, is the administrative centre. It boasts a post office and police station although not much else. The other is Ban Saladan, a village at the northern tip of Lanta Yai. This is where the ferry pier is located and where you will find most of the restaurants, shops, dive shops, banks and tour offices.Like other areas along Thailand's Andaman coast the best time to travel to Lanta is between November and April. This is the dry season, although by April there are occasional downpours. The period May to October is the rainy season. The seas become quite rough restricting boat trips and ferries. Diving visibility usually suffers as well. Many of the smaller resorts actually close down during the rainy season due to the lack of guests and re-open in late October, or early November.

Ao Nang & Railay

Also referred to in Thai as Ao Phra Nang, this bay is fringed by palms, limestone mountains and cliffs.The main beach is also called Ao Nang beach, which is has a wide range of accommodation including resorts, bungalows and guesthouses. Further to the south around the headland are a few smaller beaches including Railay (Railay West) and Nam Mao (Railay East). These are not accessible by road, so visitors must take a longtail boat from Ao Nang.

Ao Nang:

The area behind Ao Nang beach is quite developed. Most travel services can be found here, and there is a good variety of restaurants featuring both local and international cuisine. The nicest part of the beach is probably towards the southern end, after the road turns inland. Due to it's location, range of services and accommodation, Ao Nang serves as an ideal place to both stay and explore surrounding islands and beaches.

Railay:

Just to the south of Ao Nang is Laem Tham Phra Nang, a headland with caves and beaches often referred to as Railay (or Rai Leh), which is the name of its main beach. The west side of the headland has a beautiful curved beach backed by limestone cliffs. The cliffs feature stalactites that drip into the sea. The east side of the headland, Nam Mao beach, is mostly mangroves.

Nopparat Thara beach:

To the west of Ao Nang is Nopparat Thara beach. The area has developed to catch the overspill from Ao Nang, and there is a lot of reasonably priced accommodation. The 3 km long beach is popular with local picknickers, and there are also plenty of casual seafood restaurants located at its western end. The beach itself is wide but a little muddy and not great for swimming.

Krabi Town

The provincial center of Krabi province, Muang Krabi, or as it is widely referred, Krabi Town, is no longer the quiet little town that travelers of the late 20th century once described. With a wide array of accommodations, international and local range of dining options, Krabi Town is an ideal spot for a transit stopover to the various jewels of Krabi province, or for a few days stay to experience a genuine Thai scene, you are sure to find plenty of things and places to see and do in and around Krabi Town.

Background

Krabi is one of Thailand’s emerging holiday destinations located on the Andaman sea (Phang Nga bay), 800 kilometers south of Bangkok and 170 kilometers from Phuket. Encompassing an area of 4708 square kilometers, the western border of Krabi is the Andaman sea, the northern borders are Surat Thani and Phang-nga provinces, the southern borders are Trang province and the Andaman sea and the eastern borders are Nakhon Si Thammarat and Trang provinces.

Topography

Krabi’s topography is mostly rocky-mountains and highland separated by plains in some parts. The province is located at the shore to the Andaman sea. Most notable are the solitary limestone hills, both on the land and in the sea as islands. Such islands provide remarkable views from the resort. In addition, Krabi offers many natural attractions including beaches, coral reefs, large and small islands and forests with caves and waterfalls.