Visiting Koh Phi Phi Without Tourists
I’ve wanted to visit the beautiful famous Phi Phi Islands ever since I arrived in Thailand in late February 2020. I decided to avoid the throng of tourists and went to the nearby island of Koh Lanta for a few days instead. I’ve been traveling around this beautiful country for over 7 months during this unfortunate world pandemic. The borders of Thailand are still closed to foreign tourism and as a result lots of people are out of work struggling to survive even though there’s only been 60 deaths from COVID in the entire country and zero on the islands. To put the situation into perspective, Thailand normally welcomes 40 million tourists every year. It’s important the government reopens the borders again soon!
I’m so grateful I made the smart decision to stay in The Kingdom rather than return home to the states during these challenging times. To make the most of the current situation I figured now would be the ideal time to visit Koh Phi Phi without tourists. Under normal circumstances over 1,000 tourists arrive on the island every single day! In June 2018, Maya Beach, made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2000 film The Beach was closed indefinitely to allow it to recover. The beach used to receive up to 5,000 tourists and 200 boats a day. There are government talks that it will reopen again soon with limited access to the beach.
After enjoying a few days of the annual Vegetarian Festival I booked my boat ticket at my hostel for about 500 Baht with transport to Rassada Pier. The islands are located about 46km from Phuket and roughly the same distance from Krabi. The ferry boat ride takes about 2 hours. You can also take a speedboat for nearly twice the cost. My one-way trip included circumnavigation of Koh Phi Phi Lee with views of the restricted Maya Bay. I’m releasing a full video on my YouTube channel soon. Please subscribe for travel updates at Digital Nomad Ventures.
Upon arrival at Ton Sai Pier you must pay a 20 Baht entrance fee to assist in keep “Koh Phi Phi Clean”. Every cloud has its silver lining. The lack of foreign tourism due to the COVID crisis is great for the environment. I was immediately drawn in by the crystal clear turquoise blue green waters and colorful long-tail boats waiting to take people to nearby islands. It’s a relatively small paradise island with narrow streets that is easily accessible by foot. You don’t need a motorbike to get around.
I checked into my resort with beautiful panoramic views of Tonsai Bay. Thankfully, hotel accommodation is very affordable due to the current situation. Simple case of supply and demand. No customers means deep discounts. Bad deal for the hospitality industry, good news for me. I walked to the beach for a swim to cool off and enjoyed watching the sunset over the sweeping granite cliffs surrounding Koh Phi Phi Don.
The next day I woke early in the morning and hiked to the iconic viewpoint overlooking Koh Phi Phi Don. It’s a pretty challenging hike but definitely worth the panoramic views. It’s very famous you’ve probably seen photos all over social media. A friendly woman with her family from Bangkok took an epic photo of me at the top on a large boulder with my arms outstretched with camera in hand.
I stayed for only two nights on the famous paradise island. A few hours before my return boat I took a kayak on the open water by myself to the nearby Monkey Beach. This was one of the highlights of my travels in Thailand for over 7 months. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to go diving or snorkeling this time, but I would love to return to Phi Phi Islands when the tourists come back and the dive centers are open.
Highly recommend visiting Koh Phi Phi when foreign tourists are allowed to re-enter Thailand early next year! Don’t forget to pack your suitcase with Purell Hand Sanitizer to prevent spreading the virus. ;)
In the meantime, you can enjoy a few of my favorite photos from Phi Phi Islands. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for travel updates from Thailand!
Watch the Full Episode on My YouTube Channel
A Few Favorite Photos from Phi Phi Islands
