Phi Phi island

Koh Phi Phi or Phi Phi island is a small archipelago in Krabi Province.

There are the named islands as following

* Koh Phi Phi Don, the largest and only populated island.
* Koh Phi Phi Leh (also known as Ko Phi Phi Lai), a smaller island to the south, popularised when parts of the movie "The Beach" were filmed there. Uninhabited apart from bird nest harvesters and a few Maya Bay wardens; expect plenty of tourists during daylight hours, especially in Maya Bay, the beach of the eponymous movie.
* Koh Phai ('Bamboo Island'), a small low-lying islet to the north of Phi Phi Don with several good beaches.
* Bida Nok and Bida Nai, two small adjacent limestone karsts to the south of Phi Phi Leh, with near-vertical cliff walls rising from the sea.

Although rapidly becoming less and less attractive due to the masses of tourists as well as the construction on the island, it's still a very beautiful place to visit, and is one of those places everybody should go at least once in their lifetime. Although the beaches are not the best in Thailand, the place has a good vibe and nightlife and there are dozens of dive shops to choose from.

Most of the (over)development of Phi Phi Don is situated in or around Tonsai village, which is on the low, sandy isthmus that joins the two hilly spurs that comprise the rest of the island. There are also other, quieter resorts on Long Beach, Laem Thong, and at other less accessible areas of the island.

Koh Phi Phi was devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, when nearly all of the island's infrastructure was wiped out. Redevelopment has, however, been swift, and services like electricity, water, Internet access and ATMs are up and running again, but waste handling has been slower to come back online.

It should be noted that, while very laid back, many of the local islanders are Muslim. You will lose considerable respect if you walk around town in your skimpies (this applies to Buddhist areas of Thailand too!). While many tourists do in fact parade down Main Street in their Speedos or thong bikinis, to avoid offending your hosts, it's usually best just to throw on a pair of shorts or a sarong; similarly, toplessness on the beaches, while grudgingly tolerated by most locals, is also probably best avoided.

Destination Air Shuttle - direct seaplane transfers from/to Phuket International Airport and other popular Andaman coast destinations. They often run a low season promotion for transfer from Phi Phi to Phuket Airport for only 2000 baht (high season is 6000 baht), and land at Laem Thong near the northern tip of the island - transport to Tonsai, if required, is about 30 minutes by longtail boat. This is a fairly good deal considering the ferry (400 baht) plus taxi (700 baht) to Phuket's airport will run you around 1200 baht.

Ferries leave from Phuket and Krabi daily (several times a day during the high season). Tickets are 350 baht to/from Phuket, Krabi (350 baht) or Ko Lanta (300 baht), and if bought in advance should include transport to the pier. They are much cheaper when bought in a package with a bus ticket at a travel agency in Bangkok. The nearer you get to Koh Phi Phi, the more expensive the ferry tickets get, peaking at 350 baht at the pier.

Not all ferries are created equally. You can often take your ticket from a travel agent and apply it to a nicer ferry. Talk to the locals and find out what is the best ferry to take. The ferries run by Chao Ko group, particularly the smallest "Pichamon IV" are often overcrowded and appear to be very poorly maintaned, which does not inspire confidence, particuarly in heavy seas. In April 2007, a ferry operated by Andaman Wave Master caught fire and sank, and all aboard were forced to jump into the sea. Fortunately, nearby vessels were quickly able to rescue all the passengers, and no casualties occurred. The ferries run by PP Family are larger and seem more suited to the task.

Other tour vessels visit the island from several Phuket-based resorts, usually on day trips, the price for a speadboat from Rawai Beach was quoted at 15,000 baht return(or one way) for up to 6 people(Dec 6 2007). There are many speedboats operating directly from the beach but it may be best to book the day before as most seem to be on away on trips during the day. Speedboats can also be chartered from other nearby locations, but at a very high price (in July 2007, the starting price for a speedboat to Phi Phi Don from Ko Yao was quoted at 20,000 baht).