Phi Phi Leh is an uninhabited island that lies 1.5km off the southernmost tip of Phi Phi Don. Stunning vertical cliffs capped with green foliage give way to small sandy beaches and tropical coral seas.
Most visitors to Phi Phi find their way around Phi Phi Leh on an organised boat tour. However you can rent a longtail boat for your own custom trip.
The location for the perfect beach in the Leonardo DiCaprio film 'The Beach', Maya Bay is a firm favourite with tourists drawing hundreds, if not thousands, of visitors each day from November to April.
Inside the bay there are several beaches. Most are small and some only exist at low tide. Below the waterline there is lots of coral and colourful fish. (Read more...)
Loh Sama (Sama Bay)
Located on the south side of the island the only activity here is snorkeling which is excellent for discovering beautiful coral and tropical fish. Boats anchor in the shallow water while you swim.
You can get to Maya Bay from here at low tide via a small hole through a cliff about a meter high and sometimes when the sea is rough from May to October this is the only way to get into Maya Bay.
Pi Leh Bay
Pi Leh Bay is on the west coast, the opposite side of the island to Maya Bay. Similar to Maya Bay it has 100m vertical cliffs rising from the water. Most of the bay is in shade except for the middle of the day.
This long thin bay is pretty shallow and is only accessible to speedboats and longtails, it does not dry out at low tide and there is a very small beach right at the back that you can just glimpse if you're passing.
Very beautiful and excellent for swimming. At the entrance there are excellent snorkeling opportunities.
Viking Cave
Just to the north of Pi Leh Bay is the Viking Cave where swifts nest. There are some paintings on the walls of boats resembling Viking ships that are supposed to be ancient however they're more likely to be just a couple of hundred years old if that. However, the Viking tag has stuck.
The nests are made by the birds from their saliva and harvested from February to April by locals who use rickety bamboo scaffolding to get up to them once the birds have finished nesting. The nests sell for many thousands of dollars per kilo and are used for the Chinese delicacy bird's nest soup.
Palong Bay
Just outside Maya Bay to the north, this is more of a dive site than a bay. Here there are many black-tip reef sharks and coral formations in up to 12m of water.
There can be strong currents here so it is not advisable to snorkel without an organised tour (i.e. someone who knows the currents). (Diving in Palong Bay) |
